Apple Quietly Removes The Need To Scroll To Its Samsung Apology

from the foot-stomping-nonsense dept

Oh, Apple. As someone who (as yet) has no children, it's been an educational experience watching the company's reaction to a UK judge ordering them to put a public apology on their website over false claims that Samsung copied them. From the very beginning, it felt like Apple had gone out of its way to prepare me for raising children. It all started with a little "But, Daaaaad! He's copying me!" Then, once parental admonishment is administered, Apple went into what child psychologists call "pouty-pants mode," with the kind of apology statement that was almost literally playing one parent/country off of another, by which I refer to their referring to the fact that all of the other countries' judges that had ruled opposite of the UK courts. And when the UK courts were less than thrilled with that petulance, they issued another apology, with a link buried at the bottom of the page -- using a little javascript magic to ensure that you wouldn't see it unless you were specifically looking for it. If this isn't a perfect analogy for a young child mumbling a half-hearted apology to his little brother for kicking him, I don't know what is, but I thank Apple for all the lessons in child-rearing they've given me. I feel, having watched the judge in this case, I have a good understanding on how to handle a petulant child.
Christmas Crying
"Cry all you want, no dessert until you issue your mother a web-based apology, you little poop-machine"
Image source: CC BY 2.0
The good news is that Apple has quietly removed this digital monument to foot-stomping, but only after Hacker News and Reddit blew up about it. Apparently, at some point since Monday, amidst the kind of backlash normally reserved for US Senators discussing women's health issues, Apple pretended like the whole thing never happened.
As pointed out by CNET, the Javascript code in question is still on Apple's site, but it just isn't being used any more. The code ensured that the iPad mini advertisement would take up the whole page; regardless of your resolution, you would't be able to see the statement without scrolling down the page.

While the code's main purpose wasn't necessarily to hide the apology (Apple has been pushing a more vertically-responsive design on its international sites for a while now), it's very likely that putting the text in question at the bottom of its UK site, where the code would hide it, was on purpose. Apple's decision to stop using the code, in fact, points to this being the case.
Way to go, Apple. You managed to get to the place you should have been all along in the most petulant, drawn out way possible. Exactly what I would have done...back when I was six years old.
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Filed Under: apology, scrolling
Companies: apple, samsung


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  1. icon
    AzureSky (profile), 8 Nov 2012 @ 4:09pm

    still waiting to hear what they are renaming the iPhone in mexico....since you know, throwing a temper tantrum isnt gonna get the mexican court to go their way if bribes and threats couldnt....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    :Lobo Santo (profile), 8 Nov 2012 @ 4:25pm

    Re: Too easy!

    They'll put 'El' in front, and '-o' in back.

    Presenting, "El iPhoneo!"

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2012 @ 4:57pm

    Re: Re: Too easy!

    why not ayPhone?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2012 @ 5:18pm

    Re: Re: Too easy!

    No, that would be copyright infringement. I already own all rights to words ending in o when used in product names.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    silverscarcat (profile), 8 Nov 2012 @ 5:19pm

    Did I end up on Cracked.com?

    The picture made me laugh.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Dave Nelson, 8 Nov 2012 @ 5:37pm

    Uh Oh!

    "Way to go, Apple. You managed to get to the place you should have been all along in the most petulant, drawn out way possible. Exactly what I would have done...back when I was six years old."

    Yeah, until just after Mom found out about it. Then I wouldn't be sitting down for a while.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2012 @ 7:12pm

    call the whambulance

    uh right... when you run Apple you could print whatever you want on Apple's website too.
    Until then, keep whining about what's on their website mmmkay Timmy?




    sent from my Nexus

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    wizened (profile), 8 Nov 2012 @ 9:07pm

    no so fast

    Actually when I go to the UK site, the message is still forced off of the bottom of the screen. Just saying.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2012 @ 9:25pm

    pfft Apple should have never backed down.. They should have posted the exact opposite and said fuck off. If they are forced to give a public apology do it on news like everyone else.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    haiku, 8 Nov 2012 @ 9:36pm

    It's about time that Tim Cook was sent to bed without dinner & TV ...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    techflaws (profile), 8 Nov 2012 @ 10:42pm

    Re: call the whambulance

    It worked.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. icon
    The eejit (profile), 8 Nov 2012 @ 11:44pm

    Re: no so fast

    Imagine that! Whiny child doesn't do as it's told. Film at 11.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2012 @ 12:01am

    did the apology have rounded corners?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 9 Nov 2012 @ 12:09am

    Maybe Apple is just trying to "think different" about apoligies. While children have been doing it this way for a long time, Apple took the idea and refined it so that corporations could look like whiny children.

    Now maybe they will apply for a patent on their app for pissing off judges by playing games with rulings.

    Do you think they might be sad because "The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone", is them getting bitchslapped by a court over pointless lawsuits?

    The apology, redesigned?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Lennart Regebro, 9 Nov 2012 @ 12:19am

    Not much of an improvement though.

    Right, the removed the automatic scaling. Now it's just scaled *really big*, so you still need to scroll to it unless you have probably some 1300-1400 pixels high screen. Mine is 1600x1050, and I need to scroll.

    On a table it does show up, though, in portrait mode, since the browser will automatically scale to fit the width of the screen.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    FuzzyDuck, 9 Nov 2012 @ 5:09am

    Re: Not much of an improvement though.

    Same here, I need to scroll even more than before.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    MattP, 9 Nov 2012 @ 7:12am

    Re:

    I can tell you've been following this topic closely.

    Obviously the judge said you have the option of posting an apology on your website or you can do it on the news.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2012 @ 7:38am

    Re:

    Yes, it was a heart shaped apology

    link to this | view in thread ]


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