“‘He called me and said, ‘This is Steve Jobs from Apple.’ I said, ‘Yeah right. I have a son that loves to play tricks and he does that every now and then — calls me and imitates somebody.’ After three or four times of asking ‘Come on now, who is this,’ Sulcer realized that his caller ID read simply ‘Apple,’ and only then did he believe that he was the winner of the contest and a $10,000 iTunes card,” Kreps reports.
Full article, in which Kreps reports that Sulcer was “unaware that Apple was even having a contest celebrating their 10 billionth purchase,” here.
MacDailyNews Take: It figures. We sat there with fingers poised on Magic Mice with timers, clocks, virtual odometers, and fancy algorithms trying to ordain the precise moment to press “Buy” to win the damn thing and the winner turns out to be unaware there was even a contest!
[Attribution: Fortune. Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jersey_Trader” for the heads up.]
Surely a phone call from The Almighty One is much more important and impressive than the prize itself…
Not that I’d say no to a $10000 iTunes gift card, mind.
Ha I was much like the mdn take describes, trying to win that thing. Lucky guy!
Hahaha, hilarious! Good for him! MDN, you funny.
I suppose the only way of identifying him would be for him to buzz the winner’s house in the Apple Jet. I guess any good actor could pretend to be him, and would, hence the perfectly understandable suspicion.
That’s why apple rules. Jobs replys to some emails, which we read about during the whole app name changing problems a while ago. And now calls a normal person, he acually takes the time for the people who put him where he is now. Where Microsoft your lucky if you get through to some guy named Amir representing Microsoft in a call center based in Pakistan. Awesome to hear jobs still doing his part for the lucky common people.
In a way it’s truly great that he didn’t know about the contest. iTunes has become such a natural part of the landscape that it’s now how you buy music. I remember something called CD’s and I’ve heard stories about something called ‘records’ but all kidding aside, the fact that he just liked the song and just chose to buy it (as opposed to someone buying great gobs of music hoping to snag the prize) is perfect.
In all likelihood we will see the iPad push media consumption in a similar fashion although the apparent addiction to short form, largely meaningless content in the form of tweets and texts is something many will need to outgrow. Hard to tweet and text when you have to change the diaper and take the older one to soccer practice. Life actually happens.
I was going to give it a shot and buy “Heart Shaped World” by Chris Isaak but I was in an area without 3G. Then I forgot.
I’ve had this album twice before. If only there were some way to never have to worry about the tape stretching or the CD scratching……
I’d rather have the phone call from SJ than the Gift Card!
LMAOAGTTSTBAO!!!!!
(LMAO And Going To The Store To Buy Another One)
Damn, I was right behind that dude in line…
@ TowerTone
Great album, worth buying again and again…
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It would be cool if it was an apple store card…
Mugwump,
Are you serious? I was THIRD in line, apparently right beyond you. Crazy!
If it will make any of you feel better, then I’ll call you and tell you I’m Steve Jobs…just don’t ask me for anything free.
You also could just buy 10g worth of songs to feel better until the statement comes next month.
John Denver . . . er, I mean Jerry Landers didn’t believe him either.
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I bought about twenty individual songs too (all 99-cent songs), just before the clock struck 10 billion…!
(The thing I noticed with the “countdown timer” is that you had to keep refreshing it. If you just had a browser window open with it showing, it seemed to “run slow,” like to could not keep up.)
I think it is kind of cool that the actual winner did not even know there was a contest going on.
Yes, C1, that that album is one “Wicked Game”.
And to all you guys behind him, I was right in front but had to go pee.
That photo of Steve is a little scary, a little too much cyan.
I guess we all get old, and a little cyan-y.
What’s up with ‘that’?
THE STORE KNOWS.
It knew all us knuckleheads that were primed and ready. It laughed at us and chose the innocent bystander.
In 2000, I was sent an email that “You have won a new Apple iBook – all you have to do is pick the color”
I ignored them as junk until one day this guy called me and said – “Why haven’t you replied to my emails?”
I said “because it’s not true”
The guy called me over the next few days until he said that a local dealer – one that I used (before Apple Stores) had my new Mac ready for me.
I drove there after work and sure as hell, it was there with my name on it!
So, yes, I totally understand this guy not believing this…
Good for him – sounds like a nice fella!
Uhmmm… No purchase was necessary, people. You just needed to fill out the info and press submit. Easy peasy.
@MDN:
That’s life in a nutshell!
I’m trying to think what I’d do with a $10K credit on iTunes. It would almost be chore to use it up.
@ MDN
haha suckers.. Didn’t win!!!