US Sen. Schumer writes letter to Apple CEO over iPhone 4 antenna - Page 2

Well, actually...Schumer is an idiot. And I suspect he also secretly regards himself as a God-emperor.

You don't think this particular issue falls far short of the mark, in terms of interests that he should be looking after? It smacks more of someone trying to get in on some of the attention being generated here.

And you think in the time it took to write this letter all those things would be fixed. Politicians have lives outside their jobs and this letter could have been written on his on time. Even if he did write it on the clock there is nothing wrong with it.

That's nice, Mr. Senator. Now please get back to balancing the budget.

Let AAPL shareholders deal with Apple Inc.

Thank you.

Actually, it does not look like an official letter. Can't find it on his website (schumer.senate.gov) and it was not signed 'Senator' nor did it mention anything about his being a politician.
Likely just someone "important" pushing the issue.

Smart move to write a letter the day before Apple addresses the issue. Makes the Senator look like Apple are responding to his intervention. Politicians eh? There is no stoop so low when it comes to getting themselves in the news.

As far as I can tell, this antenna thing just isn't that big of a deal--if your hand is pressed against the gap between the antennas, the reception decreases? Isn't something like a crappy UI a much bigger defect? Or an OS that is vulnerable to viruses and subject to crashing? I have a Blackberry from a few years ago, and the browser is basically unusable no matter how I hold the damn thing, although I'm sure it was billed as having a usable browser. I think most people would agree that the iPhone is a great product, in terms of sophistication and polish, certainly better than most of the junk on the market. As a New Yorker, I can assure you that there are more pressing issues out there than the iPhone 4 antenna.

Chuck Schumer, Schumuck Chumer. It does not matter. This is now at the TARFU (Things Are Really Fucked Up) level. Bad press in this case is not good press at all for Apple.

Someone show me the Senator's recent letter to BP. He's clearly working on the important issues.

Dear Sen. Schumer,

Given all of the critical problems that this country is currently facing (high unemployment, record deficits, housing crisis, security threats from abroad, government over regulation, etc etc), please focus on solving those problems that your were presumably elected to do.

Leave all the private sector "problems" to the private sector. The free market will decide if the iPhone 4 will succeed or not. Leave capitalism alone.....just get out of our way.

Sincerely,

America

That is exactly right. Most people posting here don't get it. They can call people all the names they want -- and perhaps Schumer deserves it -- but that is simply braying in the wind.

Apple will have to do a major mea cupla on this one, as I've been saying from Day 1.

What Winston Churchill said about the US is also true of Apple, when he said (I am paraphrasing) "America will always do the right thing. After all the other avenues have been exhausted."

Likely, you're one of those who criticizes Congress for not doing their jobs. Well, one of their jobs is to represent the people and work in their interest, so that's what Mr. Schumer is doing here. And then you criticize him for doing it. How about you STFU?

Stilted lovers???

Does this mean lovers who walk around on devices that extend their height? So perhaps these lovers are also professional dry-wallers? Sounds like a lost time accident just waiting to happen. Or perhaps these lovers are really, really shy and can't express their feelings aloud?

Enquiring minds want to know!

;-)

It's not clear to me what recourse Apple shareholders have, other than to sell. I wrote to Apple Investor Relations requesting the email addresses for the lead directors to express my concerns as a shareholder.

The response? Zip. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Silence.

But Chuck if Apple gives away the bumpers for free then how are you going to get my tax money for purchasing a bumper.

Dear noexpectations:

How is BP's "private sector problem" being worked out by the private sector? All you non-government types do a 180 and criticize the government for not responding the second the private sector fails to work out its own problems. Make up your f---ing mind.

Sincerely,

Thinking Americans

This is the same jack ass who raked Toyota over the coals about the Prius.
Guess what the DOT found in their report.....USER ERROR.

I'm sure the letter to HTC over the Evo 4G's awful battery life and HTCs recommended fix ("just turn 4G off") is lost in the mail.

I believe it's a government regulation that forces phone makers to put the antenna in the bottom of the phone in the first place.
If Steve replied quoting this reg. it would be one red-faced senator.

Answer: Litigation (for those that were impacted) and choosing to spend our money elsewhere (a company is only as large as its balance sheet).

And what has the government done to fix BP's problem? Attempt to shut down an entire industry so that we can rely on even more foreign oil? Nice.......real nice. I suppose we should close all the automotive plants because there was a car crash today.

THINK for yourself instead of puking up what you hear on the 5 o'clock news every night. Add some common fucking sense into your diet.

Shumer is doing his JOB. Party affiliation aside. Too difficult for everyone?

He doesn't need to shut up, he needs to stop listening to the media. He's referencing a totally non sound 'study' of 3 units that has been called into question by several engineers as proof that there's anything wrong with the phone. Despite Consumer Reports saying 'in areas of weak reception'. Well yeah if your service is crap, mildly shorting the antennas is going to cause problems, does it with all phones.

Find me some real data. Find me stats on the exact number of phones bought and returned for reception issues in areas with outstanding ATT coverage. Find me a team of engineering PhDs that specialize in cell phone tech with at least 10 years experience each, who randomly sampled a statistically sound number of units, purchased from across the country, under conditions that prove without a doubt that the issues are all in the phone. Show me the thousands of reports from outside the US of the exact same issues no matter the carrier. Etc

When Schumer can do that, he can talk.

Please serve your constituents on issues that matter to them, not populist non-issues that will put your name in the paper.

Thanks much,
A New Yorker/iPhone 4 owner

This whole thing is outrageous! There is NO problem with the iPhone 4! If I do a "death grip" on my 3Gs I can drop a couple of bars as well! Why isn't anyone complaining about that phone?!

As for Scumer, the way I spell his name says it all...

How about, when the private sector destroys an entire ecosystem or endangers the health and safety of citizens or attempts to swindle consumers, people are ok with them getting involved. But if the private sector sells a consumer electronics luxury device that has a serious and annoying issue but is hardly a catastrophic problem, the people would prefer their representatives deal with real concerns.

Seriously, you would make the case for government intervention by comparing BP's disaster to Apple's antenna issue? really?

I don't think 'Think Americans' would appreciate you writing on their behalf with that type of reasoning. Fairly certain of it.

I'd like to see Steve's response to this. He makes some valid points. We shouldn't have to buy accessories to make the iPhone work.

It has been said that the most dangerous place in the world to be is between a tv camera and Chuck U Schumer. Now, that includes a word processor.

There are some doubts about this whole 'bait and switch' issue including the whole "Apple knew they were going to do it and went ahead with the announcement of the unlimited one" stuff. And the issue of whether the TC says the prices can be changed at any point. But really that's neither here nor there since there are lawsuits etc that are covering it.

if he wanted to help his peoples, how about moving to have the laws that allow the tying of cell phones to one carrier dropped. How about investigating the whole test messaging price issue. How about the not so little detail that I"m allegedly paying 1/24th of that $400 back every month and yet I don't get credit for the full amount and I"m still paying that amount after my contract is up (but i'm using the same phone) or if I bring my own phone to the service.

His points are very valid, IMO. But, I disagree with him becoming involved. Certainly, this issue doesn't meet the requirements for a government rep to personally become involved in, does it? If this problem was being reported about the EVO or pre, do you think he would be writing HTC or Palm/HP an open letter?

What's next, Bono holding an iPhone-Aid concert and Sean Penn flying into to Cupertino for a photo op with the 'victims' in front of 1 Infinite Loop? Maybe Rush Limbaugh can be drafted to support the opposing view. But, at least these are all private individuals and not using their position as government officials to promote their causes.

I am fine with this issue being overly discussed here in Appleland. Fans and critics have strong feelings about Apple and that is one of the reasons forums like this are great. We nobodies can debate and argue about Apple and their products and policies forever. But, this is getting way out of hand. It is at worst a design/manufacturing flaw that ends up impacting a very small percentage of customers. The customers are able to return it or work around it. We, as customers, can push Apple to respond and act appropriately to this issue.

Besides, it was most likely written by a staffer and shoved in front of him only for his approval & signature. Total time likely invested by the Senator himself: less than a minute.

I don't really have an issue with this letter at all. I do have confidence that Apple will handle major issues with their products. On the other hand I was also an iBook G4 owner who had one of their logic board failures wherein all symptoms where identical to the presenting problem, but since I was out of the serial number range, I was left out to dry. :-(

Otherwise, flaming batteries, flaky hard drive, MacBook top case, iPhone power adapter, and so on, have all been handled quickly and smoothly. Even so, I agree that the explanations so far of bar strength, holding position, and case usage are not cool. Yes, people should be able to use a bare phone as a damned phone. To make excuses for it any other way is just stupid, this coming from an iPhone 4 owner who bought a case to protect the product. I used my 3G without a case until the upgrade and users should not have to accessorize to make this sort of product fully functional.

Are there more important issues in the world? Absolutely. Am I happy that someone with some weight behind them spoke up? Yes. Is it part of a senator's job to advocate for consumer protections. Are you a moron?-Yes of course it is. It will only be to the benefit of Apple and consumers if this issue is addressed sooner rather than later.

Otherwise, perhaps the govt can get a disclaimer put on the packaging and ads:

"Using this device while held in hand may make this handheld device unable to function as a phone or data capable device." lol ;-)

ATT dropped calls for years = no letter
apple dropped calls for 2 weeks = A letter??????
Are u kidding me????????????????
If he wants to protect us he needs to take ATT to town!
And make them refund some of the money i have paid them over the years.
I get 4-5 dropped calls EVERY DAY!!!!!!!
Thats murder!
A friend of mine with tmobile doesn't even know what a dropped call is

How is a letter from a US Senator sent as part of his official duties in support of his constituents a private letter? As the article clearly states, he issued an "open letter" to Apple, which means he specifically released it to the public. Chances are you can find it on his own official website if you bother to look.

if the press release is true, schumer should watch his actions.

all he needs to do is get a girlfriend and then he will step compltely into eliot spitzer territory. schumer has already crossed the press release threshold.

While I may agree with him about the antenna issue and politics, most NY people already know that Schumer is a media whore. Even worse than the typical politician.

To those who say the government didn't really need to get involved I would have to agree in this case. There was already publicity, technical diagnosis in the media and a press conference scheduled.

Now there are reports that Jobs may have had advance warning about iPhone 4 design. This is negligence.

Reality is always better than movie .

The iPhone case seems to be just a remake of the Duplicity movie .

Information war is today's business secret weapon .

Apple's competitors are so happy to bash the iPhone .