Apple: No Free Cases to Fix iPhone Antennae

[watcha]

'back_by_demand'

Interesting name.

You talk of one tiny manufacturing defect as if it applies to all apple products. Lets get some perspective:

1 - This 'defect' can only be replicated in a small percentage of phones, and only when you hold it in a particularly position. Numerous review websites have tried deliberately to recreate the problem without results.

2 - The vast majority of people who are ordering the new iphone are people who are upgrading. That means they know exactly what level of service, quality and product they get. IF they had a bad experience, they wouldn't re-order.

3 - Nobody believes Apple are a 'friend' - they are obviously a business. People buy their phones because of a) The fact it has the best user interface in most peoples opinions. b) It has the biggest app store which in turn means that their phone has the most features and 3) Apple have an excellent reputation across their brand for high quality and reliability

4 - Almost every independent review of the iphone has concluded that it is the best smart phone on the market.

Why can't you accept that people may buy the Iphone for logical reasons?

 

[Silmarunya]

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]'back_by_demand'Interesting name.You talk of one tiny manufacturing defect as if it applies to all apple products. Lets get some perspective:1 - This 'defect' can only be replicated in a small percentage of phones, and only when you hold it in a particularly position. Numerous review websites have tried deliberately to recreate the problem without results.2 - The vast majority of people who are ordering the new iphone are people who are upgrading. That means they know exactly what level of service, quality and product they get. IF they had a bad experience, they wouldn't re-order.3 - Nobody believes Apple are a 'friend' - they are obviously a business. People buy their phones because of a) The fact it has the best user interface in most peoples opinions. b) It has the biggest app store which in turn means that their phone has the most features and 3) Apple have an excellent reputation across their brand for high quality and reliability4 - Almost every independent review of the iphone has concluded that it is the best smart phone on the market. Why can't you accept that people may buy the Iphone for logical reasons?[/citation]

1) It can be replicated in a majority of phones, but that's not the point. Apple released the antenna without coating it in an non-conductive material that would have prevented reception issues. That's called cutting corners and for a phone with such a steep price tag, it's just not acceptable.

2) True

3) The best user interface in the opinion of some. It's simple and efficient, I must admit that. But it's lacking some advanced functionalities and it's rather dull if you ask me. You can't dispute tastes, so let's not go into that for too long. The biggest App store for now, but Android Market is closing in fast. It grows a lot faster than the App store, so when Android has been around for a bit longer, it will have exceeded the App store.
And the best reputation? Not any more. There are hundreds of non conductive coating that could have been put around the antenna for only a small additional cost. That's not a sign of high quality.

4) Not true. Its hardware is not exceptional. iOS does nothing better than Android and lacks some features. The design is magnificent and it's simple to use, but that's still a far cry from being the best smart phone on the market. The best smartphone for a non-tech savvy person for sure, but the best all round?

 

[paulthepwner]

[citation][nom]nukem950[/nom]I am not really sure how to handle this. I mean this is all the standard jargon for a customer service rep.I would know because I was one for a year and then a supervisor for another year. Please realize that this is an internal document and it is written for customer service representatives that need precise instructions so they can do their job correctly in a set time frame.[/citation]

I disagree. I worked for several years as a CSR at a department store. Corporate's policy was to always do whatever it took to make the customer happy. We were never told to not help the customer.

 

[ajcroteau]

Any company with a strong commitment to customer service and customer loyalty would have not only given you the bumper for free, they would have also shipped it to you for free...

But this is Apple were talking about...

 

[theuerkorn]

[citation][nom]Strider-Hiryu_79[/nom]% of iPhone 4 users most likely to fork over the 29$ = ??[/citation]Most users add a case of sorts anyway. The bands are not available in local retail stores and therefor less convenient to obtain. But if you want a number, I'd say the ones that get the band anyway is probably somewhere around 10%
[citation][nom]Strider-Hiryu_79[/nom]% of iPhone 4 users most likely to return their 1st batch iPhone4 = ??[/citation]
Return? Seriously? Okay, that number is sure under 1% if there are any returns. Receiption may be affected, but it IS also better than my 3G.
[citation][nom]Strider-Hiryu_79[/nom]% of iPhone 4 users who are self-proclaimed engineers and will develop their own rubber-band = ??[/citation]
Depending on how good of an "engineer" you are, but that number is likely to be well below 1%, as most would choose a more durable and attractive third-party case anyway.
[citation][nom]Strider-Hiryu_79[/nom]Probability that 3rd party companies will develop clone/knock-off rubber bands and sell for much less than the $29 apple version = 100%[/citation]
100% on the knock-off, but cases still typically run 20 - 25 from other vendors, and I am sure the copies will be in the same range.

 

[watcha]

[citation][nom]back_by_demand[/nom]Being a rabid fanboi is not logical[/citation]

It's also not the case (given that I don't own any Apple products)

 

[watcha]

Quote:

'It can be replicated in a majority of phones, but that's not the point. Apple released the antenna without coating it in an non-conductive material that would have prevented reception issues. That's called cutting corners and for a phone with such a steep price tag, it's just not acceptable.'

I don't think there's any evidence that this issue can be replicated on the majority of phones. Like I said, I've read lots of reviews from people who tried to replicate this and couldn't. I think the reality is that at least 99% of users wont have this issue - and if they do they wont hold the phone at the exact angle/position for 10 seconds? That's what it takes to cause the issue.

Quote:
'It's simple and efficient, I must admit that. But it's lacking some advanced functionalities and it's rather dull if you ask me'

I think it's fair that you disagree with the user interface being the best - but I think it's also fair to point out that most people agree.

'The biggest App store for now, but Android Market is closing in fast. It grows a lot faster than the App store, so when Android has been around for a bit longer, it will have exceeded the App store.'

That's not strictly true. It is much easier to grow when you're currently small. The larger you get, the harder it is to grow proportionally. I also want to have access to the largest app store now, rather than *potentially* a *just as big* app store months/years down the line.

'And the best reputation? Not any more'

It's fair to say their reputation will be damaged slightly by this - but it's one flaw of one product. They wont suffer too badly. I'm not condoning the fact the product has a flaw, I'm just saying we should get it into perspective instead of this hate-mongering.

'Not true. Its hardware is not exceptional. iOS does nothing better than Android and lacks some features'

This is 100% incorrect. Go and do some research. I read the first 10 reviews on the Apple IPhone and I don't think I found even ONE which states anything less than that this is the best smartphone on the market, all things considered. That isn't disputable, that's clear, obvious, evident fact. Faster hardware / higher specifications means very little. I have had numerous phones with higher processor speed (which you can't compare directly anyway, by the way) and they still ran slow. It's barely relevant at all. And according to pretty much EVERY review - it somehow more than makes up for it to the point that they believe it's the best phone.

 

[brando56894]

I totally think they should give them away, I see as it no different than a firmware update that fixes bugs. This is the reason why I havent or ever will buy an apple product.

 

[brando56894]

[citation]b) It has the biggest app store which in turn means that their phone has the most features [/citation]

Youre grasping at straws here, more apps != more features. I have a droid and even though android has a smaller app market, I feel my droid is way more feature rich than any iphone.

 

[Userremoved]

Apple think scamming.

 

[djsting]

I think people are being unreasonable. I would never expect a $400 phone to...just work. That's crazy talk.

 

[maestintaolius]

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]Go and do some research. I read the first 10 reviews on the Apple IPhone and I don't think I found even ONE which states anything less than that this is the best smartphone on the market, all things considered. That isn't disputable, that's clear, obvious, evident fact. Faster hardware / higher specifications means very little. I have had numerous phones with higher processor speed (which you can't compare directly anyway, by the way) and they still ran slow. It's barely relevant at all. And according to pretty much EVERY review - it somehow more than makes up for it to the point that they believe it's the best phone.[/citation]
What's best for you isn't necessarily what's best for me. Being the "best" because someone else says so doesn't mean a whole lot.

 

[hoofhearted]

I see Jobs as a Dave Karesh kind of cult leader. Plain and simple, Jobs is "a dick", likes being "a dick", and likes shoving it in peoples faces (even if they worship him) that he is "a dick".

 

[ksampanna]

b. Gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.

That reminds me of my school days. When I protested to my mom that my lower marks were nothing unusual (everyone got the same), that still didn't stop her from spanking me, stating why the hell I had to compare myself with the other kids.

Back to the topic.
F*** Jobbs.

 

[Pei-chen]

[citation][nom]webbwbb[/nom]I was at school today and someone was showing his friend the new iPhone 4 he bought for $50. Apparently the previous owner had severe reception issues, couldn't return it, and couldn't find someone interested in buying it until he offered it for such a low price. The original owner is still stuck with a contract for a phone that has already cost him money.[/citation]
Did you just made this story up? He can return it to AT&T with a $37 restocking fee or sell it on eBay for $700.

 

[demonhorde665]

steve jobs and apple in general must really love the smell of s--t because they all have thier heads up thier a--

 

[demonhorde665]

[citation][nom]watcha[/nom]Quote: 'It can be replicated in a majority of phones, but that's not the point. Apple released the antenna without coating it in an non-conductive material that would have prevented reception issues. That's called cutting corners and for a phone with such a steep price tag, it's just not acceptable.'I don't think there's any evidence that this issue can be replicated on the majority of phones. Like I said, I've read lots of reviews from people who tried to replicate this and couldn't. I think the reality is that at least 99% of users wont have this issue - and if they do they wont hold the phone at the exact angle/position for 10 seconds? That's what it takes to cause the issue. Quote:'It's simple and efficient, I must admit that. But it's lacking some advanced functionalities and it's rather dull if you ask me'I think it's fair that you disagree with the user interface being the best - but I think it's also fair to point out that most people agree.'The biggest App store for now, but Android Market is closing in fast. It grows a lot faster than the App store, so when Android has been around for a bit longer, it will have exceeded the App store.'That's not strictly true. It is much easier to grow when you're currently small. The larger you get, the harder it is to grow proportionally. I also want to have access to the largest app store now, rather than *potentially* a *just as big* app store months/years down the line.'And the best reputation? Not any more'It's fair to say their reputation will be damaged slightly by this - but it's one flaw of one product. They wont suffer too badly. I'm not condoning the fact the product has a flaw, I'm just saying we should get it into perspective instead of this hate-mongering.'Not true. Its hardware is not exceptional. iOS does nothing better than Android and lacks some features'This is 100% incorrect. Go and do some research. I read the first 10 reviews on the Apple IPhone and I don't think I found even ONE which states anything less than that this is the best smartphone on the market, all things considered. That isn't disputable, that's clear, obvious, evident fact. Faster hardware / higher specifications means very little. I have had numerous phones with higher processor speed (which you can't compare directly anyway, by the way) and they still ran slow. It's barely relevant at all. And according to pretty much EVERY review - it somehow more than makes up for it to the point that they believe it's the best phone.[/citation]

1. you are a fanboy

2. there is NO such thing as "best...on the market" , ther can only be a most popular .. because there is NO logical argumet with set factual premises , that veriy any phone is "the best" because any such argument's premises would be opinion based. there fore you can not logically conclude that one phone is definitely better than another. you can however argue popularity logically with factual premises,but something being popular doesn't necessarily conclude that something is the best just because it is the most popular. Windows is not the best OS for security for isntance but it is the most popular OS.

3. you are a fanboy.

4. you are obviously puling numbers out of the air and your a-- , show me and other readers where only 1% of iphone owners have this issue ??? .. any one can make up numbers to back their argument , it does'nt magically make those numbers right

5. I dislike fanboys


p.s. oh did i forget to mention ... you are a fanboy

 

[1pp1k10k4m1]

Looks like they chose to get sued instead in a class action law suit. They've well earned it this time. I have several apple products (as well as Microsoft, and Linux too), but apple has earned a good class action law suit. Selling something not fit for market, and they HAD to know it. Jobs even lists it as a "fact of life".

 

[btdude6]

[citation][nom]AMW1011[/nom]Ah my favorite, I think this should be their slogan.[/citation]

Lmfao I fully support!

 

[guzz46]

I think it's fair that you disagree with the user interface being the best - but I think it's also fair to point out that most people agree

What do you class as the best? easiest? most pretty? most locked down? or just personal opinion?

I also want to have access to the largest app store now, rather than *potentially* a *just as big* app store months/years down the line

There is a difference between quality and quantity, i have no need for an app that makes fart sounds, show me a useful iphone app that adds some kind of special feature i can't get on another smartphone or smartphone app.

This is 100% incorrect. Go and do some research. I read the first 10 reviews on the Apple IPhone and I don't think I found even ONE which states anything less than that this is the best smartphone on the market, all things considered. That isn't disputable, that's clear, obvious, evident fact. Faster hardware / higher specifications means very little. I have had numerous phones with higher processor speed (which you can't compare directly anyway, by the way) and they still ran slow. It's barely relevant at all. And according to pretty much EVERY review - it somehow more than makes up for it to the point that they believe it's the best phone.

A review is just one guys opinion thats all, it doesn't hold any more weight than an average joe's opinion. Maybe you can tell us what makes it the best smartphone because its certainly not very good at its main job (being a phone)