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Apple is holding a press conference on Friday morning regarding the iPhone 4. The company has already sold millions of iPhone 4 units, but it can’t escape the negative attention it has been getting due to the phone’s reception issues. Earlier in the week Consumer Reports rescinded its iPhone 4 recommendation based off of the reception problems and Apple killed any discussion of the findings in its official forums. The issue has become so mainstream that it has been discussed on shows like Countdown with Keith Olbermann and the Late Show with David Letterman.
Most tech writers have guessed that Apple will address the issue once and for all at Friday’s presser, but what exactly will the company do? A recall would incredibly damaging and expensive. Giving Apple Store credit for a free bumper would cost a helluva lot less, but still an admission of guilt. Perhaps the reception problem will be addressed and followed up with a big announcement that will help people overlook the situation. Before I get to your predictions, I want to leave you with the hilarious words of Fake Steve Jobs:
We will never, ever, ever do a recall. No way. The stain of a few gripers we can deal with. The stain of a recall is something that takes years — years — to overcome. In our business it would be fatal. We would never recover.
So, no. We’ll keep shipping the f***ed-up phones, and we’ll continue to insist that they are the best phones in the world with the best antenna that has ever been invented for any mobile device. We’ll keep running syrupy ads showing deaf mutes waving at each other over FaceTime.
That last line killed me. I had to share it with you.
Anyway, what do you think Apple will do this Friday? Do you think its reputation will take a long-term hit? How about its stock price? Predict away (please)!
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@smartguy I think the silver/silver will look great on the white iPhone 4. I'm very tempted to get a white Canadian (iPhone, not woman) for game/app reviews. Since it's unlocked, I'd use it as my international phone.
@Ray
Yeah that would look nice. I'm trying to convince my gf to get the white one and then swap hers for my black iPhone. No luck so far.
What I took from the conference (haven't watched it yet, just followed MacWorld's liveblog):
1) I find it a reasonable argument that Apple hasn't had a whole lot of time to obtain data on the reception/antennae issues. (I'm sure they knew it was a potential risk in development, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that they didn't intentionally go for an untested or poorly-tested build.) That said, it's that AppleCare number that sticks out to me the most. 0.55% of users have reported issues with reception or antennae concerns. I'm sure some people are holding out since Apple previously promised a fix forthcoming, but I can't imagine that number ballooning to the catastrophic amounts some sites would lead us to believe. Not to mention, people I've talked to that own it (and I've been asking everybody before I decide to get one or not) haven't had so many issues with the reception; it's the proximity sensor, if anything.
2) It's definite that Apple is experiencing some growing pains, and are having to deal with a number of issues they didn't have when they were smaller. I think most companies should be given the benefit of the doubt (especially with a track record such as Apple's) when they're growing, but I would have liked to hear more of an empathetic tone in the quotes I read. I don't know much about marketing, but I think that would have resonated a little better with people.
In other news, the end of 1 vs. 100 makes me sad (I was once #1 until the first stat break during the live show, then plummeted on the next question, but there was my 15 seconds of fame), and if/when I wind up getting the iPhone 4, I think I like that Element case much more as well.