iCal 5.0 - washed out dates unreadable

This thread started Jul 23, 2011! On Jul 27 Rob Hague "spoke to the nice man at AppleCare - he says that fixing this is on their feature request list for 10.7.1 which is due out in the next couple of weeks" -- we now have 10.7.2 and still no improvement. Is there any way to communicate directly w/Apple?

Hi Rob,

I called Apple Support (after hours) and have been assigned a case number and will talk to a technical support advisor tomorrow. I'm not optomistic about getting an answer, but I will feel better for having "gotten in their face." I'll let you know what I find out.

Al

I can't believe more users haven't complained about this problem. Apple is becoming the new Microsoft with its growing number of user-unfriendly features and its unwillingness to offer any options in preferences.

I won't be forced to spend more money on a new calendar, but at the same time I find it irritating to squint at a program in order to read text. Doesn't Apple realize that the enormous customer base they've managed to acquire had to do with respect for the user -- and that dictatorial decisons only servce to drive those customers away?

What respect? "Respect" would imply that they listen to us (and don't try to force poorly thought-out features on us). My experience has been that this company is so arrogant (thanks to Steve Jobs) that it is really due for a fall. My particular experience is been an extremely bad one, in which I struggled with Filemaker for several years. I eventually hired a Filemaker developer, who did not do his **** job. So, I'm now working in Bento, and finding that it has limitations. Apple seems unwilling to provide what SMALL business needs to be functional, productive and profitable. I now tell all potential Mac users to stick with Windows if they're comfortable with it.

The one bright spot might be the Apple Store staff, although I doubt that the company listens to feedback from them either.

I never posted a response to Rob re: my call to Seth at Apple Support. He suggested using a Google Calendar!!! And I am! I thought that was a poor way for a business to address a consumer's issue. He also sent a form I completed but never heard anything; in fact they stated "We read all feedback carefully, but please note that we cannot respond to the comments you submit."

I gone over this with the MacStore as well as my Apple Fanatic friends and no one can come up with a viable fix.

I spent 30 years on PC's and went to apple because everyone bragged about the fact there weren't bugs in the os.

Well they were wrong. I spent about 15,000 dollars on the conversion and mainly satisfied, but this display of incompetenc by Apple developers is amazing.

It is worse for people that have vision problems. It's a shame as one of my goals were to go 100% apple, but this doesn't look like a viable option for me.

'

Thanks for your post - I couldnot believe that Apple have let this problem with ical - illegible dates - drag on for months! Incredible that such a professional company cannot get the basics right - who would buy a diary in which they can hardly read the dates. Have just changed to Lion March 2012 and now realise these problems have been ongoing since August 2011. Your solution is the best I can find - but it should not be necessary. The scrolling problems drove me mad too. GET YOU ACT TOGETHER APPLE!

We obviously agree with everything the other says, but I believe that Apple views people like us as annoying gnats. They are mostly focused on watching the money roll in from the huge demand for the iPhone. Meanwhile, I have struggled with Filemaker Pro, and more lately Bento. (They'll claim that Filemaker and Bento are third party software. Don't believe it; they are 100% owned, and presumably should be controlled, by Apple.)

I have a number of issues which I'll detail here. I doubt that anyone senior at Apple actually reads these posts, however.

1. Filemaker Pro is extremely difficult to use, other than its superficial simplicity in layout. As a non-database professional, I lack the aptitude or financial resources to develop what I need with Filemaker Pro. That does not stop their salespeople from claiming that it's easy to use, even when the buyer asks many detailed questions. Later, if pressed, they'll say that what they REALLY mean is that it's EASIER to use than competing products, IF the user is a professional database developer.

2. Bento lacks the stability to run a business. One of its libraries froze (permanently, with few fields, with minimal data in it), and remains unusable.

3. Bento requires importing in CSV format. Unfortunately, CSV format (at least when used for an export from Filemaker Pro) scrambles the data, making it unusable.

4. As a company, Apple seems to have no interest in properly serving small businesses, even though many of those small businesses are HOME businesses. When they fail to properly serve those small businesses, aren't they simultaneously hurting their consumer business, particularly when the same equipment is used for both business and personal use?

5. Apple has a history of supporting software for several years (i.e. AppleWorks, iWeb) and then giving up on it. They don't seem interested in providing a suitable way to save and export data and other information, so that it can continue to be used in newer software. How can anyone using such poor software for a small business (or for important personal information) avoid wasted time and lost information? Both small businesses and consumers need CONTINUITY and STABILITY. Apple seems only to be interested in constantly providing new software which is incompatible with the old. This is why I now avoid much of their software.

6. It used to be that much of Apple's software worked much the same. Now, iTunes doesn't even exist in a window - and it seems to take longer to switch apps. This is just another example of Apple's lack of interest in our PRODUCTIVITY.

7. And of course, there is the issue of iCal's poorly visible dates and times. And what about the narrower scroll bar, and the smaller "stoplight" buttons.

All this adds up to ARROGANCE and LACK OF INTEREST IN CUSTOMERS. One of these days, I expect that someone will give Apple a wakeup call.

I agree completely. Its so infuriating as for Apple to develop an app withOUT font control takes a concious effort. Even those fortunate enough to have great vision must realize that the whole grey on grey pastel styles like those in iCal are not as easy to see for some folks. So clearly they think its more important to put their stamp of the Apple-UI-stye on it, then actually let people optimize the use of their systems. Its of course a huge missapplication of the real core of the Apple philosopy of making systems easy to use and a great experinece each time you do use them. I've filed bugs along these lines before (e.g. no font/color control over Safari bookmark bar items or tabs), but to no avail. iCal is really really over the line here. I filed another bug on that.

BusyCal is much much better, but of course costs ~$50.

I am also dismayed by the appearance of iCal. As a person with low-vision, I have already made significant adjustments with Universal Access settings, and monitor calibration to improve access. Generally speaking I commend Apple on their inclusivity of those with disabilities but iCal clearly flew under the radar.

I am in the habit of zooming in to see text, but dates are too pale and too small and there is no way to adjust this or apply another visual theme.

I am so frustrated with it, and going to System Prefs to temporarily switch between the black and white or colour settings is frankly a pain in the *** and doesn't address the central problem of scale.

Apple needs to release an update on this one... they got it all wrong.

Grahame

BusyCal has a 30 day free trial so you can at least check it out for free. I did have some issues with getting duplicate events when I setup BusyCal and then when I dleted one of them that sent out cancelation (do not accept). Its all based on sync services so in theory both BusyCal and iCal will continue to update so if you decided not to use BsuyCal you can just deleted it and iCal will be up to date... in theory. :-)

BusyCal is much more color/font flexible so you can set it up to be much much easier to read. So far I like it.

I have perfectly fine vision, but I can hardly make out the date information in iCal 5.0.2 running on Mac OS 10.7.3 on a MacBook Air. I tried the calibration, and I fiddled with Access. That's not the problem. It's iCal. I don't perceive that Apple actually supports iCal.

Yes... it is distressing indeed. It certainly seems that the development team on iCal was not held to the same standard as many other Apple applications. The problem with the Universal Access or Calibration bandaid is that they affect the overall experience, when it's just iCal that is the the problem