What would you do if you were Apple?

[cardfan]

There's multiple things they could do. Issue free bumpers and try to ride on that. Do a bit of a recall and try to fix them if something like a coating will actually work (which i'm skeptical of). Do nothing.

Obviously there's a lot of demand for iphone 4's..issue or not.

What apple has to be concerned about is this. Joe Blow is watching CNN thinking you need duct tape to make calls on the new iphone. If not the iphone 4, then what? Go back to a 3GS? I doubt many will do this. But here comes that new Captivate phone on AT&T boasting a fabulous screen and Droid's and Evo's (as well as the Galaxy S) loom on other carriers.

All of Apple's eggs are in one basket. I've already mentioned that i'm not a fan of the iphone 4's design though it could easily win a beauty contest. I'm talking about usability. A bumper or case hides this beauty anyways but makes it downright maddening to use accessories with.

I still say tweak (or not..or bump the storage to 64gb) the 3GS form factor just a bit and offer a "classic" version of the iphone 4. Offer to swap it out as a permanent solution for those with antenna problems. The prettier version will still sell like hotcakes and come with a Bumper (i'm surprised they haven't acted to give Bumpers away already).

 

[ghostface147]

Apple just needs to be more transparent. The silence is hurting them. Admit to the problem and offer a band-aid. There is no real fix for it. Just workarounds.

 

[cardfan]

BTW...to make it clear. I'm not bashing. You couldn't pry the iphone 4 away from me as i can easily work around the antenna thing. But i do recognize Apple needs to do something.

 

[cardfan]

Apple just needs to be more transparent. The silence is hurting them. Admit to the problem and offer a band-aid. There is no real fix for it. Just workarounds.

I agree there's no real fix. A free bumper is a bandaid that will still continue to get Apple ridiculed in the media. Which is why i suggested a real fix (and alternative which keeps people in apple's ecosytem) by releasing a "classic" version of the iphone 4 later this year.

 

[fresh1]

I think that they haven't issued bumpers because thats an admission that there is a design flaw... which Apple is not ready to admit to yet.. I have had my iphone 4 since june 23 and i have had zero problems with it ...

What I dont understand is why Apple isn't ( or originally before the release) didn't look into using some kinda non conductive coating around they attena band .. This could be a possible fix for the reception problems ( of course it will take some testing to see what would work best .. if it would work at all)..

The problem if they did come up with a hardware fix is how would they deal with the 2 million iphone 4's that they already sold ?

I dont see them ever doing a total recall on the i4 .. Cnet reported that it would cost approx 1.5 billion for Apple to to a full recall..



Fresh1

 

[noaim]

it just disappoints me that apple wont admit its a problem they could at least man up about it

 

[lungho]

From what I've seen in the past, Apple will ultimately admit to whatever problem but only after they release an update for it or unveil a new model.

 

[big9erfan]

it just disappoints me that apple wont admit its a problem they could at least man up about it

If they admit to a problem, they have fix it as well, or take in returns AFTER the 30 day period.

 

[noaim]

If they admit to a problem, they have fix it as well, or take in returns AFTER the 30 day period.

true but when a company makes a mistake they should admit the mistake

 

[cardfan]

true but when a company makes a mistake they should admit the mistake

Only if they have a proper solution IMO.

 

[Jellotime91]

Give all iPhone 4 owners a free bumper of their choice.

Next order of business? Kill the iPod Classic. Release iPod touch with front cam and 128GB of storage. Release iPod Nano with 3" touch screen running iOS 4 at 320x480. Release Apple TV which can stream games from your iOS device to your TV, and store games on itself, costs only $99, and introduces $0.99 TV rentals. Put Bluetooth 4.0, Lightpeak, and USB 3.0 in all future released computers and eligible iOS devices.

Off topic? Shhh...

 

[chobbs1]

Apple is holding a press conference on Friday and the subject?...iPhone 4. Hopefully they will become "more transparent" as one suggested. I think they are gonna clarify what the issue is and announce the update.

 

[Hack-My-i]

I think that they haven't issued bumpers because thats an admission that there is a design flaw... which Apple is not ready to admit to yet.. I have had my iphone 4 since june 23 and i have had zero problems with it ...

What I dont understand is why Apple isn't ( or originally before the release) didn't look into using some kinda non conductive coating around they attena band .. This could be a possible fix for the reception problems ( of course it will take some testing to see what would work best .. if it would work at all)..

The problem if they did come up with a hardware fix is how would they deal with the 2 million iphone 4's that they already sold ?

I dont see them ever doing a total recall on the i4 .. Cnet reported that it would cost approx 1.5 billion for Apple to to a full recall..



Fresh1

Its like going to Wal-Mart and buying a PC that cant access the internet. Does it literally kill you? NO; Would u want them to make this right? YES!!!
if Toyota can do a recall worth $2billion then apple can do one too

 

[lungho]

If people's lives were on the line, like with the Toyota fiasco, then Apple would recall.

I personally think Apple should recall the phones if they are faulty in any way but I'm quite confident this will never happen.

 

[chobbs1]

I would go back to wallmart and return it. No more issue.

 

[OTACORB]

I would go back to wallmart and return it. No more issue.

Right anything, but actually holding the manufacturer that created a bad product's feet to the fire. Screaming return it, return does not ultimately solve the issue. What it does do is leave a bad feeling for the consumer towards your products and company as a whole.

Clearly there is a demand and people want this phone, but they want it to perform as it should without needing work arounds. I honestly don't think that is too much to ask. You seem to think that is okay! Oh just bring it back, problem solved! NOT!!

We shall see what Apple finally does on Friday. Will they continue to tow the line and deny the issues with the antenna? If they do they are making a huge mistake in my opinion.

 

[lungho]

Apple really needs to make this right and sooner rather than later.

I test drove Android 2.0 some time ago. The OS felt like it was hacked together. It wasn't smooth at all. I decided to stick with Apple and the iPhone. Android is maturing quite fast now. Even though the Android market has it's own set of unique problems, if Apple doesn't get it's crap together, I will probably jump ship this time next year.

For me it's never been about being a Fandroid or a Apple fanatic, it's been about owning the best smartphone on the market. Apple shouldn't take it's customer base for granted.

 

[AZMerf]

The fact that some folks are having no problem at all (me) shows the problem is not simple. If I were Apple, I would force all these complainers to take there money back. Those that don't remember how Verizon crippled their phones and had really lousy choice should remember that not all is perfect.

 

[isuquinndog]

I think the free bumpers are the way to go. If that's the issue, combined with the software update then the easy fix is to eat the 30 bucks you lose (or whatever it is to produce them) and any one that calls in gets one.

They are really starting to lose a handle on this. Mainstream media isn't going to let it go any time soon. We shall see what Friday brings.

 

[chobbs1]

Right anything, but actually holding the manufacturer that created a bad product's feet to the fire. Screaming return it, return does not ultimately solve the issue. What it does do is leave a bad feeling for the consumer towards your products and company as a whole.

Clearly there is a demand and people want this phone, but they want it to perform as it should without needing work arounds. I honestly don't think that is too much to ask. You seem to think that is okay! Oh just bring it back, problem solved! NOT!!.

But it is problem solved. and holding on to a product and complaining doesn't leave a bad feeling by the consumer for said company? If everyone that were complaining actually had the "hutzpah" to return the phone, you could bet that would send a much louder message to the offending company. Either buy it or not. End of story. If I were as upset about the phone as some are I would definitely return it.

But sometimes if you want to keep a product, a workaround is necessary. I am ok with a minor workaround like having a case because I was gonna have a case on it anyway. So what if it helps with another issue. Again if the issue were bad enough I would hit apple where it hurt, their bottom line. being held responsible for a defunct product takes many forms. ending up with a bunch of unwanted phones in your warehouse is a pretty good one IMHO.