Dear Apple,

Dear Apple,

Hello, my name is Brad Jasper and I am currently a Freshman College Student attending Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

I am writing you today, to tell you about a product of yours. The iPod, that is. It’s not to complain, or praise, necessarily, but it’s a great story that I think you should hear.

I had just graduated from high-school and I was in the transition period between my Senior year and my first year of College. I was working for some great Web Development guy’s over at Coalmarch Productions, Tom and Jake. Tom happens to be an active Apple user. I believe he currently sports Apple-only products, with the exception of the poor Windows box “for testing.” Anyway, before I left for College, they gave me the 20GB version of your Apple iPod for free. This was a great gift, because I didn’t have a CD player in my car. I listened to it constantly, and was always really happy with it, when none of my other friends had one.

Two days ago, a few friends of mine, put together an iMovie sponsored by Apple. They basically had to make a short video about a “change” they encountered during their Freshman year. 11 teams entered, my friends won. They each got an Apple iPod-mini. They all rushed home to throw iTunes on their computers. They all opened their amazing cube’s. It was like the Christmas presents they had always wanted. After everyone got all of their music, they rushed back to all listen to their iPod’s together. They all had that night, what I had a few months ago. And it was nice. Now we all had iPods, so I could listen to mine and not feel like I was flaunting it (because it is so sexy). Everything was great. Now let’s forward back to yesterday.

Yesterday, 3 friends and I, decided to head out to the Blue Ridge Parkway. There’s amazing spots with amazing views, scattered throughout the seamlessly endless road (This reminds me, you guys, or gals, should consider making more photography related stuff…that would rule).

We had gone to our usual spot, and enjoyed 3 beautiful hours of a Sun setting and Moon rising with our own taste in Music playing in our ears. It started to get cold and dark, so we decided to head home. Everyone had gone up, except for me.

The spot we were sitting at was this beautiful granite rock, about 200 yards away from the road.

I was standing there, starting to climb back up. All of a sudden, click clickk clikkk cccllliickkk clik click. At first I thought, ok it was a can I had in my hand, and fell out. No big deal, I started to climb. All of a sudden I think, that wasn’t a can, that was my iPod!

Holy Crap! My friends screaming at me, “hurry up,” “come on!” I had to make a decision.

* Leave my iPod down a huge slope, which would be insane to climb down, dig through tons of branches and dirt, and try to find my iPod
* Or I could walk away

I tried to find my iPod.

I put down all my stuff, and began to climb down this mountain. I got about half-way down, and heard my girlfriend calling. I told her what happened, and she started to come down too.

I got almost 90% down the mountain, and stopped. There was a drop. Not like the previous drops. This drop was bigger, and it dropped into branches and sticks. I wasn’t O.K. with this, but I couldn’t have come this far and not get my iPod. I handed my girlfriend my stuff, and began to slide down the drop. Every thing’s ok, every thing’s ok, every thing’s ok, oh sh*t, every thing’s not O.K! I began to fall faster, and faster, and then all of a sudden, I wasn’t falling.

I was sitting, with a branch between my legs. OUCH! O.K, I was in enough pain to want to end the suffering. After about 15 seconds of this, I decided it was time to get up and assess my situation. I was in a bunch of branches, dirt, weeds and filth (I have since this event, checked, and there is a huge scrape about 1 1/2 feet long on my thigh. I’ll send pictures). O.K, it was going to be hard to find my iPod, but I was going to do it.

By now, another friend of mine had came down. We decided on a plan of action quickly, we were going to use the mini iPod’s to find the big iPod. I found this process fairly symbolic because it was like the little child out trying to find it’s mother.

After her passing the iPod to me, which was an arduous (I had make sure it was the right word on Dictionary.com) task, I was able to somewhat see, based off the brilliantly lit, back light.

All of a sudden, I see a reflection. What is this? Could it be? Why, yes, it is! It’s my iPod. I saw it because it’s a smooth white surface, which reflected back at me. I pick it up, expecting the worst, but hoping for the best. Would it be cracked? Would it be broken? Would it still work? It wasn’t cracked! It wasn’t broken! It still worked! It was still playing! HOLY SH*T! People for miles probably heard me scream from the mountain valley.

It kept going right on with that song. That’s what I call skip protection! I yell to the two scared girls at the top of the drop, that I’ve found the iPod, and everyone was O.K! Now all I have to do, is climb up a huge drop, followed by a very steep mountain side.

Slowly, but surely, I get back up the mountain. I inspect my iPod in better lighting. Not only was it not cracked, but it had very low amounts of scratches on it. Wow…just wow. We all sat there in amazement.

So this is my story, to you, the worker at Apple. You can successfully say, that you built something that will fall down a mountain and still work (A great marketing pitch, how many products could sport a sticker like this?).

Also, I think this could be a great commercial. Picture me, standing in front of a white background, explaining my story for the masses. People will now know that they can worry about 1 less thing that will fall down the mountain and break.

Also, I’m working on the switch from Windows to a Mac. But it’s hard. I’m a College student yanno? Not exactly affordable (but still, oh so sexy!).

That’s it Apple, perhaps you could also have a thing like McDonalds, but, instead of xxx,xxx,xxx cheeseburgers sold, you would have xxx,xxx,xxx happy customers.

Sincerely,
Just another happy customer–Brad Jasper

——————

To my blog users, I’ll have a picture of my leg earlier, and more on that iMovie my friends made.