Apple Does Right by iPhone 4 Users Despite Dismissal of Serious Problem
Steve Jobs just finished his press conference on the iPhone 4 and its widely reported antenna problems. In essence, he said this is not an iPhone 4 specific problem, it's a widespread, perhaps universal, smartphone problem. He demonstrated several other popular models exhibiting the same behavior. Interestingly, Consumer Reports' review, which was the straw that broke the camel's back and led to this press conference, said explicitly it had tested numerous other phones and not found the same problem.
After sharing some stats from AT&T that seemed to prove that the 4 isn't much worse than the 3GS, Jobs hinted that because far more iPhone 4 owners leave the store without buying a case, this may be the root of the perception that the 4 drops more calls than it actually does. He admits this is his "pet theory."
Even though the problem is, Jobs says, overstated dramatically, still Apple wants to do something to fix it. So they've:
- released iOS 4.0.1 that fixes some of the algorithm problems that result in the display of bars updating incorrectly
- offered a free bumper (or other selected) case to every iPhone 4 owner and a refund to those who already bought one (this was widely expected)
- extended a full-refund offer to anyone who still isn't happy
I don't see how Apple could have done more here but I'm sure its critics will be howling about something before my blog post is even public. This blemish clearly hurt Apple a bit but it's a small bruise on a pretty largely untarnished Apple product line. (But don't get me started on Apple policies, which are a much nastier defect.)
As I said yesterday, my iPhone 4 does not seem to me to drop more calls or lose more bars than my 3G did and I just don't experience the problems others are reporting. I'll probably get a case for it on the chance it improves performance somehow.
