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Why is Consumer Reports not recommending the iPhone 4 such a huge deal?
- Thread starter CJayC
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Steve Jobs did not think the review was accurate (i.e. he is for Apple). The people who are against Apple take the review as gospel proving that the iPhone 4 is trash and that Apple is a terrible company.
If you really believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.
All media has bias.
Nooooo! Say it aint so
Standing on my roof solves the iPhone 4 antenna problem. So does driving to the nearest tower.
They're not looking for a consumer solution. They're looking for Apple to address the problem without requiring consumers to do anything out of the ordinary.
As soon as they rated the iPhone 4 the best smartphone and said they didn't recommend it, they lost all credibility. What a joke. "This is the best smartphone in the world, but you shouldn't buy it."
What a bunch of morons.
What a bunch of morons.
It all comes down to if you believe Apple or CR.
The people that agree with Apple think the CR review is flawed and that the CR rating is wrong (i.e. no big deal). The people that agree with the CR review use the CR review as gospel proving that Apple is wrong (i.e. a big deal for the people who agree with the review).
EDITED:
the review isn't flawed. And it's not a question of believing Apple or CR. They both state the phone suffers from attenuation of the signal. What's to believe or not to believe there?
That's not even the issue. The issue is whether or not they still recommend the phone. CR chose to say no - that despite it being the best, they can't recommend it until the PHONE part is fixed (permanently either via free case or otherwise).
And Cocky Jeremy - If murder is the best way to eliminate someone in your life you don't like permanently. Would you recommend it? Harsh comparison - but similar. Just because it's the best option - doesn't make it the best choice.
How can you come to that conclusion? They ran some tests, confirmed that their an issue with hand placement and antenna attenuation. So they reported this as such? They're doing their jobs and in fact their reputation is quite intact.
CR had over $200,000,000 in revenue from their magazine and website in 2009. They may be an independent non-profit, but it is most certainly in their interest to get people reading their magazine and looking at their website. They're a sponsored google link!
I'm not saying they dissed the iPhone just for revenue. But let's not pretend this hasn't been good for them.
PS - I ditched my CR subscription when they started spaming me with "call your senator!" garbage.
I'm not saying they dissed the iPhone just for revenue. But let's not pretend this hasn't been good for them.
PS - I ditched my CR subscription when they started spaming me with "call your senator!" garbage.
Revenue doesn't mean squat. Companies survive years on cash flow. A more important # would be to look at their entire P&L.
ETA: But looking at that figure - it would also be hard to argue that CR has "no influence" and is "irrelevant." no?
$225M out of their $247M in revenue is from the "Subscriptions, newsstand, online, other sales"
Sure, they may not net much (Looks like about $3,000,000 of net operating income in 2009). But that 225 is a huge part of their revenue. They wouldn't exist without it. That revenue most definately means squat. I'm not saying it's an indication of profit or anything like that. But the revenue is vital to their existance. They wouldn't send me a card a week asking me to resubscribe if it wasn't.
I do not deny their influence. They most certainly are not irrelevant to the average consumer.
Most people around here don't have an ax to grind with Apple. This is all in the family. It's pretty much just a matter of the iPhone 4 reception being a disappointment compared to other iPhones. Since day one people have been kicking and screaming trying to rationalize it as first no problem, then a problem with the users, and finally not a significant problem in both relative and absolute terms.
CR is demonstrating what many have been saying since day 1. Actually day -1 as many got it a day early. CR testing is well respected and their reputation for non-bias is unmatched. If CR on top of everything else present over the past month isn't enough, then some people are just lacking in the critical thinking department.
Apple's PR spin has really muddied the waters, but the fact is the company acknowledges the antenna issue and has said it's not a manufacturing problem. So, it is what it is. A replacement won't do anything. End of story. It's hardly the first time I've compromised to use an Apple product and I can deal with it. Just don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.
Apple does not ackowledge the "design flaw" and they are giving away free bumpers which CR even says alleviates the signal issue....if Apple sells 10 million of these...and CR hasn't reccomended it that kinda dings their credibility going forward...just my opinion...if you're an authority on consumer goods and you make your nut from customers consulting your reccomendations what does that mean if the iPhone 4 becomes one of the best selling phones ever? to me it's an indication that the consumer does not care about your "report"
Just because something sells well doesn't make it the bet product. So your little paragraph there doesn't hold water. It would be irresponsible for CR to just bend over and write something THEY DO NOT BELIEVE TO BE TRUE just to appease a loud but no doubt insignificant minority. At the end of the day - it would actually DAMAGE their credibility to just ignore their findings.
And again - Apple is only offering a solution until 9/30. NO ONE KNOWS (even Steve Jobs) what will be certain after that. What part of this do people not understand. It's pretty straight forward. After 9/30 - anything goes. Could get a bumper. Could get nothing. Why should CR hedge any bets. They aren't in the market to speculate.
As I said - the best anyone can argue is that they should recommend the phone BUT with a caveat at the beginning that their recommendation is ONLY contingent on this fix and that should the situation change - they cannot recommend the iPhone 4.
You really think that? Guess you didn't read all the posts. This link/story kinda blows your post out of the water huh.
http://www.aim.org/aim-report/aim-report-a-black-eye-for-consumer-reports/
The fanboyism is beyond laughable. And posters saying Consumer Reports doesn't matter? You're a blithering idiot if you believe CR doesn't matter.
Look beyond your fanboyism and devotion to all things Fruit. I like and use Apple products too, but these kinds of posts are a bridge too far.
Consumer Reports does studies on things important to most Americans: cars, drugs, appliances, and new technologies. For example, Consumer Reports' annual auto issue is a full-on spread, is read by many millions of Americans each year, and is enormously influential in automobile purchasing decisions, among the biggest purchase consumers make during their lifetimes. You can track a CR recommendation and a corresponding increase in sales of a recommended model.
Again, millions of paid subscribers consult CR before making any kind of purchase. They look for the top-rated product and proceed accordingly. A no-rec on your cell phone from Consumer Reports? It matters.
Look beyond your fanboyism and devotion to all things Fruit. I like and use Apple products too, but these kinds of posts are a bridge too far.
Consumer Reports does studies on things important to most Americans: cars, drugs, appliances, and new technologies. For example, Consumer Reports' annual auto issue is a full-on spread, is read by many millions of Americans each year, and is enormously influential in automobile purchasing decisions, among the biggest purchase consumers make during their lifetimes. You can track a CR recommendation and a corresponding increase in sales of a recommended model.
Again, millions of paid subscribers consult CR before making any kind of purchase. They look for the top-rated product and proceed accordingly. A no-rec on your cell phone from Consumer Reports? It matters.