Apple Blows It on New UC Voice Capability

A few days ago I posted a piece heralding Apple’s “discovery” UC in the way of a new capability where an iPhone-Mac user could tether their iPhone to the Mac and allow it to make and receive cellular calls through the iPhone. Beyond that I issued a warning to other UC supplier that Apple was pushing into the space with a warning of rough weather ahead. Well, the rest of the UC community can rest easy (at least for the moment), the darn thing doesn’t work!

I was dying to try out this new integrated capability, part of the bevy of integrations across the Apple product line that would allow a user to start a task on one device, say a desktop or laptop Mac, and be able to pick it up at the same spot on an associated iPhone or iPad; all of the devices would have to be signed in to the same iCloud account. You could also send and receive SMS text messages from a Mac tethered to an iPhone or cellular-equipped iPad.

I already had Yosemite installed on my two Macs and kept hitting Software Updates on my iPhone to see when the other part of the puzzle, iOS 8.1, was available for download. By early afternoon East Coast time 8.1 was available, and I downloaded it on my way to the barber.

When I got home I found the operating instructions online and set up both computers for phone calls and SMS messages. For whatever reason, the activation required you to go to FaceTime on the Macs and the iPhone. The SMS set up required you to enter a code displayed on the Mac into the iPhone – well, it did on one, anyway.

With all of the pieces in place, I placed my first phone call to my wife through the Mac – and she couldn’t hear me! The voice quality was so bad, if it weren’t for the caller ID, she wouldn’t have known it was me!

Once she hung up on me (after telling me I shouldn't bother making phone calls you can’t talk on) I checked the Preferences and found it was using the Mac’s internal microphone, so I switched it to the high-end Chat 50 USB speakerphone I use for my Lync calls (which sound great) and it still stunk. From that I went to a Jabra USB headset with the same results. In short, this voice thing just doesn’t work!

Maybe this shouldn’t be such a big surprise. If you recall, you could barely make intelligible voice calls on the first two iterations of the iPhone. Maybe Apple doesn’t think voice is important. I watched the demo of the tethering capability during the iPad Air 2 launch and it sounded fine when Apple's SVP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, called Steven Colbert. Maybe I should have called him?

Along with the lousy call quality there was also a noticeable delay. However, the iPhone was sitting right next to the Mac, and there was nothing else going across my WLAN at the time so I can’t see how a problem could have occurred there. All I can think of is that Apple released this thing before it was tested – not a good move.

So Apple has come up with really creative concept, but unfortunately when “concepts” become “products,” those products have to work. Also, I have my desk phone set to simultaneously ring on my iPhone so when I get a call my desk phone rings (along with the wireless I have on the line), then my iPhone rings, then the iPad beeps, and both of my Macs start making noise. It’s like “Midnight at the clock shop” around here! I’m happy to report that the SMS capability works flawlessly.

It seems Apple has some work to do before their new Mac-iPhone trick is ready for prime time. But when it does, then you should be worried!

Also on UCStrategies.com on this topic:

• Apple Discovers UC - Everyone Else, Look Out, by Michael Finneran