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Why is Apple having so many uncharacteristic problems with the iPhone 4?

T

thermal

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 3, 2009
294
370
Vancouver, Canada
a) Lost/stolen prototype leading to a public criminal investigation.
b) WWDC - iPhone 4 fails to work properly at demo.
c) White iPhone 4 delayed indefinitely due to manufacturing problems.
d) Major problems and crashes during iPhone pre-ordering.
e) The antenna issue.

My theory: intense competitive pressure.

With the first iPhone, Apple spent years developing and testing the product to ensure everything worked smoothly. When the product was released, Apple had the touchscreen smartphone market largely to itself. When the 3G and 3GS were introduced, Apple's competitors were still scrambling to catch up.

Today, other smartphone manufacturers are much closer to offering a real iPhone alternative, and in some ways they have surpassed what the iPhone offers. The pressure on Apple was intense to create a 4th generation iPhone that was significantly improved. The pressure and hyper-accelerated time frames (manufacturers introducing competitive products every few weeks) meant Apple stretched their resources much further than before... leading to oversites, undertesting, and the some of the problems we see today.
 
Enough already when another company sells 1.7 million phones in less than a week then their is no comparison.
 
lol wouldnt it be funny if the black iphone was the one that had manufacturing problems
 
Apple rushed the iPhone 4 to market with insufficient testing. It simply is not ready for prime time.

Apple was worried about the Samsung assault with their very successful Android Galaxy S model on each of the Big 4 carries in the USA. This is the first time that any major manufacturer has released their top of the line smartphone on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint all in a matter of the same 90 day period. This phone has been very successful outside of the US, and now we are getting it here.

In addition, you have the new Motorola DROID X, and many other Android phones coming into the US between now and the end of the year. They are all eager to grab market share.

Android has been identified as Apple's biggest threat.

Thats why so many fanboys are badmouthing it on this forum.
 
wirelessmacuser said:
Apple rushed the iPhone 4 to market with insufficient testing. It simply is not ready for prime time.

Apple was worried about the Samsung assault with their very successful Android Galaxy S model on each of the Big 4 carries in the USA. This is the first time that any major manufacturer has released their top of the line smartphone on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint all in a matter of the same 90 day period. This phone has been very successful outside of the US, and now we are getting it here.

In addition, you have the new Motorola DROID X, and many other Android phones coming into the US between now and the end of the year. They are all eager to grab market share.

Android has been identified as Apple's biggest threat.

Thats why so many fanboys are badmouthing it on this forum.
Click to expand...

You're making my laugh my ass off. Anyone who is afraid of Samsung needs their head checked.

I badmouth Android because, having tried it, I found it be like using Windows Mobile 6.1. It's awful.

Apple didn't rush the iPhone to market. They've been testing these since at least January when it showed up in the iPad picture that was leaked.
 
No problems here.

I truly believe this is the best iPhone and phone to date. I get better signal in most cases in areas of low signal strength. At my parents I never could make a call without it dropping.. Now with my new phone, Ive had no problems.
 
wirelessmacuser said:
Apple rushed the iPhone 4 to market with insufficient testing. It simply is not ready for prime time.

Apple was worried about the Samsung assault with their very successful Android Galaxy S model on each of the Big 4 carries in the USA. This is the first time that any major manufacturer has released their top of the line smartphone on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint all in a matter of the same 90 day period. This phone has been very successful outside of the US, and now we are getting it here.

In addition, you have the new Motorola DROID X, and many other Android phones coming into the US between now and the end of the year. They are all eager to grab market share.

Android has been identified as Apple's biggest threat.

Thats why so many fanboys are badmouthing it on this forum.
Click to expand...

I am an Apple fan, and I do not bad mouth Android. I just do not see Android change anything and bring anything apart from pile of hardware poorly mixed with software. It is just inferior to iPhobe experience. This is not bad mouthing - just honest opinion.

On the iPhone 4 - mine is perfect! It is just handful of people around here could have gotten some bad batch of production units. This happens with every maker - remember where all of these phones are made! Apple requires very complex production due to innovations put into the phone. However, you cannot deny the fact of overwhelming demand for it
 
wirelessmacuser said:
Apple rushed the iPhone 4 to market with insufficient testing. It simply is not ready for prime time.

Apple was worried about the Samsung assault with their very successful Android Galaxy S model on each of the Big 4 carries in the USA. This is the first time that any major manufacturer has released their top of the line smartphone on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint all in a matter of the same 90 day period. This phone has been very successful outside of the US, and now we are getting it here.

In addition, you have the new Motorola DROID X, and many other Android phones coming into the US between now and the end of the year. They are all eager to grab market share.

Android has been identified as Apple's biggest threat.

Thats why so many fanboys are badmouthing it on this forum.
Click to expand...

Androids not that much competition. The problem with Android and the Droid is that they are an OS and phone that are pretty much advertised to men. The iphone is a phone for the business man, the average phone user, or someones first cell phone, its more user friendly. I tried a friends Droid, and at first its hard to find stuff.
 
There were rumors that Apple had a second version of the phone waiting in the wings if they couldn't pull off what was released. If true, then Apple itself had doubts about being able to pull it off on deadline.

It seems reasonable that the surge of Android may have forced Apple to over reach and rush to market. I don't buy the Gizmodo thing. The iPhone was going to ship in June/July regardless and I really doubt the leaks changed their design plans. It was pretty late in the game and even the whole fiasco shows the phone was in full testing.

Other than the antenna issue, however, the iPhone 4 is amazing. Worst case Apple lost objectivity and got too wrapped up in itself to full evaluate the antenna pros/cons. Also, the secrecy of using a shell case with the iPhone was not a good idea no matter how you hash it.

In the end, I bet it will be shown Apple was over confident in itself and too wrapped up in secrecy to properly develop and test the antenna system.
 
Rob Mclovin said:
Androids not that much competition. The problem with Android and the Droid is that they are an OS and phone that are pretty much advertised to men. The iphone is a phone for the business man, the average phone user, or someones first cell phone, its more user friendly. I tried a friends Droid, and at first its hard to find stuff.
Click to expand...

You don't have to be the sales leader to drive the market. Apple proved it with the iPhone. Android may up to now been small potatoes, but they're surging fast and gaining a lot of mindshare. Apple is certainly feeling the heat like never before.
 
No no...this is for sure Apple's worse iPhone launch and they are sure adding insult after injury by pretending there's no problem.(bad formula they say...and I do believe that is true but they are using to ignore the real problem ...antenna design) I'm one of those that have repeatedly said I'm not experience any of the reported problems but I'm not gonna pretend there's isn't one...there obviously a fail in this design...who knows maybe some wire has bad grounding in the assembly process that makes antenna issue worse.
 
Apple + 'Pioneering' new manufacturing process/technique + 1st generation of previous = some problems

Apple like to push the boundaries a little with their headlining techniques and sometimes it bites them in the behind

Still argue that Apple is one of the few companies that DOES push it as much as it does and i like to see that in a tech company

Just unfortunately a lot of their mishaps are under constant and extreme public scrutiny but they're hardly wanting for cash or customers so let them stumble now and then .... overall i think they strive for excellence and thats more than can be said for a lot of tech companies striving for the cheapest product.
 
synagence said:
Apple + 'Pioneering' new manufacturing process/technique + 1st generation of previous = some problems

Apple like to push the boundaries a little with their headlining techniques and sometimes it bites them in the behind

Still argue that Apple is one of the few companies that DOES push it as much as it does and i like to see that in a tech company

Just unfortunately a lot of their mishaps are under constant and extreme public scrutiny but they're hardly wanting for cash or customers so let them stumble now and then .... overall i think they strive for excellence and thats more than can be said for a lot of tech companies striving for the cheapest product.
Click to expand...

^^^^ This. All of it.
 
Actually I think its the other way around. Apparently with the poor build quality and ill fitting hardware, and mediocre design and software, it was them that rushed into production. The iPhone is sleek and in a class far above any of the Droids.

It is the Droid fanboys seem to be leading the charge of attacking the iPhone to try to cover up the shortcomings of their beloved piece of standard cellphone fare. You know don't look at our lump of plastic and metal, just look at all the faults in that iPhone.
 
Their are always problems when theirs a design change.. Plus for all of us who had the original iPhone. We had problems with the signal with it also, which they corrected with a future update..
 
iphonetester said:
I am an Apple fan, and I do not bad mouth Android. I just do not see Android change anything and bring anything apart from pile of hardware poorly mixed with software. It is just inferior to iPhobe experience. This is not bad mouthing - just honest opinion.
Click to expand...
It's refreshing to hear from someone who is _not_ unreasonable and juvenile in their post. I agree that Android has a ways to go, there is no doubt about it. I'm on my third, simply because I'm a smartphone enthusiast, a multi-platformist and enjoy all forms of mobile communications and computing. Laptops and Smartphones are my area of interest. Let's not forget that Android is very new, they have less than half the time on the market as Apple does. So given that and the fact that they do share the same challenge that Linux does (open source, fragmentation) it will truly be interesting to see where it all goes.

iphonetester said:
On the iPhone 4 - mine is perfect! It is just handful of people around here could have gotten some bad batch of production units. This happens with every maker - remember where all of these phones are made! Apple requires very complex production due to innovations put into the phone. However, you cannot deny the fact of overwhelming demand for it
Click to expand...
I've owned every iPhone model from day one. My 3Gs was simply Stellar! Now that was the best iPhone I've had to date. Thus my expectations for the iPhone 4 were high, right where Steve Jobs placed them, as I sat in the audience at WWDC and listened to his keynote.

I'm composing this on my new MacBook Pro, so I too am a very big Apple fan. I have been for many years. I've owned nearly every PowerBook & MacBook Pro made. The only point being that I am not bashing Apple, but rather stating my exact experience and thoughts about my iPhone 4. I strongly believe in talking about _both_ the pros and cons, so that everyone can be aware of what others are experiencing.

I am very passionate about Apple. I bought not one, but three iPhone 4's for my family. Their poor performance has led to my disappointment in Apple for the first time in years. I was thrilled to receive all three iPhone 4 models on the 23rd, and planned on making mine my primary smartphone. It was not until I activated it and began having problems with the phone that I became so concerned.

So, despite my highlighting of the issues with iPhone 4, I truly hope that all this attention will wake Apple up to the fact, that _They_ are the ones that set the standard very high, and we want them to continue to produce world class products.

Cheers....:)
 
I think it's just a series of bad luck. The freezing/flickering iMacs and random shutdown macbooks weren't caused by intense competitive pressure. It's just typical of Apple (and other companies).
 
thermal said:
a) Lost/stolen prototype leading to a public criminal investigation.
b) WWDC - iPhone 4 fails to work properly at demo.
c) White iPhone 4 delayed indefinitely due to manufacturing problems.
d) Major problems and crashes during iPhone pre-ordering.
e) The antenna issue...
Click to expand...

A) Individual employee accident/incompetence
B) Unforeseen: 2010 and just about everyone now has a WiFi network but there are only 11 channels.
C) This can happen in mass production and it show that Apple has a handle on quality control.
D) Software and will be fixed on the next update. Not happy with that return your iPhone for a full refund.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
I think it's just a series of bad luck. The freezing/flickering iMacs and random shutdown macbooks weren't caused by intense competitive pressure. It's just typical of Apple (and other companies).
Click to expand...

Imagine if wonderful new Macbook pros were introduced at WWDC, but they didn't work properly at demo. Then it took you five hours to order one online on launch day. Then Apple announced the 15 inch versions were delayed indefinitely due to a manufacturing problem (you could still buy the 13 and 17 inch versions). Then there were widespread reports of poor wifi connectivity when the screen was opened at a certain angle.

I love Apple products and own several, but this seems like more than just bad luck. As another poster stated, it seems the product was rushed and not quite developed fully.
 
thermal said:
Imagine if wonderful new Macbook pros were introduced at WWDC, but they didn't work properly at demo. Then it took you five hours to order one online on launch day. Then Apple announced the 15 inch versions were delayed indefinitely due to a manufacturing problem (you could still buy the 13 and 17 inch versions). Then there were widespread reports of poor wifi connectivity when the screen was opened at a certain angle.

I love Apple products and own several, but this seems like more than just bad luck. As another poster stated, it seems the product was rushed and not quite developed fully.
Click to expand...

All this could have happened if Apple sold 1.7 million MPBs in the first week.

Jobs has had bad luck with getting the camera to connect if you remember an old keynote and widespread reports of Rev A bugs have happened so I still think it's a series of bad luck, just exacerbated by the popularity of the iPhone 4.
 
dagomike said:
You don't have to be the sales leader to drive the market. Apple proved it with the iPhone. Android may up to now been small potatoes, but they're surging fast and gaining a lot of mindshare. Apple is certainly feeling the heat like never before.
Click to expand...
Mindshare? Uhm WHAT? You mean marketshare? and ya they are gaining that because every other company is saying 'Why build our own OS when we can just use googles?" But in the end google isn't making any money on the OS, which explains why the updates suck and the OS is being installed lower tier phone.
 
one at a time:
a) Lost/stolen prototype leading to a public criminal investigation. who cares? bad luck, stupid employee
b) WWDC - iPhone 4 fails to work properly at demo. too many people in the room wifi'ing- again, so what?
c) White iPhone 4 delayed indefinitely due to manufacturing problems. pls supply proof of this
d) Major problems and crashes during iPhone pre-ordering. Not due to apple but ATT
e) The antenna issue. Bad PR on apple's part, IMO, but Consumer Reports declares it a non issue

What else you got?
 
Ryeno said:
Mindshare? Uhm WHAT? You mean marketshare? and ya they are gaining that because every other company is saying 'Why build our own OS when we can just use googles?" But in the end google isn't making any money on the OS, which explains why the updates suck and the OS is being installed lower tier phone.
Click to expand...

No, mindshare. If everyone only operated on market share, we'd all be waiting breathlessly for what Nokia was doing. No one cares about Nokia because they think they're the past and Apple gets all the attention because they think they have an edge on the future. That's mindshare.
 
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