Apple: A Timeline of Press Releases Part 3

This is the final entry of a 3 part series, taking a look back at the past decade of Apple press releases. Part one can be found here, part two can be found here.  While the first two entries covered the most important announcements of the decade, this entry takes a look at the obscure, yet equally notable press releases:

Apple cancels Apple Expo 2001 (in wake of 9/11), Sept, 2001:

“We’re canceling Apple Expo in the wake of last week’s devastating and tragic events,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re sorry to disappoint our users and developers, but their safety is our primary concern.”

The conference was to be held in Paris on Sept 26, with focus on Mac OS X 10.1 and iDVD 2.

Apple and Motorola team up to bring iTunes to Mobile Phones, July, 2004:

“We can’t think of a more natural partnership than this one with Apple, the brand synonymous with easy-to-use, legal music downloading, and Motorola, the innovator in mobile technology,” said Ed Zander, Chairman and CEO, Motorola. “We are thrilled to be working with Motorola to enable millions of music lovers to transfer any of their favorite songs from iTunes on their PC or Mac to Motorola’s next-generation mobile phones,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.

This partnership resulted in the flop known as the Rokr, which had a 100 song limitation. Currently, Apple and Motorola are in a law-suit battle over mobile phone patents.

Blu-ray Disc Association Welcomes Apple to Its Board of Directors, March, 2005:

“Apple is pleased to join the Blu-ray Disc Association board as part of our efforts to drive consumer adoption of HD,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Consumers are already creating stunning HD content with Apple’s leading video editing applications like iMovie HD and are anxiously awaiting a way to burn their own high def DVDs.”

Really, Apple? Almost 6 years later, where the hell is our Blu-Ray support?

Apple Announces iPod Hi-Fi, Feb 2006:

Apple® today announced iPod® Hi-Fi, an all-new high-fidelity speaker system that works seamlessly with the iPod to redefine the home stereo system. “Apple is reinventing the home stereo with the new iPod Hi-Fi, the first iPod accessory that adds true high-fidelity sound quality to the iPod,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPod Hi-Fi’s unrivaled acoustic performance and stunning design is at home in any room in the house.”

Speaking of flops, this speaker system was overpriced and lacked an AM/FM radio. It was discontinued a year and a half later.

Mark Papermaster Joins Apple as Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering, Nov 2008:

Papermaster, who comes to Apple from IBM, will lead Apple’s iPod® and iPhone™ hardware engineering teams. Papermaster has 25 years of product and technology experience, and was previously a vice president at IBM. “Mark is a seasoned leader and is going to be an excellent addition to our senior management team,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.

If the name rings a bell, Papermaster was the fall guy for the whole iPhone 4 Antenna-gate fiasco. This followed a legal battle with IBM over a non-compete clause. He lasted less than two years with Apple.

Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Jan 2009:

“For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote. Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed. […] So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this,” Steve

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Eric Schmidt Resigns from Apple’s Board of Directors, Aug 2009:

“Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple’s core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric’s effectiveness as an Apple Board member will be significantly diminished, since he will have to recuse himself from even larger portions of our meetings due to potential conflicts of interest.” said Steve Jobs.

Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4, July 2010:

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

Dubbed “Antenna-gate”, this incident was a engineering and public relations nightmare for Apple. To reconcile, Apple gave free bumpers to anyone who bought an iPhone 4, and also released a software update to fix incorrect reporting of cellular signal strength. 

This concludes my three part series spanning a decade of Apple press releases. Again, part one can be found here, part two can be found here. Apple has undeniably made many technological strides in the past ten years. If rate of progression is any indication, I can’t even fathom what the company will have accomplished in another ten years.