PhIxDA Automagically

I got an iphone!

i have a feeling that i am the only iphone owner that can’t figure out how to load a new app from the app store. i can browse and search and click the price and than the price changes to install and than i touch install and it asks me to enter my name and password and i do that but i don’t know what name and password to use. i have lots of names and passwords. i have too many names and passwords. so i am trying to load a twitter app. i don’t know why i guess i thought it was pretty basic and Bryan just asked me if i have a twitter account and i do but i haven’t looked at it since i created it. So i enter my twitter account info. and than the stuff starts to happen. And than stuff stops happening and my iphone tells me i need to log into itunes…

I’ll try again later…

Later, i try again:

I’m at work and i have determined that i need to be able to log in to itunes so i can load the twitter app that i don’t really want but want to load an app so i’ll load that one. i am sure it is as good as any other.

i don’t have itunes on my computer at work and i can’t install it because i don’t have admin privileges (thanks yellowbook) so i go to apple dot com and there is a way to create an apple id. Great that should work. Right?

Click it and i get a really long form. i have to pick a username. i wander if the one i want will be available? There is no inline Validation. There’s no JavaScript magic checking to see if the name i pick is available. I have to fill out the entire form and than click submit and than i get an error telling me that i skipped the required field labeled “company or organization” why is this required? i am happy to see that it retained all the other info. i would have given up again if even just one field was empty. so i put in yellowbook.com. i thought about putting in “phixda” and i thought about putting in “your mom”

And it works. i created an apple id! i receive a speedy email confirmation. i read the email. Surprising that i would read it and not just look at it. i think i read it because of the nice typography. it was really well formatted. When i read it i learn that i signed up to be a iphone application developer. i joined some community or something. And there is a link to download the sdk! Great! but i’ll need to buy a Mac or convince yellowbook to buy me a Mac. so i wrote an email to my boss and explained that i need a Mac. i haven’t heard back from him yet.

the good news is that i now have an apple id and i should be able to load the twitter app that i don’t really want. i’ll do it on the train ride home. It’ll give me something to do while i’m shrinking my ecological footprint by 10%. (Thanks septa)

On the ride home:

Touch it on. Touch the app store. Touch the twitter app. touch the free label. Touch the install label. Touch the letters that spell my apple id. Touch the letters that make up my apple id password. Things are happening and than things stop happening. And my iphone tells me i need to be connected to wifi to download the app. (thanks apple) ill try again later…

The next day at work:

i sign into the “peepnet” wifi and do and touch all the things i need to touch. And my iphone tells me that i need to sign into itunes to download the crappy twitter app that i don’t really even want. So my apple id isn’t my itunes id? Do i really need to create another account? i thought apple was all about great user experiences and great user design and i’m a little disappointed.

I could just ask someone how to do this, but i’m kind of having fun… i’ll try again later…