Rotten Apple?
Where does Apple get off? After huge praise and attention for the launch of its iPhone last week a bunch of Aussie developers have developed a iPhone skin for Windows Mobile 5. Praise indeed.
How does Apple react? It writes heavy handed legal letters to the websites hoisting the skins to pull them down, then it writes letters to journos telling them they are not permitted to report the story.
What is this, North Korea? You’d think that with the unstoppable wave of UGC, SN, social media and citizen journos Apple would show a little more wisdom. All this will serve to do is build resentment towards Apple, whereas, had it been handled differently it could have served their PR machine so well.
It reminds me of the YouTube Cicarelli videos…
News item at The Inquirer is here
Here is the ‘offending’ forum (including the paraphrased legal letter)
Some discussion on Paul OBrien’s personal blog
Here’s a great spoof on the official letter from one forum reader….
Dear MoDaCo users
It has come to the attention of iApple iComputer iInc. that there have been discussions on this forum regarding the new Apple iPhone.
We would like to remind you that any discussion about this is strictly forbidden, and we will be taking legal action and seizing all your properties.
Any sentences and/or posts regarding this product are strictly the property of iApple iComputer iInc., and we DEMAND that you immediately remove the entire MoDaCo site and replace it with a redirection to the Apple store.
In addition, any consuming of an apple or apple-like fruit while reading this forum will be considered an illegal act. You are not to place apple peels or ’skins’ anywhere near your Windows devices.
thankyou