The first rule of Exploding iPod Club …
Steve Jobs may want to put in an order for a new velvet glove; the old one just doesn’t seem to be cushioning his iron fist the way it used to. Instead of quietly and gratefully accepting the wonderfulness that emerges from his company’s closed systems and tight control, a growing number of malcontents are starting to chafe, and descriptions of him as a “dictator” are no longer automatically preceded by the adjective “benevolent.” These days, Jobs is finding his ability to blow off or hush up criticism on the wane.
Oh, sure, it was easy enough to stonewall all those whiny bloggers and nosy reporters on the reasons behind the rejection of Google Voice and related products from the App Store (see “Apple gags Google Voice for iPhone“). Let them blather all they want about Apple and AT&T stifling competition and innovation — if Jobs and company don’t feel like explaining, who’s going to make them? But now there’s this year’s model of the FCC, featuring greater resolution and a faster response time, asking the same questions, and that’s going to require either some uncomfortably open disclosures or some impressive semantic tap-dancing in reply.
And the pushback against Apple’s culture of secrecy isn’t restricted to regulators; even customers are getting harder to keep in line. Take, for example, Ken Stanborough of Liverpool, who dropped his daughter’s iPod Touch, after which it started hissing ominously. The device started getting hot, and Stanborough heaved it out the back door. “Within 30 seconds there was a pop, a big puff of smoke and it went 10 feet in the air,” he told the Times. He talked to the retailer about a refund and eventually got a letter from Apple denying liability but offering him his money back. But there were strings. By accepting the refund, the letter said, Stanborough would “agree that you will keep the terms and existence of this settlement agreement completely confidential,” and that any breach of confidentiality “may result in Apple seeking injunctive relief, damages and legal costs against the defaulting persons or parties.” Stanborough wouldn’t play ball. “They’re putting a life sentence on myself, my daughter and Ellie’s mum not to say anything to anyone. If we inadvertently did say anything, no matter what, they would take litigation against us. I thought that was absolutely appalling. We didn’t ask for compensation, we just asked for our money back.”
by John Murrell | siliconvalley
