29th
Google & Address Book Sync in 10.5.3
So one interesting new feature of 10.5.3 is that it apparently enables syncing of the Mac OS X Address Book with one’s Google Contacts. This is great, but there is some funny business…
Are you one of those people who find that no matter how hard you try to keep your contact info organized, it always winds up scattered all over?
Yes — tell me more!
We’re happy to tell you that starting today, it’s easier to sync up your contact lists. The Address Book application in Mac OS X 10.5.3 now lets iPhone users sync their Address Book with Google Contacts. [Emphasis added.]
Uh… only iPhone users? What does syncing my Google Contacts with my Address Book have to do with my iPhone? What, only iPhone users would be interested in having access to their contacts from any computer at any time? Au contraire, iPhone users already have their entire Address Book on-hand at all times. They are probably even less excited about this new feature than other people.
But wait, there’s more!
To try it, go to the Address Book menu, choose Preferences, and then check Synchronize with Google. It’ll ask for your Google account and password, then automatically update your contacts every time you sync your iPhone. [Emphasis added.]
So you’re telling me that if I change something in my Address Book and then want to have that change reflected in my Google Contacts (or vice-versa), all I have to do is… sync my iPhone? WTF? I ask again, what does syncing my Google Contacts with my Address Book have to do with my iPhone?
Funny business, folks — I smell some behind-the-scenes negotiations between Apple and Google, and it smells suspiciously like… .Mac.
Update: Ars has the scoop on hacking a regular iPod plist file to enable syncing for those without iPhones, evidence that this really is an arbitrary restriction. It’s unclear when exactly syncing will happen, but perhaps when said iPod is synced with iTunes?
