Seriously Apple, free bumper cases?
Posted by Marijn Rongen on July 17, 2010 in Gadgets
You cannot have missed the latest Apple hype, the reception loss on iPhone 4. They held a press conference yesterday and I must admit I am not impressed. Usually you can count on Apple to have good responses to a flawed product, but this time they take the well traveled Microsoft way of denying there is a problem to be solved.
It's not just iPhone
This struck me by surprise, Apple taking the defense by stating that the problem with the iPhone is a flaw found in other phones as well. Since when did Apple start to set their own bar to the standards of their competitors? If this is any indication of the future we should forget the "It just works" catchphrase and substitute it with "It just works just as good as the rest". Not as appealing, eh?
Our calculation is wrong
This is something they stated before, the algorithm used to calculate how many bars are shown to represent your reception was wrong. Apparently it gives false hope by showing more bars than it should. Effectively Apple says by this that it's reception loss is not just a phone problem, but reception worldwide seems to be at an all time low. Everywhere.
It's only a small batch
Apple stated that they received only a small number of complaints, and this led them to believe that it concerned only a small batch. This contradicts their other statements which apply to the iPhone 4 in general and then there is this refund thing; people with problems can get a full refund. Why, if it only concerns a small batch, do they not get a new iPhone which shouldn't have the same problems?
Free bumper cases
Yay, free bumper cases for all! Bumper cases solve the problem! Wait, what? I thought there wasn't a problem, and it was just a small batch that is affected? Juxtaposition all around.
Who want's a bumper case, just to be able to make a call? Who want's a bumper case when it destroys the design. This may be a good solution for some, but in the end people want the iPhone, not a bumper case.
Apple should just admit they have made a mistake, take their losses and go back to the drawing board. This negative publicity focussing on the core functionality of a product is something they can do without.
Don't be mistaken, I'm still an Apple fanboy, but I won't be one of those early adopters the next time an Apple product is released. Not after this whole iPhone debacle.
