The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs – I’ll tell you something — I’m really blown away by the way people have responded to AT&T’s behavior over bandwidth usage. Our engineers are friggin livid. And, because they’re engineers, which means they’re basically evil little pricks, they’ve come up with a plan to teach AT&T a lesson. They’re calling it Operation Chokehold. Last night I got this email that they’ve been sending around inside Apple, encouraging people to join the crusade:
Subject: Operation Chokehold
On Friday, December 18, at noon Pacific time, we will attempt to overwhelm the AT&T data network and bring it to its knees. The goal is to have every iPhone user (or as many as we can) turn on a data intensive app and run that app for one solid hour. Send the message to AT&T that we are sick of their substandard network and sick of their abusive comments. THe idea is we’ll create a digital flash mob. We’re calling it in Operation Chokehold. Join us and speak truth to power!
The engineers have asked me to serve as a kind of communications director for their efforts — soliciting ideas on what apps to use (Pandora may not be the best) and how to refine the attack on the network.
If anyone has ideas, use the comment strings. Tell your friends. Get people involved. We have five days to create a movement and plan a major assault. As the Portuguese said during the Obama campaign: Si, se puede.
Matt
December 17th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
This is an entirely stupid and reckless idea. What makes you think that having to wait on an App gives you the right to shut down the network. Do you understand how many people rely on that network? I am out of a job at the moment, and my cell is my only phone. I am about to lose my apartment, and that cell is my last lifeline. What happens if I get a job offer on that day, but the network is too bogged down to connect me? Even worse, what if I get in a car accident and the person trying to call 911 for me (through my phone or theirs) cant connect? Think before you speak, and before you insight a mob. Your idea is moronic and selfish. You fail to understand that in our economy, the best way to boycott a product is to not buy it. How effective do you really think that this “Operation Chokehold” can be, considering that they entire time you are boycotting, you are still writing them a monthly check. How stupid are you? Don’t want to deal with shitty service any more? Move to another provider. The Droid is twice the OS that the iPhone touts, and has a network that doesnt fall out from under you. Grow up.
jo blo
December 17th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
@Matt: 911 calls take priority over all other calls on the network, and would be forced through. 911 works even without a SIM card in the phone.
Regardless, Operation Chokehold will not busy up the calling network. Learn how phones work.
Justin Richards
December 17th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
@Matt
That is the reason for this whole operation, so AT&T will wise up and improve their network. It’s so that when you are in a 911 accident and need to call for help, you don’t look at your phone and say “Oh, I have no bars, looks as if I’m going to die.”
Irregardless, the network still sucks, and those who have it should do something about it. I just read about how AT&T is going to try to offer incentives for users to use less data. Why should I have to use less of what I pay to have unlimited of? Even better, why should I pay to have unlimited data when I can barely use it half the time anyway.
I think that this is great and plan on joining in tomorrow.
Steve Jobs
December 17th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Hey Matt, losing your apartment but still paying for high speed internet? You got your priorities straight. dope.
Michael
December 17th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Thats a ridiculous idea. I set up and manage networks for the army and i can tell you that theres no way even if EVERY smartphone and iphone user on ATT used their data for one solid hour, that anything significant would be affected other than them charging you for it. The bandwidth is limited to only be used so much by customer for such a purpose like that so that it cant crash. Good idea, bad method.
nate
December 17th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Seriously. Android is much better. I have a feeling the iphone might be moving to tmobile soon also since they’re setting up their 21mbps network as we speak. Apple would just love to have that kind of speed on their devices.
Tj
December 18th, 2009 at 8:22 am
I would love to be signed with t mobile right now. Their plans are much cheaper than that of At&t but i dont think it would really be any better. The only carrier I never had a problem with was verizon but their phones suck so bad. Im about to do what my buddy did and cancel my contract and get a prepaid sim card for my iphone. He uses the shit out of his iphone and only pays $25 a month.
mlass
December 18th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I purchased an iPhone from Apple because I wanted the iPhone. I have to use AT&T because they are the only Carrier. They don’t want to let us tether it, but I’m on my Laptop that is tethered to an HTC8525 with a tethering plan right now. They say iPhone user use to much Data, then what do you want me to do with the phone (show it off). I’m in the middle of DFW and still can find areas where there is 3G on one side of the freeway, but not the other. I sometimes can’t hear the pin drop because my calls break up and sometimes my calls just drop. Maybe they need to stop selling iPhone’s until the network catches up.
Steven
December 18th, 2009 at 1:09 pm