#NotInThisLifetime

If you had asked me this time a year ago, if Guns N’ Roses would ever get back together, I would have answered, “Not in this lifetime.” Perhaps I should have been playing closer attention. There were definite signs, but I just didn’t believe it. In a Renaissance period of my life, fueled by my passion for epic Rock&Roll, I am simply grateful they made this choice and I had the opportunity to immerse myself in all of it! Following the memorable debut Arena performance Friday night April 8, 2016 at Las Vegas’ brand new T Mobile Arena, Masterpiece Guns N’ Roses historic reunion. my insatiable appetite for this band, no pun intended, demanded two more performances at hometown New York City area 82,500 seat capacity Met Life Stadium on July 23rd and 24th, and finally on August 12th to the magnificent city of Seattle, Washington, nestled between a thriving sea port and the majestic domes of Mount Rainier, a metropolis steeped in rich music history, and the hometown of GN’R Bass Player Duff McKagan. I have never attended more than one live concert event in one single tour, not even for the Stones, Led Zeppelin, or Aerosmith. Perhaps the twenty year void of the iconic live trio ensemble of Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan tugged at my heart strings. Perhaps the opportunity to experience the only true Rock&Roll band of my generation tugged even greater. Yes that sounds right. What about the fans? WOW! I have never seen such devotion from a fan base that spans continents. The final hook was the ensemble of new and old with the very athletic and masterful Rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus, the very cool and accessible Frank Ferrer, whose mastery of the drum kit keeps this band in precision timing, and the creative and melodic sound rising from the keyboards with long time member Dizzy Reed and GN’R’s newest member, the brilliantly coiffed Melissa Reese. As a pianist myself, inspired recently to make a new keyboard purchase, I love that this classic Rock&Roll band has evolved and strengthened the mastery of the musical experience beyond the beloved and traditional electric guitar.

Take me down to the Paradise City, where the grass is green and the rockers are gritty! In my Smartphone Blog post this month, I wrap up with a mesmerizing performance of Civil War, that opens with a young and very athletic Axl Rose adorned in a patriotic leather jacket with the words “REBEL” on the back. I am very purposeful in every media choice I make for my Blogs. Very athletic still at 54 years of age, young at heart, passionate, and completely on top of his game, Axl Rose personifies the Rock&Roll rebel heart that brings legions of fans around the world to blockbuster stadium performances, standing for hours in the pit, waving and swaying to the music .. “yeah yeauh “.

Slash, our beloved and very humble Top Hatted Rocker, face buried by a mass of gorgeous rocker curls, whose message to the world doesn’t come from his lips or face, but rather from epic Rock&Roll riffs that send fan emotions into the stratosphere, is simply the greatest guitar player ever to grace a musical stage!

Bass Player Duff McKagan’s first encounter with his friend Slash, took place at Canter’s Deli on North Fairfax in Los Angeles in 1983. A 19 year old Duff had just moved from Seattle and answered an ad Slash had placed looking for a bass player. The conversation logically flowed for more than two hours, simply talking about music. Ultimately they would go on to form the original lineup of Guns N’ Roses in 1985, then releasing their epic debut album Appetite for Destruction in 1987. In Seattle, Duff had been playing with bands since he was 14 years old. A versatile rocker who also played lead guitar and drums, he finally settled in with the Bass. In recent years, he has fronted as lead singer for the various projects he has led since the breakup of the original GN’R lineup. In this tour, he performed lead vocals duty with a gritty rendition of “New Rose”. Also a songwriter, the band opened this tour with “It’s So Easy” GN’R’s first single release from “Appetite For Destruction” in June 1987 in the UK, written by Duff and Wes Arkeen.

So of course, the July 23^rd and 24^th NYC area performances couldn’t come soon enough, following the April 8th performance in Vegas. A Kick A** Rock&Roll weekend start to finish, with my longtime best friend since the 8^th grade, the brilliant Robyn Bryson and her boyfriend Ron, the very cool David Paul, an innovative educator in the New York City school system, who hails from southern California, and a lovely new group of devoted GN’R fan friends Monni, Joe, Nevy, Joseph, Nir, Nick, and Margott. We kicked things off with a tailgate party in the parking lot before heading inside. This would be my first experience of an athletic and mobile Axl Rose since his seated and “throned” performance in Vegas, with his foot healed and free of the huge plaster cast! Live Nation delivered a terrific and well organized “Paradise City VIP” experience and my beloved rockers reinforced their commitment to their craft, this long awaited reunion tour, and their devoted followers. A very fit and athletic Lenny Kravitz opened the night and we never looked back! A month into their U.S. stadium tour, all the worry was gone, and we were all back in the groove of epic Rock&Roll masterpiece by this band of ferocious and legendary Rock talent!

Axl Rose and Duff McKagan Met Life Stadium July 23, 2016 photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Axl Rose July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Slash July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo Taken by Cynthia Drew

Duff McKagan July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Lenny Kravitz July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

In August 2015, I traveled to Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market for a very unique concert experience and musical fundraiser. Seattle’s public radio station KEXP had managed to raise a whopping $12 million to build new studios at the Seattle Center, studios specifically designed to elevate the musical fan experience with live participation. WOW! I am so impressed by that. They held a free outdoor concert “Raw Power” on the roof, on a gorgeous summer evening overlooking the harbor, in a musical tribute to Iggy Pop, with four legendary Seattle rockers. Yes you guessed it, Duff McKagan on Bass, his “Walking Papers” band member Barrett Martin on Drums, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on the electric guitar, and singer Mark Arm from Mudhoney. Following the free concert, there was a VIP after party with these iconic rockers, KEXP management, and some influential local businessmen and women at top floor restaurant Matt’s In The Market. They ultimately reached their goal of $15 million and I am so proud to have played a small role in that. In keeping with the tradition of cool fan engagement this band promotes, I met a new Rock&Roll soul sister Jenn Iverson who, a year later, invited me to her lovely home on Lake Washington she shares with her husband Evan and their precious 3 year old daughter Edie, for the Guns N’ Roses August 12, 2016 Friday night performance at the 69,000 capacity Century Link Field. Life is an adventure and I plan to make the most of it! We began this adventure Thursday night at the iconic grunge bar “Linda’s Tavern”, the public place where Kurt Cobain was last seen alive, with yet another GN’R fan group pre party that brought in fans from across the U.S., Canada, and South America. The day of the concert, I decided to stroll around the Lake and amazingly I believe I caught a glimpse of Duff McKagan whizzing by on his bicycle in the early afternoon. An avid bicyclist, I’m guessing he was thrilled to be back at his hometown Lake home following two months of being on the road. Did I mention eldest daughter Grace, 19 years old in her sophomore year at Seattle U, and very talented lead singer of the Pink Slips, was set to open the night, along with Alice In Chains. Yes an unforgettable night steeped in rich Seattle music history!

Jill, Cynthia, Evan, and Jenn August 12, 2016 Century Link Field Seattle, Washington

My GN’R 2016 adventure continued with a terrific set by The Dead Daisies on September 8th at Webster Hall with appearances by Rhythm Guitarist Richard Fortus and Drummer Frank Ferrer. Both mingled in the club briefly following their performances, graciously giving their devoted fans exclusive access to rock royalty! I even met a couple from the south of France, who were doing an Air BNB in Tribeca and who graciously took this lovely photo of me with Frank Ferrer. Yes the FB fan group #GnFnR Fanspot #NotInThisLifetime group is continually growing!

Richard Fortus Webster Hall September 8, 2016 Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Frank Ferrer Webster Hall September 8, 2016 Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Frank Ferrer & Cynthia Drew Webster Hall September 8, 2016

The pace continued with a scintillating performance Wednesday September 14, 2016 at Madison Square Garden! Our beloved Axl Rose, in commanding high power lead vocal force, substituted for an ill Brian Johnson with legendary Rock&Roll band ACDC! Founder and lead guitarist Angus Young, not a young man at 61, delivered an incredibly physical and impressive performance on the electric guitar! Yes another new GN’R Rock&Roll sister Tammy Michaud from Los Angeles, who I met in June at Slash’s Conjuring 2 movie screening, flew out for the event and we had a terrific time! The concert was book ended by fan before and after parties with good friends Tammy, Monni, Nir, Joseph, and Avi.

Angus Young AC/DC Madison Square Garden September 14, 2016 Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Axl Rose lead singer with AC/DC September 14, 2016 at Madison Square Garden Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

I would be remiss if I did not mention the terrific surprise guest Drum performances by original GN’R drummer Steven Adler. I’m sorry that I missed them and understand it was much appreciated by the fans. I see Steven Adler’s tremendous enthusiasm for this reunion tour and I hope his recovery from back surgery continues in good fashion. Please know that I have equal appreciation for Frank Ferrer and would love for both of them to perform together. Why not? GN’R is a clear driving force in Rock&Roll trend! Where does it say you can’t have two drummers? Like many, I did miss seeing Izzy Stradlin on the Rhythm Guitar and am hopeful that each member of the original lineup can reach a happy accord. Again, like Adler and Ferrer, I hold the same feelings on Stradlin and Fortus.

Sadly I have to wrap up, but I am joyful to end on a very poignant and emotional note. After a record 23 years of not speaking with each other, following a roughly 10 year span of extraordinary Rock&Roll brotherhood that created some of this genre’s greatest classics, I was delighted to see this tweet this morning, with Slash and girlfriend Meegan Hodges in attendance Tuesday night September 20 at AC/DC’s final 2016 tour performance at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, cheering on his legendary rocker brother Axl Rose. Yes this is how it should be! Thank you Axl, Slash, Duff, Richard, Dizzy, Frank, and Melissa for re-energizing a global Rock&Roll audience and delivering some of the best damn music in the history of modern music!

Will sign off with this epic classic … Nothing lasts forever, even cold November Rain. Official November Rain Video

Cynthia Front Row July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium

Cynthia, Robyn, and Ron in the Paradise City VIP Lounge July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium

Slash July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Axl on the Piano November Rain July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Epic November Rain finale July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Axl Rose Century Link Field Seattle, Washington August 12, 2016 Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Axl Rose July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Duff McKagan July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Melissa Reese July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Richard Fortus July 23, 2016 Met Life Stadium Photo taken by Cynthia Drew

September 21, 2016 By Cynthia Drew In Rock&Roll / 1 Comment

Olympic Dreams

I saw USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny return to the Arena floor and I knew the team had been chosen. I knew that at that very moment, in a room with eighteen of the best male gymnasts in the country, that five would learn their incredible fate to represent the United States of America at the 2016 Olympic Games. Steve Penny appeared sooner than I had expected, and somehow that calmed me down a little, but let’s be clear, I was a nervous wreck and thought my heart would pound right out of my chest. I was looking down at my sheet of scribbled scores that I had been compiling since Night 1 of the Men’s P&G National Championships three weeks earlier, and replaying all the Olympic final “3 men up, 3 scores count” point scenarios in my numbers brain. I was certain John Orozco was in contention. After all, he was the 2012 U.S. National Champion and a member of the 2012 Olympic Team, finishing 8^th place in the All Around. He is a three time World Bronze Medallist, including one individual medal on Parallel Bars. He also has much needed expertise on pommel horse, and is a multiple U.S. Medallist on High Bar. But how can you really be certain about an athlete, incredible no doubt, who has been sidelined for 2 of the past 4 yours with major injuries including a ruptured Achilles tendon, his second, just 12 months ago? Let’s not forget the devastating sudden loss of his mom 4 months earlier. How do you come back from something like that? As John Orozco will humbly tell you, “I didn’t come this far, to only come this far”. Long road to Rio.

The six person Olympic Selection committee, five with voting rights, had their work cut out for themselves. With incredible depth in the USA Men’s program today, this was considered one of the toughest team decisions to make in over twenty years. In the Gymnastics team final at the Olympic Games, three athletes compete per event, and all three scores count. There is no room for error. Considering the field of competitors, what five gymnasts will offer the best chance to earn the top three scores across six events? Run the numbers. The Selection committee did and they each returned the same five competitor names. Selection U.S. Men’s Olympic Team.

All of a sudden the lights went out in the Arena. I leaned forward in my seat, straining my eyes to make out the five men who were walking towards the steps leading up to the podium floor. I caught a glimpse of John’s face seconds before the lights went on, and the flood gates of emotion erupted as the CEO of USA Gymnastics announced the 2016 Olympic Men’s team. John Orozco is one of my all time favorite gymnasts, and certainly my favorite among the men! Steve Penny Announces U.S. Men’s Olympic Team.

Cynthia Drew at 2016 Men’s Olympic Trials.

Sam Mikulak, Jake Dalton, and John Orozco made their second Olympic team Saturday night June 25 at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri! 2012 Olympic replacement athletes Chris Brooks and Alex Naddour also sealed their fate! I can’t help but think what a powerful statement this is, speaking to the level of commitment and dedication it must take to remain competitive at the very top of your field, across two Olympic cycles, in a sport so physically demanding. It’s truly inspiring ! Three alternates were named the following morning, Danell Leyva, Donnell Whittenburg, and Akash Modi.

As a fan, a former child and adult competitor, and now a Level 10 USAG certified Women’s Judge, and NY South Board Treasurer and CPE Coordinator, I am so proud to be involved in this sport and can’t get enough of it! Something magical happens every time I walk into a setting where gymnastics is happening!

Fast forward to July 8 and the setting is San Jose, CA for the Women’s Olympic Trials. Of course by now, most of you have heard of the greatest female Artistic gymnast in the history of the sport, the incredible Simone Biles, who burst into the spotlight following the 2012 London Olympics. She arrived at the 2016 Olympic Trials as the reigning 3 time consecutive World All Around Champion and 4 time consecutive U.S. National Champion! These are distinctions held by no other female Artistic gymnast. Her second tumbling pass on floor includes a skill named after her, “The Biles”, a double back layout with a half twist. She is the only female artistic gymnast on the planet who performs this move, which she does with such incredible height, that she actually finishes all that rotating and twisting with so much room to spare, she seemingly floats to the ground for the landing. It’s incredible to watch! When she is at her best, nobody even comes close. In the All Around final in Rio, she would go on to score a whopping 15.933 on Floor Exercise, +0.5 to the second place finisher, and more than a full point to the 3^rd place finisher at 14.9! That margin of separation is unheard of in this sport! It is actually quite easy to conceive the notion that Simone Biles will retain the title of Greatest Female Artistic Gymnast until the end of time!

The level of difficulty in this sport has risen to such extraordinary heights. To put this in perspective, Nadia Comaneci performed a single back layout with 1 ½ twists in her opening tumbling pass at the 1976 Olympic Games. Today, gymnasts perform double backs and triple twists on floor and standing flips on Beam.

Following 2 days of some pretty incredible gymnastics from the highly regarded field of competitors who comprise the U.S. Women’s National Team, CEO Steve Penny returned to the podium Sunday night July 10 to announce the five person Women’s Olympic team including reigning World and U.S. National Champion Simone Biles, 2012 Olympic All Around Champion Gabrielle Douglas, 2012 Olympic Floor Exercise Champion Aly Raisman, reigning World Uneven Bars Champion Madison Kocian, and the youngest member of the team at 16 years of age, first year on the Senior National team, Laurie Hernandez. The replacements athletes named include Ragan Smith, McKayla Skinner, and Ashton Locklear. Congratulations ladies! Steve Penny announces U.S. Women’s Olympic Team.

U.S. Women’s Olympic Team photo taken by Cynthia Drew

Each Olympic Team announcement always includes replacement athletes, as injury is unfortunately very common in this sport. On July 15, we learned the devastating news that John Orozco tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, on a bad landing off High Bar, and had to step down from the Olympic team. 2012 Olympic Bronze Medallist Danell Leyva was named to the team to replace John. An incredible outpouring of support from the global gymnastics community made the news somewhat bearable. Of course John Orozco is such a class act. His attitude and demeanor following this tragic injury, ultimately helped all of us to move forward in the best possible way. John has since had two surgeries on his knee and continues his gymnastics training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

The USA Men ultimately finished 5^th in the Olympic Team Competition with a combined score of 268.56. U.S. Men Finish Fifth. following a 2^nd place finish in the preliminary round of 270.405, that also counted a few missteps. They are exceptionally talented athletes who simply had a bad day and I admire them all greatly! Event finals went better with Alex Naddour claiming Bronze on Pommel Horse, and Danell Leyva claiming Silver on Parallel Bars and High Bar. Two men qualified to the All Around Final, with reigning four time U.S. National Champion Sam Mikulak finishing 7^th, and Chris Brooks finishing in 14^th place.

U.S. Men’s Olympic Team photo provided by USA Gymnastics

On to the women! The USA Gymnastics Women’s Team dominated at the 2016 Olympic Games with a total of 9 out of a possible 11 medals, 4 Gold, 4 Silver, and 1 Bronze. U.S. Women Olympic Champions! Given that Olympic gymnastics teams today only consist of five members, down from seven in 1996 when the Magnificent Seven won Gold in Atlanta , and down from six in 2008 when the USA Women won Silver in Beijing, the “Final Five” delivered in invincible fashion!

Team: Gold USA

All Around: Gold Simone Biles, Silver Aly Raisman

Vault: Gold Simone Biles

Uneven Bars: Silver Madison Kocian

Balance Beam: Silver Laurie Hernandez, Bronze Simone Biles

Floor: Gold Simone Biles, Silver Aly Raisman

USA Women 2016 Gold Medal Olympic Champions photo provided by USA Gymnastics, photo credit to John Cheng.

There is a 2 gymnast per country rule for each of the 4 events and the all around final. The USA Women claimed 2 medals on every event except Vault and Uneven Bars. I should note that to qualify to the Vault event final, the gymnast must perform a vault from 2 different categories of Vault. In the U.S. currently, we only have 2 gymnasts who qualify to the Vault final, Simone Biles and McKayla Skinner, who was named one of the replacement athletes.

Madison Kocian, who trains at WOGA in Plano, Texas, a gym well known for producing great Uneven Bars workers, won the Silver Medal on Uneven Bars with a score of 15.833, -0.67 behind Aliya Mustafina from the Russian Federation. A World Champion on the Uneven Bars, Kocian was chosen for this Olympic team specifically for her strength on this event. Under the intense pressure of needing to deliver on one event only, she did her job, not only winning the Silver in the event final, but delivering an impressive 15.933 routine during the team final.

Of course everyone knows Gabrielle Douglas, the 2012 Olympic All Around Champion and the first gymnast with that distinction, to make a second Olympic team. Equally impressive, is the fact that Douglas did not train for two years following London. Given the high degree of difficulty necessary to remain competitive at the international elite level today, it’s extremely difficult to achieve this feat following such a lengthy absence. While her degree of difficulty on Floor, Beam, and Vault was lower than her teammates, her strength on uneven bars was greatly needed, and she certainly delivered with a huge score of 15.766 in the team final!

In 2012, Laurie Hernandez was 12 years old and a Level 10 gymnast. Today she is the youngest member of the 2016 Olympic Gold Medal Women’s Gymnastics Team, also winning a Silver Medal on Balance Beam with an impressive 15.333, tumbling and leaping across the 4” wide apparatus with veteran precision and confidence! With tremendous personality and dynamic choreography on Floor Exercise, she quite ably engages her audience, which we also expect to see as a new contestant on Dancing With The Stars!

Aly Raisman, the most decorated U.S. Gymnast at the 2012 Olympic Games with two Gold Medals, Team and Floor Exercise and one Bronze on Beam, added three more Olympic Medals to her treasure chest in Rio with one Gold in the Team Competition, and two Silver Medals, All Around and Floor Exercise. The 2016 Olympic Team Captain and oldest member of this invincible team at 22, has certainly sealed her place in the history of USA and World gymnastic legends! Aly decided to continue in her training following a 4^th place finish in the All Around competition in the 2012 Olympics, a finish delivered at the hands of a 3^rd place tie break rule that went to Aliya Mustafina from Russia. Determined in her quest this time around, with her parents sitting in the stands, twisting in their seats, she delivered in convincing fashion, seizing the Silver Medal and relegating Mustafina to a Bronze medal finish. Her exceptional strength on Vault, performing a sky high Amanar vault scoring a 15.633, and a magnificent and glorious Floor Exercise routine scoring a huge 15.433 sealed the deal!

This exceptional Olympic Champion team is aptly named “The Final Five” to signify the end of an extraordinary era in U.S. Gymnastics history, with the retirement of Marta Karolyi, longtime U.S. Women’s National Team Coordinator. A legend retires. Since 2000 she has led the Women’s Program in earning 96 World and Olympic Medals. We wish Marta Karolyi much happiness and enjoyment in her retirement! Valeri Liukin, a two time Olympic Champion, father and coach to 2008 Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin, WOGA gym owner, and one of the most highly respected coaches in this sport, is excited to assume this important role. Valeri Liukin to succeed Marta Karolyi. We wish Valeri great success!

And just in case you missed a Golden moment in Olympic Gymnastics history, I leave you with this exquisite floor routine at the conclusion of the 2016 Olympic All Around final, that scored a monster 15.933, undoubtedly one of the best floor routines in the life of the greatest female Artistic gymnast Simone Biles. Enjoy!

Simone Biles clinches Olympic All Around Gold!

Cover photo of 2016 Olympic Men’s Team provided by USA Gymnastics.

September 19, 2016 By Cynthia Drew In Gymnastics /

Who Is Leading the Smartphone Market Today?

We can evaluate this a few different ways. If we compare current market share of the major operating systems, Google’s Android is the hands down leader at 86.2%, compared to Apple’s iOS at 12.9%, according to the latest Gartner research. If we’re looking at manufacturer volume sold, the numbers certainly make the case for Samsung with 22.3% market share to Apple’s 12.9%. If we consider TechRadar’s most current ranking of the top 10 smartphones, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are ranked 7^th and 8^th respectively. They are the only smartphones in the top 10 who run on the iOS platform, currently 9.3.5. All the rest run on Android, which continues to evolve with the new Lollipop and Marshmallow updates. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge and S7 lead the rankings. The HTC 10, new 2013 Chinese manufacturer OnePlus 3 model, and the LG G5 round out the top 5. The Sony Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Compact come in at #6 and #10, and the Nexus 6P is in 9^th place. Read more here in TechRadar rankings.

However, if we look at net profit, Apple dominates. This Forbes article points out that while Google’s Android dominates market share, Apple makes all the money. A 2013 Forbes article, this one by Tony Bradley, suggests Apple can ignore Android market share all the way to the bank. But that may be changing, particularly given the recent news that in Q1 2016, Apple has experienced the most significant drop in revenue since 2003. More here on iPhone sales drop.

So why am I telling you all this? I’m trying to figure out if I should stay with my current smartphone manufacturer. Can you live without your mobile device? I can’t. So here’s my take on Apple. There’s an app for everything and I rely on quite a few of them to live my life. Email, calendars, notes, text, maps, music, social media, coffee, news, travel reservations, ticket purchase, transportation, weather, and even a wireless speaker system. I recently purchased a Sonos system for my home and it is controlled by an app on my iPhone. I have speakers in my living room, kitchen, and bedroom that did not require any added installation expense, drilling, or unsightly wires. Yes, Steve Jobs was as equally passionate about aesthetics, as he was about functionality. If you want to regularly learn about new apps, register with the Starbucks app and you’ll get weekly messages highlighting a new free app. You have to be discerning though, as data overload can certainly be a problem. I am a huge advocate of “less is more”.

Given that Apple’s current market capitalization is about $576 billion, more than double the level when I made my first Apple purchase in 2010, I expect nothing short of white glove service. Let’s see how they measure up and what is required for that to happen.

I actually hopped on the current mobile technology bandwagon later than most of my contemporaries, with the purchase of the iPod Touch in 2010 and iPhone 4 in 2012. Both were introduced in 2007. Of course my passion for music led the charge! Enamored with 24 hour on demand music, I quickly fell in love with Apple and got out in front on the purchase of the iPad 2 in 2011. Then I discovered the MacBook Air in 2012. All of my devices are on the iCloud under my Apple ID. I do not have an Apple Watch.

I think it’s important to understand some underlying basics first. The iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad all operate on the iOS operating system, although the underlying technology of the iPad is different than the iPhone. The iPod Touch is a media player. The Mac operates on the OSX operating system. All Apple devices, whether they run on an iOS or OSX operating system, are intended to sit harmoniously together on the iCloud. Also relevant to the discussion, in 2014 Apple rolled out a new programming language called Swift. Learn more about Swift here. Building upon their core language Objective-C, Swift offers an “interactive playground” and is viewed by developers as a new simpler language that could make their lives easier, thus lowering the barrier to entry for Apple developers. But it does require a new learning curve and it drives a wedge between iOS & OSX development and the rest of the mobile software world. Swift development is only applicable to Apple devices. In a 2015 Bloomberg article, Joshua Brustein writes, “..There was almost no way Swift wouldn’t lure developers in large numbers. Apple gets to decide which languages can be used to write apps for iOS devices, and legions of coders take heed because the average Apple user generates four times as much revenue for developers than the average Android user. It almost didn’t matter whether Swift was any good…” The article also references assertions made by Kyle Sherman, a software developer with Linked In owned document sharing firm SlideShare, as to the onerous degree of processing power software developers need on their laptops to convert Swift into a computer readable format. Additionally, Colin Eberhart, Technology Director for UK based software development company Scott Logic said, ‘Swift updates regularly break his code. “If you are building production code, right now you just don’t want to be using Swift,” he says. Apple declined to comment for this story.’

As an analyst who partners with Capital Markets business heads to drive P&L growth, the past 10 years in trading technology, and as an avid mobile technology user, I have many thoughts on this evolving landscape. As for me personally, currently with an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and MacBook Air, I really only need the iPhone and MacBook Air, or a competitor equivalent.

My Apple device world worked very well until 2014 when I purchased the iPhone 6; previously I was very happy with the iPhone 4. I often wonder if my iPhone 6 experience would have been better, had I upgraded from the iPhone 5. In the beginning I had very poor cellular service. Apparently I wasn’t alone. In 2014, IOS 8 updates caused Apple to pull 8.01 release due to dropped calls issue. More on this in Forbes magazine. Thankfully, that problem resolved pretty quickly with subsequent updates.

The main issue that continues to frustrate users in 2016, is the wireless network problem. In 2014, I used AOL for my personal email, and had terrible difficulty sending email on my iPhone 6. Apple genius bar specialists repeatedly blamed AOL. At one genius bar visit, the specialist suggested restoring network settings to factory settings. The effort was futile. I finally figured out that if I turned off Wi-Fi, then the email would fly successfully, otherwise it would sit pending in the outbox until I deleted it. So my solution worked well for about two years, but with a recent flurry of iOS 9.3 updates, once again I can no longer send AOL email from my iPhone, even if I turn off Wi-Fi. Thankfully I now have a new email account on my business website server that works just fine. Interestingly, when I send from my AOL mail folder on my MacBook Air, I have no issues with the transmission, but I do notice that it generates multiple copies of that sent email to my junk folder.

An ongoing problem, I have difficulty with several social media apps and maps when not connected to strong WiFi, or where the WiFi setting is on, but none are available. The search function works terribly, and often new links will not load. I regularly close all the apps multiple times a day, and frequently reboot my phone. The maps function has been particularly frustrating as the GPS does not always work correctly. One time I was driving in upstate New York, and the app thought I was in Illinois.

Most recently, with a spate of iOS 9.3 updates mainly designed to address security issues, now running 9.3.5, it is clear that many settings have changed on this latest update. In addition to deleting some very important Notes, I lost the ability to search in my Notes, which was a huge problem as I have many passwords and important information I use regularly. The Apple genius bar staffer told me my Notes were no longer backing up on the iCloud and therefore lost the ability to search. She adjusted the setting and recommended that going forward, I should check all my settings after each iOS update. To be clear, I don’t consider that white glove service. Another setting change that stood out, was to my Weather Channel app, which changed location to Las Vegas, Nevada since this latest iOS update. I clicked on “Add Current Location” and a new window popped up called “My Profile”. I was instructed to turn on “Weather Follow Me”. Are you aware that you have a Profile on your iPhone? I had never seen that before. Do you know how to access it? Since making that update, I am unable to find My Profile and the screen where I turned on “Weather Follow Me”. I checked my iCloud account, accessibility, privacy, location services, and the Weather app. I can’t find it anywhere. I believe it is hidden to make it more difficult for hackers, which I heartily endorse, but if you’re going to change settings to protect me, that also affect functionality I rely on, you either have to get the settings right, or you have to make it reasonably easy for me to find and update them. I rely on my mobile device to make my life easier, not more difficult. That standard must change, or I will no longer purchase Apple products.

At one point in the history of my iPhone 6 difficulties, I was told by an Apple genius bar staffer that my iCloud account had become corrupted and suggested recreating it. Again, I wasn’t alone in this. In 2013, my research shows that Apple began having problems with the iCloud. Apple iCloud service issues. In general, I think Apple’s iCloud has difficulty when you have multiple devices of varying age and operating system on the same Apple ID. I also think that when a new iPhone comes out, the updated operating system works best when you have migrated from the previous iPhone model. I have since taught myself the steps to create a new Apple ID to see if that will help.

As to my MacBook Air, recent OSX El Capitan updates have also created problems and strange software functionality, including issues with the Facebook event calendar. The chief difficulty I currently have is opening new windows in the Safari browser, when multiple windows are open. Recently I have had the same issue with apps on my iPhone, if I am using several at once. Once again I am not alone. iOS 9.3 had a bad week. While this article speaks to a fix, I can tell you this is the single largest ongoing problem I have with my iPhone and Mac. Many iPhone users complain about battery life, which I have never done. I believe carrying an auxiliary battery is a very reasonable solution. However, I have noticed that since the latest iOS update a few weeks ago, the battery life has noticeably worsened. I assume this is because a setting has changed. I have gone through all the menus and adjusted settings to preserve battery life, yet this problem persists. The final point this music lover will make, is the quality and volume of sound when listening to music. If my phone is connected to a power outlet, the sound is better. It also seems to me there is a problem with the actual port where I connect my headphones to the phone. Interestingly, I have a friend who purchased the iPhone 6S a year ago, and he has a similar problem with the power cord port, frequently having difficulty plugging in and having the phone charge. I believe that falls into the category of problem where some iPhones were bending. I am happy to hear today that the iPhone 7 now has wireless headphones, so I am interested to hear more about that!

As Apple rolls out the new iPhone 7, I am considering buying one, as perhaps this will end my current iPhone 6 suffering, but I will certainly wait until all the reviews are in, and will specifically look for improvement on the issues I detail in this post. I certainly want to learn more about the wireless headphones and two-camera system, but those added features alone, assuming they work well, are not enough to entice me. I’m really interested in learning the nuts and bolts of iOS 10.0. I am also considering the the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, at a current sticker price of $792, but I need to do my research first. Apple is offering $649 for the regular size iPhone 7 if you pre-order now.

One final point I will make, that I will develop in greater detail in a future blog post, has to do with mobile software performance on different wireless networks. I have Verizon FiOS 150/150, which is considered very good, although I should note that my wireless function works better when I am in the subway. Transit Wireless, a bai communications company that boasts a highly experienced global technology management team, has produced an impressive level of service in my opinion. Perhaps we can encourage them to enter the residential space. Also, since the latest iOS update, I have noticed a substantial decline in service on my iPhone while at Starbucks. Apps are very slow to update and media often fails to load. Previously I found wireless capability at Starbucks to be quite robust. Interestingly, Starbucks WiFi is powered by Google, whose Android operating system is a major competitor to Apple iOS.

Overall, I believe the software hacking issues that have historically plagued Windows applications, are finally becoming an issue for Apple. I wonder if the “simpler” Swift programming language Apple rolled out in 2014 is a contributing factor. Also, if one of the goals of rolling out a simpler language, is to facilitate more cost effective programming, then there needs to be a standard as to level of functionality and service. In my September 2015 Blog post on long term capital appreciation, read more here, I spoke about the intense pressure CEO’s face as to quarterly earnings reports, yet most believe a long term growth strategy is better. Simply finding the least expensive path in the short run, may ultimately cost more in the long run. There is a simple saying, you get what you pay for. There’s a cost to service delivery failure. Firms can model different P&L forecast scenarios based on these different strategies. Apple states that they don’t compete with consumers who buy other smartphones. I assume then, that they have a very good handle on the category of consumer who buys their phones. For their “highly discerning technology user” clientele, I would evaluate sales and genius bar records to determine this population. If this group comprises a small %, and it is better for the overall P&L to risk losing them on service performance, as opposed to making development and service delivery changes that will probably increase expense, then I will have my answer. An industry colleague and friend I admire, recently told me he gave an estimate to a prospective client for some software development work. The prospective client advised that he had received a lower price estimate from another provider. My friend pointed out that when his team finishes delivering the product, it will stand firmly on two legs and deliver the type of service the client demands. In the case of the lower bid, the client will probably be at risk for service failure, and ultimately will need repeated follow up work, which will cost more in the long run. What is your client’s service level threshold?

Next month, I’ll take on Samsung and Android.

To wrap up in signature Rock&Roll style, hungry for a first class service level, and still riding the Guns N’ Roses #NotInThisLifetime reunion tour high, I’ll leave you with this epic live performance from the early 1990’s. “..When everybody’s fightin’ for their promised land. I don’t need your Civil War.”

September 5, 2016 By Cynthia Drew In Technology /

Month: September 2016

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