Slate Magazine: Here's your free case, jerk....

[Romanesq]

huh?

No groveling required.

He just needed to say "sorry" and be genuine about it.
He wasn't.

You want Steve to apologize to you?
For what?

Btw, I have the problem with the finger of death dropped calls and knew this was a problem. I got a case to address it. I don't feel I need an apology. I needed Apple to address it and they have. Perhaps slower than I'd like but they did.

I don't need a CEO to apologize for this.

 

[Polarian Method]

First thing he said was they have been working hard for the last 22 days, but then he says during the Q & A that he has been on vacation.

You do realize that Jobs does not personally write the code for iOS, or build the phone, and that the whole company isn't on vacation just because the CEO is, right? He was still calling important shots from his sick bed when he took the medical leave of absence last year, so I'm sure he was getting daily updates and leaning on the right people during this vacation. From all accounts, he probably does more when on "vacation" than most of these whining idiots do when (if?) they're working a full 40+ a week.

 

[tactician1016]

Enough.

I do not own an iPhone 4, have not owned any iPhone, and will probably not get an iPhone (verizon and all that). I don't know how serious the antenna issue is, I can tell it varies for whatever reason, but my main issues are:
1: 's response (see the main article, as he puts it better than I could.)
2: Everyone else. It literally has turned into a debate that will not end. to some, apple can do no wrong, to others, they can do no right, and neither side will change their mind. If fixed it completely, half the people would still complain.

 

[rdstoll]

Steve Jobs is just like every other liberal elite out there. They hype themselves up as perfect and when there is a problem they throw it back in the face of the accuser "apologizing" for not solving the impossible. His "laws of physics" comment is right up there with Obama saying he can't go down and plug the hole in the Gulf by himself. But such hubris doesn't last and it's pretty clear that Apple has peaked.

 

[Hopsdaballa04]

He gave out free bumpers because they care about all the users, and want to make the .53% happy, plus he knew that if he offered it just to the ones with antenna issues, more people would try and con apple out of a free case, therefore they may aswell just give them to everyone, plus because they care about all the users not just the ones with antenna problems.

And the return data is hard facts, its not a comparison to the 3GS, it was hard data, just because the 3Gs data was up on the screen at the same time, doesn't mean it isnt hard data, its simple, 6% of all 3GS returned, 1.4% of all iP4's returned.

And he didnt say it was okay to have antenna problems, all the phones have problems with a pretty common grip, not just the iP4, he said their trying their best to be the first to solve this problem in the smartphone industry, not that it was okay.

Ok, I will give you the free case point even though I still feel like it's silly to offer everyone free cases if you only have a small, very small, of users having the issue.

I watched the presentation and he did compare the 3GS to the iPhone 4, so I can't give you that one.

The last thing with the antenna, I don't think he should have said it was the best antenna design ever when it obviously is not and other companies have stayed away from such a design because of the very same issue the iphone 4 is having.

For a man that is so critical to the design and overall success of the iPhone 4. It is critical that he be there for all of the diagnostics of the iPhone 4 during the 22 days.

I am playing a little devils advocate about the vacation thing. I think it depends on the company. I hate it when people bash President Obama for going on vacation during the oil spill. I also hate that they bashed the CEO of BP for the same thing, but both individuals are not micromanagers like Steve Jobs.

 

[james92se]

But IT IS important Phokus, especially as part of the rest of the statistics, because it shows that its a web-phenomenon and that if there was real life problems, a lot of old ladies and random people who don't keep up with tech like us that would be calling in complaining. But this proves that the fear is only theoretical and real life behavior is fine. Therefore it does prove something.

This is all just blown out of proportion on the web because Apple has become so popular that websites get huge amounts of web traffic from posting iPhone four articles. Millions of people were checking for iPhone news every day. Just crawling the web for whatever info they could find ever since the Gizmodo leak.

This is so incredibly true. I had never even considered this and it never crossed my mind but this is so true it's not even funny.

I would have NEVER noticed or even checked/tested my iPhone 4 for the signal loss issue if it weren't for incessantly reading forums and daily checking Google News links for iPhone 4 articles.

 

[Chunkycat]

The AppleCare statistic is misleading. Just because .55% called AppleCare to complain about it does not mean only .55% are having problems.

And whose problem is that??? How on earth would a company know if the problem is affecting more than that if users who are experiencing it are not reporting it to them? I don't think they're psychics!
If users don't report their problems with the phone, if they don't return their non-functioning devices for a full refund but on the contrary keep buying them, that's the statistics that will be called official.

 

[ValSalva]

You've got to love SJ's response to the question about whether he was warned by his own engineers about the antenna issue. He said that no one could produce any evidence to prove that he'd been warned.

Why is SJ saying there is no proof? Why not just say no? He sounds like he's lying. He's essentially saying that he's both kept any warnings from his engineers secret and covered up any possible evidence of leaks regarding these warnings. I'm surprised he'd answer this question in this manner after all his years dealing with the press. Let others make arguments about proof. Time for SJ to go.

 

[JohnnyQuest]

No, Jobs didn't plead for forgiveness. Why? Because he stands by his product. The media really has blown this out of proportion, and people who don't even own the iPhone 4 are bashing the hell out of it, just to bring Apple down. It's twisted really.

You read the blogs, MacRumors' forums, news articles, and think that it really is a huge-ass deal. But think of ALL the other 3 million people with iPhone 4's. The regular people who don't really give a crap about tech websites or squeezing the life out of their phone to prove a point. They aren't complaining.

 

[dcsatt]

Agree, Jobs was condencending. Can't stand the guy.

Can't stand trolls.

 

[vincenz]

Steve Jobs is just like every other liberal elite out there. They hype themselves up as perfect and when there is a problem they throw it back in the face of the accuser "apologizing" for not solving the impossible. His "laws of physics" comment is right up there with Obama saying he can't go down and plug the hole in the Gulf by himself. But such hubris doesn't last and it's pretty clear that Apple has peaked.

Sorry to say, but you need to get out more.

 

[dcsatt]

Steve Jobs is just like every other liberal elite out there. They hype themselves up as perfect and when there is a problem they throw it back in the face of the accuser "apologizing" for not solving the impossible. His "laws of physics" comment is right up there with Obama saying he can't go down and plug the hole in the Gulf by himself. But such hubris doesn't last and it's pretty clear that Apple has peaked.

It's amusing to me that the word "hubris" is now being weilded by the conservative Right and Apple Haters after they defended against it for so many years.

I wonder what will be the next new word Beck/Hannity/Limbaugh/Cramer will add to their bleeting lexicon.

 

[rKunda]

Oh, there is a reason (to care). What if the guy, say, does not like BluRay or buttons (in general). Good luck getting the feature on your preferred line of products.

Right. Because Jobs has nothing to do with the current line being your 'preferred line' right? He's just this mean guy that ruined a successful company that used to make good products.

Oh wait. I can't wait until the drama queens on this forum go back into hiding until the next product launch.

 

[DoNoHarm]

Many people reading this thread need to take their expectations and confront reality. All of you should take a look at the Google Nexus one support forums. People have been having touchscreen issues and 3G reception issues since the launch. Google has said nothing other than we are working on it. Finally after six months of leaving their users in the dark and having threads literally thousands of responses long trash talking google about these issues, Google just said sorry there is nothing we can do. Compared to Google/HTC, Apple's quick and honest response has been like night and day.

They are giving a fix or offering your money back. It's almost like the only thing some people will be happy with will be to get a free phone or something.

 

[Robby C]

SJ owes nothing to the media. His only obligation is to his customers, of which 99.45% are satisfied with their iPhone 4. The press conference yesterday was to satisfy those in the .55% club, the few who are having problems with their iPhone 4. It wasn't intended to satisfy the 100% club - the group of people (including this Slate author) who don't own Apple products, never will own an apple product, yet are 100% dissatisfied with iPhone 4.

Hmmm...the Slate author owns 2 iPhones according to his text....

Not sure if you've noticed this, Juan. Robinson is right, the Slate author clearly stated he owned 2 iPhones.

Sorry if this has already been addressed, I didn't read through the entire thread.

EDIT: Just skimmed through the thread, and Robinson seems to be the only one here who addressed it. And for the record, I personally believe Job's intent wasn't to please that .55% of people who called Applecare, I would believe his intent would be to win back part of the 1.7% of people who returned the phone due to the Antenna issues and also to attempt to keep that .55% from returning the phone. Just a thought.

EDIT 2: I'm also not trying to be a troll and a "Debbie-downer", I'm just kind of upset about how Apple has presented their "fix". I agree with DoNotHarm, free case- why not? I just wish they could have claimed they are trying different methods to fix the problem through hardware and software related solutions.

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Ah, I have loved watching everyone bitch and moan at this antenna issue. It's been rather hilarious. Some people need to grow the eff up and speak with their dollars instead of their mouths.

I much prefer Jobs' smugness to, say, Ballmer's jackass self. As far as CEO's go, Jobs is really decent.

 

[PNutts]

You've got to love SJ's response to the question about whether he was warned by his own engineers about the antenna issue. He said that no one could produce any evidence to prove that he'd been warned.

I think he knew before the release due to his quick e-mail response at the beginning of of all this: "Just hold it different."

Can't stand trolls.

And yet you feed them.

 

[doctorxring]

.

Job's said up front that Apple is not perfect. That's enough
"apology". This whole damn thing is about people taking
a shot at the person/company that's on top. It's like an
instinct for some people to knock that person off the pedestal.

For crying out loud people. Look what at what the iP4 is, not
what it's not. It's not PERFECT. No iPhone or Droid or any cell
phone is. But it's an elegant and joyful thing. So is it's OS and
app offerings. It's integration with iTunes. The thing was a
game changer for me. It's just so dang useful. For me, it's
worth way more than what it costs me to buy and operate it.

I've not had any problems with my iMac, my iPad, my 3GS, and
now my iP4. Oh wait, I dropped my 3GS and cracked my screen.
I went over the the Genius Bar and showed them my phone. He
didn't asked what happened, just looked at me and said, "I got a
get out of jail free card for you". He took the phone to the back in
and 10 minutes brought it back out with the screen fixed.

I reflect upon all this against the absolute CRAP I put up with Windows
products before I started in with Apple in 2005. Amazing and Magical.
Yeah, those words fit real well.

I'm sure Jobs will tell you he's not perfect either. But I stand in awe
of what he has accomplished. From Apple II to this iPhone 4. All the
others do is try to follow in the trail he and his band have blazed.

dxr

P.S. Slate Sucks. Apple Rocks.

.

 

[gswilder]

Horrible Press Conference

Fridays press conference was the worst I have ever seen by a major corporation.

It would be like BP saying, what's the big deal? Everyone has an oil that leaks. And the amount of oil that leaked into the gulf is only .55% of the entire amount of liquid in the gulf. Blah blah blah.


This is not some media engineered frenzy. There is a problem with the design of the iPhone 4. I can make the bars drop on both my wife and my iphone 4's, but not out kids 3GS (in the same locations). Ever since my wife and I got ours, we drop calls much more frequently than before. Both of us have cases.

I love Apple products, and have owned every iphone version. My family currently has 5 total iphones. Got 2 Apple TV's and 3 iPods. Love iTunes. And overall, I love the iPhone 4. BUT it does have an issue with calls and data transfers more so than the 3Gs.

That was such a horrible, arrogant press conference. SJ spent 15 minutes telling us how great the IP4 was. And that his stats showed no big issues. But for all you complainers, here is a free case. And if you don't like that, then send it back. Pretty poorly done Apple. Plain and simple.

Again, I love Apple products. But all you Apple Fanboys need to quit defending them. They have a product with an issue. Basically gave us all the "finger". And you are still defending them.

For all you that think this is much ado about nothing, let me ask you a simple question? Want to bet, that the IP5 has a different antenna design? Any takers? That's all you need to know that Apple knows they have a problem, but are just going to ride it out.

 

[cwubbels]

They give people the opportunity to bring the phone back, give out free cases, and people still complain.

No one is forcing you to buy or keep the iPhone 4, so if you have a problem with holding it differently, bring it back.

Don't give me the "it's the principle, it cost $xxx it should work" well, if it doesn't meet your badass standard then don't buy it.

I'm sick of jackass people who don't know how to use their brain and act accordingly.

 

[asleep]

I just wish Jobs could have handled this mini-crisis in a classier way. His data clearly show that the new iPhone is dropping more calls than the old one. He could have admitted a problem, offered a fix, and said, "We're sorry for any trouble we caused you."

Instead, he sounded wounded and paranoid, as if we were all being ungrateful for not recognizing Apple's contributions to the world. "We love our users so much we've built 300 Apple retail stores for them," he claimed at one point. Wow, thanks, Steve—all this time, I thought you built those stores just to sell stuff!

What I'd prefer, since Jobs is asking, is a company that doesn't pee on my leg and tell me it's the "most revolutionary rain storm ever!" A free case is all well and good. Just lose the attitude, Steve. You screwed up. We know it. You know it. Just admit it.

 

[ARF900]

At least hes not like the CEO of BP, who walks around saying nothing is his fault because he wasn't involved in the decision making of his own company.

 

[bushbaby]

Thanks, OP, for linking the article. Keep 'em coming. The journalists are doing a good job of covering this, although I would like to read someone who discusses more of the problems beyond just the connectivity problem.

SJ owes nothing to the media. His only obligation is to his customers...

No. He probably feels he has an obligation to his stockholders. The press conference for more for them and for future iPhone purchasers, and for the company, than it was for the current Iphone 4 owners. It was damage control and it wasn't very successful.

You've got to love SJ's response to the question about whether he was warned by his own engineers about the antenna issue. He said that no one could produce any evidence to prove that he'd been warned.

Why is SJ saying there is no proof? Why not just say no? He sounds like he's lying. He's essentially saying that he's both kept any warnings from his engineers secret and covered up any possible evidence of leaks regarding these warnings. I'm surprised he'd answer this question in this manner after all his years dealing with the press.

Agreed. It sounded like something your lawyer might say to you, but not that your lawyer would want you to repeat.

 

[Warbrain]

I thought it was a good press conference but nothing is ever good enough for the bitchers and moaners that are on these forums.

 

[Warbrain]

Thanks, OP, for linking the article. Keep 'em coming. The journalists are doing a good job of covering this, although I would like to read someone who discusses more of the problems beyond just the connectivity problem.



No. He probably feels he has an obligation to his stockholders. The press conference for more for them and for future iPhone purchasers, and for the company, than it was for the current Iphone 4 owners. It was damage control and it wasn't very successful.



Agreed. It sounded like something your lawyer might say to you, but not that your lawyer would want you to repeat.

The journalists are doing **** about reporting this correctly. They got wind of an "issue" that directly correlates to the signal wherever you are and are making it sound like it happens all the time. It doesn't. The journalists are just spitting out more ******** that keeps getting started on the forums.