Posted on 04/17/2006 7:13:16 AM PDT by Panerai
Apple's corporate policy for dealing with unsolicited ideas may be changing. The company held a special meeting to discuss ways to improve its cold-hearted, boiler-plate response to any unsolicited improvements or suggestions submitted to the company, after it found out that it shattered a nine-year girl's heart. According to CBS 5 News, 9-year-old Shea O'Gorman wrote to Apple CEO Steve Jobs as her class was learning about writing business and formal letters. The third-grader wrote Jobs to offer suggestions on improving her iPod nano, such as adding song lyrics so listeners can sing along to their tunes. Although it took three months, the company finally responded to her letter--although it was not what O'Gorman and her family were expecting. Instead of a polite response from Jobs, the girl received a cold, stern letter from Apple's legal counsel telling her that the company didn't accept unsolicited ideas and that she should not send any suggestions to the company.
Apple's full legal policy, designed to protect itself from protracted legal battles about royalties and licensing from submitted ideas, was available online, according to the letter received and read by both O'Gorman and her family.
"She was very upset, and kinda threw the letter up in the air and ran in her room and slammed her door," the girl's mother told CBS 5 News.
Although Apple declined to comment on the story, a company representative reportedly called the girl to offer an apology (following an inquiry by CBS 5 News); in addition, the report says that Apple held a special meeting last week to discuss ways in which it could improve its corporate policy when dealing with children.
Not the worst idea in the world. Perhaps Apple could install that function on the iPod and give a large " creators fee" the little girl
--in the Las Vegas area the teachers have the brats propose signs and other means to warn people of ten thousand years from now of the "dangers" of the Yucca Mountain nuke storage facility--
Back in the old days,
when my third analog board
fried inside my Mac,
I sent a letter
suggesting they make machines
that do not burn up.
They didn't send me
anything in reply . . . But
that's the business world . . .
Another opportunity to blame Bush for something!
LOL. Awesome.
Steve Jobs... yet another 'caring' liberal.
I wonder how Bill Gates would have reacted to such a letter? Probably the same way would be my guess.
"Think Different"
Great idea...she should file a patent before Apple does, LOL.
Because of these problems, many large companies refuse unsolicited product suggestions and are very careful not to allow the people coming up with new ideas risk seeing unsolicited ideas. If the company is going through some meeting with potential customers to discuss product ideas, they are paid for their time and have to sign something that releases all ideas coming from their meeting solely for that payment.
"And in other news, Apple releases a new Nano today which will intoduce the revolutionary concept, straight from the mega-brain of Steve Jobs, of showing the lyrics of the songs so you can sing along."
What makes you think that Steve Jobs actually saw the letter? The response was from an idiot lawyer. I doubt either Gates' or Jobs' response would have been anything like what happened.
The silver lining is that this little girl just got more of an education about the business world than most MBAs get.
Apple should promote the lawyer, he or she appears to capable.
No where does it say that the reader of the letter knew that it was coming from a 9 year old. Slow news day I guess. Maybe the RIAA can stop over and check the status of all the tunes on her nano. LOL That would make her and her parents cry and slam doors!
Life is not fair.
Disappointments happen.
This little girl needs to realize this because it will happen again down the road.
Kids are pampered too much.
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