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'Consumer Reports' Holds Strong on iPhone 4 Non-Recommendation

Anyway, when a reviewing organization "doesn't recommend" what I consider the best phone I've ever owned, it sounds more like I shouldn't bother paying attention to that reviewing organization. Their taste just isn't relevant to mine.[/QUOTE]

Well said!
 
I hold strong on my opinion too...

I hold strong on my opinion of Consumer Reports too.

I took their advice on the best vacuum cleaner to buy, some years ago.
$ 200 later I wound up with a very poor vacuum cleaner....

I like their fact sheet on buying cars...but I never take their opinion on which car to buy...

IHMO

I love my 2 iP4's...
 
Having now had an iphone 4 for a month, I consider this the most overblown problem I've ever come across. Yes, I can lose bars if I don't have a case and hold it a certain way while in a bad coverage area. I can do that on my 3GS and bb curve, too. Yes, I lose more bars with the iphone 4 than those phones. But again, only with no case and holding it a certain way, in a low coverage area. So I move my finger a quarter inch.

Who. freaking. cares.

Honestly, people are so worried about the principle of the matter (I shouldn't have to use a case! I shouldn't have to change how I hold it!) that they've completely missed whether it actually really makes for a worse experience. For me, it absolutely does not.

I also still don't get how CR can give it the highest overall rating and not recommend it.
 
QCassidy352 said:
I also still don't get how CR can give it the highest overall rating and not recommend it.
Click to expand...

IMO, it's down to their perception of their rep. and pride. They can't just come out and say "we were wrong" so they have to dig in.
 
I have had absolutely zero problems with my iPhone 4 and love it to death. 'course I'm in Canada where we're not tied to AT&T but I haven't had a single dropped call.

I'll make my own decision - don't need CR to hold my hand...
 
QCassidy352 said:
Who. freaking. cares.

Honestly, people are so worried about the principle of the matter (I shouldn't have to use a case! I shouldn't have to change how I hold it!) that they've completely missed whether it actually really makes for a worse experience. For me, it absolutely does not.

I also still don't get how CR can give it the highest overall rating and not recommend it.
Click to expand...

I don't get how people can get so freaking upset over what CR has to say one way or the other. I mean they come into this thread saying they don't care, but they must to waste their time telling everyone else how much they don't care. :eek:
 
"Influential"?

Consumer Reports used to influence my opinion, but when they actually rank things I know a little about, I always find fault with their methods and so they really aren't that influential to me anymore. I mean if their methods stink on the categories I know of, they probably stink for the categories I don't know about.
 
NebulaClash said:
I'm a Consumer Reports subscriber, but I know their tech coverage is spotty at best. Sometimes it's laughably wrong. And too many people take their word as gospel instead of just one more useful data point. Heh, it's funny but as this thread is developing I just got a subscriber email from them asking for a $26 donation to them so they can continue to buy the products they test. I'll pay them $26 because I believe in their non-advertiser supported model.
Click to expand...

I just want to confirm that I did send them the $26 donation they asked for from their subscribers. I believe in what they do, even if I disagree with them on this issue (as noted ad naseum in this thread).
 
MacRumors said:



093156-iphone_4_case.jpg


Influential ratings magazine Consumer Reports generated waves earlier this year by deciding that it couldn't recommend the iPhone 4 to potential customers due to its antenna issues, despite the fact that the device garnered the top score in the magazine's ratings of smartphones. With Apple's offer of free cases made at its July press conference about the issue, the magazine maintained its non-recommendation, claiming that the temporary program was insufficient in addressing the problem.

Now that Apple has officially announced that it will be ending the free case program as of September 30th, Consumer Reports has once again noted its displeasure with Apple's treatment of the issue and declined to add the device to its list of recommended models.Apple has indicated that any customers experiencing reception issues on their iPhone 4s should contact AppleCare to obtain free cases, opting to end the blanket program in favor of an on-request policy to address what the company believes is a very small number of customers affected by the issue.

Article Link: 'Consumer Reports' Holds Strong on iPhone 4 Non-Recommendation
Click to expand...


I got the iphone 4 and it is out of this world!!!!!!
 
Why I canceled...

I canceled my subscription to CR for this very reason. How can anyone rely upon their advice? Ridiculous...
 
mharpo said:
I canceled my subscription to CR for this very reason. How can anyone rely upon their advice? Ridiculous...
Click to expand...

I dunno. I thought Consume Reports existed to INFORM consumers of good and bad things about consumer products and then that would help you make an informed decision based on that information. I never knew you were supposed to "rely on their advice" by buying one product and only one product because they told you to like some kind of freaking lemming. I don't buy a Toyota Camry just because they gave it a good review, but I do want to know if it has potential braking or accelerator pedal issues (whether caused by a mat or something else) before I buy it and that is helpful information to a normal person who wants to know the truth and not just marketing hype from Apple. If I wanted marketing hype, I would go to the Toyota web site, not Consumer Reports. I would think this sort of think would be obvious to most people, but then we have quite a lot of cantaloupes in this world that actually believe that Fox News actually is fair and unbiased and believe every bit of Republican propaganda nonsense that comes out of their mouths on that station so I guess you can't count on people having common sense or being able to judge anything with their own brains instead of having someone plant it there for them. :confused:
 
NebulaClash said:
I just want to confirm that I did send them the $26 donation they asked for from their subscribers. I believe in what they do, even if I disagree with them on this issue (as noted ad naseum in this thread).
Click to expand...

Wow, I think $26 is a bit too high. I would pay $15 max.
 
NebulaClash said:
Right, and what Apple has proposed doing is very reasonable. They have a product that works well for the majority of users. It's the highest-rated phone CR tested. For a few people, there is an issue. All summer long Apple has allowed everyone, those with the issue and all of those with no problems, to have a free case. Now they are saying you've had plenty of time to get your free case, now we will just give it to those who, you know, actually need one. Just let us know, and you get the bumper free. How on earth is that hard?

Meanwhile they are going to alter the design of the phone so that even this issue will go away for future models.

What does CR want? A total recall? For what? Most people have no issue, there is no danger, the few people who have the issue get a free solution, what would be the point of doing it any other way?

Auto manufacturers publicize the issue, make a solution possible, but it's up to the car's owner to approach the dealership to get that free solution. CR sez this is a good thing.

Apple publicizes the issue, makes a solution possible, but it's up to the phone's owner to approach Apple to get that free solution. CR sez this is unacceptable.

All other phone manufacturers get ignored.

Hypocrisy.
Click to expand...

Maybe ...

For me, the way Apple handled this issue from the VERY beginning was disappointing. The reception issue was laughed away, ignored, then addressed as something else (the software "fix" for signal strength). Eventually, they reported this was a problem ALL phones experience, then they acquiesced the specific problem with the iPhone 4 and ONLY then offered the free bumpers.

I don't care if 1% or less of consumers experience the problem ... a problem exists ... was not corrected by a software fix ... and is still not officially corrected ... just worked around. Consumer Reports was absolutely right about the problem and is well within their right to recommend or not recommend the product. Now how DARE they show the not-so-shiny side of an Apple product ?!? Give me a break.

No sign of any white iPhones, no official word on whether the post-September 30 batches of iPhone 4's will have that insulator installed inside to make death gripping the phone moot, and no warm fuzzy on the software fix pushed to address the 3G performance issues ...

Yeah ... there are still some people waiting to see when Apple will pull their heads out of their :apple:'s before re-upping with AT&T for the new precious. They keep dragging their feet, my current contract will fulfill and I can jump back to Verizon next year. :p
 
This issue seems to be mostly discussed in US centric blogs/sites/forums and US users. The iPhone 4 is shipped worldwide. So why aren't we seeing the same amount of outrage from users overseas?
 
MacSween said:
I don't know of anyone having a problem with the new iphone! I know that it is possible to make the reception problem happen, but I could also "make" reception problems happen on every cell phone I've ever owned.
Click to expand...

Does Consumer Reports stop recommending automobile purchases? Because you know if there is an issue with a car, the manufacturer will issue a recall. If you are affected, you have to take it into a dealer where it will be fixed. The onus is on the owner of the car, for crying out loud! The auto manufacturers should go house to house providing the fix for free to all cars, whether their owners report a problem or not!

Wait, you mean Consumer Reports does not hold the auto manufacturers to the same artificial standard they hold Apple to? How amazing...
 
MacRumors said:



093156-iphone_4_case.jpg


Influential ratings magazine Consumer Reports generated waves earlier this year by deciding that it couldn't recommend the iPhone 4 to potential customers due to its antenna issues, despite the fact that the device garnered the top score in the magazine's ratings of smartphones. With Apple's offer of free cases made at its July press conference about the issue, the magazine maintained its non-recommendation, claiming that the temporary program was insufficient in addressing the problem.

Now that Apple has officially announced that it will be ending the free case program as of September 30th, Consumer Reports has once again noted its displeasure with Apple's treatment of the issue and declined to add the device to its list of recommended models.Apple has indicated that any customers experiencing reception issues on their iPhone 4s should contact AppleCare to obtain free cases, opting to end the blanket program in favor of an on-request policy to address what the company believes is a very small number of customers affected by the issue.

Article Link: 'Consumer Reports' Holds Strong on iPhone 4 Non-Recommendation
Click to expand...

As much as I like the IPhone 4 its reception is not as good as my Black Berry Curve's and as such I can only agree with the above!
Regards
 
Consumer Reports has always been corrupt and in it to tear down companies. Look at the Suzuki Samurai, which was a great vehicle and sales dropped when they said it was prone to rollover. Too bad it wasn't, and they had to modify the test course several times to tip the car... designed specifically for that vehicle to exploit it's weakest point.
 
markie said:
Consumer Reports has always been corrupt and in it to tear down companies.
Click to expand...

What a crock of nonsense. :rolleyes:

Apparently, your idea of "corrupt" is to tell the truth about products instead of letting unsafe, Chinese garbage get pushed on the world with millions in advertising, but not a useful word in the bunch. Do you think Apple is going to advertise their antenna problem or Suzuki is going to brag that their vehicle is more likely to roll over than most other vehicles on the road? Heck no. Most magazines take money directly from the manufacturers that advertise in their magazines and thus have a total conflict of interests. Here's a magazine that doesn't take a dime from advertisers and thus has no reason to pick on anyone or lie about anything. But YOU call that "corruption." That's like Republicans saying they will create jobs (and leave out the "in China" part).
 
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