Apple Configurator and IOS9

[tmoon-mint]

AC2 can't cope with mutiple ipads either - if you connect a sync trolley it randomly changes the number of ipads showing. I.e out of 16 it shows 10, then 14, then 15 and then 8. It constantly flicks about so you can't attempt to apply any profiles.

 

I've gone back to 1.7.2, and that now seems really flakey on 10.11 - it crashes regularly now. Nice job with the testing apple!

 

Agreed, for the amount of time AC2 has been in beta I expected better than this. I have eventually manage to get a working blueprint, but I still often get iPads randomly fail and end up in recovery mode. When I apply my blueprint devices dont always update to the latest iOS despite that been part of the preparation stage. Sometimes my apps install the placeholder icon but freeze at that point. But other than that its working!!

[InterwebsGuy]

Agreed, for the amount of time AC2 has been in beta I expected better than this. I have eventually manage to get a working blueprint, but I still often get iPads randomly fail and end up in recovery mode. When I apply my blueprint devices dont always update to the latest iOS despite that been part of the preparation stage. Sometimes my apps install the placeholder icon but freeze at that point. But other than that its working!!

Software QC seems to have gone to pot at Apple in recent years (and probably industry wide too), so it's not that surprising really. They mainly seem to be bothered about aesthetics it seems!

[dry]

Having an absolute nightmare with this. We didn't use a VPP account with AC 1.6 and it worked fine (as we were only 'buying' free apps). Now I've updated to El Captian and can only use AC 2, I'm stuck! Refreshing an iPad works fine, all our apps deploy properly but as soon as you go to use an app on the iPad you are prompted to login with your Apple ID- and my research suggests the only way around this is to sign in on the Mac with AC 2 with a VPP account.

 

The problem with this is to apply for a VPP account you need to have the right to sign binding contracts on behalf of your school which, me being the lowly IT Tech, doesn't have the right to do. Spoke to somebody at Apple who has said that's how the system works- we can't do anything. Ask your bursar to give you her password for the account (this is genuinely what they suggested!!).

 

Looks like I'm stuck- I can either downgrade the Mac to Yosemite (which will involve making a Time Machine backup, formatting the Mac and starting again) or start training our Bursar on how to manage iPads!!! I HATE APPLE

[Joanne]

With VPP I used my e-mail and I had the bursar as the confirmation contact. As long as you put real names in you are OK, you can still use an address like [email protected].

 

As for AC2 I started from scratch and didn't import anything. I had an ipad fail to load a blueprint maybe 3 times in a row. 4th time I tried it worked. Nothing had changed. I think it might fall over when downloading apps and throws up a useless error.

[Brimstone]

Why oh why oh why do you all want to be guinea pigs for Apple......?

 

I generally never download brand new Mac OS X or iOS versions until at least some months after patches have arrived, in fact I am still running Yosemite as I know there is an issue with other mission critical software.

 

After the previous version of Configurator I would have treaded very carefully before going to AC2 and El Cap

[tmoon-mint]

Why oh why oh why do you all want to be guinea pigs for Apple......?

 

I generally never download brand new Mac OS X or iOS versions until at least some months after patches have arrived, in fact I am still running Yosemite as I know there is an issue with other mission critical software.

 

After the previous version of Configurator I would have treaded very carefully before going to AC2 and El Cap

 

The primary school in which I am making use of AC2 has children that love to tinker with passcodes and device names. Since I'm only there once a week I have been waiting since they announced ios9 for these features. If being a Guinea pig means the school don't have to wait for me to refresh the iPads every week that's fine by me.

 

I used to remove the passcodes using Meraki but the kids love to put Airplane mode on too, so it doesn't work reliably enough.

 

I would rather not be using ac2 yet but in this instance I feel it's the best way to solve my passcode problem.

[Sheridan]

Why oh why oh why do you all want to be guinea pigs for Apple......?

 

I generally never download brand new Mac OS X or iOS versions until at least some months after patches have arrived, in fact I am still running Yosemite as I know there is an issue with other mission critical software.

 

After the previous version of Configurator I would have treaded very carefully before going to AC2 and El Cap

 

I agree, but apples poor facilities to manage iPads and the current drive to have them in education means we are always on the back foot. We need to deploy and manage them and apple constantly produce half baked solutions, even trying to use them means you have to update every single time.

 

It's like Microsoft insisting you update your OS so you can use the new version of Office. And then updating it again 2 weeks later!

 

I'm quite happy deploying iPads as part of a ict solution, but it'd about time apple provided us with proper, professional tools to do this.

[dry]

With VPP I used my e-mail and I had the bursar as the confirmation contact. As long as you put real names in you are OK, you can still use an address like [email protected].

 

This is exactly what I did but Apple didn't like it. They phoned up the contact that I put down and asked if I (as in NOT the contact) could sign binding contracts- which our business manager confirmed that I couldn't. I really don't know what they expect us to do- I'm guessing VPP is more geared towards secondary schools where the NM also has control of their budget.

 

It's clearly not been thought through by Apple and it's very much a 'do it our way or no way' approach.

 

I think I'll go and set some Mac/iPad backgrounds to "Buy a PC" in the Apple store this weekend to get my revenge

 

Why oh why oh why do you all want to be guinea pigs for Apple......?

 

I generally never download brand new Mac OS X or iOS versions until at least some months after patches have arrived, in fact I am still running Yosemite as I know there is an issue with other mission critical software.

 

After the previous version of Configurator I would have treaded very carefully before going to AC2 and El Cap

Wish I'd known this before I went ahead and updated! My previous place managed iPads sensibly using Meraki (no Macs involved) and this is some of the first Mac OS experience I've had! Not a great start!