by on September 27, 2013 at 11:50 pm
Sections: Digital Cameras, Imaging, Smartphones
Sony has been doing some great things lately. It’s sending all the right messages with the PlayStation 4, it recently released what is considered to be the best point-and-shoot camera on the market and it’s doing something unique with its QX line of cameras. That’s why I’m so bothered by a thoughtless and downright stupid situation Sony has brought upon itself. I’m talking about the uselessness the QX cameras have with the iPhone.
The QX10 and QX100 were released this week. Right now, people are getting these cameras in the mail and picking them up at the store. Unfortunately, if they’re iPhone users that have upgraded to iOS 7, they may not be able to use the cameras at all. Why? Because Sony never bothered to update the essential PlayMemories Mobile application for iOS 7. User reviews for both the camera and the app in general constantly mention how the app crashes, refuses to time stamp images correctly or write to the iOS camera roll. So basically, these $250 and $500 cameras are virtually unusable thanks to faulty software. How could Sony let this happen?
Developers have had access to iOS 7 for months. The day iOS 7 came out, tons of apps, both popular and somewhat obscure, pushed out iOS 7 compatibility updates. Why in the world would a company as big as Sony launch a product that’s so heavily dependent on software without making sure the software actually worked for a huge segment of the population?
The PlayMemories Online application has the same problem. Instead of telling users that an update is coming, Sony decided to add the following tidbit to the app’s iTunes page.
“After you update iOS to iOS7, you may not be able to start PlayMemories Online.
If this happens, please uninstall PlayMemories Online application and install it again.â€
That’s it. That’s their solution. The app hasn’t even been updated since June 26.
There’s no such suggestion on the PlayMemories Mobile iTunes page. Sony hasn’t even addressed the problem. When I voiced my concerns on Twitter, Sony Support replied to me with useless information. They just directed me the App Store. It’s like they didn’t even read my tweet at all. Thanks for nothing.
At this point, there are going to be people who spend $500 on a QX100 with no way of using it reliably. The only thing we can hope for is Sony suddenly updating the app, or wait for Camera360?s app update that will bring support for the QX cameras. Camera360 says that update is coming in October.
I’ll say that again. The most reliable option we have is to wait for a third-party to make the QX cameras work properly on iOS. That’s a shame.
Sony needs to fix this mess quickly. Otherwise, its going to get a lot of ticked off customers and see a lot of QX camera returns.
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iPhone Users Discover Sony"s New QX Cameras Are Virtually Useless
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