Exclusive: Conversation with Steve Jobs on the iPhone 4 antenna problems
One of our readers has a pretty interesting story to share. It is one that involves his passion for Apple products, an Apple engineer, Steve Jobs, and reported problems with the iPhone 4’s antenna placement. Let’s call the person talking to Apple and Steve Jobs “Tom”… Tom recorded a video which he posted on YouTube. That video demonstrated the iPhone 4’s now well known issue of signal degration when being held mostly on the left lower side of the phone. Apparently, Apple noticed the video, and reached out directly to Tom. While talking with Apple, Tom was informed that Apple doesn’t consider this an issue, and that anything online is just “rumor hysteria”. Apple also asked Tom not to post further videos.
Tom followed up by emailing the Apple engineer and Steve Jobs directly. Below is the email thread broken down. We have verified the email headers and information, and believe this exchange to be 100% legitimate.
Updated…
First email:
[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]
Here is Steve Jobs’ reply:
No, you are getting all worked up over a few days of rumors. Calm down.
Our reader’s response:
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.
Steve Jobs counters:
You are most likely in an area with very low signal strength.
Our reader again:
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.
Steve responds once again:
You may be working from bad data. Not your fault. Stay tuned. We are working on it.
Sent from my iPhone
And lastly, Tom emails in again:
Retire, relax, enjoy your family. It is just a phone. Not worth it.
What are your thoughts on this one? Is Tom in the right? Did he get a little too aggressive with his emails? Do you believe Steve Jobs when he says Apple is actively working on it?
UPDATE: The last line in the email exchange was actually not said by Mr. Jobs; rather it was by “Tom.” We corrected it as soon as we were made aware.
UPDATE 2: Added email header information and full exchange..
thank GOD I baught a BB 9700 instead. I loved the iPhone 3GS but this year im gonna stick to a BB until Apple launched the next iPhone in 2011 and ill pick that up. im pretty sure that the 2011 iPhone will look identical to the iPhone4 as Apple will use the same design for few years before making a 100% change to it but hopefully they will work out the kinks out… if u havent baught 1 yet,, DONT and wait till the next one.
The real problem in the whole “iPhone 4″ story is that people are deceived. Indeed, for must of us here, buying a new phone means looking for something to make our lives funnier or easier (which is a lure actually, but we all know that), and paying the price for it.
What I am trying to say is this: we buy a new phone thinking it will propably be the last phone we’ll ever get, the telephone problem will be handled, we will be able to move on to something else… Nevertheless, if the company makes a product that does not work as expected, it should at least be a little comprehensive of how the customer feels, which is exactly what it did not do (at least in the beginning), and should not blame it on the customer for not holding the phone in a proper way.
I actually understand why “Tom” reacted in such a violent way (even if I think one should always remain calm), because he is very disappointed by his purchase and the company was not taking any responsiblilty at all.
I am a Blackberry user and had similar problems with a 9700 I couldn’t make any call with; that was very frustating, because I felt I DESERVED to have it working. But it is really just a phone in the end, isn’t it?
I Still haven’t found what this guy wrote to Steve to get this answer. “Retire, relax, enjoy your family. It is just a phone. Not worth it.”
Whoever this guy is from my point of view this guy’s an asshole. By reading his email you can tell this guy only cares about himself. His email attacks other person from his anger and no wonder Steve wants him to go home and chill out and spend time with his family. I wanna know what he wrote to him. ALL OF IT. If you can’t if probably wrote something like “hey i am going to kill your family”
I think who sold the email is an asshole, what do you guys think?
This exchange has been proven fake by multiple news organizations.
I have found a fix to the reception issue. See here:
http://s771.photobucket.com/albums/xx360/DeniskaChi/?action=view¤t=iPhone4Fix.png
Must be true, those images show his AT&T iPhone signal strength at two bars!
Just wish “Tom” knew how to spell! It was disheartening to read his replies… “This is will be marked as the begging of the end of Apple.”.
Tom, learn grammar and PROOFREAD! It will make you look scholarly.
Yeah definitely a fake but good attempt, fake Steve still kept his cool!
This is so obviously a fake… Buttford Advertising Inc. … Showing all the phone #s and address of the place in the screenshots. Yeah, we’ll believe you… NOT. Lame attempt at getting some publicity.
Why so much talk about a phone ?
Spend your time time with girls and life will smile you !
@SomeoneWithHalfABrain:
Clearly, you are possessing less brains than you claim. Look again, closely, before you post…
The company is called Burford Advertising – here is their site:
http://burfordadvertising.com/Burford_Advertising/Burford_Advertising_Home_Page.html
Here is the guy’s profile:
http://burfordadvertising.com/Burford_Advertising/Jason_Burford.html
Faked or real exchange with Steve? I have no idea.
Apple has put out an inferior product, end of story. It is one problem after another with this phone. The folks over at Motorola and Verizon must have big smiles on their faces with the pending launch of the Droid X.
nice info
Woww.. Great phone..
Always love iPhone
11:24AM Q: You’ve been communicating with customers through email quite a bit — how is that impacting how you’re dealing with these issues.
Steve: I always have, and you know, the address is out there and I’ve always emailed people back. I try to reply to some of them because they’re our customers. But now people post them to the web… and some people just make things up. So don’t believe everything you read!
i phone
very nice phone…
I’m 51. I’ve been using a cell phone since before the Motorola brick phone. Before the MotoBrick, I used a cell that was 15 lbs. and was bigger then a portable defibulator is today.
I’ve had many cell phones since and I’ve have simultaneously had Verizon, T-mobile and ATT on three seperate phones.
Given the above, I can say with much experience that even with the legitimate, iphone4, “death grip” issues it is still the best portable internet access platform anywhere — by far.
The competition has closed the gap with “me too” iphone-like devices and it is true Steven Jobs and Apple have addressed the issue quite poorly.
But, in my estimation the iphone4 is a great, great product (in spite of loss of signal strength when holding in the palm of my right hand).
Until the iphone4, I have been using the 1st generation iphne I bought when it first came out (unlocked to T-mobile about 18 mos. after purchase). I did not upgrade to the 2 or 3rd generations becsuse I saw no decernable advantages in either performance or price.
The iphone4 justified the upgrade even in lieu of the grip issue.
That being said, Apple needs to dump AT&T. The iphone is so much better a product with another low cost carrier. I will unlock the iphone4 as soon as the brainiacs that do that stuff dial-in the code.
JMHO
DW
JMHO
P.S. As a phone. It works as good as any other cell (granted you have to be mindful of where you hold it); provided of course, you have the elusive ATT signal.
Lastly, if you DON’T like the darn thing with this legitimate (minor) deficiency, TAKE IT BACK.
“my iPhone 1, Iphone 3G, and my iPhone 3Gs, ”
LOOOOOOSSSEERRRRSSSS
Get a life you lot, have you got nothing better to worry about that getting the next, 1mm thinner iphone?
my mobile rocks, its got these CRRRAZY things called “buttons”
and it makes “calls”
and occasionaly sends messages.
ive found, if i want to watch TV, i have a thing called “a TV”
Ok so this is the truth, apple is way ahead of any other company, the iPhone 4 is beautiful, and on ebay they are going for over $1000.00 Still!!!! even used i saw one for $1750.00
Its a absoulty amazing device! you can put a case on it, and you wont have a issue, i absolutly love it!! no issues so far. there is so many things that are way better about the iPhone, its just funny that other people would rather have a bold 9700, i just cant believe it! the BB and droix X and all thos other HTC device “iLike” devices are always different, Apple follows a constintant design, and i would never go from one, even with 2 cases on it.. come on people PLEASE! this is one of the best devices yet. it may be a issue, but not worth putting some clothes on the iPhone and rocking it, please for the naked sake of love.