Q: Outlook 2013 calendar sync to iphone not working

You can scour newspapers for their opinion as much as you like.

Apple dropped SyncServices from Mavericks and that fact overrides media 'opinion'

If it was retained in the Windows version I have yet to see it.

Yes, actually, I am in the EVO development team

So if you find anything not working correctly you can contact us.

This add-in utilizes Apple carddav and caldav services for iCloud. and also synchronize with Gmail and Yahoo... You can copy your contacts from or to Yahoo.. iCloud.. Gmail back and forth with this add-in over the air. (no USB required)

So it's a Dav client. Useful thing to have. Is the iCloud setup automatic or will the user need more than their Apple ID/email address and password to set it up?

Yes it is, you only need to use iCloud ID and password, you don't need something like app password (required for yahoo) or oAuth (required for google).

The connection is made with SSL (Apple doesn't allow anything else anyway.)

But note that the user id should be written in all lower case.

There is an account setup tutorial here (if you would like to take a preview before you try it): http://outlookandmacosxserver.blogspot.com/2014/05/synchronize-your-icloud-andor -carddav.html

My interest is entirely academic, I do not use Windows for anything important. But I assist those foolish enough to do so. This is useful, thanks.

Csound1 wrote:

That is because SyncService have been dropped from Mavericks.

 

The Apple Technician was misinformed.

I'm using Windows so what was done to Mavericks doesn't seem directly relevant.  The Apple technician and I tried Windows 8, 7 and Vista, without success.

The removal of USB syncing from Mavericks, however, does raise the question of whether the process of doing so wrecked USB sync on Windows.  Someone needs to get Apple to give a straight response on this issue.  Since this problem may have huge consequences in terms of Apple needing to buy out contracts, Apple may be stonewalling and hoping no one makes a big fuss.

That's why it would be good to have media coverage about this problem.  Years ago there was a bug in the Pentium chip, and Intel was sweeping the problem under the rug until media coverage caused enough fuss that Intel replaced the chip for all who asked for a replacement.

Today's equivalent would be for the issue to go viral.

Who is 'somebody' why don't you do it?

thomas cooker wrote:

 

Yes, actually, I am in the EVO development team

So if you find anything not working correctly you can contact us.

 

This add-in utilizes Apple carddav and caldav services for iCloud. and also synchronize with Gmail and Yahoo... You can copy your contacts from or to Yahoo.. iCloud.. Gmail back and forth with this add-in over the air. (no USB required)

The EVO workaround has been mentioned before, but customers who tried it described a whole new set of problems involving duplicated events and events that were changed.  I haven't tried this myself and can't confirm these accounts, but we need a real solution, not just an assurance from a 3rd party vendor.

And of course we need those responsible for creating the problem to own up to it.  The failure of USB syncing seems to be Apple's fault.  I can't tell how much of the failure of iCloud to work well with Outlook is the fault of Apple or the fault of Microsoft.  The problem is well known in the industry.  I mentioned it to a senior person at Google, and it sounded like Google knows all about the problem.  I bet it is well known at Apple and Microsoft too.  We need some way of getting Apple and Microsoft to go on record about what is failing and who is responsible for buying out our contracts.

Do you know that the facility to sync via iTunes and a USB cable is still available, how do you know that it is a 'failure' and not a feature removal (as in OSX)?

And as for Outlook and iCloud, let's review Microsofts choices for a moment.

1 MS chose not to allow a subscribed server account to be the default account in Outlook, although if the server you are subscribed to is a Microsoft product (Exchange) it will. This is why iCloud in Outlook on a Windows machine is so very clunky. It is why invitations that you accept go to the wrong calendar. It's a kludge. This also applies to any other Dav account (Google, Zimbra etc)

2 Even more bizarre, MS chose to make the Mac version of Outlook wholly incompatible with all Dav services, not just iCloud, Google, Zimbra, Yahoo etc are also not supported. Once more an exception is made if you use a Microsoft Exchange or Outlook.com account.

I am sure that you can see where this is going.

Microsoft support their own products correctly, others incompletely, or not at all.

USB syncing is a thing of the past.

Csound1 wrote:

 

Do you know that the facility to sync via iTunes and a USB cable is still available, how do you know that it is a 'failure' an not a feature removal (as in OSX)?

 

And as for Outlook and iCloud, let's review Microsofts choices for a moment.

 

1 MS chose not to allow a subscribed server account to be the default account.  Outlook, although if the server you are subscribed to is a Microsoft product (Exchange) it can. This is why iCloud in Outlook on a Windows machine is so very clunky. It is why invitations that you accept go to the wrong calendar. It's a kludge.

 

2 Even more bizarre, MS chose to make the Mac version of Outlook wholly incompatible wil all Dav services, not just iCloud, Google, Zimbra, Yahoo etc are also not supported. Once more an exception is made if you use a Microsoft Exchange or Outlook.com account.

 

I am sure that you can see where this is going.

 

Microsoft support their own products correctly, others incompletely, or not at all.

 

USB syncing is a thing of the past.

I don't know whether the Windows Outlook - iOS USB sync is something supposed to work that doesn't work, or a removed feature.  According to the Apple technician it was supposed to work, but I don't know if that is correct.  This is what we are trying to figure out.  The Apple technician seemed sincere and spent hours with me on the phone, but Apple may be keeping its technicians in the dark to avoid a messy problem.  That was months ago and one may get a different result today.

I agree that it looks like Apple wants you to dump Outlook and Microsoft wants you to dump iOS.  Given the choice, I'd dumping iOS.  The problem is that neither Apple nor Microsoft seems to be offering to buy out the remaining 14 months on my iPhone contract so I can ditch iPhone and move to Windows Phone.  And who knows what would happen if I'm in the Microsoft walled garden?  Would I be forced to buy Exchange Server services?

The media is obsessing over minor aspects of iPhone 6 such as finally imitating Android phone size and now enabling phone calls over WiFi.  All I care about is being able to sync easily.  Whatever company gets that working best will win the cellphone wars.  The rest is frills, and the people who write reviews seem to be reading press releases and playing with phones, but not engaging on the important issues. 

I agree that it looks like Apple wants you to dump Outlook and Microsoft wants you to dump iOS.  Given the choice, I'd dumping iOS.  The problem is that neither Apple nor Microsoft seems to be offering to buy out the remaining 14 months on my iPhone contract so I can ditch iPhone and move to Windows Phone.  And who knows what would happen if I'm in the Microsoft walled garden?  Would I be forced to buy Exchange Server services?

Now you are confusing me. Apple follow open standards (Dav) which are supported by just about everything that exists, including Outlook for Windows. MS chose to place restrictions within Outlook in order to limit functionality. Neither can Apple force MS to add Dav services to the Mac version of Outlook, MS quite deliberately chose not to support Dav, and therefore not to support iCloud (or anything else except Exchange)

As there is no version of Outlook for IOS I really don't understand what that has to do with this, unless you meant iCloud?

If you choose to go Windows you'll find that Microsofts products work with each other rather better than they usually do with 3rd parties, assuming that support for them exists at all.

Csound1 wrote:

 

As there is no version of Outlook for IOS I really don't understand what that has to do with this, unless you meant iCloud?

 

 

It used to be that Outlook synced with iOS via USB.  That seems either withdrawn or broken, and seems like Apple's fault, though statements from Apple and Microsoft could add more information.  Without such USB syncing, many of us have been using iCloud, which doesn't work well with Outlook as has been discussed in detail in this thread.

It is not too surprising that one needs to choose an all Microsoft ecosystem, an all Apple ecosystem or an all Google ecosystem.  What surprises me is that such a shift to walled gardens is a major loss to the user, and instead of noticing this, the media is talking about how wonderful it is that Apple has produced larger cellphones.

You are still MSunderstanding

Apples system is based on open standards, you can use any Dav client in the entire world. Dav protocols are open source, you don't have to pay for them.

Microsoft chose to use a proprietary system, one that is not open and can only be used with Microsoft products, or ones Microsoft have licensed.

Equating one with the other is absurd, they are polar opposites.

You are not restricted to Apple products with Apple's 'ecosystem'

Csound1 wrote:

 

Apples system is based on open standards, you can use any Dav client in the entire world. Dav protocols are open source, you don't have to pay for them.

 

Microsoft chose to use a proprietary system, one that is not open and can only be used with Microsoft products, or ones Microsoft have licensed.

 

 

It sounds like 2 things have been done to break the ability to use both Outlook and iOS:

1.  Apple broke USB syncing

2.  Microsoft made it so iCloud doesn't work well with Outlook

The details may be a bit more nuanced, but that seems like the essence.

Both Apple and Microsoft seem content with a war on this issue, telling the customer to choose between one side or the other.  To me it is simple: I care far more about Outlook and Microsoft Office than I do about the iPhone.  It would have been nice to be able to continue to use my #1 choice of Outlook and my #1 choice of iOS.  But if I'm forced to choose, as both Apple and Microsoft seem to want, I choose Microsoft.

USB sync via iTunes (a proprietary Apple tech) is a dying tech, Apple removed it in OSX and have (or will) do the same for Windows, good thing too (my opinion)

MS are never going to go to open standards, they want your money too much. But for your money Exchange is superb (and fully compatible with IOS)

Get an Exchange account. Expect to pay $15 to $25 per month for it.