Wednesday 18 March 2015

Apple Watch the distance from an original prediction to actuality

Lets have a look at an early prediction of the watch sized computer and how it turned out after 34 years of development.

Byte Magazine cover from April 1981
Apple Watch advert from March 2015 ( 34 years later )
Detail changes:
Keyboard -> Touch screen
Removable media -> Wireless connection
Text screen - > Full graphics screen
Stainless steel strap -> Stainless steel strap ( or leather etc)
Nothing -> Sensors for heartbeat, location, time, motion
Nothing -> Communication connection to iPhone
Text based adventure - > Angry Birds.

Software from early version would have been text based, limited by the lack of sensors, communication and 10 years of smartphone software development.






Tuesday 10 March 2015

BT Openreach - Fails to provide phones lines to new houses in over 9 months.

Today yet another email from BT Openreach arrived with confirmation of yet another failed connection date at Torridge View new house site in Bideford EX39 4HH.


After BBC Watchdog castigated BT Openreach  for long delays connecting new housing developments back in November 2014 I contacted Openreach directly to track when the installation date was set.  We really hoped things would change as the site had already been waiting for connection for at least 4 months by that time.


After some delay the reply came….


> we expect to have all of our work completed at that development and to be able to provide your site with service by 16/02/15. 


On 19th January this changed to ...


>provide your site with service by 04/02/2015. 
then

be able to provide your site with service by 18/02/2015.
then

>provide your site with service has changed and is now 10/03/2015
then today ….

>provide your site with service has changed and is now 19/05/2015.


Broken promise after broken promise.


This repeated failures to stick to connection dates and deliver a basic service is both annoying and exceptionally poor service for the residents of the site.  It has been mentioned that some of the houses have been provided with temporary lines but this fails to address the core problem of lack of site connectivity. The length of delay at over 8 months was previously enough to cause Watchdog to run a report and yet this length of delay continues. 

Having a moan on behalf of a couple of residents on the site. We will be asking for free line rental for the same duration as the delay in installation.

This failure has already made the local paper back in October 2014 to little apparent effect.