Manjoo writes, “Still, if you want to be a total jerk about it and keep insisting there’s a problem with your magical iPhone, Jobs has an offer for you. ‘OK, great, let’s give everybody a case,’ he said. Happy now, whiners?”
MacDailyNews Take: This was/is a FUD campaign. And, it’s not even the first time it’s been tried:
• Additional testing of Apple iPhone’s 3G antenna again shows completely normal results – August 27, 2008
• Apple iPhone 3G antenna test verdict: completely normal – August 25, 2008
• Apple hit with lawsuit over iPhone’s 3G speed and reliability – August 21, 2008
• Apple: iPhone 2.0.2 Software Update ‘improves communication with 3G networks’ – August 20, 2008
• Apple releases iPhone, iPod touch 2.0.2 Software Update – August 18, 2008
• Steve Jobs: iPhone 3G reception issues affect 2% of total units shipped; software update coming soon – August 18, 2008
• iPhone 3G reception issues could be fixed via firmware update as early as this week – August 18, 2008
• WSJ: Apple preps software fix for iPhone 3G reception issues reported by some – August 15, 2008
• ABC News, Associated Press propagate iPhone FUD – August 15, 2008
• Nomura analyst Richard Windsor and his extraordinary knack for sniffing out Apple iPhone ‘issues’ – August 14, 2008
• Software fix on the way for iPhone 3G reception glitches – August 14, 2008
• Aussie telco source blames Apple secrecy for iPhone 3G reception issues – August 13, 2008
• Apple and AT&T investigating reports of iPhone 3G connection issues – August 12, 2008
Déjà vu all over again.
Manjoo continues, “Things got worse when Jobs took the stage and offered a blizzard of statistics to suggest the problems people are reporting aren’t unique in the phone market. Apple, he said, has sold more than 3 million iPhones in the last three weeks, yet only 0.55 percent of purchasers have called the company with reception problems. Very few people are returning the phone, he continued, fewer than returned the iPhone 3GS [1.7% or 1/3 of iPhone 3GS return rate.]
MacDailyNews Take: Some blizzard.
Manjoo’s rather pedestrian hit piece continues – Think Before You Click™ here.
Question:
When Steve said less than one more dropped call per 100 vs the 3GS, is that per 100 dropped calls or per 100 calls made?
Big difference between the two. The former being insignificant and the latter potentially being huge depending on the dropped call rate of the 3GS.
This is not the first time Manjoo stretched a non-issue for want of anything fresh or of real substance to talk about. Slow news month? Tired of BP, screwed up celebs, or sports? Just comment anything on Apple will guarantee to get your opinion piece listed in Google.
Manjoo’s a dickwad and a liar who will report black is white just to take our time with his verbal waste.
Crap, I’m really gotten tired of all this bullshit! Now everyone becomes a CEO, yelling to tell what Apple should do this do that.
Since when everyone becomes an expert now
Manjoo writes “On Thursday, I hoped that Apple CEO Steve Jobs would admit there’s a problem with the new iPhone’s antenna and apologize for pretending there wasn’t. I didn’t get that apology. Not even close.”
And I wish hack level writers would stop writing crap click-bate FUD articles.
I guess we will both have to get over the disappointment, eh’ Manjoo
I was critical of the way Apple was handling (or not handling) the PR aspects of this whole issue early last week … regardless of the technical FUD or reality. However, I think Steve Jobs did a fine job addressing the issues and offering a short-term solution.
Truth is, at this point, this story is over except in the geekland that the tech press lives in. No normal person cares about this anymore. Put on a case, don’t buy, whatever.
As Jobs said in the press conference, one reason for this hoopla is that Apple painted a bulls-eye on the phone, showing exactly where not to hold it. This backfired for the same reason that Adobe’s boards are clogged with stupid complaints about Creative Suite. Like that software, the indispensable iPhone has slipped from a mutual choice (you choose to make and sell it; I choose to buy it) to a unilateral right (I deserve and demand that you sell me the product I want) in the minds of many a sloppy thinker. Nothing to do about it but move on. Certainly kowtowing to whiners won’t help.
The press conference was outstanding. Apple was fully transparent, enlightening, and overly generous in offering free cases.
Jobs gave the facts Mangoo, if you can’t understand that then you shouldn’t be writing your crap Fud!
Sound travels faster through a dense material, right? So, “tin ear” is a compliment compared to a normal flesh ear, meaning Apple hears and responds to customer issues faster. How come no one else is getting this?
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I love my iPhone 4! It gets markedly better reception in my house than any of my previous cell phones…(and i’ve had a cell phone in use here for 15 years!)
I will probably get labeled as anti-apple or have my post deleted – but I agree with the above article.
If you are going to hold a press conference to discuss a problem – seemingly because CR came out with its results. Then you need to do at least the following.
1. Show why CR test results were wrong – why did only iPhone 4 attenuate in their test? Did they really only test the iPhone4 different then other phones. The methodology of their test is not the main issue. The issue is only the iPhone 4 showed a different result. Why was that? This question was not answered.
2. Why has this only come to such a high level of attention for this cell phone. If this is a industry wide issue – why is it the first time so scrutinized?? The lack of cases? Really? What about the 1st gen iPhone?
Additionally the videos that apple posted on their site are far from convincing. Imagine if that was a non Apple web site posting showing only the iPhone – what kind of complaints would there be from this site about that?
It is “condescending” for Manjoo to continue to heap this garbage on the public, thinking they are stupid.
> Apple, he said, has sold more than 3 million iPhones in the last three weeks, yet only 0.55 percent of purchasers have called the company with reception problems.
That’s not even what Steve Jobs said. 0.55% is low enough to prove the point. However, what he said was that of the calls received by Apple Care for iPhone 4, 0.55% of them were related to the antenna or reception. So it’s not even 0.55% of ALL iPhone 4 customers, it’s 0.55% of the small subset of customers who had any problem requiring a call to tech support. That means far fewer than even 1 in 200 iPhone 4 customers are having problems with the antenna or reception. So an AppleCare call was about 200 times more likely to be about something else.
This is a four-sentence summary of the press conference:
Antenna signal attenuation is NOT unique to iPhone 4. We sold 3 million in 3 weeks, and those actual customers are not complaining. To help alleviate concerns from people considering an iPhone 4, we’ll give you a 30-day 100% money back guarantee; if you don’t like it, bring it back for a full refund. Until September 30th , we will also give you a case at no cost as as thank you gift.
It’s not condescending. It treats existing customers and potential customers respectfully. Manjoo is condescending and arrogant.
I am usually very savvy and up-to-date with acronyms, but what exactly is an FUD?
@ RLB: FUD = Fear, uncertainty and doubt
Ah, Slate. That ever-condescending, we-are-genetically-superior-to-you oracle of knowledge and criticism. Reading the diatribe by Farhad Manjoo (Gesundheit!), I thought to myself, has this guy ever done anything that adds value to the world?
That is why punditry has no value to me. It is so easy to tear something down. Critics are a dime a dozen. But to build something, to solve a major problem, to make the world a better place, that’s achievement.
Sadly, the media is dominated by bitter little minds like Farhad Manjoo. I can only hope the public either ignores pompous, valueless and condescending sites like Slate and Salon as do their advertisers. Judging from the traffic at my local Apple Store, it appears that the general public is doing just that.
praise Apple = lick Steve’s ass
bash Apple = always a question about FUD, whatever the situation is
You Apple fan boys are more brainwashed than the most brainwashed religious freak
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The antenna on the iPhone 4 is a non-issue, at least in the U.S. In the United States even a perfectly configured and designed antenna would only help connect the iPhone 4 to AT&T.
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Seriously, worrying about a bad antenna when you have an iPhone is like worrying about your aftershave when visiting a convent.
The “leftist rag” and “towelhead” comments are not only inappropriate, they are as wrong and as obnoxious as the dim-bulb fanatics not hip to the sincerity and brilliance of Apple. Put a towel on your androids, and for those who can’t refrain from the non-stop political references and metaphors (Glenn Beck has trained you all well), STF up about technology and get rid of your sheets before criticizing the towels.
That wasn’t condescension
That was ANGER…
His Steveness was “pissed off” … who wouldn’t be…
when it comes to stupidity, humans excel.
When you’re a brainless monkey you can’t accuse or blame the pointer for being condescending.
There is a problem with the iPhone 4’s antenna in some situations, and it’s being fixed in new versions of the iPhone 4. That’s why the offer of a free bumper case only applies to iPhone 4s purchased by Sept. 30 – Apple is going to better insulate the antenna so that it’s not a problem.
I also think that is why the white iPhone 4 is being delayed, so that white iPhone 4s that will inevitably be compared to the black iPhone 4s will not have the same reception issues.
Apple’s not going to come out and say, “Oops, our new baby is screwed up, sorry.” Anyone expecting that is either stupid or ignorant as to how business works. You don’t do that until you’re backed into a corner and have no other way out, then you admit your problem, ask for forgiveness, and everything is good.
@cubert
I’m quite certain it’s 1 more dropped call per 100 calls made.
Jobs couldn’t disclose the number of dropped calls for the 3GS, because AT&T wouldn’t allow it.
I believe iPhone 5 will sport a new antenna design that moves the black-line separators for voice communications to the top of the
phone.
In other words, they’ll rotate the antennas around the bezel so that perhaps the BluTooth antenna is moved into the “left-hand” position that is now occupied by the telephone’ antenna.
I have my second iPhone,second mini,5th iPod and have owned 3 Mac laptops, a G4, a G5 and all associated goodies to compliment the best computer and entertainment devices made in the last 7 years. My son works for a large Hollywood studio and finally convinced me to come over from the dark side : I saw the light! I have not seen the blue screen of death since. Never. I couldn’t be happier. Well, maybe a little happier. My iPhone2 and 3Gs have always dropped calls. AT&T or Apple’s fault? Don’t know. Don’t care. But I’m pissed off that the guy next to me at work has an AT&T phone and he didn’t just drop HIS call! It’s a phone and I expect it to work. I want the iPhone4 but am afraid to buy it on AT&T. But what if the problem with all iPhones hasn’t been all AT&T? I’ll give Verizon a shot in January but it had better work! I love Apple products. I wish they made automobiles. I’d buy one in a minute. But you have to be objective. You have to act intelligently. You have to act like an adult. It is clear that Apple made mistakes with the iPhone4. But a press conference ( necessary because earnings are here ) with an attitude is wrong. Fix the problem don’t mask it with a case or a refund. It’s not the media. It’s the design. I’m a fan and a supporter of the products. Apple Insider and Mac Rumor seem to be able to cover and support Apple while still being objective. In short they don’t seem to be afraid to do their jobs as journalists. They are not apologists.
@Ed you bigoted racist idiot. Goes for eveyone who agrees with him.