As if the
Consumer Report's retraction of their recommendation of the iPhone 4 isn't enough, Cult of Mac spoke to some PR heavy weights and they all seem to be convinced the only option for Apple at this point is a full-on recall of the iPhone 4.
Many of the tech, business, news pundits have all chimed in calling this "Apple's Toyota Prius;" it's not. Not by a long shot.
First, let's put this into perspective - the Prius was allegedly suffering from an issue where the car would randomly accelerate due to a brake defect. This defect would've theoretically affected millions, resulting in injury or death. That's heavy.
The iPhone by contrast is just that - a luxury cellular phone with lots of bells, whistles, wrapped up nicely in PR magic. Things like Retina displays, Face Time, helicopter windshield grade glass, and of course the blood of unicorns powering this sucker. Great sounding stuff but at the end of the day it's a phone; unless it started blowing up in users hands a recall would be heavy-handed all around.
The truth is that a lot of people have had the problem with disappearing bars; a lot of people have only heard about the issue through blogs, magazines, or television news. Apple's biggest folly in all this is their reluctance to admit there may be an issue in the first place. I'd be amazed if Apple didn't 1. acknowledge the actual problem (instead of their previous responses) or 2. offer some kind of "fix" like offering a free Bumper.
Addressing the issue will allow them to focus on the bigger issue: making sure that all future iPhones sold will NOT have the "death grip" problem. I've read research that suggests in instances where a doctor lost a patient, the families of the decease were less likely to sue if a doctor were to admit fault; those who feel spited by Apple may well fall into this line of thinking. Points for Apple PR and brand image.
The Bumper is a silly rubber band that costs $30; but having the Bumper on your iPhone will improve reception because you're no longer directly touching the antenna (the steel bezel). Realistically this makes sense; the Bumper costs YOU $30, Apple makes these cheaper:
f=Cost of manufacturing product < msrp =" Profit.">
The last possible option - one that won't be announced at this afternoon's keynote - is a silent recall. It's not a matter of secrecy but a matter of effectively handling customer issues. A recall will prompt all iPhone owners to seek a replacement phone whether or not they have a problem. Again, this isn't a problem that may cause bodily harm just a big ass annoyance.
Due to the large backlash from both mainstream media outlets and the blogosphere, Apple hastily scheduled a press conference/announcement for today (1PM EST); we here at PMB will keep up with all of today's news.
