Funny Story: 10 Billionth App Downloader Hung Up on Apple
As you may already know, earlier this month Apple announced that it is approaching the 10 billionth app download. This weekend that milestone was reached by one Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK who downloaded the Paper Glider game. With Gail’s download Apple recorded 10 billion apps from the App Store. To celebrate, Apple gave her a $10,000 iTunes gift Card.
Here’s the funny story: when Apple tried to get in touch with Gail Davis to inform her that she is the one to download the 10 billionth app from the app store and to congratulate her on winning a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, she hang up on Apple. On Gail’s defense, she thought she thought it was a prank call, so it true British fashion she said “thank you very much, I’m not interested.”
Who did she hang up on? On the other end of the line was Eddy cue, Apple’s VP of iTunes. He must have been pretty miffed about the whole thing, because he didn’t call Gail back. A colleague of his called Davis back some time later and this time Gail took the call.
It should be said that between the two calls all hell broke loose in the Davis household. You see, it wasn’t Gail who downloaded the 10 billionth app, it was one of her two teenage daughters. Her two daughters, aged 14 and 17, told her that it wasn’t a prank. Realizing it wasn’t a prank, she did try to contact Apple, but found that the person on the company’s helpdesk to be less than useful.
To my mind, what she should have told Apple was something along the lines “why are you giving me such a lousy prize?” When Apple celebrated 1 billion downloads from the App Store, it gave the lucky downloader a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card and an iPod Touch, a MacBook Pro, and a Time Capsule. Couldn’t Apple have offered a better prize? It’s not like Apple can use the “it’s the economy” excuse – not when it reported highest revenues and earnings ever for Q1 2011.
Here’s the funny story: when Apple tried to get in touch with Gail Davis to inform her that she is the one to download the 10 billionth app from the app store and to congratulate her on winning a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, she hang up on Apple. On Gail’s defense, she thought she thought it was a prank call, so it true British fashion she said “thank you very much, I’m not interested.”
Who did she hang up on? On the other end of the line was Eddy cue, Apple’s VP of iTunes. He must have been pretty miffed about the whole thing, because he didn’t call Gail back. A colleague of his called Davis back some time later and this time Gail took the call.
It should be said that between the two calls all hell broke loose in the Davis household. You see, it wasn’t Gail who downloaded the 10 billionth app, it was one of her two teenage daughters. Her two daughters, aged 14 and 17, told her that it wasn’t a prank. Realizing it wasn’t a prank, she did try to contact Apple, but found that the person on the company’s helpdesk to be less than useful.
To my mind, what she should have told Apple was something along the lines “why are you giving me such a lousy prize?” When Apple celebrated 1 billion downloads from the App Store, it gave the lucky downloader a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card and an iPod Touch, a MacBook Pro, and a Time Capsule. Couldn’t Apple have offered a better prize? It’s not like Apple can use the “it’s the economy” excuse – not when it reported highest revenues and earnings ever for Q1 2011.
