The late Apple chief Steve Jobs was notorious for replying to customers’ e-mails, though not always in the most professional manner. New CEO Tim Cook may not be e-mailing people back directly, but it looks like someone in his office is checking the inbox. [More]
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Worst Company In America Round One: Google Vs. Apple
By 3.19.12
Here we are at the final match of Round One in the Worst Company In America 2012 Tournament. And while you can argue whether or not we’ve saved the best for last, these two competitors are certainly two of the biggest. [More]
Man Behind Juked-Up Apple/Foxconn Story Says He Lied To "Make People Care"
By 3.19.12
As we reported on Friday, This American Life had to issue a retraction on a radio segment about workers at a Foxconn factory where Apple products are made because Mike Daisey, the man whose story is the thrust of the piece, fabricated a number of the details. And while Daisey has admitted he made things up, he says he did it all with good intentions. [More]
"This American Life" Retracts Story On Foxconn Factory That Makes Apple Products
By 3.16.12
Many listeners of the This American Life radio program were shocked during the broadcast of an excerpt from comedian Mike Daisey’s one-man-show, “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs,” where he visits a Foxconn factory in China that makes Apple products, and encounters tales of terrible conditions and sad life stories of its workers. Turns out that much of that controversial story was just made up, and the show’s host, Ira Glass, is issuing a retraction for the segment, “Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory.” [More]
Here It Is, Your Lineup For Worst Company In America 2012!
By 3.12.12
Welcome to Consumerist’s 7th Annual Worst Company In America tournament, where the businesses you nominated face off for a title that none of them will publicly admit to wanting — but which all of them try their hardest to earn. So it’s time to fill in the brackets and start another office pool. That is, unless you work at one of the 32 companies competing in the tournament. [More]
Is AT&T Misleading iPhone 4S Users About 4G Access?
By 3.8.12
Yesterday, the same day that Apple announced its new iPad would be able to access AT&T and Verizon’s 4G LTE networks, AT&T iPhone 4S owners received an update to their devices — and suddenly millions of people who had been told their phone didn’t work on 4G networks now had a little icon that reads “4G.” But it’s really just the same speed they had the day before. [More]
Justice Department Warns Apple, E-Book Publishers: We'll Sue You
By 3.8.12
The U.S. Justice Department is inching closer to legal action against Apple and five e-book publishers who are reportedly pricing books under an “agency model” that isn’t the greatest for consumers. The government is threatening to take legal action if the issue isn’t resolved soon. [More]
So What All Is Inside The New iPad?
By 3.7.12
Apple CEO Tim Cook began today’s unveiling of the new iPad by talking about what he has dubbed the “Post-PC Revolution,” i.e., the explosion of electronics devices that go beyond the traditional uses of computing. Between the various iterations of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, Cook says post-PC devices now account for 76% of the company’s revenue. [More]
How Apple Lost A Dedicated Customer Over A Stupid Pink Dot
By 2.21.12
For several years, we’ve been writing about the iPhone’s built-in humidity detector and numerous customers’ complaints that an incorrect reading had voided the phone’s warranty. Now one Consumerist reader explains why he’s voided his long-term relationship with Apple over this little pink dot. [More]
Report: Next iPads Will Run On 4G LTE Networks
By 2.14.12
The Apple iPad currently dominates the tablet market, even though none of the currently available versions give users access to 4G wireless networks. But according to a new report, that could all change when the latest iPads are unveiled next month. [More]
Sony Responds To Bummed Out Fans By Raising The Price On Whitney Houston's Album
By 2.13.12
While fans of Whitney Houston mourned her death, fondly remembering belting her tunes into hairbrushes in bedrooms everywhere, Sony Music appears to be primed and ready to make a big stack of cash off our nostalgic appreciation, hiking up the price of her greatest hits album hours after her demise on Saturday. [More]
Apple & Google Are Corporate Kings Of Consumer Opinion, Big Banks Fail To Impress
By 2.13.12
When it comes to trusting corporations, it seems we’re a lot more likely to have high opinions of the ones that provide us with shiny toys and zippy technology, rather than big bad banks and other financial institutions. That is, according to an annual public opinion poll on corporate brands. [More]
Report: Chinese Officials Seizing iPads Because Someone Else Registered That Name First
By 2.13.12
Apple could have a pretty major problem, to the tune of $38 million in fines and a huge hit to sales, as claims by another company that they registered the name iPad for use in mainland China in 2001 gain momentum. One report says officials were seizing iPads from store shelves as a result of the issue. [More]
More Than 250,000 People Petition Apple For Better Conditions At iPhone Factory
By 2.9.12
Foxconn is the world’s largest electronics manufacturing company, assembling devices for just about every major company, from Apple to Microsoft to Sony to Nintendo. It has come under fire in recent years, following reports of poor working conditions and employee suicides. Concerned that their favorite products might be being produced in such an unfriendly environment, more than 250,000 Apple users have signed two petitions asking that company to improve conditions at Foxconn. [More]
According To Taiwanese Commercial, Steve Jobs Is In Heaven Playing With Android Phones
By 2.6.12
Since we don’t really know what happens to us when we pass on, a Taiwanese commercial is taking advantage of the unknown and picturing heaven as a place where Steve Jobs can finally play with Android phones to his heart’s content. Which is very likely, considering he called them “sh#!” while he was alive. [More]
Sorry, Scottish iPhone Users, Siri Doesn't Understand You & Has Never Seen 'Braveheart'
By 2.3.12
Siri, the voice-activated personal assistant on the iPhone 4S, knows to chide you gently when you swear at her, and she can handle complicated questions about the meaning of life and whether love is real. But faced with a thick Scottish burr, Siri fumbles. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Technology Industry Bigwigs Had Secret Anti-Poaching Pact To Keep Employee Salaries Low
By 1.30.12
The ability to play employers off bids from other companies seeking to snag the best in their fields is an important one. So much so, in fact, that workers in Silicon Valley have filed a lawsuit alleging that some of the industry’s biggest players were involved in a secret anti-poaching pact that kept salaries down and workers stuck where they were. [More]
Apple Really Pushing iPads As The Future Of Textbooks
By 1.19.12
Textbooks suck. They’re pricey, heavy, often outdated and they don’t play videos or music. The folks at Apple have been pushing possible educational aspects of the iPad since its release, but today the company went hogwild on the topic, introducing both a new version of its iBooks e-reader app and an app to help anyone create truly interactive books on the fly. [More]
