I have received hundreds of emails from iPhone customers who are upset because the new iPhone software update caused their iPhones to drop dead. After reading every one of these emails, I have some observations and conclusions.

First, I am sure that we are making the correct decision to fuck up iPhones that have been modified or hacked in violation of our terms and conditions. I’m also sure that we’ve done the right thing in wiping out non-Apple programs that some users installed on their iPhones without permission from Apple. It benefits both Apple and every iPhone user (but mostly Apple) to keep all iPhone users completely underneath the iPhone ‘tent’ and following the rules. We strongly believe that keeping everyone’s iPhone exactly the same will help us do just that.

Second, to those people who played by the rules and didn’t do anything harmful to their iPhone and still experienced some minor problems like having their iPhone turned into a brick by our software update, let me say this: being in technology for 30+ years I can attest to the fact that the technology road is bumpy. There is always change and improvement, and there is always someone who bought a product before all the problems were worked out of the hardware or the operating system or whatever. This is life in the technology lane. If you always wait for the vendor to actually get everything working right, you’ll never buy any technology product because there is always something that isn’t quite right. The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of frustration and anger, plus the envy and admiration of all your friends.

Third, even though we are making the right decision to blow up certain iPhones, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after the units that have been modified in violation of our terms. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.

Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who played by the rules and still experienced problems with the iPhone software update an electronic coupon which can be redeemed for ten free minutes of calling time on the AT&T network. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple’s website next week. Probably it will involve downloading another software update. Which you may or may not be able to do if your iPhone is truly bricked, as is the case for some. In those cases you’ll need to bring your iPhone to an Apple store and make an appointment for service, at which time one of our geniuses may or may not be able to help you and may or may not have to send the iPhone back to Apple for repair. Stay tuned.

We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple.

Steve Jobs
Apple CEO