About the 1st generation iPhone/push notification post: an apology

On Tuesday evening, in the leadup to the release of the iPhone 3.0 firmware update, TUAW ran a post that included wrong information. The post stated that first-generation iPhone owners would not be able to use the push notification feature of 3.0 and receive phone calls at the same time. This was incorrect with respect to the final 3.0 release.

Although the post was well-intentioned, the conclusions stated came from a source who had experienced a conflict between push notifications and incoming calls while testing a beta push-enabled application, and the source did not adequately confirm the issue with other iPhone developers or other push-enabled applications. Furthermore, the technical information in the post about how push notification works was not accurate.

As editors, we can blame the lateness of the hour and the excitement over the iPhone 3.0 OS release on not catching the mistakes pre-publication, but in truth, we made an error in judgement. Based on our confidence in the source, we didn't assign the same level of scrutiny to the post that our readers have come to expect (and that we have come to expect for ourselves), and for that we are sorry. Had the post been framed differently as "one user's story" rather than as a blanket technical explanation, that would have been a better choice; however, due to the NDA status of participants in the iPhone developer program, it was not possible to directly credit the source at that time; the 3.0 firmware had not yet been released.

Although we amended the post as soon as the mistake was realized and removed it from the front page within minutes, the nature of the Internet means that this misinformation is hard to erase. Our editorial policy dictates that we not "unpublish" or delete posts, once they appear on the site. Still, even removed from our front page, and even with our editor's note atop the post, we are aware that the post continues to be a point of confusion for readers.

TUAW's bloggers and editors strive to provide accurate information and to clearly distinguish conjecture or rumor from fact. In this instance, we got it wrong.

We are truly sorry for this situation. We understand that it reflects poorly on us as a site, to readers and to the community at large. As a result, we have strengthened our editorial resolve to do more vigorous checking of the technical details of posts, so that this sort of misinformation does not get published in the future.

As always, thank you for reading TUAW. Without your support, we wouldn't be here, and we are very much aware how important our credibility is to your continued readership and participation.

We look forward to continuing the conversation on this issue and responding to your questions and concerns. While comments on the initial post are closed, we welcome your feedback in comments here, via our tips line and on Twitter and Facebook.

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Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/16/why-original-iphone-owners-wi…

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On Tuesday evening, in the leadup to the release of the iPhone 3.0 firmware update, TUAW ran a post that included wrong information. The...

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hzink

Well, maybe an important lesson was learned by TUAW editors about lending too much credibility to Erica in the future... let's hope so.

June 21 2009 at 1:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

canyonblue

As a reader of TUAW for many, many years I thank you for the apology. But while we are on the topic of mistakes and problems can I be frank while still saying I like your site? It's time for some "truth."

TUAW in the last 2 years has changed and not in a good way. Your coverage of significant Apple stories has grown poor in that you post major news coverage sometimes days after every other tech site has already posted the information. Unlike a site like Daring Fireball the delayed coverage doesn't contain anything that expands on the original news either making it just a rehash of what was on Digg, Engadget, AppleInsider, and Mac Rumors before. Your TUAW exclusive stories often are poorly sourced like what generated this apology and your application reviews read like Press Releases and sales pitches.

I like the light style of TUAW. I like LOTS of Apple stories. All that said I hope your return to prompt reporting of major Apple events and cut out the posters who write over hyped and under critical pieces on software and in this case flaws in software that simply aren't worth your readers time.

Don't worry, I'll keep checking with TUAW but keep hoping at the same time it gets better.

June 21 2009 at 9:03 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jason

I was on the fence about removing TUAW from my feed reader, but Kai "Tool" Cherry just made up my mind!

June 21 2009 at 4:34 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Peter

TUAW just sucks by now. *kicked from RSS-reader*

June 21 2009 at 3:33 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Yakov Chodosh

-1 for this showing up in the "not iphone" section

June 21 2009 at 3:27 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

kinto

don't sweat it man... everybody makes mistakes and tuaw rocks...

June 21 2009 at 2:36 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

guy@shaviv.org

I had an issue with my 1st generation iphone. After upgrading to 3.0 I couldn't receive incoming calls until I remembered your story and disabled push in the mail preferences. So I'm wondering if what your developer source experienced is what I'm experiencing and it is some bug in 3.0 that happens on certain devices, not necessarily a beta issue.

June 21 2009 at 12:46 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

newbie

found this. do u think the problem is real after all?

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2043243&start=0&tstart=105

June 20 2009 at 10:29 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to newbie's comment

Michael Rose

It appears that the problem discussed in that thread is resolved by turning off Push for email and PIM sync, which is a different setting from Push Notifications.

June 22 2009 at 11:21 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jason A. Quest

I'm still waiting for an apology and retraction on that incompetently researched article which announced just before the released of OS 3.0 that *all* users on prepaid iPhone plans would have to sign up for contracts if they installed the upgrade.

That information was false. The author of the article had access to an official statement from AT&T which made it perfectly clear that it was false. And yet she continued to dismiss that information and play up her own pulled-it-out-of-her-ass interpretation, apparently based on her failure to understand the difference between a supported Pick-Your-Plan with unlimited data, and whatever unsupported plan she'd managed to get working on *her* phone. This idiot stirred up a bunch of anger and scared the shit out of people who foolishly *believed* an article on TUAW, and was too invested in proving herself right (or understandably confused) to admit that she was obviously wrong.

You owe us an apology for that, too.

June 20 2009 at 7:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kai Cherry

When the 3.0 NDA is fully lifted, I am sure someone will write a piece explaining how the technical aspects of the APNS works. Hell, I might do it. because while Cory's piece was flawed and the particular issue confused (more by the writing style than the facts) it wasn't *completely* wrong.

Even in these responses where people are dipping into the "technical" aspects of EDGE data/APNS, there are implementation details that make a difference in the overall result. I can say no more :)

-K

June 20 2009 at 6:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply