Dear Steve Jobs

Uncategorized 1 Minute

Dave Winer wants a T-shirt.

Me, I’d like to let you keep the $100 per iPhone you so generously are going to give me and other early adopters who bought the iPhone.

Here’s what I’d like for my $300.

I’d like an iPhone where software developers can go to town and play.

I’d like an SDK. A real one. One where we can build apps that talk to the accelerometer in the iPhone. One where we can install apps like the very cool Google Maps or Yahoo Finance apps that are on the iPhone’s home screen.

I’d like Flash. SVG. Java. So software developers can build apps like my very cool Kyte.tv mobile app that lets me answer chat from my Nokia phone, or upload video.

I’d like you to turn on the camera so that I can record some video.

I’d like to buy some video games. Like those over on Kongregate.

I think that’s all worth $100 per iPhone. I’d rather have all these things than have a gift certificate.

Thank you. But since I don’t have any of this stuff I’ll take the $100.

Published by Robert Scoble

I help entrepreneurs build their technology business' story, help with getting ready for investors, with other launch plans, and many other strategic things that can help your new startup. Call to talk: +1-425-205-1921 (text first).

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105 thoughts on “Dear Steve Jobs”

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  10. It’s a $200 difference for the 8GB iPhone most of us bought, and even thought getting $100 is better than nothing, it’s not cash but store credit. Time to spend more… 😦

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  11. It’s a $200 difference for the 8GB iPhone most of us bought, and even thought getting $100 is better than nothing, it’s not cash but store credit. Time to spend more… 😦

    Like

  12. Karl: I still have an N95.

    If I were writing a letter to Nokia it’d say “make your the experience of using your device as thrilling as it is to use the iPhone.”

    Like

  13. Karl: I still have an N95.

    If I were writing a letter to Nokia it’d say “make your the experience of using your device as thrilling as it is to use the iPhone.”

    Like

  14. Considering that Robert Scoble makes a lot more money than a 15 year old kid who spent all the money he had in his savings account to get the iPhone on June 29th.

    Yes, Apple can keep Scoble’s $300. As a matter of fact Apple can take as much as money Scoble has. :-p

    Like

  15. Considering that Robert Scoble makes a lot more money than a 15 year old kid who spent all the money he had in his savings account to get the iPhone on June 29th.

    Yes, Apple can keep Scoble’s $300. As a matter of fact Apple can take as much as money Scoble has. :-p

    Like

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  21. I’ll take your gift certificate… and anyone else who want to give up $100 in Apple credit for a lousy SDK (that we’ll prolly have in 18 months)

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  22. I’ll take your gift certificate… and anyone else who want to give up $100 in Apple credit for a lousy SDK (that we’ll prolly have in 18 months)

    Like

  23. Pingback: SmugBlog: Don MacAskill » Blog Archive » Apple does the right thing - but no SDK? :(

  24. andrew: my son will probably say the same thing when he gets off school today and sees this post. Anyway, one of the $100 certificates belongs to him. He’s 13 and saved up his own money to buy his iPhone.

    Like

  25. andrew: my son will probably say the same thing when he gets off school today and sees this post. Anyway, one of the $100 certificates belongs to him. He’s 13 and saved up his own money to buy his iPhone.

    Like

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  27. And I think that would be an excellent thing to say 🙂 Beyond the touch screen innovations in the iPhone I think the responsiveness of the ui is thrilling. iPhone has set a very high bar.

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  28. And I think that would be an excellent thing to say 🙂 Beyond the touch screen innovations in the iPhone I think the responsiveness of the ui is thrilling. iPhone has set a very high bar.

    Like

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  35. Dear America,

    I wish you would all quit whining about the (price / price drop / lack of SDK / etc) on the iPhone. At least you CAN buy one if you want to. In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re still waiting for it to land here in Europe and there’s still no confirmed sign that it’s coming any time soon. I’m sure there are people here who would be glad to pay $600 for the iPhone, if they knew it would work over here.

    Sad thing is that although you guys all whined and got your price drop AND your vouchers (and you’re still not happy), we’ll probably still have to pay the equivalent of $600 (or more) when we finally get it over here anyway. I love apple (I even bought stock), but I hate how in Europe / the UK we get shafted on the prices of these things. A ‘tax’ for us inferior beings who aren’t ‘lucky enough’ to live in the USA methinks.

    Count yourselves lucky and stop the whining!!

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  36. Dear America,

    I wish you would all quit whining about the (price / price drop / lack of SDK / etc) on the iPhone. At least you CAN buy one if you want to. In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re still waiting for it to land here in Europe and there’s still no confirmed sign that it’s coming any time soon. I’m sure there are people here who would be glad to pay $600 for the iPhone, if they knew it would work over here.

    Sad thing is that although you guys all whined and got your price drop AND your vouchers (and you’re still not happy), we’ll probably still have to pay the equivalent of $600 (or more) when we finally get it over here anyway. I love apple (I even bought stock), but I hate how in Europe / the UK we get shafted on the prices of these things. A ‘tax’ for us inferior beings who aren’t ‘lucky enough’ to live in the USA methinks.

    Count yourselves lucky and stop the whining!!

    Like

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  38. If you purchased an iPhone with a credit card that has price protection you can get the entire $200 back …. unless you purchased it on the first day it was available, because the price drop came one day after the 60 day price protection window that credit cards offer.

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  39. If you purchased an iPhone with a credit card that has price protection you can get the entire $200 back …. unless you purchased it on the first day it was available, because the price drop came one day after the 60 day price protection window that credit cards offer.

    Like

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  43. You don’t want flash. Flash will kill the battery life, and yes it will be used in ads, so fat chance on just avoiding them if you care about battery life.

    Apple pushes h.264/AAC encoding for a reason: hardware encoding is very efficient. They want to ensure you can get as much battery life as possible or they will be criticized for the poor battery life.

    Flash sucks when you care about laptop battery life. Will hurt even more on your phone.

    Like

  44. You don’t want flash. Flash will kill the battery life, and yes it will be used in ads, so fat chance on just avoiding them if you care about battery life.

    Apple pushes h.264/AAC encoding for a reason: hardware encoding is very efficient. They want to ensure you can get as much battery life as possible or they will be criticized for the poor battery life.

    Flash sucks when you care about laptop battery life. Will hurt even more on your phone.

    Like

  45. Yes, since Apple is so well known for its open platforms, right?

    :rolls eyes:

    Not gonna happen.

    Apples success in this makes it *less* likely that they’ll open stuff, not more.

    Like

  46. Yes, since Apple is so well known for its open platforms, right?

    :rolls eyes:

    Not gonna happen.

    Apples success in this makes it *less* likely that they’ll open stuff, not more.

    Like

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  60. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an SDK from Apple in 2008. However, they’re going to release it when it’s ready and is supportable and not until, which I’m

    It makes no sense to want Apple to implement Java on the iPhone–that’s just nuts. The frameworks on the iPhone already do everything that Java would have done if it were implemented and probably lots more.

    No need for Flash when you have H.264 for video (and hardware decoding built-in) and web 2.0 goodness via Safari.

    Like

  61. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an SDK from Apple in 2008. However, they’re going to release it when it’s ready and is supportable and not until, which I’m

    It makes no sense to want Apple to implement Java on the iPhone–that’s just nuts. The frameworks on the iPhone already do everything that Java would have done if it were implemented and probably lots more.

    No need for Flash when you have H.264 for video (and hardware decoding built-in) and web 2.0 goodness via Safari.

    Like

  62. “I’d like an iPhone where software developers can go to town and play.”

    Please stop whining. An open development platform to “go to town and play” doesn’t mean gcc and a C IDE or a Cocoa toolbox. Do you even know how to use any of these?

    I didn’t think so.

    Apple gives developers a full-featured, AJAX and WYSIWYG-enabled web browser. NO OTHER PHONE VENDOR OFFERS THAT – and this is a young developer platfrom that is, as yet, accessible to fairly young/beginning programmers for building apps – you could do it. Web apps today are like the golden age of computing (before satansoft) in the early 80s.

    The only thing the iphone is missing is flash… but that’s Macromedia/Adobe’s draconian licensing scheme, not Apple’s. It’s the same problem Sony has with flash on the PSP and Nintendo has on the Wii.

    Like

  63. “I’d like an iPhone where software developers can go to town and play.”

    Please stop whining. An open development platform to “go to town and play” doesn’t mean gcc and a C IDE or a Cocoa toolbox. Do you even know how to use any of these?

    I didn’t think so.

    Apple gives developers a full-featured, AJAX and WYSIWYG-enabled web browser. NO OTHER PHONE VENDOR OFFERS THAT – and this is a young developer platfrom that is, as yet, accessible to fairly young/beginning programmers for building apps – you could do it. Web apps today are like the golden age of computing (before satansoft) in the early 80s.

    The only thing the iphone is missing is flash… but that’s Macromedia/Adobe’s draconian licensing scheme, not Apple’s. It’s the same problem Sony has with flash on the PSP and Nintendo has on the Wii.

    Like

  66. This iphone bashing hype is really starting to get annoying. It’s just too obvious now that you are only criticizing Apple to get a piece of the internet action surrounding the iPhone.

    Anyways, you are just going to have to accept that not everyone’s interested in SDK’s or Java (who wants that crap on his phone anyway). So the lack of these technologies does NOT make it a bad product.

    Besides, why judge a products by its weakest points? That would be liking hating you because of the sweater you’re wearing on the picture above.

    Like

  67. This iphone bashing hype is really starting to get annoying. It’s just too obvious now that you are only criticizing Apple to get a piece of the internet action surrounding the iPhone.

    Anyways, you are just going to have to accept that not everyone’s interested in SDK’s or Java (who wants that crap on his phone anyway). So the lack of these technologies does NOT make it a bad product.

    Besides, why judge a products by its weakest points? That would be liking hating you because of the sweater you’re wearing on the picture above.

    Like

  70. I am sorry I took your money…did I take your money? or actually you gave to me volumteerily? actually you were very feeling *extremely* happy after giving me your money.

    Why should I apologize anyway? I didn’t apologize two month ago when I pocketed the money-by the way why didn’t you submit a complaint 2 month ago?….DOH!

    Steve J. simpson
    From Springfield

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  71. I am sorry I took your money…did I take your money? or actually you gave to me volumteerily? actually you were very feeling *extremely* happy after giving me your money.

    Why should I apologize anyway? I didn’t apologize two month ago when I pocketed the money-by the way why didn’t you submit a complaint 2 month ago?….DOH!

    Steve J. simpson
    From Springfield

    Like

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  80. It’s a phone. All I want to be able to do is make calls. I don’t need the rest of it.

    And for anyone who’s sore at losing $200, you should have waited. You never get the best deal on launch day!

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  81. It’s a phone. All I want to be able to do is make calls. I don’t need the rest of it.

    And for anyone who’s sore at losing $200, you should have waited. You never get the best deal on launch day!

    Like

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  83. Of course when the 3g comes out that’ll all change. I’d take the money personally, and let the hackers find a way to get those features working.

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  84. Of course when the 3g comes out that’ll all change. I’d take the money personally, and let the hackers find a way to get those features working.

    Like

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  90. To Whom It May Concern

    I have a warranty complaint with an Apple Ipod Video, that I purchased for my kids. I haven’t had any luck with local store managers or the one Customer Service Representative I was able to reach.

    There seems to be a customer disconnect with little common sense driving warranty decisions.

    I am attempting to find an avenue, to get my complaint in front of the nose (so to speak) of Steve Jobs.

    Do you have any suggestions on how I can get Mr Jobs attention?

    *_I have several lengthy emails and letters but, In a nut shell::_*
    The Crux of my complaint is that I have an 8 month old video ipod that will no longer sync with the computer. I have a total of 4 ipods (purchased over the last two years) at present. Two minis with dead batteries after 2 years, and a recent nano. When we brought the video ipod in, for replacement or repair under warranty, the store manager said the ipod had been abused. The ipod had a small dent in the top corner and a mark in the white plastic. They were indications that the ipod had been dropped, but not abused. After all, 90 % of the owners of ipods are kids. I had a new video ipod that I had bought 5 minutes earlier, while my son was having the non responsive video looked at by the Genius. Apple has been so focused on the “damage aspects” of the video ipod that they are unwilling to consider the possibility, that the ipod Logic board is defective. They are trying to get out of a warranty replacement rather then trying to keep a customer satisfied. That is, a customer that has purchased 4 ipods with a future potential of many more Apple products. I returned the new video ipod, after the store manager would not replace the non functioning ipod. Where is the business sense logic? I had a new ipod on the counter and the store manager took it back, losing a new sale, but was not going to replace the non functioning unit, come hell or high water. Where’s the sales training and more so, customer service common sense?

    Thanks
    Guy Stanzione

    Like

  91. To Whom It May Concern

    I have a warranty complaint with an Apple Ipod Video, that I purchased for my kids. I haven’t had any luck with local store managers or the one Customer Service Representative I was able to reach.

    There seems to be a customer disconnect with little common sense driving warranty decisions.

    I am attempting to find an avenue, to get my complaint in front of the nose (so to speak) of Steve Jobs.

    Do you have any suggestions on how I can get Mr Jobs attention?

    *_I have several lengthy emails and letters but, In a nut shell::_*
    The Crux of my complaint is that I have an 8 month old video ipod that will no longer sync with the computer. I have a total of 4 ipods (purchased over the last two years) at present. Two minis with dead batteries after 2 years, and a recent nano. When we brought the video ipod in, for replacement or repair under warranty, the store manager said the ipod had been abused. The ipod had a small dent in the top corner and a mark in the white plastic. They were indications that the ipod had been dropped, but not abused. After all, 90 % of the owners of ipods are kids. I had a new video ipod that I had bought 5 minutes earlier, while my son was having the non responsive video looked at by the Genius. Apple has been so focused on the “damage aspects” of the video ipod that they are unwilling to consider the possibility, that the ipod Logic board is defective. They are trying to get out of a warranty replacement rather then trying to keep a customer satisfied. That is, a customer that has purchased 4 ipods with a future potential of many more Apple products. I returned the new video ipod, after the store manager would not replace the non functioning ipod. Where is the business sense logic? I had a new ipod on the counter and the store manager took it back, losing a new sale, but was not going to replace the non functioning unit, come hell or high water. Where’s the sales training and more so, customer service common sense?

    Thanks
    Guy Stanzione

    Like

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  93. Personally I couldn’t be happier with my iPhone (purchased on day 1). The one thing that kind of surprised me is that I thought Apple would’ve done more software updating by now.

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  94. Personally I couldn’t be happier with my iPhone (purchased on day 1). The one thing that kind of surprised me is that I thought Apple would’ve done more software updating by now.

    Like

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  104. How has the reliability of the phone been? Any major issues? I was considering changing networks to get on board, but I want to make sure it’s worth the premium you pay for it.

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  105. How has the reliability of the phone been? Any major issues? I was considering changing networks to get on board, but I want to make sure it’s worth the premium you pay for it.

    Like

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