unilad homepage
unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Music
  • Technology
  • Film and TV
    • News
    • DC Comics
    • Disney
    • Marvel
    • Netflix
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Steve Jobs had a very blunt response to iPhone user who had complaint about phone
Home>Technology
Published 15:30 26 Jul 2024 GMT+1

Steve Jobs had a very blunt response to iPhone user who had complaint about phone

The late Apple founder once tried to silence critics with a brutal email takedown

Ella Scott

Ella Scott

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Justin Sullivan/Nikola Stojadinovic

Topics: Apple, iPhone, Steve Jobs, Technology, Phones

Ella Scott
Ella Scott

Advert

Advert

Advert

Steve Jobs wasn’t one to mince his words and when Apple was being criticised for a major iPhone fault, he produced a meme-worthy response that has gone down in history.

It’s unbelievable to think it’s been 17 years since Apple released the first-ever iPhone.

Since the original smartphone hit the market, the multinational corporation has put out 42 different versions of the device as well as items like the Apple Vision Pro and the innovative Apple Pencil.

Advert

But sticking with mobile, we want you to cast your mind back to June 2010 when the world was obsessed with the shiny new iPhone 4.

The cell was Apple’s first fitted with a glass body and premiered the company’s high-resolution Retina display and FaceTime support.

While hailed as game-changing, the iPhone was heavily criticised for bringing about ‘Antennagate’.

Many customers who purchased the mobile phone that summer complained that if they held the device in their left hand, it would lose network connection and calls would drop.

Apple was quick to downplay the severity of the issue, with a spokesperson telling The New York Times at the time: “Gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone.

Steve Jobs told iPhone users to 'avoid' holding it in a certain way. (Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images)
Steve Jobs told iPhone users to 'avoid' holding it in a certain way. (Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images)

“If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.”

But as more tech users came forward with issues about the phone, Jobs, who was 55 at the time, condescendingly decided to break his silence.

In 2010 - a year before he would die following a prolonged battle with a rare form of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer - he received an email from Ars Technica asking him about the connectivity issue.

In reply, he savagely wrote: “All phones have sensitive areas," before adding: “Just avoid holding it in this way.”

Despite Jobs telling Apple users to simply hold their phones correctly, he later conceded defeat and scheduled a last-minute press conference.

Antennagate remains one of Apple’s biggest scandals to date. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Antennagate remains one of Apple’s biggest scandals to date. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

During the chat, he admitted the business wasn’t ‘perfect’ and neither were our cellular devices.

“We're not perfect. We know that. You know that. And [our] phones aren't perfect either. We've been working our butts off to understand what the real problems are," he said of Antennagate.

Unfortunately, issues rumbled on until 2012 when Apple put the case to bed by settling a class action lawsuit.

The settlement forced the company to issue a $15 check or a free bumper case to all iPhone 4 users.

Over a decade later, Antennagate remains one of Apple’s biggest scandals to date.

Meanwhile, Job’s hilarious email statement still gets a laugh out of tech users and is often still used in memes.

  • Steve Jobs' rumored last words have left people pondering for over a decade
  • People speechless after learning what Steve Jobs named his daughter and realizing 'secret meaning'
  • iPhone user shocked to discover 'ridiculous' hidden feature in new clock app
  • Footage of futuristic 'robot' phone with AI 'super brain' arrives in time to rival iPhone 7e announcement

Choose your content:

a day ago
2 days ago
  • Getty Stock Photo
    a day ago

    iPhone users are just discovering what the orange and green dots on their screen really mean

    Apple's support page has explained what the dots mean

    Technology
  • Getty Stock Image
    2 days ago

    Experts reveal why common email apology is actually making co-workers hate you

    Many way want to rethink their phrasing, as one common phrase is seen as 'irritating'

    Technology
  • Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
    2 days ago

    How to use Downdetector to see when top sites like Facebook and Instagram go down

    With outages hitting platforms seemingly all the time, this free tool tells you instantly whether it's your connection or a bigger problem

    Technology
  • Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto via Getty Images (edited)
    2 days ago

    Facebook down as thousands of users report issues

    Reports are flooding in from users unable to access the platform, here's what we know so far

    Technology