US Sen. Schumer writes letter to Apple CEO over iPhone 4 antenna - Page 3

Schumer has always been very active on consumer issues, so it's entirely in line with his normal activity as a Senator.

this.

lol @ small animals lol

Only way to check this out is to see a copy of the letter and see if it is on official letter head or was it his own personal stationary.

I imagine it's a lot faster for them to release documents to the press than to get them posted on the official senate web site.

So a senator agrees and backs up the majority of people's opinions and frustrations with the new iPhone, and decides to use his power and status to help the people who elected him, and you're all complaining. Good grief.

Nah, it wouldn't be peon retail investors like you or me (yes, I'm a shareholder). The big institutional heavyweights would have the loud voices.

Chuck Schumer. What an unimaginable childish idiot.

This is NOT his job, though he (and most Congresspeople of both parties) and you and others obviously think it is. This is a big part of the problem with America - the notion that Congress and the federal government are there to solve any and all problems. This (and a thousand other things they meddle in) is ridiculously off base from their Constitutional mandate.

Do you even know who he is? Google him for 10 minutes. He's a scum bag criminal liar like the rest of them. Who cares what he says?



This!

Schumer could have at least waited until after the 30 day return period. There isn't an iPhone 4 in the world that is returnable right now at the option of the owner.

Let me correct that for you:

"decides to abuse his power..."

You really think a Senator should involve himself in this level of minutia? Thousands of products have problems of one sort or another? Should Congress get involved in all of them?

Do any of you who see nothing wrong with this have the ability to solve your own problems without appealing to authority?

Dear Chuck:

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to write Steve Jobs about the international iPhone 4 antenna crisis. I'm thrilled a prominent US Senator cares enough about us little people to demand immediate action on this horrible issue caused by a despicable US corporation. I have total confidence that your concern will humble the mighty and bring us back to the utopia we all strive for.

PS - I just noticed real unemployment is about 15%? Maybe you should put your iPhone down and think about ways to grow the economy without sinking the ship with more debt. Maybe your resignation would help?

It's entirely in line with his normal activity as a pompous, attention-seeking, arrogant windbag.

Maybe you should perform a bit of research before posting like a self entitled idiot.


http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-bl...-letter-to-ceo

Q: Who stands to gain most from bad iPhone press?
A: Google Android

Q: How do you get the media to write even more about a consumer product issue?
A: Have a prominent government official complain in public about it.

Q: Why would a NY Senator do Google's bidding?
A: Follow the money

Campaign Contributions by Google PAC to Schumer:

2009-2010: $4900
2007-2008: $1000

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/...ycle=2009-2010

And CEO Schmidt gave Schumer the max: $2400 in the general and $2400 in the primary this year.

http://www.newsmeat.com/ceo_politica...ic_Schmidt.php

Who knows what other Google money has flowed into Schumer's pockets.

So yes, Google can buy a few minutes of a Senator's time to pay for more bad press for a competitor at a crucial moment. The favor was called in.

This is a bunch of BS. WTF? Serisously? This is what this senator is worried about, when U.S. has far bigger concerns like unemployment, Iraq, Afghanistan and BP. Sheesh.
Where was his concern when as Douglas Adams put it Microsoft was releasing second-rate technology.
This antenna is from personal experience a non-issue and quite frankly overblown.
Also where was this guys concerns when Toyotas were crashing. It's odd, but I rarely see U.S. politicians come down hard on foreign companies.

If this is indicative of the minor level of consumer issues that he gets involved with, then I would think he could find better ways to spend his energies that would better aid the consumers. You previous example of AT&T's bait and switch is a decent example. But, I wouldn't expect him to write to McDonald's complaining that their food tastes like ass on behalf of his constituents.

It's not like this is the first time Schumer has tried to bully around a business. Back in '95 he wanted to regulate the eeeeevil breakfast cereal industry...

http://reason.com/archives/1995/05/01/cereal-killers

That facts in the iPhone4 case are simple: if you like the phone, there's no problem. If you don't like the phone, take it back. No one was FORCED to buy an iPhone, and no one is being FORCED to keep it. Schumer is a shameless opportunist who doesn't believe in limits to government and thus repeatedly tries to stick it someplace it's not meant to be. It is NOT a U.S. Senator's job to protect you from Apple. Apple can't do anything to you that you don't let it do to you. If you don't like your iPhone 4, take it back. It's really that simple. The government shouldn't be getting involved.

Apple DOES have an obligation to fix the issue. Everyone knows that cell phone reception varies based on how the device is held, signal strength, etc. We all know these issues come into play with every phone, but the pertinent question is "to what degree". On one level, performance hits in this arena are a normal attribute of the technology. But they can also reflect the existence of a design flaw, and the distinction between the two is purely a matter of degree.

What the senator's letter is really saying is that Apple has a real obligation, both ethically and legally, to remedy this issue. The flippant responses you guys like to churn out, the tirades and vitriol - all of that means nothing. Consumers have a reasonable expectation for the device they buy to perform to certain standards and that expectation IS legally enforceable, whether you folks believe that or not. Screaming about how unfair it is that some people are questioning the perfection of your beloved phone is just completely pointless.

This MUST be addressed - in a mature, reasoned way. If you have actual concern for the company you so vociferously defend, realize this: if Apple doesn't start addressing this issue transparently and substantively, its going to hurt.

I have great respect for the work Apple does, and I own quite a few Apple products. You have to be blind, however, to be unable to see the serious nature of this and how badly it has blown up, primarily because of the way it has been handled. The solutions you and others propose, which tend to cluster around 'STFU', 'stop whining', and 'its all a vicious lie' are NON solutions and frankly speaking, that kind of stuff is part of what is making this issue blow up like it has.

Now he did send a copy of that letter to Motorola? Because every Motorola phone i've owned would often drop bars and lose signal if I tried making a call with only 1 or 2 bars. Seems odd that the Razr sold so good with it having such a terrible design defect.

In other words...I'm not Walt Mossberg but SHUT THE F*CK UP!!!

Well back then you couldn't be watching porn on the toilet while you were supposed to be in session. Chuck is pissed because now his porn sites drop his signal and he has to start all over again and the government healthplan he's on doesn't cover viagra.

It's just like Lewis Black said, they're the party of "No Ideas". I'm sure that the iPhone reception issue ranks right up there with the 3 million unemployed Americans who will loose their unemployment benefits this week.

And that is the problem with government.
This is NOT part of his "official duties".

If there is a problem, it will be worked out in the LEGAL system not by the legislative branch.

Please, don't ever procreate.

Good grief.

I completely agree. Let's this be Schumer's first and last letter on something that affect just a faction of the population in his state. There is a lot more wrong with New York State and the country than a faulty phone? How about something lite like incentives for SMBs or Regulation for Telecommunication Companies who used billions of tax payers money to built their fiber optic networks and are gouging us? Wanna go crazy and be a super senator "Cap the F*king oil already!"

The point here is that he is jumping into this a little too quickly. As has been pointed out already - at this stage of the proceedings there is nothing for him to concern himself with. (I wonder if he even has an iPhone 4?). What he should be doing is making the world a better place for the millions of people who can't even afford a 3gs, let alone the monthly charges.

This is just blatant opportunism.

Boogerman2000... too late. Besides, why can't you address the merits of my theory instead of trying to make lame attempts at being funny?

.....

Have to agree with another comment that it isn't the reception issue that is troublesome, but Apple's unwillingness, so far, to address it. I have had zero problems with my iPhone 4, it is far and away the best technology I have ever used. I am not entirely sure there is a real problem here. There is a perceived problem, though, and I hope Apple will address this soon. As far as Schumer is concerned, the guy is an embarrassment. He has become a national hemorrhoid. I am tired of Congress sticking their busy noses into every aspect of our lives. Apple will address this eventually, they always do. Big Mouth Schumer isn't helping, in fact, he makes things worse, just like he has in the banking fiasco and everything else he does. Senator Schumer is nothing more than an ambulance chaser, and a pretty amateurish one at that.

Your theory runs along the lines that for less that $10,000 in campaign contributions, this senator would bring his influence to bear 'for hire'. Forget the fact that campaigns cost millions upon millions of dollars to run... The money from Google's CEO is the important stuff.... The stuff that really moves the senator's hand.

Now, you look at that and you make an honest appraisal: what are the merits of your theory?

What a scumbag. He must have gotten tired of picking on Toyota.

This is precisely what is wrong with this country. No, not the government. People who think like you do.

WTF? Racist much?

do you HONESTLY believe that this letter was written because Google told him to write it?

He is a media whore writing about what's big in the media right now, and has ALWAYS been big on consumer protection. This letter fits perfectly into his character, not into corporate puppeteering.
if you're going to speculate about who asked him to write it, start with his three kids.

There are too many great post here o comment on individually. I'm glad to see the lunacy of this issue being realized with a fraking senator getting into the mix.

I'm sorry, but this is total BS as it is a PR stunt for Schumer.

Apple has already announced that they are doing a press conference on the iPhone 4 which presumably means they are going to address the issue. Then, Shumer decides to write a letter the day before the press conference? Apple is likely going to announce some sort of fix and Shumer is going to take credit as if his letter influenced the Apple announcement.

I appreciate the government looking out for consumers, but come-on. Apple is already in process of addressing the issue. At least wait until the conference and then write the letter if the outcome is unsatisfactory.

Thanks Chuck, Media trolls, and competing company biased bloggers for your great effort, but you really need to step up your game. I still have a two week wait for my iPhone. The stock price is still above what I could afford to pay for 100 shares. Finally, surveys of 25 Apple stores show only 11 phones returned. I can't even get a "refurbished" IPhone.

Come on guys and gals, try harder.

Not that I think this is what motivated him, but if there was pressure from an outside source. I think VZ makes sense since they are headquarters in NY and VZ does far more lobbying than the other companies you mention. Part of the reason there are very few small service providers around these days is due to the fact VZ lobbied them out of business.

Seriously, do you really think he just woke up this morning and decided, "Hey, I'm going to write a letter to Apple about this iPhone antenna thing."

More likely, his office is getting bombarded with phone calls, emails and letters saying, "Apple is screwing us with this iPhone 4 antenna," his staff have been looking into it for a couple of weeks, the CR no recommendation recommendation comes out, and it's just coincidence that his letter was released today.