Will The Real Steve Jobs Please Stand Up?

Social media has changed the game of public relations. It has given everyone a voice; companies and their CEOs, loyal supporters, critics, activists and the like.  It has created two-way symmetrical communication between organizations and their publics which allows messages to be sent and received in a matter of seconds.  While companies and organizations welcome the positive feedback from their constituents, will the adverse blogs, Facebook pages, YouTube videos, and Twitter accounts damage the organization's image?

  
Apple is one of the most talked about companies in the industry.  There are a multitude of blogs, fan pages, news articles and twitter accounts dedicated to Apple.  I was originally going to discuss the content of these sites and articles and how they are providing free public relations and advertising to the brand.  So as a good, little, grad student, I did my research and became fans of these sites on Facebook and began following the fans on Twitter.  I also decided that I would follow Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, to review the messages he was sending to his fans. What I discovered blew my mind.  "The BlackBerry tablet is going to fail. Mark my words."  "We've got better moves in our playbook, BlackBerry" I was floored that Jobs would speak about his competitors in such a demeaning way.   I was even more appalled that Jobs spoke condescendingly to his 241,612 Twitter followers: "Dear Mac fans, please don't ask for a photo with me. It cheapens my brand value." 

This made me rethink about my feelings towards the brand and my next Apple purchase and then my instincts kicked in.  How can I be sure that this is really Steve Jobs' Twitter account? Social networking sites do not verify your identity or care who you are or what you say. It turns out that CeoSteveJobs on Twitter is a parody account. I was duped and for a brief moment I was ready to boycott Apple products.

As it turns out, I was not the only one.  On June 27, 2010, The Daily Mail, a UK newspaper, picked up a story from this very Twitter account and relayed the false message that the iPhone 4 was being recalled. The story was immediately retracted once the paper was notified that the information was untrue but it just proves that you cannot believe everything you read.

Did this effect Apple's bottom line or fan base? No, Apple’s ingenious products speak for themselves.  Negative blogs and fake Twitter accounts cannot change the fact that Apple products are well made, cutting edge, and superior to their competition.  

iOS4.1 Upgrade has been a Downgrade for most

On June 21, 2010, Apple released iOS 4 to update the 2008's iPhone 3G and second-generation iPod Touch, and 2009's 3GS and third-generation iPod Touch. It was a free download that upgrades the iOS 3.1.3 operating system and  provide better security and support and allows users to multitask and  manage applications better among many other enhancements such as new camera fuctions, on-the-go playlist creation; and support for external bluetooth keyboard, iCal and iBooks.

Almost immediately after the upgrade was released to users, the Apple Support forum began buzzing with complaints that the upgrade left the iPhone 3G and 3GS slower and that calls were being dropped and muted because the proximity sensors did not turn off when the phones were placed to the ear to make a call.

In response, Apple announced at the beginning of September that the iSO4.1 will alleviate these delays. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs stated "First of all, a lot of bugs have been fixed," said Jobs on Wednesday. Proximity sensor bugs, Bluetooth bugs, iPhone 3G performance bugs. All the bugs that we've been nailed on. We think we've nailed a lot of them."

The iOS 4.1 was released within a week of Jobs addressing the problem. But it seems as though the upgrade has caused the same delays for users and one California woman, Bianca Wofford, is taking Apple to court over it! Wofford feels that Apple knowingly released the iOS 4  with bugs so that users would abandon their older iPhones and purchase an iPhone 4. Wofford is upset because there is no remedy that will allow her to revert back to her previous operating system besides jailbreaking.

Wofford wrote in her claim "Even though Apple has actual knowledge of thousands of complaints from iPhone 3G/3GS consumers, Apple does not allow for those same users/consumers of third generation devices to download and re-install earlier and optimized iOS3.x operating system without resorting to 'hacker' tactics that will void Apple warranties and violate iPhone user agreements."

Wofford's lawsuit claimed that Apple broke various CA consumer rights and business practices laws and intentionally duped loyal users. If Apple is found guilty, Wofford  requested that $5,000 is granted to each customer with similar problems.

I am curious how Apple will respond to these allegations. Stay tuned.