Apple PR: Latest Steve Jobs Email Exchange is Fake

[gorgeousninja]

What? The conspiracy theorist haven't already posted that this could be a stealth street-marketing reverse-discreditation campaign? Is this "Tom" guy also also a building demolitions expert seen in the vicinity of NYC on 9/10?

and youre not in the teensiest bit suspicious that ever since the iphone has been launched the media is being flooded with stories like this????? ...
Are you REALLY that naive????

 

[Jimrod]

I think most of you are missing the point, fake emails or not - many are still having problems with their phone and would like an official statement on Apple's view before they decide to keep or return their phones.

It IS probably the best phone you can buy which is why we'd like to keep it - however the signal problem is real - I've had just a couple of dropped calls but many more where I've had 5 bars and people on the other end of the line say they can barely understand me due to interference/crackle - in an office where my 3G never had a problem.

The proximity sensor is also very flawed, I have muted one call with my ear and there are 50 pages of complaints about it on Apple's own support page.

This is why we'd like to know if anything is being worked on - officially, not from a cryptic email.

 

[wovel]

I think most of you are missing the point, fake emails or not - many are still having problems with their phone and would like an official statement on Apple's view before they decide to keep or return their phones.

It IS probably the best phone you can buy which is why we'd like to keep it - however the signal problem is real - I've had just a couple of dropped calls but many more where I've had 5 bars and people on the other end of the line say they can barely understand me due to interference/crackle - in an office where my 3G never had a problem.

The proximity sensor is also very flawed, I have muted one call with my ear and there are 50 pages of complaints about it on Apple's own support page.

This is why we'd like to know if anything is being worked on - officially, not from a cryptic email.

Have you called Apple and asked them? You are a customer and have a problem. Explain it just like you did here and see how they respond. Companies fix problems all the time without ever issuing a public statement about it. If you talk to them they will either tell you: Your holding it wrong and until you hold it right they can't help you (in which case you might consider returning it I suppose), they are investigating the complaints and will announce the solution when they have one, or they have found a solution they expect to implement soon.

I doubt they will refuse to take your call. If you feel like you have been brushed off, you may have to ask to escalate the issue. Contacting them will also help them understand the size of their problem. They are not going to sort through all the noise on the Internet to find their customers. All of their customers have their phone number.

 

[kresh]

I think you will be surprised when you read the post that was made while you were typing. You would still be a skeptic even with the name. You have no idea what the editor knows. It is completely proper for a corporation to make a public statement on its own. The title of the person indicates they are authorized to do so. Their name is irrelevant and would in fact be confusing because it might appear they were speaking for themselves.

I am here to eat humble pie. The author has responded and the top Apple spokesman is Steve Dowling (dowling@apple.com (408) 974-1896).

 

[Jimrod]

Have you called Apple and asked them? You are a customer and have a problem. Explain it just like you did here and see how they respond. Companies fix problems all the time without ever issuing a public statement about it. If you talk to them they will either tell you: Your holding it wrong and until you hold it right they can't help you (in which case you might consider returning it I suppose), they are investigating the complaints and will announce the solution when they have one, or they have found a solution they expect to implement soon.

I doubt they will refuse to take your call. If you feel like you have been brushed off, you may have to ask to escalate the issue. Contacting them will also help them understand the size of their problem. They are not going to sort through all the noise on the Internet to find their customers. All of their customers have their phone number.

I'll give it a try when I'm at work later

 

[AppleFan1984]

It's corroborated hearsay http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/01/apple-pr-says-recent-steve-jobs-emails-are-fake/

So two journalists spoke to the same PR person and got the same PR.

Shocker.

Has anyone looked over the headers at BGR? Anyone got a link showing how it's not possible they could be authentic?

The marketing dude just doesn't seem smart enough to have put together fakes by himself, and BGR doesn't seem dumb enough to try it.

But I can think of a lot of reasons why a company who's being sued in three states over an issue they deny even exists might be quick to hand out denials without first double-checking with Jobs to make sure that's the case.

 

[The Man]

Beware of the Apple bashers

I think there are many fake posts of complaints and problems on forums (even on Macrumors) and even in newsmedia regarding the iPhone 4 made by Apple haters. They see their chance to do some damage, and make this problem seem larger than it is. And they are gloating. And all of us are believing the problem to be large because of these fake posts.

Just because some people have problems, this doesn't mean we are dealing with a design flaw. But this is just what Apple bashers continue to push. I see many of these posts just pushing the idea of a design flaw.

But I also continue to read reports of many people who could not get a proper signal or continually get dropouts on their iPhone 3GS, but now can make calls at the same places with their iPhone 4, even with attenuation of the signal. Also, even with attenuation of signal by holding it in the hand, it seems that data transmission is usually higher on the iPhone 4 than on the 3GS.

I think there are trade-offs regarding the new design, but it is a weighted trade-off made by Apple, and not necessarily a design flaw. But I promise you, Apple haters will continue to push the idea of design flaw.

 

[AppleFan1984]

I think there are many fake posts of complaints and problems on forums (even on Macrumors) and even in newsmedia regarding the iPhone 4 made by Apple haters. They see their chance to do some damage, and make this problem seem larger than it is. And they are gloating. And all of us are believing the problem to be large because of these fake posts.

Dude, really?

One four-email thread with a lonely marketer guy in which nothing controversial was claimed to have been said at all vs. a dozen other random Jobs emails that no one questions at all and a few thousand claims of crappy antennas and lawsuits in three states, and you think it's all about this one tiny email thread?

Curious....

 

[usarioclave]

It's fake - bad sig

Every other one of the emails from steve jobs has the ever-present "sent from my iDevice" signature at the bottom...except for his.

 

[AppleFan1984]

Every other one of the emails from steve jobs has the ever-present "sent from my iDevice" signature at the bottom...except for his.

"Every"?

I've not seen more than maybe half a dozen. For a man who types as much as Jobs does, I'd be surprised if he's abandoned all his Macs and only does email on his iPhone.

 

[tatonka]

So BGR now also added photos of the actual mail headers ..
Anyone with some experience in these matters kind enough to take a look at them?

I know they are easy to forge ..

T.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010...-steve-jobs-on-the-iphone-4-antenna-problems/

 

[kiljoy616]

never

Does this mean that we shouldn't "retire relax and enjoy..."?

Only when we die.

To much to do so little time.

 

[The Man]

Dude, really?

One four-email thread with a lonely marketer guy in which nothing controversial was claimed to have been said at all vs. a dozen other random Jobs emails that no one questions at all and a few thousand claims of crappy antennas and lawsuits in three states, and you think it's all about this one tiny email thread?

Curious....

I'm not questioning the Steve emails. But he's also not getting to the idea of a design flaw. Many more phones out there have this problem. I think Steve knows the design trade-offs of the design. But I also cannot dismiss many people who report positively about their iPhone 4 versus 3GS when making calls and data transfer.

I am questioning some newbies that come on forums and post their complaints. Also, I am questioning some media outlets who just report what other outlets or blogs are saying without doing some real investigation. Finally, lawsuits coming within a week of product launch? Really?

 

[arn]

So BGR now also added photos of the actual mail headers ..
Anyone with some experience in these matters kind enough to take a look at them?

I know they are easy to forge ..

T.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010...-steve-jobs-on-the-iphone-4-antenna-problems/

I've looked them over. As far as I can tell, they look legit. And are internally consistent with each other. But like people have said, they are relatively easy to fake, though someone spent some time on these if they are fake. (which we assume them to be due to the apple pr)

A couple of oddities I can't completely explain:

The iPhone mail view seems odd with the sent emails displayed that way. it might be a gmail thing. I dont' know.

Also I don't see how he got a copy of his somewhat limited headers (the copy/pasted headers), unless again that's a gmail thing (sent box).

arn

 

[Jimrod]

I think there are many fake posts of complaints and problems on forums (even on Macrumors) and even in newsmedia regarding the iPhone 4 made by Apple haters. They see their chance to do some damage, and make this problem seem larger than it is. And they are gloating. And all of us are believing the problem to be large because of these fake posts.

Just because some people have problems, this doesn't mean we are dealing with a design flaw. But this is just what Apple bashers continue to push. I see many of these posts just pushing the idea of a design flaw.

But I also continue to read reports of many people who could not get a proper signal or continually get dropouts on their iPhone 3GS, but now can make calls at the same places with their iPhone 4, even with attenuation of the signal. Also, even with attenuation of signal by holding it in the hand, it seems that data transmission is usually higher on the iPhone 4 than on the 3GS.

I think there are trade-offs regarding the new design, but it is a weighted trade-off made by Apple, and not necessarily a design flaw. But I promise you, Apple haters will continue to push the idea of design flaw.

There's also a lot of blind praise too - with some people experiencing problems but saying they have bought bumpers/changed the way they make calls or "know that Apple will fix it" - you'll always get extremes of views on forums.

I think there is reasonable enough evidence of real problems with the antenna system (or the software that it runs on), and indeed the proximity sensor to justify complaint. The sensor problem could be ignored as "one of those things" but the antenna problems are more fundamental to a phone. Some people get more irate as people who don't experience issues presume they most be gripping it to death and "bar watching" when they are in many cases just trying to use the phone as normal (as in my case). From what I gather there are also many who have said "well I've got no problems" but come back later to say "well you know what, I went out of town and all of a sudden lost signal where I had it before etc etc." - I'm pretty sure all the phones exhibit the same behaviour, it isn't some kind of QC issue, more area/antenna dependant.

Again. would still be nice for Apple to officially comment to calm the situation down - if indeed they think they can do anything about it. I think most have a week left before they have to return the phone and if we haven't had a statement from Apple by then it may be safe to presume they may not be able to fix it for those that consider it an issue. In which case we will most likely (reluctantly) have to return the phone - even for a 3GS (the one I got rid of had no problem making calls).

 

[Jimrod]

I'm not questioning the Steve emails. But he's also not getting to the idea of a design flaw. Many more phones out there have this problem. I think Steve knows the design trade-offs of the design. But I also cannot dismiss many people who report positively about their iPhone 4 versus 3GS when making calls and data transfer.

I am questioning some newbies that come on forums and post their complaints. Also, I am questioning some media outlets who just report what other outlets or blogs are saying without doing some real investigation. Finally, lawsuits coming within a week of product launch? Really?

On the contrary - I think you'll find most people search out forums for solutions when they have problems, this is most likely the reason for so many "newbies". I never felt the need to go on forums with my 3G/3GS - while I love Apple design (being a Brand Manager myself) I don't usually randomly sign up to forums to go praise things unless they are getting unjustified criticism which I feel inclined to argue with.

 

[HurryKayne]

this is very welcome,
couldn't believe Jobs was so...unrespectful,
by the way this is better.

 

[adztaylor]

So where are those people that were saying that Jobs had a point and blindly defending him?

 

[The Man]

On the contrary - I think you'll find most people search out forums for solutions when they have problems, this is most likely the reason for so many "newbies". I never felt the need to go on forums with my 3G/3GS - while I love Apple design (being a Brand Manager myself) I don't usually randomly sign up to forums to go praise things unless they are getting unjustified criticism which I feel inclined to argue with.

Yes, this is true. People go to forums for their problems. Usually, people who start threads have real problems. But I also see many replies of people who I find suspect, like people who just love to make a stir. It's usually replies that go over the top. In the past, these forums didn't attract the crowd that only come to bash Apple. But now they do come here complaining about Apple high prices, about Apple is all marketing, and I can get a Dell for less, etc. These people replying only come here to make a stir. And I also suspect these people mingling in the iPhone debate so that we cannot have a decent and civilized conversation with the people who do experience real problems.

There are so many people who hate Apple. These people are just vile. I come to places like Engadget, and this tech blog crowd are just so negative about everything Apple. I can't help but think they are spewing their hatred to other places, but silently. Yes, I see conspiracy, but not without reason. Not denying that people aren't having problems! It's just the conversation is getting out of hand. It's like the lawsuits coming one week after the rollout. I see the snakes just waiting...

 

[Collected]

What's strange about this whole affair is if you're going to go to the trouble of faking an email exchange, why use your own company email address? I mean within a minute I've just found his facebook face, his Dad's facebook page, the facebook group for his families company. Plus phone numbers.

Either the guy isn't the brightest and didn't think about it or perhaps someone else has "borrowed" this guys identity to try and make his story more legit when selling it. But surely if money was exchanged for this story, it would have had to go to the named person on the emails?

Weird. Maybe Steve Jobs did email him and the guy changed just the text? I can't see someone being clever enough to fake headers and screenshots but not realise using their real email address was a pretty stupid idea.

Couldn't Apple sue this guy?

 

[Jimrod]

Yes, this is true. People go to forums for their problems. Usually, people who start threads have real problems. But I also see many replies of people who I find suspect, like people who just love to make a stir. It's usually replies that go over the top. In the past, these forums didn't attract the crowd that only come to bash Apple. But now they do come here complaining about Apple high prices, about Apple is all marketing, and I can get a Dell for less, etc. These people replying only come here to make a stir. And I also suspect these people mingling in the iPhone debate so that we cannot have a decent and civilized conversation with the people who do experience real problems.

There are so many people who hate Apple. These people are just vile. I come to places like Engadget, and this tech blog crowd are just so negative about everything Apple. I can't help but think they are spewing their hatred to other places, but silently. Yes, I see conspiracy, but not without reason. Not denying that people aren't having problems! It's just the conversation is getting out of hand. It's like the lawsuits coming one week after the rollout. I see the snakes just waiting...

Absolutely true, to go bashing a company for high prices etc is ridiculous - if you can get better, cheaper then just go do so! I think there's an element of jealousy in that, these are people that would like Apple products but find them out of reach.

While I've used apple phones since they came out I still haven't made the jump to the Mac/Macbook just yet - partly due to price but mainly due to the old compatibility issues (I use a lot of programmes such as Illustrator/Photoshop/3DS Max that I don't fancy re-purchasing!). I have used Macs at college and in my previous job and Mr Jobs is usually right in his "It just works" rhetoric! My brother's 5 year old Macbook still runs better than most year-old Windows Laptops (must admit this Windows 7 one is running pretty well though - maybe they're slowly learning...) The Blu-Ray stance of jobs is also slightly disappointing to me, coming from a Home Cinema product manufacturer - it's nothing like his comparison to SACD etc. Bleh.

Anyway, I think that's where the disappointment with the iP4 comes in - while loving most of it, I am experiencing poor call quality on most calls, I have hit on-screen buttons with my cheek/ear due to the proximity sensor and, as a minor point - I find the vibrate functionality greatly reduced! (don't feel it in my pocket or hear it on a table unless room is silent!). So for me it doesn't "just work" like other Apple products have, it seems almost a little rushed and most likely a little victim of Apple's secrecy in testing with regard to the antenna - I'm hoping to be able to keep it, but need some word from Apple on any possible improvements, I always have the phone in my pocket so hate covers...

 

[marksman]

You are really reaching. The PR department does not need to issue a press release for something to be on the record for the press. It is not an unnamed source. They named the PR department. They contacted the company for an official statement. There is no need for them to name the person. You are confused. Had BGR done the same thing, by simply calling the media helpline and asking if these statements came from Steve Jobs, they could have saved themselves from looking so stupid.

You are confusing a source left out for word count versus a source name left out to conceal it. Email the guy at Fortune, he will give you the name. r call the media help line and ask yourself. Just because you hate to believe you were so easily duped, does not mean everyone else on earth is playing games.

That is what is so funny. All BGR had to do was call Apple and ask them. Apparently that is all that Fortune did.

Of course now BGR is going to be in the Apple doghouse with Gawker/Gizmodo I suspect, and will not be getting invited to Apple Events in the future.. At least that would be my guess.

The last few months have been a real eye opener in terms of how the openness of the internet has removed almost all integrity from journalism and it is a scary thought. I hope there is some way we can climb out of this cess pool where people just make stuff up and have zero accountability for it.


To me that these sites that claim they are legitimate sources of information continue to flat out lie and mislead the public is 1000x more of an issue than worrying about some signal dropping on the iPhone 4.

 

[robotmonkey]

I have a legitimate email from Steve Jobs. It's like freaking Jesus giving a christian a bible. Well, not really I guess...

 

[The Man]

Anyway, I think that's where the disappointment with the iP4 comes in - while loving most of it, I am experiencing poor call quality on most calls, I have hit on-screen buttons with my cheek/ear due to the proximity sensor and, as a minor point - I find the vibrate functionality greatly reduced! (don't feel it in my pocket or hear it on a table unless room is silent!). So for me it doesn't "just work" like other Apple products have, it seems almost a little rushed and most likely a little victim of Apple's secrecy in testing with regard to the antenna - I'm hoping to be able to keep it, but need some word from Apple on any possible improvements, I always have the phone in my pocket so hate covers...

I think that some issues can be patched, like the proximity sensor. The antenna, maybe, we'll have to wait. We just don't know where the problem lies. I do have a hard time believing the design flaw premise. I think Apple knows the trade-offs of the new design, for better and for worse in some situations, like people and you are experiencing. Some people have better reception while having less signal, so I don't know what to think of it. I think the design is a weighted decision, and not the usual responses: They put the antenna on the outside! FAIL! They didn't coat the metal! FAIL! We'll just have to wait a bit more for Apple's response.

 

[wovel]

I am here to eat humble pie. The author has responded and the top Apple spokesman is Steve Dowling (dowling@apple.com (408) 974-1896).

Thanks for posting that. I had a (small) fear he would tell you to piss off . I don't know him (or even of him) but assumed there was a good chance someone writing for fortune would respond a a respectable journalist.