Apple: The friendly company

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Stoney Mason

Banned
(CBS 13) Like any nine-year-old, Shea O'Gorman spends a lot of time listening to her iPod Nano. So much so, that when her third grade class started learning about writing letters she thought, who better to write to than the man whose company makes her iPod.

“I decided to write to Mr. Steven Jobs,” said Shea. Jobs is the president of Apple Computers.

“She just came home and said ‘mom I have some ideas about the iPod Nano,’ and said ‘I'm going to write Steven Jobs a letter’,” said Shea’s mother. “We were just very impressed and very proud of her.”

In her letter, Shea outlined her ideas for improving iPods like adding song lyrics.

“Have the words on the screen so they could sing along and stuff,” said Shea.

So she mailed it, and waited for three months, and when a letter arrived from apple, the whole family gathered around to read it.

“She was very upset. She kind of threw the letter up in the air and ran into her room and slammed the door,” said Shea’s mom.

The letter was not from Steve Jobs, it was signed the senior counsel, Apple Law Department.

That's right, apple's legal department, telling a nine year old that apple does not accept unsolicited ideas. Apple's legal department told her not send them her suggestions, and if she wants to know why, she could read their legal policy on the Internet.

“We were stunned, we just were stunned, is the best word to say. It just wasn't the appropriate type letter to send to a third grader who had the initiative to write to them,” said Shea’s mom.

“It kind of seemed like they were saying well we don't want your idea like it's not good or anything,” said Shea.

And her mom thinks it's even worse coming from apple. “They are a company who tries to promote itself as an educator of children. That was really, it was unacceptable. They know better than that,” said Shea’s mom.
Click to expand...

http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_104012157.html
 
Right. Because huge corporations take the time to read all letters. I'm sure the automated service through which it went didn't even acknowledge the age of the sender. It's not so much OMG how could you, she's 9, but rather blah blah blah bureaucracy.
 
They don't want people sending suggestions because then some idiot who sent in his totally radical Myspace integration idea could get pissy when Apple implements it and demand monies.

“They are a company who tries to promote itself as an educator of children."
Click to expand...

Apple? Umm, ok?



And OLD.
 
so how do these stories get to the public?

is this what happens when it's a slow news day and the reporter actually answers the call of a woman who is so upset that she's going to alert the media?

because working for telecoms I hear that threat all the time.
 
Don't post anti apple threads. This forum has a huge apple fan base, your only looking for trouble. I might even be banned for saying this.
 
I know it's old, but:

Apple has some of the best creative people in the business--paid professionals. Like they would need ideas from some stupid girl. That and she'd probably try to sue them if any of her "ideas" no matter how basic coincidentally made it into the next upgrade. Smart decision imo.
 
When I was a kid my friends and I sent Sega an idea for a game ( it was basically a Ghost n Goblins rip off) and they sent back a similar letter and we were all excited that we even got that.

ungratefulness FTL.
 
Maybe back in friendlier days Apple would have had a public relations respond with a note to the child thanking her for the letter and suggesting her idea was really great.

Now, however, with everyone ready to sue with (or without) the slightest provocation, no company will even dare accept, let alone respond to, a suggestion for an idea or product.
 
AstroLad said:
I know it's old, but:

Apple has some of the best creative people in the business--paid professionals. Like they would need ideas from some stupid girl. That and she'd probably try to sue them if any of her "ideas" no matter how basic coincidentally made it into the next upgrade. Smart decision imo.
Click to expand...

That was what I was going to say. Have an idea that perhaps was included in the new Nano by coincidence, and sue the fuck out of Apple for millions.
 
While this is essentially business as usual for the big companies, it would be nice to for Apple to set themselves apart by returning mail such as this. In other words, they don't have to, but not doing so makes them non-special, which is their self-defined market position.
[/annoyed Mac owner]
 
Ryck said:
When I was a kid my friends and I sent Sega an idea for a game ( it was basically a Ghost n Goblins rip off) and they sent back a similar letter and we were all excited that we even got that.

ungratefulness FTL.
Click to expand...
Nintendo sent me a Nintendo watch, DKC binder, and Killer Instinct soundtrack CD back in the day. So there. They didn't want my idea, though :(
 
Might as well at least put some closure to this ancient article, with the ancient appleinsider followup!


When 9-year-old Shea O'Gorman and her third-grade class began learning about writing business and formal letters, she thought who better to write to than the chief executive of the company that makes her iPod nano.

In her letter to Mr. Jobs, little Shea offered her ideas on how the company could improve on its iPod digital music players, such as adding song lyrics so listeners can sing along to their tunes.

After waiting nearly three months, Shea finally received a reply from Apple's Cupertino, Calif.-based headquarters, and the entire family gathered around to read it.

To the dismay of Shea and her family, the letter wasn't from Mr. Jobs. It was from Mark Aaker, Senior Council of the company's Law Department, telling the third-grader that Apple doesnt accept unsolicited ideas, so she should not send them her suggestions and if she wants to know why, she could read their legal policy posted on the Internet.

"She was very upset, and kinda threw the letter up in the air and ran in her room and slammed her door," the girl's mother told CBS 5 News.

Of course, Apple's policy was instated to protect the company -- and anyone who submits ideas to the company -- from ending up in a costly legal spat if similar ideas are ever adopted into future Apple products. However, you'd think the handwriting of a 9-year-old may have drawn company's lighter side.

Apple reportedly decline to comment on the mishap, but the company's General Counsel placed a personal call to Shea to apologize following a CBS 5 News inquiry.

It was also reported that Apple held a meeting this past Wednesday in which it discussed ways that it could amend its corporate policy when dealing with children.
Click to expand...
 
relaxor said:
While this is essentially business as usual for the big companies, it would be nice to for Apple to set themselves apart by returning mail such as this. In other words, they don't have to, but not doing so makes them non-special, which is their self-defined market position.
[/annoyed Mac owner]
Click to expand...

Please! This makes them "non-special"? Has a Mac owner has this burst your bubble or something? In this day and age, they can't afford to not do something like this.

Had they sent a nice letter back to her, thanking her as others have suggested. The stor would have been "Third Grader Bilked Out of Millions by Apple!"
 
Oh please, don't even try to tell me that this mother wouldn't be all about suing Apple for compensation the minute an iPod showed up that did anything in her "precious" daughter's letter. She'd be loving her some lawyers then with the prospect of a big fat check payment from Apple.
 
teiresias said:
Oh please, don't even try to tell me that this mother wouldn't be all about suing Apple for compensation the minute an iPod showed up that did anything in her "precious" daughter's letter. She'd be loving her some lawyers then with the prospect of a big fat check payment from Apple.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much it. I completely understand why Apple or any company don't accept unsolicited proposals.
 
teiresias said:
Oh please, don't even try to tell me that this mother wouldn't be all about suing Apple for compensation the minute an iPod showed up that did anything in her "precious" daughter's letter. She'd be loving her some lawyers then with the prospect of a big fat check payment from Apple.
Click to expand...

ding ding ding
 
Next week's headline:

"Family sues Apple for stealing and using 9-year-old's iPod ideas after thanking her for sending them in"

Edit: beaten :(
 
Look, I've been a Apple fan since the 80's, and over the years I've sent them numerous letters about this and that and they've always responded to me personally. It's true that there's all sorts of legal shit in place here, but I see this as another sign of Apples entrance into the world of big, boring corporate anonymity. It's been happening over the last ten years, since Job's reentrance, and now they're one of the biggest companies around. Cool, awesome. But stop positioning yourself as the nice guys, Apple, which they do. Like Google, Apple positions themselves in this way very consciously, and I just see PR like this as evidence of their further corporate-ness.
 
And the angle of it being a legit request on the part of the girl for the hardware to change is firstly: bullshit, and secondly: I used to write Apple about improvements all the time, to which I'd get a pleasant response, sometimes even a running dialogue.
 
AstroLad said:
Apple has some of the best creative people in the business--paid professionals. Like they would need ideas from some stupid girl.
Click to expand...
SANTA IS MAGIC AND DOES NOT NEED YOUR LETTERS

HE KNOWS

DO NOT BOTHER SANTA
 
how the fuck did this get in the news. did some mom just start throwing a fit outside of a tv station until somebody listened to her?
 
That and she'd probably try to sue them if any of her "ideas" no matter how basic coincidentally made it into the next upgrade. Smart decision imo.
Click to expand...
That is exactly why they do it, they don't want someone to sue them over a feature.
 
Poor, emotionally traumatized girl. I wonder how she's going to live the rest of her life with a scar such as this.

Seriously, the mother sounds like a tool for going to the media with this. 2ndly, millions of children this girl's age are dodging bombs, starving to death, or otherwise live shit lives and have to deal with things that they shouldnt have to at that age. Im sure she'll deal, and Ill save my tears.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Recommended Smart Watches (not Apple)
5
310
N0S replied
Prime Target (Apple TV)
2
284
AJUMP23 replied
The Gorge - Official Trailer | Apple TV+
46
3K
sono replied
TikTok is back on the Apple and Google app stores
8
583
Jinzo Prime replied
Long Way Home — Official Trailer | Apple TV+
2
308
AJUMP23 replied
Top Bottom