Daily News Courier

Google UK boss offers ‘unreserved apology’ for delayed Nexus 4 orders

Dan Cobley says pre-Christmas deliveries on track for this week, offers shipping refund for late orders

As we've reported in great detail over the past month, customers hoping to pick up the Nexus 4 directly from the Google Play Store haven't had the easiest time ordering the device. Even after dealing with a tumultuous ordering process, some in the UK have found that their orders had missed the shipping window they'd been given by Google Play.

As a result, some disgruntled customers decided to go straight to the top to get answers, reaching out to Google UK Managing Director Dan Cobley on his Google+ page. Today Cobley has responded with an update on the situation, an apology to those affected, and a shipping refund for those whose orders had missed the quoted 3-5 day window.

In the Google+ message, Cobley also addresses the subject of stock levels, saying supplies from Nexus 4 manufacturer LG have been "scarce and erratic." The first wave of Nexus 4 stock sold out in under an hour, and the second wave was back-ordered by over one month in under a day.

Here's Dan Cobley's message in full –

Dear all

I know that what you are going through is unacceptable and we are all working through the nights and weekends to resolve this issue. Supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed. I can offer an unreserved apology for our service and communication failures in this process.

For those that originally received a 3-5 days shipping estimate, your orders are now in process for fulfillment. You can expect an email notification early this week which will include tracking information. Although you will be initially charged in full, you will receive a credit for the shipping charge soon after.
For others that received pre-Christmas shipping estimates, we anticipate processing your orders for fulfillment this week.

I realise that the people who ordered the Nexus 4 so early are among our most committed and loyal users and we are doing all we can to put things right.

Sorry again.

Dan?

So there's good news for anyone with a Nexus 4 order due before Christmas, and customers experiencing delays might be reassured that Dan Cobley is taking charge of the situation personally.

If you placed a Nexus 4 during the second wave of stock, let us know how you're getting on down in the comments.

Source: Google+; via XDA, Eurodroid

Rivals Soar After Apple Apology

iPhone users are apparently keen to avoid relying on Apple’s new mapping app.

Competitors to Apple

Hey, Apple: Mapping Takes More Work than You Think

Apple’s apology suggests it may underestimate how much effort is needed to build a great map app.

In response to scathing criticism over its new Maps app for mobile devices, Apple CEO Tim Cook last week apologized and admitted that the company “fell short,” but his statement did not hint at the true scale of the job Apple now faces to fix things, experts say.

Tim Cook Issues Personal Apology for Apple Maps

It?s not often that Apple apologises, or indeed even comments on the various controversies that frequently emerge about their products, so when Apple actually does issue an official public apology, you know it?s a big deal, and then some! Now, with today?s public statement by Tim Cook regarding what many consider to be the Apple Maps epic fail, it seems that Apple has fully taken on board that its customers are not best pleased. SlashGear reports that Cook has taken the step of posting an open letter on Apple?s website, in which he says that Apple is ?extremely sorry?, and then goes on to give a detailed explanation of just why the situation occurred, as well as even going so far as to suggest alternatives, including Google web maps! Here?s the full text of the letter:

Quote:

---

To our customers,
At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.
We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.
There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.
While we?re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.
Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.
Tim Cook
Apple?s CEO

---

Source: Apple CEO Tim Cook apologizes for Apple Maps fiasco – SlashGear

Survivor spurns drug maker’s apology

A German firm apologized for the first time for its drug, which caused babies to be born with shorter arms and legs after pregnant women took it during the 1950s and ’60s.

Apple UK spared from posting Samsung apology, for now

Admit it, Android fan. When you first heard that Apple would have to publicly admit Samsung didn't copy the iPad's design, you let out a little cheer. The UK courts seemed to have taken a stand that could make these super rich companies think twice about submitting frivolous lawsuits. 

Now though, Apple has gone and got themselves a stay of execution though on this one it seems. According to Bloomberg, Cupertino has submitted an appeal saying the company didn't want to advertise for its rivals, and as such the order has been stayed until October. So, at least for the next couple of months, we won't get to read about the above device on Apple's website. It seems this, like other Apple versus Samsung lawsuits, will continue to drag on and on.

Source: Bloomberg via iMore

Muslim scholars: Apology for Quran burning not enough

The burning of the Muslim holy book by U.S. forces at an Afghan prison is unforgivable, a powerful council of Muslim scholars said Friday. It demanded that foreign forces turn over control of prisoners to Afghanistan's government.

? Android – An iOS Killer – My Honest Opinion

When I previously visited Android, I was very inexperienced and I tested a very powerful mobile operating system on some low end hardware. Not the greatest thing in my career as a journalist. I was offered by Samsung and Clove to take a look at two Android devices, the Samsung Galaxy Mini running Android 2.2 while Clove Technology offered me the new Motorola DEFY plus to take a look at. The first device to arrive was the Galaxy Mini, right after the unboxing I turned the device on and I instantly knew the jump from 2.1 eclair to 2.2 equaled to a better experience, if 2.1 to 2.2 was good, I was eager to get my paws into Android 2.3 code named Gingerbread, tasty! Gingerbread has totally changed my opinion after just a day of usage, man do I owe Android an apology. Android hasn’t always done it for me as I mention in the video but things change. I love Android, It’s impressing me so much that I don’t want to give the DEFY Plus back. I will definitely purchase myself an Android device as soon as I can afford one. Tell us what you think in the comments below. Click “Like” and “Add to… Favorites” if you like this video! =-=-=-= ? What is TGN? tgn.tv ? TGN servers live on the OneWire Cloud! http ? How do I get more views on YouTube? handbook.tgn.tv TGN shares how they grew from 0-10 million views in 5 months in this YouTube handbook! Android An iOS Killer – My Honest Opinion Android An iOS Killer – My Honest Opinion Android An iOS Killer – My Honest Opinion Android An iOS …

WHITE iPAD 2 Digitizer Pictures

Motorola apologizes for YouTube comment, says it’s working on bootloader compromise

Looks like whomever was running Motorola’s YouTube page today might have gone a wee bit rogue. To recap, a comment on a video of the Atrix 4G was greeted with a tongue so sharp we had to make sure it wasn’t ours. "If you want to do? custom roms, then buy elsewhere, we’ll continue with our strategy that is working thanks." Whoops.

The comment was deleted not too long after we first reported it. But the fallout continued, with Motorola issuing tan apology on Facebook, and saying there may be a compromise for those who wish to do a little hacking:

We apologize for the feedback we provided regarding our bootloader policy. The response does not reflect the views of Motorola.

We are working closely with our partners to offer a bootloader solution that will enable developers to use our devices as a development platform while still protecting our users’ interests. More detailed information will follow as we get closer to availability.

There also was this response to a followup on the YouTube page:

So we attempt to answer nearly all comments raised on this channel across over 130 videos and in a timely fashion. Sometimes we? make a mistake, and the remark we agree could have been better phrased and more polite. So we do apologise, and that we will continue to monitor feedback on the wider discussion and pass that along. Thank you.

Mistakes certainly do happen, and we certainly understand the … patience … required when working in public. We’d cut Moto a little slack here — but we’ll also keep an eye out for any more shenanigans. [Facebook, YouTube] Thanks, Lil’ Stevie!

Motorola apologizes for YouTube comment, says it's working on bootloader compromise posted originally by Android Central

Sponsored by Android Cases and Accessories