PR Experts Suggest iPhone 4 Recall 'Inevitable' as Antenna Issue Snowballs

[Wrathwitch]

Because people are dying?

People like the above are really quite dim when it comes to understanding the gist of what the author was saying. Toyota had massive PR damage due to them handling their faulty machinery. The damage wasn't done because people were having accidents, the damage was done due to how they handled it. Or rather refused to handle it.

The scale of damage to a company doesn't have to be due to the risk of life. It merely has to be due to the risk of people's faith in the company and their reputation for excellence and quality.

 

[thepumpkinking]

Black box

Reports are coming out that the black box from the Toyota crashes are indicating driver error.

Just sayin'.

 

[Anuba]

Apple has a great marketing department, but historically they've been pretty bad at PR & damage control.

That's what happens when you have a big mouth but no ears.

I had to chuckle at the CNN article...

Justin Horn, of the site WhenWillApple.com, suggests iPhone 4 users should wear a type of oven mitt called the "Ove Glove" when they need to make calls. The thick glove prevents dropped calls, he says.
"This test produced the best results with zero signal loss, even trumping the results I got with the bumper earlier!" he writes, referring to the "bumper" iPhone 4 cases Apple sells on its site for $29.
"Another plus, the Ove Glove is half the price of the bumper."

Apple did not respond to a CNN request for comment on this story.

Crikey. You know things are bad when CNN asks you to comment on holding your product with an Ove Glove. Whoever takes those calls must have a completely flattened Smack-a-Mac on his/her desk.

 

[donny77]

1) strawman, it works, it doesn't work properly. 2) correct, 3) correct. 4) obviously it is defective.

You have the strawman argument. Unless you were on the iPhone 4 design team, you don't know what "properly" is. You have your definition of properly, but it may not match Apple's.

Let's see if you understand this: You are not Apple's customer. You have given Apple $0 in your iPhone 4 purchase from AT&T. You ARE AT&T's customer. So you think you have recourse with Apple, whom you have never done business with, but not AT&T which you have? I assure you legally you are 100% wrong. Your legal recourse is with AT&T. Apple promised you nothing. AT&T promised you a working Apple product that THEY bought from Apple.

Again the arrogance" your solution is everyone's solution. Mine is to keep it since it can't be returned without cost and petition Apple to make it right, they are the bad guys here.

And I would say if you merely returned it and didn't still insist that Apple do something I'd have no sympathy or respect for you.

Again, there are far more things in heaven and earth than dreamt of in your philosophy it seems, especially in the area of consumer complaints about defective products.

If I buy a defective product, it is returned to the RETAIL outlet I purchased it form in 100% of the cases. If I buy something from Target, I return it to Target, not the manufacturer. I never said it is wrong to complain about Apple, but to repeat it over and over WHILE refusing to return the "defective" product while within the agreed upon return window makes me have ZERO respect for you.

Apple owes you nothing. That doesn't mean they shouldn't address the issue, but your expectation of it is not realistic.

 

[Frisco]

Please leave Toyota outside of this discussion. They make great automobiles and have suffered because a few people mistook the gas pedal for the brake pedal.

What we have here is a lot worse---BP worse!!

 

[bobob]

People like the above are really quite dim when it comes to understanding the gist of what the author was saying. Toyota had massive PR damage due to them handling their faulty machinery. The damage wasn't done because people were having accidents, the damage was done due to how they handled it. Or rather refused to handle it.

The scale of damage to a company doesn't have to be due to the risk of life. It merely has to be due to the risk of people's faith in the company and their reputation for excellence and quality.

The whole Toyota situation had a grain of fact at it's core - - the product recalls. But it was the media which spun it into a massive smear campaign, which conveniently coincided with the need to resuscitate the American auto industry after it's collapse last year.

This whole Apple situation smells like a similar smear campaign to me.

 

[Anuba]

Why do you hate freedom? Our forefathers died in the swamps of Omaha Beach fighting the Communist armies

Erm... the allies and the communist army had a common enemy called nazi Germany. You make it sound like Stalin was holding Normandy.

Cmon people...return it if you're unsatisfied or shut up and stop acting like privileged prima donas. /rant off

Primadonnas are people who start crying over scratches and miniscule backlight leaks. This isn't about a minor cosmetic flaw, it's about a phone that stops being a phone when you touch its left corner. Have some perspective.

 

[BobVB]

You have the strawman argument. Unless you were on the iPhone 4 design team, you don't know what "properly" is. You have your definition of properly, but it may not match Apple's.

I'm the customer, I know exactly what "properly" means.

Let's see if you understand this: You are not Apple's customer. You have given Apple $0 in your iPhone 4 purchase from AT&T. You ARE AT&T's customer. So you think you have recourse with Apple, whom you have never done business with, but not AT&T which you have?

Correct. AT&T is a 3rd party dealer who also in good faith sold Apple products assuming they were without defect and if they were that Apple would tell them so. They are as much a victim as I am of Apple's defective product and their refusal to admit it is a defective product.

I assure you legally you are 100% wrong. Your legal recourse is with AT&T.

Tell that to the class action suits.

Apple promised you nothing. AT&T promised you a working Apple product that THEY bought from Apple.

And according to Apple there is nothing wrong with the product. They are deceiving AT&T and as a consequence, me. Legally smeagly, ethically the problem is Apples.

I never said it is wrong to complain about Apple, but to repeat it over and over WHILE refusing to return the "defective" product while within the agreed upon return window makes me have ZERO respect for you.

I tried to return it, it can't be done without significant cost of multiple kinds because Apple not admitting it has made a defective product.

As to having zero respect, that's what I've developed for you with your bizarre notion that you can tell others how to deal with their consumer complaints. Don't bother responding. Again, if the hall monitors and apologists would just keep their traps shut this thread would be 35 pages shorter.

 

[Frisco]

We live in an Age where a great company can be destroyed overnight by sensationalists and also mainstream news organizations.

Ironically Steve Jobs and his arrogance may be the downfall for the company he started. This may just be Job's 2nd multi-billion dollar mistake.

 

[agreenster]

Everything's amazing, but nobody is happy.

 

[fastfinger]

Reports are coming out that the black box from the Toyota crashes are indicating driver error.

Just sayin'.

No youtube video demonstrating failure on cars. No one could recreate it because it was people over 50 getting confused all along. Anyone can do their own test on their iphone and see it.

 

[jona2125]

I still think a recall is unlikely. It's getting more apparent that Apple will either have to give away free bumpers, or some type of credit towards a case.

It takes months to design a new iPhone, if there was a recall what would they replace it with?

Perhaps Apple will forced to finance a free upgrade to an iPhone 5 next year for all iPhone 4 owners.

They don't have to design an entirely new iphone at all. They just have to add the non conductive coating which has been rumored to been missing on iphone 4's. I think that if apple held off the white iPhone 4 for "manufacturing flaws", that doesn't mean that the black one didn't have those flaws too. Think about it, Apple couldn't push back the date for both phones, they just sucked it up and are watching what happens. I say wait until the 28th when the rest of the iPhone 4's come out and people will be testing them. Also when the white one comes out, eventually, there will be some questions answered.

 

[PDXoPDX]

Erm... the allies and the communist army had a common enemy called nazi Germany. You make it sound like Stalin was holding Normandy.

<<sarcasm

Primadonnas are people who start crying over scratches and miniscule backlight leaks. This isn't about a minor cosmetic flaw, it's about a phone that stops being a phone when you touch its left corner. Have some perspective.

<<Yes, it's a phone. Buy a different one.

P.S. I do actually own an iPhone 4 and have no problems with it like many other posters. I owned a 1st gen Intel MBP so I get the angst that early adopters feel, but really? I have yet to experience a single instance where attenuation has interfered with the use my iPhone4. I'm not saying that problems can exist for some users or that technical lab trials (Consumer Reports, etc...) turn up performance related issues, but the real-world impact for most users has been blown way out of proportion.

 

[xciteboy]

This is nonsensical.

Like many, I'm bothered by some things about iPhone 4.

--#1 is AT&T, my least favorite American operator due to crappy voice coverage in cities and super-slow or nonexistent data whenever more than 10 iPhones are on the same tower. OK I'm embellishing, but I've worked with this carrier in the past and they've knowingly underinvested in their data capacity since their pre-Cingular days.

--Love the design aesthetically. Really afraid of breaking all that glass.

Despite these flaws (and others - notifications suck and multi-tasking is nowhere near as simple as webOS), I bought an iPhone. I've used iPhones in the past, but I've used lots of other phones too. Most recently I tried an Evo for almost a month but it wasn't cutting it for me. iPhone 4, overall, has more of what I'm looking for in a smartphone.

I don't notice the antenna issue. It's easy enough not to put my finger over the *one specific place* that will attenuate the signal. I'm sure a pretty high percentage of customers are using cases - and would have anyway given the threat of shattering the glass back...

Bottom-line: our beautiful iPhones are fragile and a little temperamental. If you don't like it, don't buy it. If you bought it already and don't like it, return it - you've got 30 days. There won't be a recall.

Comparing a less-than-ideal cell phone design with the potential safety hazard from a malfunctioning car is ludicrous.

And this quote shows how brainless these discussions are getting:
“There has to be a military-like response to this issue. And we have not seen this kind of urgency.” <== Um, it's a cell phone. Call in the paratroopers?

 

[foiden]

This is why I bring popcorn to these discussions. The Forum Drama is just too good.

 

[MUrhino]

Apple has little time from turning rotten.

The first lesson of crisis management 101 in business is to be transparent, come clean with your mistakes, and do what it takes to fix the problem. I don't even have an iPhone 4 and I'm a little miffed. Talk to Consumer Reports, duplicate their findings, and fix the problem. What I find so ironic (and somewhat humorous) is how Steve talked up the design of the antenna so much at the convention ("ooos" and "aaaahhs" heard all over the place), and now one of their technological designs is blowing up in their face. No, I'm not an apple hater. In fact I like apple...as long as they make quality products and stand behind them. Emphasis on the latter point.

Apple as a company has gotten MUCH larger and less customer service oriented. They used to offer online discounts to students, military, government employees...and these were on EVERY product!! Sure it may only be $5 off a mighty mouse or something, but it was appreciated. They're turning into a money loving behemoth. Better handle this iPhone 4 thing the right way or you're going to lose a lot of brand loyalty Apple. The other smart phones have caught up in most areas...i'm just sayin'.

 

[MacTheSpoon]

To be honest, I'm surprised Consumer Reports didn't withdraw their recommendation based on the easily shatterable glass, too.

At any rate, all of this sure doesn't say much about technology reviewers. The only one who came close to noticing these flaws was Walt Mossberg, and he didn't catch the extent of the antenna problem or catch the breakable glass flaw, either.

I'll bet none of them trip over themselves to issue mea culpas about blowing it, either.

 

[HyperZboy]

I'm glad this is getting main stream media attention.

I've known for a long time that Apple deletes Apple Discussions topics that are negative towards the company. I know because one of my complaints was deleted years ago. This practice has been going on for a long time.

Maybe this will make for a positive improvement in the way Apple deals with its customers in the future. Let's hope.

 

[MacTheSpoon]

Store that sell cell phones typically mini cell towers. So it'll be almost impossible to reproduce it in stores.

Actually, I tried it on an iPhone 4 in the local Apple Store and it dropped two bars. Couldn't believe it.

 

[scotty56]

Just another happy iPhone owner who really has zero problems with signal reception from grasping no matter how hard I try. Guess I live in an area with rare good coverage

 

[Hands Sandon]

Just another happy iPhone owner who really has zero problems with signal reception from grasping no matter how hard I try. Guess I live in an area with rare good coverage

Either that or you're a liar, yes. Do you ever travel outside your village?

 

[mattster16]

To be honest, I'm surprised Consumer Reports didn't withdraw their recommendation based on the easily shatterable glass, too.

At any rate, all of this sure doesn't say much about technology reviewers. The only one who came close to noticing these flaws was Walt Mossberg, and he didn't catch the extent of the antenna problem or catch the breakable glass flaw, either..

AHH WHAT, GLASS IS BREAKABLE!?!? Say it ain't so!

 

[mattster16]

Just another happy iPhone owner who really has zero problems with signal reception from grasping no matter how hard I try. Guess I live in an area with rare good coverage

Same here. Have not been able to replicate the reception problem anywhere I've gone with the phone. I've even tried 'bridging' the lower left gap with a paperclip. I do believe that the issue does exist though. I'm just not so sure how much of it is actual problem and how much of it is hype and just another thing to add to the list of things for people to complain about and blow out of proportion without facts and it'll pass in a week or so (as is the trend in today's world).

 

[Sabenth]

A blow up doll has better reception than this devices is what i am reading hear its all hot air. If the product needs a recall then it needs one simple as that. All this forum space for people to go on about what was obvious when jobs did the demo and bumpers says it all really. It dont work how its suppose too and what ever there prices are for there plastic rubber addons is not justified because the precious previous models did not need such things. Cant blame the mobile networks on this one they mucked up simple as that

 

[corkscrew]

Simply (although disasterious for Apple) a terrible marketing decision.....

In Apple's (and other smartphone manufacturer's) attempts to be the "newest, smallest, etc., etc., etc. smartphone on the market I think Apple (and ultimately Steve Jobs ala the buck stops here) made a terrible mistake. As another blogger commented, we all pay a premium for Apple's "Quality". Remember when Apple was the underdog and customer satisfaction and product quality came first?

If I worked for Apple I would have included the infamous "Bumper" with every iphone 4g along with the disclosure in the "quick start pamphlet".... "Use of the included bumper case although not required may enhance reception and performance of the iphone". All of this "recall" ***** could have been avoided with the inclusion of the "Bumper Case" which probably only costs pennies to manufacture.

Shame on you Steve Jobs. You forget what the company you founded was based upon and your loyal customers.