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One of the most frustrating examples of people telling lies about Jobs is the meme that he told an iPhone user that they were "holding it the wrong way" when th

One of the most frustrating examples of people telling lies about Jobs is the meme that he told an iPhone user that they were "holding it the wrong way" when they complained about the iPhone 4 antenna. What he actually said was (and this is the entire email): "Just avoid holding it that way." Sure it's terse, but it's a long way from telling them they're doing it wrong. Jobs isn't known to be always nice and given this person's situation his suggestion is the best way to fix the problem in the short term. Apple later made amends here, too; admittedly only because people complained, but if the success of the iPhone 4 is a good indication (you can decide) this really was never really a problem.

CamperBob 15y ago
One of the most frustrating examples of people telling lies about Jobs is the meme that he told an iPhone user that they were "holding it the wrong way" when they complained about the iPhone 4 antenna. What he actually said was (and this is the entire email): "Just avoid holding it that way." Wow. What's your take on whether Al Gore invented the Internet?
- johnthedebs 15y ago
  Really, what's the problem? If you can look past the fact that Jobs didn't kiss the customer's ass you may realize that a CEO of a Fortune 500 company was personally responding to the customer's problem in the most effective way he could at the time.
phillco 15y ago
There's not really much different between the two quotes. People were pissed because Job's response wasn't an adequate answer to their problem. Apple talks a lot about how "well-engineered" their products are, and yes, the 4 was cool, but Job's answer seemed like something from http://thereifixedit.com http://thereifixedit.com. Don't hold it that way? It's a phone. People wanted a proper response and they didn't get it until they were big enough to make a big stink about it. That's not good customer service.
- johnthedebs 15y ago
  In my eyes there's a huge difference, they just look the same if you don't bother to listen to what he said and don't pay attention to Apple's response in the context of the way they run their business. It wasn't a friendly response, but it was the solution to the problem. And when they only gave out cases later after complaints (announced during a special event to talk openly about this issue, after they had taken the time to look into it themselves) it was because the only problem was the media reaction. Millions and millions of people bought and loved the iPhone 4 even after they stopped giving out free cases a few months later. They all had the option of returning it for a full refund. How many companies do you do business with that provide this level of service, big or small? I honestly can't think of any.
  - nirvana 15y ago
    Further, notably, the 4S for which they could have easily changed case designed if needed, uses this same essential external antenna design. I never owned a 4, but my 4S works fine. Yes, it has two antennas and it also, unlike the iPhone 4, is both a CDMA and a GSM phone. Hence it needs multiple antennas for the different networks. The antenna is still on the outside. You can still attenuate the signal by holding the phone with just the right death grip, as you could the iPhone 4, and every other phone on the market. There was no problem to fix. This is a perfect example of how people spread lies -- with the help of media who wants to latch onto anything that might show controversy about Apple- to create these false impressions. Reality: Every phone, if held in the right way, with have signal attenuation. This is basic physics. Reality Distortion: There's a problem with the iPhone 4! It was fixed in the 4S! What I can't understand is the persistence in constantly repeating these falsehoods, even after the truth comes out. I state the truth (the same design in the 4s) and then someone spouts the claim that it was "fixed" because the design did improve. Well, every iPhone is going to improve on the last. That doesn't validate a false claim that the previous version was defective because it lacked future improvements!
    - phillco 15y ago
      With, critically, one important difference: it now has two cellular antennas. This way if one loses signal, say, due to being accidentally bridged, the phone switches to the other. This is why the gaps in the metal band are different between the 4 and the 4S. (Compare them.) It's also why Consumer Reports endorsed the 4S but not the 4. Because it doesn't have the problem. Because they fixed it. See http://www.pcworld.com/article/241186/new_iphone_4s_antenna_death_grip_now_slightly_harder.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/241186/new_iphone_4s_antenna_...

CamperBob 15y ago

johnthedebs 15y ago
Really, what's the problem? If you can look past the fact that Jobs didn't kiss the customer's ass you may realize that a CEO of a Fortune 500 company was personally responding to the customer's problem in the most effective way he could at the time.

phillco 15y ago

There's not really much different between the two quotes. People were pissed because Job's response wasn't an adequate answer to their problem. Apple talks a lot about how "well-engineered" their products are, and yes, the 4 was cool, but Job's answer seemed like something from http://thereifixedit.com http://thereifixedit.com. Don't hold it that way? It's a phone. People wanted a proper response and they didn't get it until they were big enough to make a big stink about it. That's not good customer service.

johnthedebs 15y ago
In my eyes there's a huge difference, they just look the same if you don't bother to listen to what he said and don't pay attention to Apple's response in the context of the way they run their business. It wasn't a friendly response, but it was the solution to the problem. And when they only gave out cases later after complaints (announced during a special event to talk openly about this issue, after they had taken the time to look into it themselves) it was because the only problem was the media reaction. Millions and millions of people bought and loved the iPhone 4 even after they stopped giving out free cases a few months later. They all had the option of returning it for a full refund. How many companies do you do business with that provide this level of service, big or small? I honestly can't think of any.
- nirvana 15y ago
  Further, notably, the 4S for which they could have easily changed case designed if needed, uses this same essential external antenna design. I never owned a 4, but my 4S works fine. Yes, it has two antennas and it also, unlike the iPhone 4, is both a CDMA and a GSM phone. Hence it needs multiple antennas for the different networks. The antenna is still on the outside. You can still attenuate the signal by holding the phone with just the right death grip, as you could the iPhone 4, and every other phone on the market. There was no problem to fix. This is a perfect example of how people spread lies -- with the help of media who wants to latch onto anything that might show controversy about Apple- to create these false impressions. Reality: Every phone, if held in the right way, with have signal attenuation. This is basic physics. Reality Distortion: There's a problem with the iPhone 4! It was fixed in the 4S! What I can't understand is the persistence in constantly repeating these falsehoods, even after the truth comes out. I state the truth (the same design in the 4s) and then someone spouts the claim that it was "fixed" because the design did improve. Well, every iPhone is going to improve on the last. That doesn't validate a false claim that the previous version was defective because it lacked future improvements!
  - phillco 15y ago
    With, critically, one important difference: it now has two cellular antennas. This way if one loses signal, say, due to being accidentally bridged, the phone switches to the other. This is why the gaps in the metal band are different between the 4 and the 4S. (Compare them.) It's also why Consumer Reports endorsed the 4S but not the 4. Because it doesn't have the problem. Because they fixed it. See http://www.pcworld.com/article/241186/new_iphone_4s_antenna_death_grip_now_slightly_harder.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/241186/new_iphone_4s_antenna_...