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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

iMessage services down due to Hurricane Sandy

We have seen several reports of that the iMessage service provided by Apple is having some problems and messages in many cases are failing to deliver between i-devices.

This also seems to affect other APN (Apple Push Notification) services such as those provided in many apps available on the iTunes App Store.

The current prevailing theory is that message traffic generated in the wake of Hurricane Sandy may have caused Apple to need to add capacity to their APN systems, which has left many "tokens" unable to be used (a "token" is a unique identifier stored in your phone to help it let Apple's servers know who you are and what services you should be receiving).

Another theory is that Apple's North Carolina data centre is being slammed and has had to drop some services. Those services are being re-routed to other data centres.

Right now, the best fix seems to be to simply restart your iPhone or iPad (if it is having trouble successfully sending a message).

If you are in the affected areas, you may also experience data outages (e.g. your own ADSL and WiFi), in which case iMessages and other notification services may not work anyway. In such cases, disconnect your iPhone/iPad from the WiFi network (if ADSL/cable internet is down) and try using your carrier's 3G network instead.

Our best wishes go out to our friends and customers on the East Coast of the U.S..

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Creative Intersection Announces Passbook Pass Service

In keeping with our tradition of staying at the forefront of technology, and providing reasonably-priced solutions for all businesses wanting to improve their customer engagement and retention - we're proud to announce that we have started providing customised Apple Passbook Passes to Australian (and international) businesses of all sizes.

Passbook Passes are clever little things that can be easily saved to an iPhone user's device to provide paperless replacements for vouchers, membership cards, boarding passes, tickets, and other barcoded materials.

The passes can even be time and location-aware. For example, if your shop offers a discount on a certain day, your customer's phone can let them know when they're in the neighbourhood at that time ... to remind them to drop in for their special offer.

Passes can even be connected to servers and apps to allow for live updating and personalisation (how many more coffees before you can claim your free 10th coffee ?).

Check out our website for a little more information about Apple Passbook Passes for Australian businesses and to download our (free) example pass.


Apple Passbook Passes - Customer Loyalty Improved! (original photo: courtesy Techcrunch)