Here’s a great story about an iPad 2 that was returned to Apple.
Apple is keeping a close eye on iPad 2 returns as part of its QA process. The company wants to identify any problems in early production units, like the light-bleeding backlights we’ve been hearing about.
But one customer returned his iPad 2 for a different reason: his wife wouldn’t let him keep it. He took his iPad back to the Apple Store with a sticky note on it: “Wife said no.”
But a pair of executives at Apple got wind of the story and sent him a replacement iPad 2 with a new sticky on it. Guess what it said?
“Apple said yes”
If the lucky fellow reads this, please get in touch. We’d love to hear more.
MacRumors: iPad 2: Wife Says No, but Apple Says Yes
Leander Kahney is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac.
Leander is a longtime technology reporter and the author of six acclaimed books about Apple, including two New York Times bestsellers: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products and Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
He’s also written a top-selling biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook and authored Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, which both won prestigious design awards. Most recently, he was co-author of Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition.
Leander has been reporting about Apple and technology for nearly 30 years.
Before founding Cult of Mac as an independent publication, Leander was news editor at Wired.com, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Wired.com website. He headed up a team of six section editors, a dozen reporters and a large pool of freelancers. Together the team produced a daily digest of stories about the impact of science and technology, and won several awards, including several Webby Awards, 2X Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism and the 2010 MIN (Magazine Industry Newsletter) award for best blog, among others.
Before being promoted to news editor, Leander was Wired.com’s senior reporter, primarily covering Apple. During that time, Leander published a ton of scoops, including the first in-depth report about the development of the iPod. Leander attended almost every keynote speech and special product launch presented by Steve Jobs, including the historic launches of the iPhone and iPad. He also reported from almost every Macworld Expo in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, including, sadly, the last shows in Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His reporting for Wired.com formed the basis of the first Cult of Mac book, and subsequently this website.
Before joining Wired, Leander was a senior reporter at the legendary MacWeek, the storied and long-running weekly that documented Apple and its community in the 1980s and ’90s.
Leander has written for Wired magazine (including the Issue 16.04 cover story about Steve Jobs’ leadership at Apple, entitled Evil/Genius), Scientific American, The Guardian, The Observer, The San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Leander has a postgrad diploma in artificial intelligence from the University of Aberdeen, and a BSc (Hons) in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.
He has a diploma in journalism from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Leander lives in San Francisco, California, and is married with four children. He’s an avid biker and has ridden in many long-distance bike events, including California’s legendary Death Ride.
You can find out more about Leander on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can follow him on X at @lkahney or Instagram.
173 responses to “Apple Sends Customer iPad 2 After Wife Made Him Return It”
that is so awesome. three cheers for Apple.
wow .. wonder what the wife has to say now :P
first great story i wish i was him
you mean EX-wife, right? Who would put up with such a manipulating, heartless, abusing wife/witch? Imagine all the other stuff she must come up with if THIS was an issue… Geez, man, get out while you still can…
That is the greatest thing I have ever heard
“wife said no”.. Steve Jobs ‘The hell she did ! Well tell her apple says yes, yes to divorce”. I wonder if it was preloaded with stuff too
Hey Apple, My wife also said no!!!!!!
Hey Apple, My wife also said no!!!!!!
Yeah he gets a free Ipad 2, but he’s still screwed with the wife. And now the wife will sue them for interfering in a spousal dispute. Or she’ll make him sell it. I don’t wish I was him. I wish I was me, my wife let me keep mine and even plays Angry Birds on it from time to time.
HURRY IPAD3 RELEASE JUST ANNOUNCED!!!!
WOW IPAD4 RELEASE JUST ANNOUNCED TOO!!! just stop buying so they will be forced to make a worth while product. I hate when companies start mass releasing product version after version… Isn’t frustrating to any of you who go out and buy the new thing just to find out the newer one will be out in a matter of weeks…..
Wonder if that works with hookers. My wife was very clear that was a NO!
Keep the iPad, return the wife… Life is so limited and short to be controlled… Just imagine what else she does!
This is awesome. I wonder what his wife said when the guy received the new iPad with the note from Apple. I bet she was still pissed. She sounds like a real B.
Not to rain on this parade but don’t be “Sheeple”. Just because this story references two anonymous Apple VPs doing a good deed reported by a “source close to Apple”, most everyone is willing to heap good will on Apple. I know I’m nay saying here but this story reeks of rumor and lacks hard facts. I’m not knocking the story mind you. I’m concerned at the gullibility of the general commenting public’s reaction absent corroborating facts. Talk about free press and undeserved good will for Apple. I know Apple wouldn’t want to toot their own horn in this way, but at least a believable amount of detail would be nice – recipient’s name and wife’s reaction; names of the VPs; name of the close Apple source who reported the story. Otherwise, it is just too good to be true and may just trot off into the realm of an urban legend.
I’ll be one of the first to congratulate Apple on such action when corroborating facts are presented. Otherwise, media shouldn’t waist the cyberspace type.
NO we be rich and the envy of poor people like you! Lol, just playing, I don’t buy every generation, only if its worth it. I skipped the Ipad 1 and got the 2. And unless some miracle happens, will skip the ipad 3.
Wow, that took a lot of time to write.
Save the cyberspace type!!! Its being wasted! We will run out of cyberspace soon!
Awesome!!!!!!! My wife tried that with the 1st one. Needless to say. I kept it;}
“Apple said yes”… greatest Apple story I’ve ever heard. :)
You have to wonder what was it the wife didn’t like ?
That´s why my wife and I keep separate bank accounts and separate money.
Also I have 60% of my money in another account she doesn’t know it exists.
She doesn’t mess with my money (she doesn’t even know how much I make).
I make 70% of house income, so I decide what to do with extra money.
I love my wife, but I don’t trust what comes if you divorce.
I actually returned the iPad 1 for a similar reason. Bear in mind though that I have credit, but no job. And I figured if I was going to make the wife mad, it was going to be over the iPad 2! Besides, I wanted the 32GB anyway. :)
Haha, this totally made my day.
Wow, that sounds like a healthy, open, and honest relationship.
How would the wife know about his Ipad2, while she was in the Kitchen? Fail.
Man, I should have advertised more when my wife made me return the original iPad. It was supposed to be a birthday present to myself because for her birthday she got a sewing machine that was also like 500 bucks. But when I got it for my birthday she made me take it back because money was getting tight and our family is living off of my student loans while I go back to school. Needless to say, I still have no iPad and won’t be getting one in the foreseeable future.
If my husband spent $500 on a gadget (or ANYTHING for that matter) without discussing it with me, I’d have an “issue” with it too. What world do you live in?
Really, it’s “controlling” to expect your spouse to discuss a large purchase with you before shelling out the dough (to me it’s large, anyway)? I thought that was common sense…
spending for an iPad wouldn’t hurt you. it’s not like you’re purchasing something like that everyday. learn how to chill, it’s just a gadget for heaven’s sake. it could be a husband’s way of relaxing or something. same thing goes for you women if you purchase something once in a while just to reward yourself, guys should be ok with that (actually, girls spend more with things not needed like all your accessories and stuff, and you dont like to be controlled about it, so leave the guys alone).
life is short and you wouldn’t be able to bring all your money to your grave. its the simple joys in life that you’re depriving your husband.
now if it’s spending way “too much” on something like beer or casino or cigar or drugs or whatever… or if you don’t really earn a lot and you are always on a budget to live everyday, then yes i’m with you.
This is why Apple is better. They have a sense of humor. Microsoft doesn’t.
The world where if I earn money, I spend it on whatever the f*ck I like,without having to check with the wife or anyone else. Good for Apple. I hope the guy kicks her to the curb.
Yeah, that’s what you think. She has keystroke loggers on all your computers and packet sniffs all traffic. She’s also cheating on you.
Maybe that’s true. But I have received a LOT more free stuff ($thousands over the years) from Microsoft than I’ve ever received from Apple. In fact… I’ve never received ANYTHING from Apple. Hmm.
I had a problem with Netflix lag and wrote Steve Jobs this morning. I got a reply from Chris Bell and was told he was assigned to help with my issue by Steve directly. He called me and had an engineer with him, took my serial numbers, information and will be getting back to me in a few days after looking over my logs. I still can’t believe how amazing of service that is.
Husband needs to get a pair.
Like you ask your lucky hubby when you pile the cosmetics, shoes, purses, jewelry, and yoga classes? Doesn’t that add up to more than $500? Just because your genitals and brain chemistry are different makes you somehow special? What world do YOU live in? Besides, since when is the iPad a “gadget”?
Man, am I glad I’m divorced. I can spend MY money, MY time, MY way, WHEN I want, on WHATEVER I want without need of justification to entitled femi-nazis… My iPad’s in the mail, as we speak, and I hope this dude will wake up, grow a pair, and get his iPad, also!
Ha ha ha. keyloggers?. She doesn’t even know how to handle my macbook air power button. She’s a tech-hater (Thanks God).
Might she be cheating on me?. Does your’s cheat on you?. Do you have the answer?. We’re in the same boat. Sooner or later we will find out.
Sounds a lot like the husband had an idea how to get his iPad 2 back….come up with a story about Apple sending him one for free….bet he wrote the note and bought it with his own funds! =)
Probably because you’re a MS fanboy. Apple doesn’t like that.
tl;dr
Gee, it’s no wonder you’re divorced, you pig. I only hope you lost your pair so you won’t procreate.
So…he DIDN’T get the refund, is what you’re saying? Sometimes, people actually can’t afford to buy the new hot toy, you know. He tried to return it and they wouldn’t let him? That’s bullshit.
well we can remove the word “controlling” if you wouldn’t have an “issue” with it like you posted.
I hope you also “discuss” with your husband (if you have) each of your vanity purchases, the bags, branded clothes, salon, spa, mani/pedi etc…
that’s nice man.
though i hope no divorce will happen.
haha. that’s the solution
Dearest Jen, some basic economics/relationships that you apparently missed on Oprah: why buy the cow when you can get milk for free?
PS Thanks for your kind concern about my gonads – my girlfriend sees to them quite nicely. How’s your breeding going?
Sent from one of my many iGadgets
That’s because you earn more money than your husband?. If not, I see no point discussing anything.
If you make more money than him you have the right to ask, probably because you pay most of your house bills, but if you earn less (like most cases) you should not say a word.
If all household bills are covered by him and you, he is free to use his money for whatever he likes.
Not to mention if he is the only one that keeps the bills payed.
I see many couples having issues with this matter, trying to administer money
I’ve been married for 19 years, and our money policy works very well.
My money is MY money, and my wife’s money is hers. No questions asked as long as all bills are covered. BTW she makes less money than me, but enough to cover her needs so this is not a competition. She could spend her money in anything she likes to.
She doesn’t know how much I make with my business and I don’t know how much she makes at her work. And this has been like this for 19 years.
With money out of the question, we have a pretty healthy relationship.
i saw your name and my name is Ethan Michael Anthony Stein…! :)
I live in a world where my wife doesn’t control what I buy. Is he allowed to have an “issue” when you waste $150 getting your hair done?
He should marry Apple ;)
All this macho behavior of men not wanting to discuss a purchase like that (unless you make really big money) is disgusting. A marriage is not driven by rivalry or nitpicking. Do you know how serious he was with his sticky note?
Apple seems to have a delightful sense of humor unlike you neurotics.
Dearest bozomac,
Touche, but . . .
why by the pig when you’re getting the sausage for free?
:)
*buy
i just got my free ipad 2 and i love it! check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
Preach it, sister!
My wife and I discuss any major purchase. Besides, we’d both use the Ipad, if that’s what we chose to purchase. Certainly seems to be a lot of self loathing around here. How can someone love you if you can’t even love yourself?
Funny. My wife said “no” a lot too. Now I have an ex wife and a new girlfriend that says yes a whole lot more…!
I agree with bozomac on this one and I’ve been married almost 23 years. Chances are I would discuss it with my wife beforehand but if I didn’t there’s NO WAY she’s going to make me take it back. I did not tell her when I bought my last iPhone and I did not tell her before I bought my last Cinema Display. I am a big boy and can make whatever buying decisions I want. She has the same freedom if she feels she wants to buy something. In fact, when I was on a mountaineering expedition in Alaska one year I came home and she’d bought a new car. Our old one died and she couldn’t reach me. She paid too much but she was happy with it so I didn’t care much. It’s only money.
Maybe my wife is old school but she expects her husband to act like a man.
Exactly! But pork is better for you than beef… :)
Most women end up buying the pig because their clock is ticking and they assume/hope the guy cares about kids as much as she does (and in their 30s…), which is mostly erroneous, since most guys under 40 care about career, gadgets, and “beef”…
Free milk and sausage for everyone!
Why all of you chauvinistic schmucks assume all women are spending their money on clothes, salons, mani/pedis, etc. is beyond me. Are you all functionally retarded or did you get pooped on by girls too often as teenagers? Odds are good any woman posting on cultofmac probably likes gadgets as much as you do. You should pull your head out of your bottoms and stop stereotyping.
THANK YOU. That’s exactly what I was thinking as I read all these comments.
Wifes and Husbands limiting each other’s wishes?
In which century do you live?
All of you need to shut up. This is a gadget website, not some divorce complaint forum.
How very cosy. You have obviously never had to scrimp and save and have had a very comfortable life. In my world the money is “ours” because we’ve chosen who does what to support our business, children, extended family etc. Forgoing income is part of that joint decision making process and I will not be classified as “less” because of it.
HAHAHA! My wife waited in line to get me an iPad 2! I got it made! :)
If that works for you it’s okay, as long eachother understands that man and woman have different needs.
If you let him have what he likes, and he lets you have what you like, no problems as long you can afford it.
I don’t argue with my wife and make her return what she buys for her (like shoes, jewelery, etc), as long she can afford it. If she can’t afford it, I give her the money.
She doesn’t argue with me and make me return my stuff as long my home, and my 5 kids have whatever they need.
We are both professionals, and use money as a tool.
Money doesn’t drive our lives and by no means is an objective.
yeah right.
impressions on girls about overspending with salons, clothes, etc wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t true. good for you spittingkitty if you’re not like that. ive got a couple of girl friends who’d rather spend their money on an iPad dock or camera lense than a fancy jewelry or scarf, and i find it really cool.
and i dont blame girls with impressions on men spending too much time watching nba, beers, stuff coz its true too.
but the originating post for all these replies doesn’t sound like the lady loves gadget too… more like depriving a husband
I got the 1, and will skip the 2 (and 3, 4, etc.) and get a Samsung Android tablet
Sounds like a depressing marriage. Who makes someone return a birthday gift to themselves?
Apple updates their iOS products once a year. Everyone knows this. Everyone knew the new iPad would be out in March/April. Once a year isn’t ‘weeks’- pretty much all competitors update their products at a faster rate. Once a year is very reasonable, and predictable.
If it works, who cares? Some people don’t find it necessary to let their wives to go through every single line of their bank statement, questioning and wanting to debate every little purchase. It’s ok to have a bit of privacy, problems and contentious issues can be avoided this way, not everything has to be shared and in the ‘open’. You’d be naive to think full honesty is always ‘healthy’, or that people actually want and can handle full honesty.
Wait, doesn’t your husband have his own money? I can see being upset at a $500 purchase with family money without consultation, but I can’t see why husband and wife shouldn’t have “personal” money they can spend as they wish, or why either party would object to the other spending their own money on a gadget.
My girlfriend & I keep our funds separate and find the struggle amusing. I buy my geek stuff & she attends to her cosmetic obsessions… no problems at all. But, of course, that would require a female to refrain from sitting at home watching the boob tube all day expecting free commodities.
We never argue about money.
My wife and I don’t make a lot of money, so spending $500 on a gadget could very well prevent us from eating. Always good to make sure that an expense is mutual, especially if the budget is tight.
This is why my husband and I have a gadget account. We are gadget geeks and know we are going to want the “new” gadget so we each put $50-75 a month in a seperate account and we talk about the next gadget coming, how much does it cost, are we going to need 2, do we want it and we monitor the release date to make sure we have enough money. No one takes anything out of that account unless WE talke about it first. Communicate in your marriage and you can get anything you want.
I don’t understand why people feel the need to make assumptions.
If any husband or wife spends money without consulting with the other person first, it’s a problem. Why? Because if either of them ends up spending too much they both suffer for it since they are dependent on each other. Stability is a must.
Some women over-spend with clothes and make-up. Some men over-spend on gadgets or games. If you don’t like the idea of being responsible and sharing your money… then don’t get married. It really is that simple.
I like both equally and I’ve never received anything free from apple, but tons free from Microsoft. Microsoft does have this sense of humor.
When will you people learn that no one company bests the other? This is not about either of them being the best. They are two companies who happen to make similar products… like ford and toyota. Stop being petty and trying to shut the other one down.
the only thing funnier than this 100% accurate comment is the idiot haters responding to it with zero substance (just emotional outrage that you actually said it). ROCK ON BROTHER
Why’s he a pig for knowing math? Why should he not procreate because he enjoys spending his own money without getting hassled for it? You fail at making sense.
unfortunately for your [lack of] making sense: this post on this gadget website is about spousal friction, making comments about divorce and other relationship friction not only entirely appropriate but pretty much called for. you fail.
Hey man, you should touch your wife more that iPad2
Hey man, you should touch your wife more than iPad2
Hey man, you should touch your wife more than iPad2
I took the Easy way out.. I just didnt get married at all… and i buy whatever, however, whenever my budget allows… simple and easy, no friction, no extra expenses or the possibility of being wiped out by the big D….
oh and I commend apple for saying Yes.. let the guy enjoy his new iPAD like those of us that have iPADs surely do…
See people like you are why I rather not be associated with the apple community.
The apple fanboys just degrade and put people down the minute anyone doesn’t go “omg praise thee lord Jobs and his teachings”
Validar basically just said he hasn’t recieved anything from apple and you take it as a personal attack and call him names. Grow up!
And oh before you call me a fanboy too, i do have an iphone and ipad. Sad that I have to tell people what mac products i own or I will get flamed to death.
are you retarded it was the cost of the ipad2, not the ipad2 itself. idiots!