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4G iPhone Misplacer Invited To Germany For Beer
eldavojohn writes "You may recall the hapless engineer who left a fairly sensitive iPhone at a bar recently. Well, in a PR stunt, Lufthansa has invited him to visit Germany on their dime after citing his latest Facebook status, 'I underestimated how good German beer is' as well as his obvious passion for German beer and culture. It's not clear if Gray Powell has decided to 'pick up where he last left off' (as the letter puts it). I know what my decision would be."
Ein Prosit!
Free, as in your money being freed from the confines of your account.
I lost my girlfriend at a bar, can you send me to the Bunny Ranch?
I'm still convinced this was intentional, all the way around.
I like beer from almost everywhere... sooooo, is someone going to fly me around the world to drink the hell out of some fermented goodness?
Does anyone have any reliable information about the fate of Mr. Gray Powell? Did he get shit-canned?
-Will P.
Thanks! - It just so happens I'm free the next few weeks!
The guy fucked up. He fucked up so bad it's gone past serious to not just epic fail but epoch fail. Apple should just run with it.
Mac: Hi, I'm a Mac.
PC: Hi, I'm a PC.
Engineer: And I'm the idiot who lost the prototype iPhone.
Mac: Ouch.
PC: Wow. So that explains the sign around your neck? (points to sign reading "iDiot")
Engineer: Yeah. Steve told me I had to wear it.
PC: I lost a prototype Windows Mobile phone once.
Engineer and Mac: (reaction shots indicating sympathy)
PC: Actually I lost dozens of them, intentionally, hoping the tech blogs would take the bait. (casts eyes down.) Nobody cared.
Mac: (pats PC's shoulder consolingly.) Oh, PC, that's because Windows Mobile sucks.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
I read the letter and it seems to offer to fly him *to* Munich, but nothing about flying him back again. Maybe they think he'll get so drunk in their business class lounge that he won't realise where he is.
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
It doesn't matter where you run, Steve will find you!
I could care less.
Yes, I could. I don't have to post this reply...
At least he could be drowning his sorrows with good German beer instead of Bud Light. If he's out of a job he might as well go for it (and I'm sure he knows better than anyone what is happening re: his case inside apple). Of course, all this publicity is just going to make him a social pariah in tech circles...
I know what my decision would be
It's sweet, but not like a once in a lifetime opportunity or anything. Assuming he is a typical software engineer in silicon valley, an airplane ticket to Germany is the equivalent of a week or so worth of work. So it's kind of a nice condolence prize, but not really worth losing your job.
Qxe4
I was already aghast at Gizmodo for running a story with the poor engineer's name -- there was absolutely no journalistic reason to give his name other than to give Gawker's editors a bit of titillation. He's a human being; human beings make mistakes. I'm more than slightly disappointed that Slashdot, a community that should be sympathetic to the guy, is having a laugh at his expense. Seriously -- who hasn't ever lost their phone or their wallet?
If, mind you, it was even legitimately lost in the first place -- which I still don't believe.
Relax people, it's meant as a joke, not a troll/flamebait/whatever.
he leaves behind a next-generation iPad.
This whole fucking thing is an Apple PR stunt, and you idiots are all falling for it.
If it were real, Apple could not only force Gizmodo to take down any mention of it, they could even get them arrested for possession of stolen property.
Lufthansa is planning to get him drunk on the flight and hoping he'll leave his phone on the plane.
If this guy pursues a career in tech ( is he an engineer ? ), he may become famous. Anyways, nice stunt from Lufthansa. I flew with them once to India - most laidback airline personnel I ever dealt with on a long flight.
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
I guess the thinking is that since he lost one, he probably has a replacement now. All they have to do is get him over to Germany, get him drunk, and hopefully he'll misplace his new one. Which will be an even later prototype to scoop Gizmodo.
After all, aren't C't and Heise based in Germany?
(Yes, that was a joke)
On a more serious note - it could also be that Apple realizes that iPhones just aren't news anymore. Look at their Macs - they tend to just get quietly refreshed these days unless there's some major big announcement. Ditto iPods (the Touch, Shuffle and Nano stole the keynote, the Classic being just a mere footnote). Short of something amazing, iPhones will probably head the same way - a new one gets released with little fanfare. After all, all the major features are already announced as part of iPhone OS 4.0 - all we learned from Gizmodo is what the new hardware might have. The iPad was new and novel for Apple, heads would've rolled had someone accidentally lost that.
Should a company that's asking for millions of Euros in government bailouts be paying for publicity stunts? I mean I know a single flight from Seattle to Frankfurt isn't going to cost the airline itself much of anything, but what kind of message does it send to the tens of thousands of people who have been stranded for the last week or all of the Germans who are going to pay the potential bailout money if Lufthansa starts handing out free flights to guys just because they like German beer.
P.S. Saying "German beer" is like saying "American beer". I'd honestly be curious what he was drinking, most of the interesting stuff is the local city brews and I can tell you some of them are every bit the flavorless piss water of Coors.
Free. As in beer.
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So the guy who lost the phone is getting bailed out with beer.
Interesting.
I was already aghast at Gizmodo for running a story with the poor engineer's name
Me too. Uncalled for.
I'm more than slightly disappointed that Slashdot, a community that should be sympathetic to the guy
They (we?) are... I mean, his name is known, so why not promote one positive thing that has happened for/to him in the last week? It's a way of saying, we feel terrible for you, but at least you can get a free trip to Germany and a nice beer to drown your sorrows.
I don't see this as having a laugh at his expense or mean spirited at all.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
"Beer: the cause of and solution to all of life's problems!"
So getting drunk is both the cause and solution to all of this guys troubles? Sir, you may have a drinking problem.
Come on, even if the story is true, it is clear that Apple is spreading it to be in the news. Now Lufthansa is playing the same game, referring to the same fake story. It's ingenious.
Is this just the 4th-generation iPhone, or will it operate on 4G LTE/WiMAX networks?
Apple really seeded confusion when they called their second-generation device the "3G", but got back in sync by calling their third-gen device the "3GS". If their 4th-gen device doesn't have 4G wireless, it'll be a mess again.
Steve Jobs should call Gray out of the audience and have *him* introduce the new iPhone at the unveiling.
It would show he has a sense of humor...and no hard feelings. Probably won't happen but would be extremely cool.
And Gray?
Take the flight. Best way to end a bad week is to fly to Germany for a few free beers!
Dear Steve,
We haven't met, but unsolicited advice from a 30 year Apple customer, developer and publisher.
Developers, and also a bunch of executives, investors and publishers, are starting to get pissed off and could use some love as you tighten the screws.
This is an excellent opportunity to build good will. Don't fire the guy. Shit happens, and you will make a lot of points if you forgive him and let him get back to work. He'll take it to heart.
Remember, Google is not the only company that can attempt to "Do No Evil".
Regards from Tokyo,
Matt R.
I thought the airlines were struggling after the EU airspace was closed? so how can they throw around free flights and hospitality?
Of course, they're hoping to get business out this publicity I suppose.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
No shock they ran his name. These are the same guys who got tossed out on their ear at CES after all.
"I lost my girlfriend at a bar, can you send me to the Bunny Ranch?"
Sure, just twitter the Bunny Ranch...
Anyone else think it was a bit strange they said "Please contact my team via Twitter..."? No phone number, no email, no... whatever, their preferred method of communication is twitter?
Don't get me wrong twitter is great when you want to send message to a few dozen (or thousand) friends, but I don't usually hear of someone using it as a one-way communication tool to an individual. Seemed very out-of-place, seeing that at the bottom.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
The Phone Losers of America ( http://www.phonelosers.org ) need to offer this guy an honorary membership and make him their mascot ;)
What Steve Jobs should do to introduce the new iPhone is leave a few of them scattered in the seats of the auditorium when it gets shown. Casually mention that he lost his iPhone and if anyone has it, could they please return it...
Do you want to be the one to tell your boss you cleared this guy for a security-sensitive job?
Nope. That's why I was in my ORIGINAL MESSAGE wholly against Gizmodo revealing his name. If they had not done so, I'd be wholly against Lufthansa doing so as well.
But if you recall from my ORIGINAL MESSAGE plus a ton of stories elsewhere, the damage is done already. It's not like his name being revealed a second time matters any more. so at least he potentially gets something positive - a free trip to Germany plus, hey, some beer. And it gives us geeks another chance to reiterate how sorry we feel for a confluence of very bad luck (leaving the phone in a bar + thief being the one to find it instead of some decent soul handing it over to the bartender).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Gee, no surprise there. If having a whole ton of kids gets you your own reality TV show, it makes perfect sense to pull something like this. Goes to show you that America isn't the only country with royally messed-up priorities. But seriously, I'd definitely take the offer if I were him. This may be his last chance for a vacation as I don't see him surviving Apple's wrath when he gets home. Plus, all that sweet German beer might take away his ability to care. Why does our culture always reward this sort of thing (cultural diffusion ain't so great now)? Maybe if I go get high and burn the White House down, I'll get to be the next president!* *Just in case the FBI happens to be reading this...I WON'T BURN THE WHITE HOUSE DOWN. I am using this as an example. Plus, I don't use FaceBook (and I'm a teenager. GASP! There really are some), so it'll be harder for the Germans to look up my personal preferences. Just a bit scary to realize who can see your personal information.
"Sex appeal? Why yes, I do have an iPod."
THEREFORE: Apple will NOT release a 4G phone.
The next iPhone will be a 3G phone.
Tech writers and journalists are really showing their true colors with this Apple prototype fiasco. Not a single one of them has gotten the name right, nor have they acknowledged their mistakes. And don't tell me they're referring to Apple hardware generations. It is universally accepted that the capital 'G' after a number refers to only cell technology generations. Furthermore, at most, the next iPhone could only be the third generational revision of Apple hardware:
1st generation
iPhone---------iPhone1,1
iPhone 3G-----iPhone1,2
(note: the iPhone and the iPhone 3G are nearly identical... the 3G has a different radio and gps, but same memory and processor.)
2nd generation
iPhone 3GS---iPhone2,1
thus... depending on Apple, the next iPhone, a 3G phone, will be either 2nd or 3rd Apple hardware generation. HEY JOUNALISTS...PSSST "FACT CHECKING"
The Admin and the Engineer
Story:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20003345-37.html?tag=mncol;posts
Picture:
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim//2010/04/23/wozGRAY_270x360.jpg
What one fool can do, another can. (Ancient Simian Proverb)