Third grader Shea O'Gorman loves her iPod Nano, so when her class started learning about writing a letter, she decided to write Steve Jobs. In her letter, Shea wrote about her ideas to improve the gadget.
Three months later, she heard back ... from the big meanies at Apple's legal department telling her to shove off!
That's right, apple's legal department, telling a nine year old that apple does not accept unsolicited ideas. Apple's legal department told her not send them her suggestions, and if she wants to know why, she could read their legal policy on the Internet.
"We were stunned, we just were stunned, is the best word to say. It just wasn't the appropriate type letter to send to a third grader who had the initiative to write to them," said Shea's mom.
"It kind of seemed like they were saying well we don't want your idea like it's not good or anything," said Shea.
And her mom thinks it's even worse coming from apple. "They are a company who tries to promote itself as an educator of children. That was really, it was unacceptable. They know better than that," said Shea's mom.
Dude.. Its just a news and appled called her apologizing and is gonna change its letter reply policy, so loosen up :p
I used to work for a skateboard company that started a rag called Big Brother. Big Brother ended up making some fairly popular videos which then became Jackass. They would never watch any of the videos people sent in for just this reason.
I'm sure the lawyers could have said this to the girl in a way that didn't hurt her feelings, but come on, they're lawyers!
Ancient news.
(Also: Apple, the new Microsoft.)
Apparently they're new to the internet and corporate America.
Oh come on now, one has to be an Apple fan to find a news piece trumpeting the tragedy of receiving a standard form letter appalling? Why, I'm tempted to accuse you of being a Microsoft fanboy, except I know that Microsoft makes excellent spellcheckers a part of their programs, something you're obviously deprived of. :)
Apple worked hard to distinguish themselves as a "cool" company. They worked hard to build a loyal and passionate fan base. And it worked. You'd expect something like this from another company, but Apple? Apparently (and sadly), they're just like the rest of corporate America.
Apple treated her like an adult, the ones trying to get her sympathy are the ones treating her like a silly child.
A return to sender would have worked and been a little easier of a letdown maybe.
how to classify them? what a challenge!
a child might sue ! that was my 9 year olds idea ! i want a million. what a stupid legal climate.
easy to separate addresses out before going to the envelope stuffer and sending off the wrong form letter.
there could easily be one for kids.
there, another repeat response to an old story.
And so what if this story is dated. I'd never heard it, so get down off your high horse and lighten up.
But the fact of the matter is that their response is quite typical for all technology oriented companies. Don't any of you work in engineering or product development?
Apple undoubtedly gets HUNDREDS of letters every day from all kinds of random folk with piles of ideas on how to improve Apple products. Most of these will be complete garbage from crackpots, but once in a while somebody has a good one in there (even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while). Well, it's not a certainty, but there's a good chance that Apple is ALREADY working on that innovation of invention in their own labs. When the new product comes out with "Feature X" on it and the crackpot doesn't get credit (meaning a fat check from Apple) they get pissed and sue. This used to happen all the time and still happens in most consumer technology companies. Almost all do just like Apple did and attempt to protect themselves by returning all unsolicited product ideas right to the sender IMMEDIATELY. They do not hold onto them; they do not pass them through the research department; they do not post them on bulletin boards in break rooms. They get turned around right at the mail department. It's the only way. Sorry kid. I used to work for a large autommaker and we'd have backyard inventors sending in 200 mpg carburetor ideas all the time. They all got sent back, with similar legalese attached.
Get off neatorama's back, guys.
Besides, what can you expect from a company led by one of the biggest jerks to come out of Silicon Valley, okay so Mr. Jobs is only surpassed by Larry Ellison.
Get it through your head, Apple is the most thoroughly ungrateful company out there. If you need proof, look at their ad campaigns during the height of Microsoft funding their survival.
Welcome to the real world, sweetheart. Unfortunately, this is how it really happens. Your parents and the local media are lying to you if they tell you that you should be shocked or confused by this response. In the real world, after you get out of school, this is how hard it will be to get your ideas out to people. The trick is to finish your education, so that you will continue to milk your mind for ideas as well as develop the tools to make them happen.
Signed,
Jason E.
As far as this Apple letter goes, THEY'RE LAWYERS ... how in the hell else do you think that they're going to respond.
Yeah she got sent a form letter. But why was she expecting better from Apple? If she's learning about letter-writing, then she should learn that a lot of the time, your missives are only met with cursory disdain and, increasingly, automated dismissal responses. It's not really newsworthy, is it?
Plus, if the little girl and all the people she knew stopped buying ipods, I don't think a big company like apple would care.
"I'm in third grade, so if I write a multi-billion dollar company (with mommy's help, no doubt), the CEO should fall all over himself trying to hear my brilliant suggestions."
Get over yourself. Apple execs aren't assholes (because of this). You aren't entitled to be listened to because your 9, or because you get your face in the newspaper, or because you think you're special.
argh
A Cease and Desist Order is a legal document that can be enforced by a court.
From what the article said, what this girl received was a form letter which said "hey we can't accept your ideas".
These aren't the same thing. How can a news organization get away with slanting this story?
NO?, wait, no?? ok....
Thank you for your recent suggestion for Neatorama. Unfortunately, our legal department is currently busy, so it may take us 3 months to get back to you with a mean letter :)