iPhone Texting - A Letter from the CEO of o2 UK

[VespR]

Hi guys,

Like most of you, I share similar issues with regards to the iPhone's application of texting. It is missing features, such as multiple recipients, only deleting threaded conversations instead of single messages and I'm sure there are more. But it was mainly these two that bother me the most. In anticipation of this, I sent Apple an email (through their iPhone feedback section), but also to the CEO of o2, Matthew Key, who unveiled the device alongside Steve Jobs in London only a couple of weeks ago. Below is my original email, and the response from Matthew himself, and while it doesn't give anything away, it does give hope to the problems us Brits will face, who use texting massively.

Also I'm not going to disclose his address here, but it didn't take a brain surgeon to work out if anyone is that desperate.

 

[aristobrat]

Cool, will be nice to see if O2 has any influence over Apple adding some more features.

FWIW, I'm an American that doesn't text message very much (compared to my peers), and I go through at least 10-20 a day. I text way more on my iPhone than I ever did with my BlackBerry, mostly because of how the iPhone displays the conversations.

 

[MarkW19]

It seems odd that the CEO of O2 calls the iPhone "I Phone" TWICE in his email. As well as the grammatical errors (double spaces before ".", no "." at the end, etc.), but these could be put down to writing the email quickly.

And do you really think he has time to reply to individual emails like this? If he does, he needs to rethink his priorities!

I agree wholeheartedly with your points though.

 

[CD3660]

The trouble is that the reply doesn't really say anything other than expressing the hope of software updates in the future.

The problems outlined need to be addressed by Apple, rather than O2.

 

[powerbook911]

It seems odd that the CEO of O2 calls the iPhone "I Phone" TWICE in his email. As well as the grammatical errors (double spaces before ".", no "." at the end, etc.), but these could be put down to writing the email quickly.

And do you really think he has time to reply to individual emails like this? If he does, he needs to rethink his priorities!

I agree wholeheartedly with your points though.

Actually quite a few CEOs around the world will respond to emails they happen to receive from customers. Furthermore, grammar issues and whatnot in email from these type of people are not uncommon at all. It's email, and people feel less official.

I think the OP letter was great, and I think he got a great reply. Well done on passing on a good message.

I'm in the U.S. and texting is big here, with certain groups of people. Not everyone does, but some people are texting constantly, so I did want to point out that texting is no longer a quiet thing in the U.S., we do use it a lot now.

Nevertheless, the features you mentioned are needed, in my opinionm, and everyone even those of us who text less often, would benefit.

 

[MarkW19]

Actually quite a few CEOs around the world will respond to emails they happen to receive from customers. Furthermore, grammar issues and whatnot in email from these type of people are not uncommon at all. It's email, and people feel less official.

I think the OP letter was great, and I think he got a great reply. Well done on passing on a good message.

I'm in the U.S. and texting is big here, with certain groups of people. Not everyone does, but some people are texting constantly, so I did want to point out that texting is no longer a quiet thing in the U.S., we do use it a lot now.

Nevertheless, the features you mentioned are needed, in my opinionm, and everyone even those of us who text less often, would benefit.

Fair enough, and it'd be great if he did get a personal reply. It'd certainly improve my opinion of O2! But, how many people in the WORLD would call the iPhone anything other than "iPhone" or "iphone", when we've spent the last 7 or so years being obsessed with the ''iPod", "iTunes", "iMacs" etc. just as consumers. But even more so, after the amount of talks "Matthew" must have gone through with Apple, the amount of bumf and advertising he'll have seen; not to mention the O2 website addition, O2/Apple UK TV adverts and printed advertising.

I know what you're saying, but call me cynical. He's either very out of touch, or someone writes his emails for him

 

[ibwb]

Fair enough, and it'd be great if he did get a personal reply. It'd certainly improve my opinion of O2! But, how many people in the WORLD would call the iPhone anything other than "iPhone" or "iphone", when we've spent the last 7 or so years being obsessed with the ''iPod", "iTunes", "iMacs" etc. just as consumers. But even more so, after the amount of talks "Matthew" must have gone through with Apple, the amount of bumf and advertising he'll have seen; not to mention the O2 website addition, O2/Apple UK TV adverts and printed advertising.

I know what you're saying, but call me cynical. He's either very out of touch, or someone writes his emails for him

Or he's responding on an iPhone and hasn't gotten used to the keyboard yet.

 

[MarkW19]

Or he's responding on an iPhone and hasn't gotten used to the keyboard yet.

lol

 

[powerbook911]

Fair enough, and it'd be great if he did get a personal reply. It'd certainly improve my opinion of O2! But, how many people in the WORLD would call the iPhone anything other than "iPhone" or "iphone", when we've spent the last 7 or so years being obsessed with the ''iPod", "iTunes", "iMacs" etc. just as consumers. But even more so, after the amount of talks "Matthew" must have gone through with Apple, the amount of bumf and advertising he'll have seen; not to mention the O2 website addition, O2/Apple UK TV adverts and printed advertising.

I know what you're saying, but call me cynical. He's either very out of touch, or someone writes his emails for him

Thing is he isn't getting flooded with emails, from the average folk. It isn't public email, the poster just figured it out.

I get several times a year emails from CEOs, after writing them. I've even had them ask me to give them a call directly.

 

[VespR]

I can assure you this is a genuine reply from the email address I discovered. Which was as easy as google and his name

I sent the message a few days ago, and got a reply yesterday before 5pm on a Friday, at the end of the working week. Certainly says a lot about their customer satisfaction, and I figured if I put across an argument without sounding malicious and perhaps playing too his ego, I stood a much better chance of them actually finish reading it, and even getting a reply. Guess it worked.

Anyway he'll get the message across!