The INQUIRER. Not listening to readers for years
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Apple holds a conference of shame
FRUIT THEMED TOYMAKER Apple has finally stepped beyond the realm of clever marketer and into the kingdom of la-la land, the domain of Steve Jobs the happy gnome.
To be fair to Apple, it is not used to handling bad press. Normally the tame US press will print whatever Steve Jobs tells them, but this time even the New York Times had to admit that the Iphone 4 is broken.
On Friday I said that Jobs was so psychologically unable to admit that he made a mistake that all he would do was offer users a literal rubber band fix.
I was right with that prediction, but the press conference spiralled into a realm where even I could not see that Jobs was headed.
When you ship a broken product you do your best to limit the damage. One of the safest courses of action is to say, "we made a mistake, we are sorry and we will fix it". Jobs didn't. There's no Iphone 4 recall but only a half-hearted attempt to provide cases to cover up but not fix the problem.
Instead, Jobs said, "we love our users... this is why we built them 300 shops." Wait a minute. You love your customers by making products they like and that work, not by giving them places where they can buy more of your defective goods.
Next up Jobs lied and said that other phones had similar problems. He even put up a slide comparing the Iphone 4 with other smartphones that work, such as the Blackberry.
Did he really believe that, or did he just hope that it would be reported without comment? Okay, it was a Friday press conference, maybe he thought that he could get away with telling lies and his competitors would not be able to comment over the weekend.
Of course he was wrong about that. The executives at Research in Motion (RIM), which makes the Blackberrys, were furious. Our guess is that they might be able to sue Apple for defamation.
Nokia quite clearly said that it never sacrificed the basic ability to work for style, and that its phones don't have the reception problems that plague the Iphone 4.
But Jobs claimed that phones from rival manufacturers have the same flaw. The first problem with that is that it gave the competitors an opening where they could put their hands on their hearts and say, "we don't make mistakes like that". The second problem is that, even in the unlikely event that they do have problems, Jobs in effect said that all smartphones are faulty, so don't buy any of them.
If Apple had really wanted to take responsibility for the several Iphone 4 faults, Steve Jobs could have announced at Friday's press conference that Apple would waive its restocking fee for customers who want to return the gadget, and that it would require its mobile network partners to let customers out of contracts without having to pay early termination fees.
For a while I have wondered if Jobs' grasp on reality was slipping and the spin was getting out of control. The first clue was when he said that the Ipad was "magic" and the most important thing he had ever done.
However it appears that Steve Jobs cannot think he has ever done anything wrong. If he does, it is always someone else's problem.
Who did Jobs' blame for the Iphone Flaw's problems, really? Was it the designers at Apple, and himself? He said it was the media's fault. He said that we were all reporting negative stuff and had blown it all out of proportion.
This statement showed that Jobs really was out to lunch. Demands for the Iphone 4 and the Ipad before it were created by an ill-informed media that whipped up the gullible Apple fan base into hysteria. Even when cooler heads were saying that there were problems with the Iphone 4, it was not getting widely reported.
Apple should be aware that slamming the media is a card of subliminal desperation. Jobs blaming the media is a sign of his refusal to take responsibility for the faults and problems of his company's products.
Today CNET reported that Jobs "fixed the Iphone 4 problem". CNET should note that the comments on its own story are less forgiving. "How exactly has he done that? Refused to fix the problem and said his rivals have the same fault?", one angry reader wrote.
Even the critical press, such as yours truly, did not have a hand in designing the Iphone 4. Steve did not ring us up and ask if he should stick the antenna on the outside. Neither did we tell him to ship it with a spotty displaly screen, nor with a proximity sensor that doesn't work. If Steve Jobs had not done those things himself, the critical press would have had nothing to report.
It is time for Steve Jobs' circus to fold its tent. Jobs' ego has gotten so big that he thinks he can sell faulty goods and get away with it. Someone should put a stop to it. µ
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The iPhone 4g cook my left hand,and send shock waves to my body on to the cest-apple said never herd of that before''l never had nothing like this in life time,l never had to go see my doctor for. Chest pain'-about two days later I started getting tigleing ln my hand,so I call Verizon store,they is nothing they could do about it,OK so now I half damge-hand and the making trillions.
I'm sorry, but say someone at your office screws up.
Who would you respect more:
1) The guy who puts his hands up, admits he screwed up, does whatever it takes to put it right and we all move on..........
or
2) The weasel who tries to worm his way out of the situation, blaming other people and refusing point blank to accept any responsibility for their mistake?
I know who I'd rather work with, and the weasel has the bare faced front to say they love their customers?
Sorry, you don't treat people you love like that, Jobs you're a disgrace!
it was said loud and clear if you dont want it dont buy it if you bought it and dont like it bring it back, well there are only .55% with antenna problems right
ps: this article is somewhat biased against apple
"Having sold three million phones, do people seriously expect them to recall each and every one of them? It was never going to happen."
That depends on the consequences. If the product was killing or injuring users you can bet there'd be a recall of every one. I expect that up to now, almost no one has died because of the Apple antenna vulnerability, or the alleged misreported reception quality - phoning the emergency services, or the jail to commute a death sentence, are scenarios that come to mind. But otherwise it's relatively harmless. The proximity sensor does not laserblast your retina. The microwaves do not melt your fillings.
Another recent issue with iProducts has been that operating them in a room where any water is present apparently voids the warranty, which is inconvenient to customers whose bodies are 70 per cent composed of the stuff, or occasionally have a bottle of it around to drink from.
If I sign 3 years of my life away .... or fork over $850, i expect perfection....
A mobile phojne is made to be held in the hand .... period. And they need to be designed that way so the antenna does not mess up. Its not rocket sience! Any idiot communications expert can us e a Smith chart to figure out how long an antenna need to be for a certain wave length, but its its off by a few, the their is impedence missmatch. And that results in poor RF performance, or the circuit responsable for driving the antenna could be overloaded as the excess power will bounce back and hurt to circuit. Lets call RF missmatch a 'BIG NO NO'. RF circuits have to be designed with care, and, basically everything has to be perfect. There is no tollerance for error, as a little difference cen be a big difference.
So taking that, I am not sure why the antenna would not be isolated. This seems to be a made in china design flaw, and something you expect on a cheap phone.
What do you think will happen if you have wet hands or get the phone wet? I am sure it can't be good, as water will change the resistance of your hands, and may even mess with the RF performance even more. And it would be hard on the phone.
Also, if the antenna is not protected, what happens if you give the phone a electrical/static shock ? Imagine at christmas time if the phone screws up due to static charge. The antenna is not grounded as the internal case is, so there is other rpotential problem, like the phone messing up due to electrical shock. RF circuits are sensitive.
If they can't get that right, the should not sell it.
Call this a learning experience for Apple, the next iphone will be better ;)
Yes, this antenna issue is a small one. But still, it is and remains a problem. From the way I see it, Apple spent $100 million on testing facilities in order to find more ways to lie. Any idiot engineer with an F average knows that human skin attenuates an antenna enough to loose a perfectly good signal.
Fortuantely for me, I'd never use an iPhone without a case of some type. Considering that, I'll stick to my iPhone 4, and agree that it is currently one of the best on the market. No, I won't go as far as saying it IS the best, but it's a hard tie with a few others for the position. Apple still trails most other makers on a lot of innovation, which keeps them behind the top spot un-arguably.
I thought that this was all to do with a verifiable design error on the iphone4. WTF has this got to do with ANYother phone?
This is pretty much a textbook example of sociopathic behaviour... which is pretty much what one would expect from a textbook example of a sociopath. Which is, after all, what Jobs has always been.
Hey! Maybe he has Assburger's Syndrome! Which of course means that he is exempt from having to follow whatever social norms which do not particularly appeal to him. He could just blame it all on an irresistible compulsion for adulation and power! And which also means that he should be able to get Gary MacKinnon's mom to campaign for both Jobs himself, and the company he runs in his own image, to be exempt from any sanctions and criticism.
You know, this could work...
"Whilst I do not deny that there is a problem of sorts, I do believe that it has been overly demonised as it affects very few people, but I guess Apple are a victim of their own popularity and image for superior products."
No, it has nothing to do with being a "victim of popularity" nor has it anything to do with the "image for superior products". It has to do with the smug weenie ATTITUDE that Apple (and Apple's Cultists) project.
Remember the snide "it just works" crap in the execrable "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" commercial suite? Yeah, that. That's what's coming back to haunt Apple. THEY are the ones going around like their faecal matter has a bouquet of roses and jasmine. THEY are the ones who are now reaping what they sowed.
Claiming that they're "victims of their popularity" or tripe like that is just as--bluntly put--UTTERLY RETARDED as Americans spouting nonsense like "they hate us for our freedoms".
"Whilst I do not deny that there is a problem of sorts, I do believe that it has been overly demonised as it affects very few people, but I guess Apple are a victim of their own popularity and image for superior products."
No, it has nothing to do with being a "victim of popularity" nor has it anything to do with the "image for superior products". It has to do with the smug weenie ATTITUDE that Apple (and Apple's Cultists) project.
Remember the snide "it just works" crap in the execrable "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" commercial suite? Yeah, that. That's what's coming back to haunt Apple. THEY are the ones going around like their faecal matter has a bouquet of roses and jasmine. THEY are the ones who are now reaping what they sowed.
Claiming that they're "victims of their popularity" or tripe like that is just as--bluntly put--UTTERLY RETARDED as Americans spouting nonsense like "they hate us for our freedoms".
This is the perfect example when Intelligence and Ethics goes out of the window and ignorance and inanity takes over…!. Let me spell this out for you… Do the right thing for your customers and that action will benefit your company.. AR
In case you missed it.
1. Apple gives you columnists half the bread on your table and half the beer in you fridge. If you wouldn't have Apple/anti-Apple news we would be back to interesting things like the next big graphics chip hardly anyone cares about and the annual Intel microprocessor refresh. Youpee!
2. If you tell me you don't KNOW that a simple layer of whatever non-conducting lacquer applied on the antenna solves the problem, than the manicurist on the nearest nail care salon is more tech savvy than you are, and YOU should start looking for a new job.
3. The most important part on the "conference of shame" for me was the "limited time offer" and "we'll reevaluate on the 30th of September" parts.
That for me means that AGAIN we're not going to have the iPhone 4 too soon in stock in Europe because of the tons of Americans that are going to buy every single one available on account of the stupid free case - not only the bumper, any case they like.
To the guy who sent SJobs back to business school, in case you need things spelled out, here you go-
the conference call did three things for the company:
- first, they trashed the competition ON VIDEO - no matter what the respective executives say now, it won't really matter; people saw bars disappearing on the TV news bulletins, the damage is irreparable;
- second, they offered an incentive to buy more iPhone 4s (with a measly $1 to $5 case).
- third, it offered free EXPOSURE on the media channels and that's invaluable.
I personally think what SJobs did to the competition was particularly mean and calculated. And there's nothing they can do about it. He exploited you, the loving/hateful columnists with your stupid antenna articles to build the setting for the whole show.
It's the first time I didn't like one Steve's keynote, because it's the first MEAN one I recall.
Well, mean conference or not, my iPhone 3G is getting old and the new cool apps kind of push it to the limit. I'll be buying the new lacquered post-September iPhone probably around Christmas. The thing that people that don't own iPhones are revolted because it sometimes can't make calls makes me smile. You people just don't get it. On the other hand, Steve Wozniak does :)
Having sold three million phones, do people seriously expect them to recall each and every one of them? It was never going to happen.
It would cost too much money. Much like the bumper scenario. I have no antenna issues and wouldn't have bought a bumper, but I will claim a free one. Same goes with a recall. If one was announced, rather than think I was missing out on some kind of improvement, I bring my phone back even though there's nothing wrong with it.
Granted the situation hasn't been handled eloquently but it's hardly the disaster that everyone is talking about. And for the record, Job s did say that users could take them back for a refund with no restocking fee.
www.scirocco net.co.uk
I hope CNet and Jobs read that...
VERY WELL SAID. Who the HELL Apple funboys and Steve Jobs think they are?
We, the consumer have the right to complain when a product we purchased is defective and we expect the manufacture to response in a proper manner to assist the people that make them successful. This goes with any company no just Apple. I also agree that the media have been all over this like a freak show. But I do not agree with those folks that are saying that there is nothing wrong with the iphone 4 and that there are just a few people experiencing this problem.
I am not an Apple follower , but I have to say that Apple has great innovated products, but when a major product like iPhone 4 is introduce to the market and buyers are reporting issues with the equipment such as the Reception due to the Antenna. Apple is obligated to response to the customer right away and no wait until it gets so out of hand that it cannot be manageable.
I personally bought 2 iPhones 4 and both of them have the problem dropping call, and Yes, I leave in an area with excellent reception. To me this was totally unacceptable to have a phone device that cannot perform if function as intended. So I call this product to be defected. Based on this, I paid a visit the apple store to communicate the issues I was having with reception and drop calls but the only response I heard from the specialist was that it was a problem with AT&T network. By the way, I never had any problem with reception or dropping calls with my previous phone, HTC TP2. Well, right there is when I decided to return the phone for full refund. My wife in the other hand did not care since she bought a case and her reception was not been affected anymore. And like my wife, there are thousands of people that bought cases on day one that do not care since they have cases., I am not saying that all the Millions of sold iPhones4 have this issue, I am just stating that there are a large number of users that are ok using the iphone with cases that will not report having any issues... Remember during the launch of the iPhone4 cases were sold out everywhere.
Companies need to take responsibilities for their products. 1.5 % of 3M phones sold is 45k. 45,000 users that reported some type of issues with reception and drop calls and who knows how many users have not reported yet, like my wife.
The button line is that 45k users is a large number of users with problems, and the proper way to do business for any company is to: # 1- recognized there is a problem, # 2- formally communicate to the consumer that they recognize that there is a problem and that they will be 0working delinquently to resolve it and #3 - aggressively take ownership of the problem by creating solutions that will be beneficial to their users.. But, by responding late to a much criticized issue and comparing the iphone problem with other none Apple phones. Well, what can I say to that..! In addition, to place a temporary solution to a long term problem is not an acceptable way to do business and that is what Apple is doing. I believe, Mr. Jobs need to go back to school and take some Business Management and Business Ethic classes to help him deal with this type of scenarios
Of course, that is my opinion..!
Funny how Apple fanboys are invoking the ghost of Magee as if he would have written anything different. In fact if you pop over to Magee's Techeye you will see he is writing even more vitriolic stuff about your shiny toys. Oh look he also hires Farrell.
It has always been like that at the INQ, you just edit it out.
So you don't like Apple, Nick. We get the message already. Can we all move on now and talk about something else? It's getting as repetitive as Charlie D's daily anti-NVIDIA rants - though at least those were amusing (at first).
To those lamenting the departed Magee, if you look at the site he currently runs this very same author is running the same sort of stories there.
I am sad how low the Inq can go after Magee left.
Apple below the belt bashing with this intensity is ridiculous. If HTC, RIM, Nokia or Samsung think the claims of Apple are bogus or insincere they will sue them with all they got.
They don't. Why? Apple has a point.You guys stop writing articles that should make you ashamed.
I've been a long time reader of the Inquirer, but recently I'm finding the quality is shocking.
I thought this website was meant to be a fun, witty, cynical and critical review of the IT world.
Not just a hate filled Apple rage website.
This offers no humour or interest, it's just bile. I'm no Apple fan but I at least expect to enjoy reading an article.
Please please please hire some decent writers again.
Apples legacy has been to make stuff so pretty everybody wants it. The quality used to be good but has been going down-hill the last few years.
Now reality has set in and people are finally getting tired of pretty stuff that does not work.
It is hilarious how arrogant Steve Jobs is.
I owned several phones (LG chocolate, motorola razr2, Samsung). They all pretty much suck in some way. I have the iPhone 3GS and it works great.
Apple reminds me of some famous celebrity (think Britney) that cannot do anything without having tons of blogger analyse them, scrutinize their every move. To all those bloggers : Can I give you my motorola razr 2, that I had A LOT of difficulty using as an mp3 player or my LG chocolate that will all of a sudden call people from my contact list just cause a breeze of wind passed by.
I certainly agree with steve on one thing : no phone is perfect.
Q. "Where's the problem here?"
A. The problem is that you seem to think its ok to ship defective products simply because there are alternatives out there. I guess you thought all the hoo-haa about the Toyota car recalls was blown out of proportion too and that people should just buy a Ford instead?
Also, no one is claiming all Apple's products are faulty, this is just about the Iphone4. Perhaps youre the one blowing this out of proportion trying to imply everyone is slating all apple products?
My iphone 4 works perfectly, it's a minor problem, get over it.
I am not a massive Apple fan, though I admit to owning the iPhone 4, but I have to say that neither my 4g nor anybody elses that I know of has exhibited any of these faults, and I work in a phone shop that sells them.
Whilst I do not deny that there is a problem of sorts, I do believe that it has been overly demonised as it affects very few people, but I guess Apple are a victim of their own popularity and image for superior products.
Sony Ericsson created their high end c905 not so long ago which ended up with a near 40% return rate early on in its life cycle and I never saw that widely reported in the media.
Just want to say that I have not had any signal problems with my iPhone 4. Nor have I seen any problem with the proximity sensor or the screen.
I also would like to say that the iPhone 4 is the best smartphone I have ever used. Just my opinion of course.
If Apple's products are so "defective" then simply don't buy them. Nobody holds a gun to your head and forces you to purchase an iPhone 4. And if you do buy one and don't like it, you can return it within 30 days for a full refund. Where's the problem here?
Moreover, I don't think Apple could have built up such a loyal following and such general interest in all they create if so many of their products were seriously "defective". That just doesn't make sense.
Its amazing how things can turn around so quickly, at the pre - launch of the Iphone 4 it was as though the world was at Jobs feet. But when he's thrown a little criticism it all comes crashing down.
I think both Apple and Steve should start lookng for new jobs!
Jesus this website has gone down since Mike Magee left.
This is a minro problem that effects some people in low signal areas. The fact that it seems to be restricted to the US and that after selling what 3 million of the suckers, its hardly a major design fault.
I woiuld suggest people complaing , ask for a the FULL refund they are offering.
This is coming from an HTC HD2 owner whose phone, cats a call if my ear touches the screen :(