Steve Jobs Fesses Up to MobileMe Misfire on 3G iPhone Launch

Apple chief Steve Jobs (News - Alert) reportedly has admitted that his company took on too much when it launched dozens of applications for the iPhone 2.0 simultaneously last month, saying in particular that the introduction of a new auto-syncing service was “not up to Apple’s (News - Alert) standards.”

 

According to online industry magazine AppleInsider, and reportedly first seen by Ars Technica, Jobs admitted in an e-mail sent to employees yesterday that MobileMe was launched without proper testing and even mapped out a different launch strategy.

 

“It was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone (News - Alert) 3G, iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store,” Jobs said, according to the magazine. “We all had more than enough to do, and MobileMe could have been delayed without consequence.”

 

The consequences were considerable, leading Apple to apologize almost immediately after the product’s launch and even to offer a service extension.

 

According to Apple’s blog, the transition from .Mac to MobileMe presented unanticipated problems, leaving iPhone and iTouch users without a service and leading the company to offer an extension.

 

“We will be extending subscriptions by 30 days to customers free of charge to express our appreciation for their patience during the transition period,” Apple posted on its blog.

 

MobileMe is one of the dozens of new applications for the much-hyped iPhone that are designed, essentially, to turn the mobile device into the only piece of telecom equipment a human will need to get through the day.

 

Specifically, MobilMe synchs information so that a user can check e-mail, contacts and calendar data whether they’re on a Mac, PC, iPhone or iPod Touch.

 

The cloud-based app automatically updates contacts, calendar information and other data between the mobile devices and computers.

 

Yet, according to reports, the offering suffered glitches during the iPod launch, preventing users from logging onto their accounts and then failing to synch properly when the excited new buyers finally could access the application.

 

“The problems sparked a flurry of criticism from users on blogs and online message boards,” says RCR News. “The company said it will provide a free 30-day extension to the service, which costs $99 per year.”

 

In addition to admitting personally that the application was mis-launched, Jobs also reportedly announced changes to the company’s management structure, according to AppleInsider’s report. The changes will see Eddy Cue, once the vice president of iTunes, oversee Internet-related services such the iTunes, the App Store, and MobileMe.

“The MobileMe launch clearly demonstrates that we have more to learn about Internet services,” Jobs said in his e-mail. “And learn we will. The vision of MobileMe is both exciting and ambitious, and we will press on to make it a service we are all proud of by the end of this year.”