An iPhone 4 Recall Will Hurt Apple More By Opening Additional Opportunity for Android Devices Than Increased Expenses
Courtesy of Reggie Middleton writing at Zero Hedge
Apple has had a hell of a time with what is arguably its most important product release since the initial iPhone in 2007. The handsets have been plagued with spotty screens, combustible USB ports, signal strength measurement inconsistencies, and the most damaging of the issues – an ill-conceived antenna design that causes attenuation when held from the lower left had corner. Steve Jobs did the Blankfein (Goldman Sachs CEO, stating that the Wall Street bank was doing God’s work) imitation by opening his mouth when he shouldn’t have and said that users were “hold the phone the wrong way”. Not only that, but Consumer Reports just came out with a report stating that they can not recommend the buying of an iPhone until the antenna situation has been rectified, prompting speculation that Apple will be forced to recall millions of phones.
As a matter of fact, the review was rather poignant:
“If you want an iPhone that works well without a masking-tape fix, we continue to recommend an older model, the 3G S.”
As evidence of the danger of relying on “lifestyle” marketing (see An Introduction to How Apple Apple Will Compete With the Google/Android Onslaught)…
It is very easy to fall out of favor with the trendy crowd. While I doubt very seriously that Apple is in danger of doing this anytime soon, a massive recall will open the door for devices which are technically much more capable, flexible and open than the iPhone, ex. the Android powered HTC and Samsung devices. Basically, the danger to Apple here is not the expense of a recall, but the loss of mindshare and potential widening of the opening for some very capable competition – an opening that did not have to be there!
Don’t believe me, click the link to the consumer reports article and peruse the comment section…
Posted by: John | Jul 13, 2010 11:40:28 AM
So, im suppose to BUY an iPHONE 4 that is CLEARLY DEFECTIVE and spend another $30 to purchase a case for it? I have used so many cell phones in the past 10 years and NEVER did had any problems with signal/reception unless im in the subway tunnel. NOTE: These phones I used are from Motorola/Samsung/Nokia and NEVER did had to purchase a CASE or BUMPER to fix signal/reception issue. Also, prior to holding the phone left/right handed NEVER had any issue. Signal/Reception is good.
Now, APPLE released iPhone 4 and he can’t even admit that it is obviously a HARDWARE ISSUE, NOT SOFTWARE. Steve Jobs does not know anything about phones. To say the things he said, he is making a MOCKERY of the rest of the phone company that had a great contribution and stellar reputation in the mobile phone business.
iPHONE 4 is a FAILURE! It has amazing screen resolution and other nifty features, BUT can you hold the phone the NORMAL way WITHOUT a case/bumper? I DO! Im using my DROID and I dont have a case/bumper for it. I have FULL 4 BARS of signal/reception.
A cellphone is not a toy, it is used for mobile communication. APPS/GAMES or SCREEN resolution should be the LAST thing that a cellphone should be used for. To sell a consumer a product knowing it is defective, should be reprimanded for FALSE ADVERTISING. They should be taken to COURT the same way TOYOTA FAILED to inform the PUBLIC regarding the incident pertaining to the gas pedal getting stuck.
For Apple FANBOYS defending Steve Jobs, WAKE UP! He clearly BLAMED YOU and EVERYONE else that YOU are holding the phone wrong. Obviously HE DOESNT CARE if he could just simply BLAME YOU for holding it wrong. The rest of his explanation is pure BS! Unless you are a SHEEP and an IDIOT then go ahead and follow him.
It should be clear to all who peruse this space that this is a significant potential threat to Apple’s largest revenue source. Even if you don’t think it is a danger, Apple does, and as in the recent past, they are handling it in the wrong, George Orwellian-style, big brother type wrong way…
Apple Censoring Discussions of Consumer Reports iPhone Review
Apple has been censoring discussions of a Consumer Reports review that pans the Apple iPhone 4 due to antenna reception issues, but the deleted threads are still visible on the Bing.com. search engine
The iPhone 4 is the best smartphone Consumer Reports has tested, but the company refused to endorse the gadget due to antenna flaws — a fact Apple really doesn’t want you to know.
Apple is censoring discussions of the controversial review on its public message board discussions.apple.com, deleting as many as six threads on the topic. The censorship was uncovered by tuaw.com — the Unofficial Apple Weblog — based on a tip from a reader.
Though deleted from Apple’s website, the online conversations are nonetheless still available online, cached by the Bing search engine [of course, Microsoft found a way to cache this :0-)], noted tuaw.com. The deleted comments reflect the concerns of users and prospective owners at an issue that has been dogging the iPhone for weeks: persistent reception issues caused by holding the Apple phone at a particular angle.
See the video here…
01:44
