Posted on 06/29/2010 8:07:03 PM PDT by for-q-clinton
According to documents leaked to Boy Genius Report today, AppleCare representatives are being given a strong company line to deliver to unhappy iPhone 4 owners who complain about reception issues.
Employees are told to say that the device’s reception performance “is the best we have ever shipped” and that its critical antenna flaws are “a fact of life in the wireless world.” They are told not to perform service on iPhones with these problems and instead to give customers a PR-driven recitative instead.
In a nutshell, Apple knows the phone has problems but will insist that users are simply “holding it wrong.”
These statements are dead ringers for CEO Steve Jobs’ own assertions that the iPhone 4 antenna and reception issues do not, in fact, exist. “There is no reception issue,” he told one user. But the very fact that this document exists suggests that Apple execs know there is indeed a widespread hardware flaw, even if they’re unwilling to address it publicly at this time.
Outside the reality distortion field, on the other hand, we and many others have been able to duplicate the issue being discussed: When held by its sides, which are composed of a metal antenna band, the phone’s reception quality drops dramatically. iPhone owners in our newsroom have seen reception decrease from five to two bars simply from holding the phone with two points of contact between the owner’s hand and the antenna band.
One law firm is even preparing for a class-action lawsuit against Apple and is soliciting iPhone 4 customers to contact them about reception issues.
Also, while some folks have reported that using a bumper case prevents contact with the antenna band and preserves reception quality, AppleCare reps are being told to not give bumper cases to disgruntled users.
(Excerpt) Read more at mashable.com ...
I LOVE THIS CARTOON!
This is a HUGE mistake! Apple has worked hard to develop a "buying experience" - beyond just delivering a gadget to a consumer - to promote loyalty and exclusivity. Now those efforts over a long period of time, are badly tainted by lying to fanboys who are early adopters, trend setters, and sentiment / opinion leaders.
This sounds very familiar - like Toyota who aggressively pursued market share at the expense of safety. They ignored the feedback from customers on sudden acceleration problems. (No, it must be your fault silly customer - we are Toyota. Maybe you have Restless Leg syndrome). Ha, what impeccable timing! There's a Toyota safety commercial in my face right now - boasting they're now spending $1 million every HOUR on safety - probably BS - but that's a big number if they're anywhere near that amount. And BP with all their touchy-feely commercials on how progressive they are with alternative fuels (and they're Cap and Tax supporters). But the problem was that they had the worst record on safety of any oil company operating in the US.
So, it's all about what you DO, not what you say.
Is your phone in a case?
They just expected people to live with it because “they’re Apple.”
Yes, and that’s the design flaw. Please check #17 and #19.
The case is basically an engineering “band-aid” and shouldn’t have been a requirement, in the first place. It basically ruins the aesthetics.
Just got it... nothing wrong with it... you’d have to pry My Precious from my cold dead fingers.
Are you the famous TomServo from the early web cam days?
That is what sane people do. Apple cultists lie down, kick, scream and shout.
I got my iPhone4 this morning... and cannot duplicate the problem... and the reception is better than the reception I have been getting on my iPhone 3Gs. In an area by my computer, where three cell towers have consistently been fighting for the signal, over SIX phones, three iPhones, LG, and two Motorolas, all of which have show everything from zero to five bars, the iPhone 4 has consistently this evening show FIVE BARS... no matter WHERE I've held it, on the lines, across the lines, wet hands, dry hands, leather, no leather. I've TRIEAD to get it to lose signal and can't... just like most other iPhone 4 owners.
In addition, my reception on my Plantronics 835 Bluetooth earpiece is FAR BETTER, clearer, and louder than what i was receiving from my iPhone 3Gs. I had planned on replacing it with a JawBone and handing the Plantronics off to my daughter along with the 3Gs... but I'll keep it.
Your assertion, based on the complaints of a few of the 1.7 million purchasers of the iPhone, is baseless. In my opinion it's FUD.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
When did you escape from the Democrat Party?
The negative comments, those complaining the most, were those who DID NOT OWN AN iPHONE.
Simple solution: cover (insulate) the antenna. (A tiny strip of electrical tape might do the trick...)
Escape? Or came here to troll on 2005-01-23?
Yeah those pesky customers who try to do more than sit and admire their new purchase.
When did you escape from the Democrat Party?we need a windfall profit tax on apple to be honest. They make over 50-100% profit
It's quite a trick to make 100% profit on anything; that implies that you are selling a product you are getting for free. And paying nothing for plant, equipment, or employee salaries.I know Steve Jobs has a reputation for being demanding, but . . .
“In fact, most reported said they could not duplicate the issue.”
Thats not true, even Jobs has admitted to the issue. Of course he blames the users for holding it wrong.
A rudimentary understanding of electricity is all thats required to understand the problem.
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