A rare video showing Steve Jobs, Tim Cook and Bob Mansfield answering reporters’ questions during Apple’s infamous iPhone 4 “Antennagate” press conference has surfaced online more than 16 years later.
The 47-minute recording was uploaded to YouTube on September 21 by the channel Sir Mix-A-Lot Rare Music and dates back to July 16, 2010. The uploader says the Q&A had not previously been available on YouTube “as far as I know.” Daring Fireball’s John Gruber attended the session and pointed to the video this week.
Apple released video of Jobs’ prepared presentation at the time, but notably left out the question-and-answer session that followed. Contemporary coverage also noted that Apple’s public video ended before the lengthy Q&A.
The newly surfaced footage shows Jobs joined by Cook, looking considerably younger as Apple’s chief operating officer at the time, and hardware engineering chief Bob Mansfield as reporters pressed the executives over the iPhone 4’s controversial antenna design.
The iPhone 4 had come under fire because holding the phone in certain ways could cause its cellular signal to drop. Jobs defended the design while acknowledging some customers were having problems, with Apple offering free cases and full refunds to users who weren’t satisfied.
One reporter even asked whether Jobs would apologize to investors after Apple shares fell during the controversy. Jobs had little sympathy for short-term investors, saying he had “no apology” for someone who bought the stock only to see it fall $5.
And yes, this was the controversy that gave us the famous “you’re holding it wrong” line, although Jobs didn’t actually use those exact words during this Q&A. Apple had previously advised users to avoid gripping the iPhone 4 in a way that covered part of its antenna.
Jobs also called the reaction to Antennagate “overblown” and criticized some of the media coverage, while admitting Apple wasn’t completely blameless. The Q&A covers Apple’s secrecy, the possibility of an iPhone 4 recall and what the company had learned, including that Apple engineers travelled to customers’ homes to investigate reception problems firsthand.
For me, the footage brings back plenty of memories. The iPhone 4 was the first and last iPhone I ever waited in line overnight to buy outside an Apple Store, since online ordering wasn’t available back then, and its flat-sided glass-and-steel design remains one of my favourite iPhone designs ever. You can read my iPhone 4 bumper review here. Boy, the old Apple is sorely missed.
The session itself wasn’t secret in 2010, with reporters publishing comments from the event at the time. What makes this upload notable is the complete video of the Q&A, giving Apple fans a direct look at how Jobs, Cook and Mansfield handled one of the biggest controversies of the early iPhone era.
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