Heated Email Exchange With Steve Jobs Over Reception Issues
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Posted July 1, 2010 at 11:37am by iClarified
An iPhone 4 customer got into a heated email exchange with Steve Jobs after being asked by an Apple engineer not to post further YouTube videos demonstrating reception issues with the phone.
According to the Boy Genius Report the following email exchange with Steve Jobs then ensued.
----- [Apple engineer name redacted],
When we spoke, you would not tell me that there is a fix for this phone?
A friend just sent me this: http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/06/29/leaked-apples-internal-iphone-4-antenna-troubleshooting-procedures/
I assume there is no fix then. If this is legit, I have lost all respect for apple and just want to go back to Verizon and get a nice Android phone. And don’t tell me they have the same issues, all our co-workers with Androids are just mocking us right now…. “Hey, I am going to go in the basement and continue my call. You can use my office on the 2nd floor so you can get a signal”. You are going to kill your brand over one product. Apple is coming off arrogant and rude. If there is no fix just tell people so they can return their phones. We have work to do. I have bought just about every apple product made in the last 20 years and this is the 1st time I am ashamed to be a MAC fan.
This is just sickening,
[Tom] -----
No, you are getting all worked up over a few days of rumors. Calm down.
----- I am really insulted… “Calm down”…. “rumors”… What arrogance. This is will be marked as the begging of the end of Apple. Seriously, DO THE RIGHT THING. I just had dinner with 3 people who had iPhone 4s we all cant make calls without dropping. There is no rumors it is reality. -----
You are most likely in an area with very low signal strength.
----- Stop with jackass comments. I have has every iphone made. They all had a bad signal but this is the so much worse X3. The whole country is is in a “low signal strength” in reality… all but apple campus and your house it seems? AT&T maps are a joke. I am in “excellent” to “good” coverage and on my iPhone 1, Iphone 3G, and my iPhone 3Gs, I could at least make a telephone call. After all, it is a phone. Iphone 4…. 5 bars….. touch the phone… ZERO bars call drops.
Steve. IT DOES NOT WORK! Geezzz I hope this this is not really you. Are we on a different MHz? I have yet to see an iPhone [4] work in Richmond when you hold it in your hand. It is not “isolated”. I was a big fan. But I am done. -----
You may be working from bad data. Not your fault. Stay tuned. We are working on it.
-----
Retire, relax, enjoy your family. It is just a phone. Not worth it.
-----
Do you think this guy's anger is warranted? Is anyone else having a problem making calls? While we can replicated the signal loss by covering the black strip, it hasn't affected a call yet.
The only place in this article that says it was Steve Jobs answering these emails is in the iClarified edited part. The actual quote explicitly states that the Apple engineer's name was redacted whom the irate customer was addressing.... Why is it now a question of "was it really Steve Jobs who wrote these replies?" I'm referring of course to a newer article by iClarified which claims that this conversation is not with Steve Jobs. OF COURSE ITS NOT!
seems to me like this IS all hype...... it is strange though. but the fact is, i know 5 people who have the iphone 4 none of them have this issue....
but like he said, its just a phone.... people really need actual problems in their life. if this is the biggest "issue" they can talk about.
Real Fact # 720
Fresh Apples float because 25% of their volume is air.
---
How true this is with how Apple has been dealing with customer issues and its ideology lately.
Stall tactics so people keep buying the product will only work so long! The way this nightmare has been handled is embarrassing yourself and completely disrespectful to all of your loyal fans who would take a bullet for you. Bad on you. Worse for anyone who defends you.
fk apple n steve job. Hands down to apple. I actually want to return ur iphone 4. Useless. At least my nokia phone cheap & best in full signal strength all time. Hands down apple.
I for one can agree with the man, if my product was not working, I would be pissed also. Especially with the price tag associated with it. " Calm down and relax" is all fair and good if there was the ability to return the phone indefinitely, however, with the window of returning the iphone getting smaller day by day... If you are that annoyed with the phone and service (I would be) then go with another provider, that's your choice. I have been a big supporter of Apple and it's products for a long time...it has not been since recently where it feels as though Apple is sliding toward an, "Apple Way or No Way" attitude. I myself weighed the pro's and con's of the iPhone 4 and what would work best for my applications in daily life. Some on here love the phone and that is their choice, I for one can not justify the cost vs. the device/service (AT&T)....that's my choice. I love the macbook I have....however, the iPhone doesn't appeal to me like the 1G, 3G, 3GS did....mostly because of the AT&T service as the primary "bye bye" reason for me.
"Retire, relax, enjoy your family. It is just a phone. Not worth it."
I hope thats not Jobs that said it. Their Marketing is all about " Oh its not just a Phone its a blah blah blah"
I have had iPhone 3G & 3GS in the past Got both phones on Launch dates. I almost Never got dropped calls. if I use just my head to push shoulder against my shoulder the phone call is almost guaranteed to drop. I have been having at least 1-3 dropped calls per a15 min Conversations.
The Drop call and Bad Reception are very much real its not just bars dropping down. Apple doesnt want to recall because that will cost Alot more in $$ and people will forever mock the iPhone & alot Android based phones will sell like water on a hot day or fireworks before 4th of July.
Speaking of Fireworks Any cheap places to buy fireworks in North California?
This guy obviously has a right to be angry and upset. when you purchase one of the world's highest bits of technology you expect it to work but if it doesn't thats ok, as long as you get customer service to help the issue and we all feel screwed over right now because we are literally getting no help! if you take it to an apple store they just tell you to wait for an update, at&t can only refund you and Jobs cant send more than an incomplete sentence to any customers questions and concerns. the iphone 4 will be fine with this update but apple customer service is now at its worst than it has ever been
Patience is a vurtue. If jobs could snap his fingers to make all the iPhones get perfect reception he would. Everything takes time. What part don't people understand??
I have always held my phone in my left hand. I would not knowingly buy a phone that only works right handed. So the iPhone 4 is not for me.
Im waiting for the Verizon iPhone in January.
My 3GS on ATTUSa also loses signal when held in my left hand. Im glad I now know why.
I think this guy over reacted slightly and went about things the wrong way... However I do think he has a point. If the device is not fit for purpose then it is a problem which Apple needs to remedy. Especially when you are paying £600/$800 for it.
Apple should make an honest statement to its customers and stop treating people like idiots.
That there is NO official answer, the claims are pretty officials, we have blogs, class action suits, comments, newspapers etc; yet all the answers from Apple are unofficial answer via email to a random guy, Apple Stores saying it's normal and not a single official answer regarding acknowledge of the issue and steps been taken to correct it (even just saying they know about the problem and still figuring out how to fix it).
If Apple came out and say they are studying how to fix it and that in the worst case they will recall them for a hardware fix, then you wouldn't have this kind of posts. (Maybe just posts regarding WHEN)
To me, it doesn't matter at the end how polite an answer is and who does it come from.
"It is just a phone" I thought it was more than that but hey, if it is 'just a phone' shouldn't allow people to work this out correctly?
Are the comments and stories really coming from people with an i4? Or is this just another gimmick from other companies trying to ride the wave of a few screwups? If the issue does exists, my guess is Apple will address them, if they don't well... Be at ease.
That's my 2 cents.
This isn't made up. Look on YouTube, etc. I have one myself. It is awful for this problem. Anytime I'm holding it at all, I get at most 1 bar of service. Calls are dropped all the time with it. It's ridiculous.
To each his own. I have no case no nothing n I'm just not experiencing this problem . I had a couple dropped calls but nothing diff then the 3GS dropped calls I experienced & 3G & 2g. I've had every iPhone. If it's such a big deal right this second order awrapforthat it supposedly will fix all issues . For all those people that hate it so bad and want an android all of the sudden. They should take their iPhone back. That way somebody that appreciates it could buy it.
"Retire, relax, enjoy your family. It is just a phone. Not worth it."
And here I thought it was "An iPod...a phone... an internet communicator"
Hope the folks at "SHENZHEN CA" pre-checked my phone with the "death grip"
before shipping it today...
In an area of bad signal switch to GSM/Edge and you will be just fine placing your phone calls. Actually I only use my phone on GSM. Works perfectly well everywhere for calls and eMail.
I have an iPhone 4 and it seems everyone is making a big deal with the reception issue. My iPhone doesnt "lose" signal or the signal "weakens", its perfectly fine, no matter how i hold it, seriously. Maybe people just like to point out the flaws and make a big commotion out of it because its an Apple iPhone. Note that Steve Jobs keeps saying "stay tuned". if there's anyone out there experiencing problems, its most likely a software issue. We just all need to "stay tuned" to see what Apple is going to do about this. Not all iPhones have this problem.
No people are not making a big deal. I got two iPhone 4's yesterday from best buy and both have same problem. You hold them on the left side and signal drops to zero, calls drop.
Best option - simply return and stay with your 3GS instead of complaining and fighting with Apple. For now they are ignoring the issue.
When the problem is fixed in new handsets, then buy it. Just return it for now.
Real talk tho. This is the funniest shit ever . I travel the world with 3 beezies. We all got iPhone 4s & they work perfect no matter how we hold it. Personally I think you probably are in a low service area. But what do I know I'm just a P.
How do you know they are ignoring the issue? Are you personally at the Cupertino headquarters watching the engineers sitting around not doing anything to try and resolve this issue? Just because Steve is is only giving a few press emails stating to "stay tuned" doesn't mean he isn't hard at work trying to resolve this issue. I have the same reception issue. Until Apple releases an update to fix this issue, fixes the hardware issue and offers people having the issue an option to switch out the product, or admits they effed up; we should all just sit and relax. I'm left handed so I know how it is.
For the time being, everybody just needs to hold their phone differently. The phone only released a week ago. We can't expect them to resolve it that quickly.
I received my iPhone one day early. From day one I had an immediate problem with poor reception and dropped calls. It is not a myth that a reception issue exists ... it is a reality. This is my 3rd iPhone and the only one thus far that has had these kind of serious issues. If you are amongst those how have a perfectly working phone, consider yourself lucky. Unless AT&T recently moved a tower nearby my home I should have the same reception that existed with my previous iPhones. I can be patient for another 20 some odd days and wait for a fix. If no fix then I will return the phone and if I decide to purchase another, hope that I have better luck. Still a fan though.
If this issue doesnt concern you then please dont leave ur 2 Cents here. If you pay 30k for a car that was suppose to come with 24" Inch Chrome wheels and instead it came with some 16" Inch wheels that are Metal. Then you will ask for few thousand dollar discount. If we pay for something that is promised it should be delivered.
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