can apple get this behind them?

[cardfan]

Bored at work so sue me.. My main concern is the "series of hubris" as one analyst puts it that seems to be following Apple this year. Mixed in with incredible highs though.

I remember the year starting off well for Apple. iPad..boom. And though i didn't keep it it sure lured me to buy it. Millions want it though.

But then came the lows. No iOS 4 til fall. AT&T forgot what unlimited meant and killed a major selling point for iPad 3G.

Iphone 4 prototype found in a bar. No biggie. Apple got free press. Low? They went commando on the finder and "journalist" who published his findings. Bizarre thinking if you're apple considering that Gizmodo was rather friendly towards anything apple.

Iphone 4 gets presented and IMO, the smartphone scene is just wow'ed. The phone looked stunning. The specs, especially the screen, were dazzling. Multitasking looked inconsistent and notifications blow, but could this be the perfect smartphone? It furthered the distance between them and the competition. Better start rationalizing again if you owned a different device.

Lows: And rationalizing they did. But Apple gave them a gift. Seems like the very design (a seam on lower left of phone) they bragged about just weeks earlier was also causing major drops in signal. Even standing in line for a phone, i know all about this via twitter and blog sites. And so simple to replicate..even grandma can do it.

Antenna gate (i coined this before apple btw ) erupts. Even the clueless like Whoopi Goldberg are getting in on the act. Apple bungles it from a PR point of view.

White iphone is delayed til end of July. No biggie. One week before the date and only just a few days after reaffirming that its shipping at end of July, Apple announces that it will be "later this year."

So what can apple do to put this behind them?

1. Obviously, get the white iphone issues resolved.

2. Stop mentioning antenna issue and leave it alone. Iphone 5 hopefully will have the best fix and will be here before we know it. Include bumper in box after Sep.

3. The fall ipod event needs to be great. Game center. Ipods with cameras & retina screens....will they offer ipod touch 3G? iPad with iOS 4.1. (would love to see iphone 4 classic with 3GS design but not holding breath). Though i really think apple needs more than one version now of the iphone.

4. iPad with retina screen, camera in Spring. 4.2 iOS. Facetime and ability to print wifi. Would like to see smaller version..5", 7"? Get facetime and printing and i'm buying gifts for a few nontechie in the family.

5. iOS 5 and promise A+ update. Would love to see some webOS type swiping, multitasking, and especially notifications. Wifi hotspot app is much needed. Itunes in cloud and more synergy in the OS. Integrated chat app that replaces the SMS app..ichat w/facetime. Ways to customize sounds & themes which definitely has a market.

6. For iphone 5, Verizon and AT&T LTE versions? Might still be a year early. But first priority is to have no antenna gate. This is Apple's chance for redemption. Storage up to 64gb. Faster processor, even better battery. Touchstone type charging.

I see iphone 5's competition being android 3.0 devices, HP's new hardware (much more interesting than android imo and HP wants to be the next Apple), WM7 devices.

I see Apple blowing past expectations again next quarter report. As they say, you can't sell more than you can make. Even despite white iphone problems and antenna gate.

 

[lonbeehold]

I think Apple will continue to lead the pack in many ways. But they're beginning to really irritate me, especially now that there is an indefinite wait for the white iPhone 4. Every time I see them holding a competitors phone in the Death Grip I get annoyed. Fix it and let it go already. I love my iPhone and am staying with it-you don't need to keep slamming the competition to keep me. Just put out the unicorn phone already

 

[Steve Doherty]

Cardfan,

Nice post.

I think this is a bump in the road for Apple, and the whole AntennaGate thing will fade away. I agree with your idea of shipping iPhone 4's with a free bumper after Sept 30, but (in my opinion) there will be a hardware based AntennaGate fix in place by that time regardless.

The whole issue has been badly handled by Apple - they should have just copped to the fault when it first became apparent rather than Jobs' "You're holding it wrong" debacle, but the free bumper solution is the perfect band-aid 'till they come up with a proper fix in the next batch.

I couldn't care less about the white iPhone.

I think there has been some arrogance on Apple's part, but when they are moving the kind of units that they are, you can see why. I think this whole event will be a wake up call. Hopefully, they'll knock the ball out of the park with the iPhone 5 - both hardware and software.

I'll still get my iPhone here in Australia as soon as I'm eligible for an upgrade via my carrier, and I'll be very curious to see what reception issues I have given I'm not on AT&T. I'm all about music, and the upgraded camera and HD video, so the phone capabilities aren't that big a deal. I'll be looking for Australian reviews after 30/7 though.

Steve