portfolio & design blog of logo & identity designer, Graham Smith
UPDATE: This was written prior to the well known Friday press-conference made by Steve Jobs. As such, I am not sure this article is so relevant now, but it felt so at the time.
Do you have an iPhone 4? Think all the fuss so far is just crazy. Can’t understand why people like me are writing posts like this? Think you are one of the lucky ones without any problems? Well, you might just be in for a fall.
With recent developments in the iPhone 4 saga, I just wanted to jot down a few thoughts I had about it. With Consumer Reports now not recommending the iPhone 4 to consumers, this means Apple has a bigger challenge than previously. Don’t want to get into all the details, it’s all out there on the internet.
But there is an underlying and slightly devious problem that I am sure will surface in time for most iPhone users.
A little background
I bought my iPhone 4 on day of launch and whilst I did see the antenna problems in my device, I am fortunate enough to live in a strong signal area. Like many people, I can replicate the signal drop at will, at any time in any environment. For the last few weeks it has not really been a problem for me. I have been able to use the phone as intended. Voice calls, Twitter, uploading and streaming all work fine.
Until now.
This past weekend I travelled away for the weekend, North of the Dartford Tunnel for a wedding. It was here that I realised that the antenna issue now turned into a significant problem. With the signal strength much weaker to what I am used to at home, I saw repeated drop calls, even no signal at all. All of a sudden what was a mere visual issue with dropped bars, turned into a very inconvenient problem.
It’s not a scientific comparison, but my girlfriend who has a BlackBerry on an O2 contract, the same as my iPhone, had a constantly reliable signal. My iPhone? Up and down, up and down, up and gone.
What to do?
I am now at a point where I am undecided as to what to do. I have experienced the true nature of the antenna fault. There will be other times that I travel out of ‘my comfort zone’ and no doubt will hit the same problem I did this weekend. And this is my worry.
I know many many people who have the iPhone 4, like me are/were happy with how the iPhone 4 works, dropped bars and all. They may feel slightly fortunate and unbothered by all the fuss, much like myself.
But what happens when these people travel to a new area and suddenly experience this antenna problem for themselves? It will then become a significant annoyance, to be all of a sudden hit by this design fault. It could be tomorrow that you see it for the first time, it could next week or later.
But when you do experience it for the first time, you will be frustrated and maybe even angry. I was.
No software fix
We now know the software update will not fix the antenna issue, so where does this leave us? I only have a few days or so before Apple’s 30 day return policy expires, then I am presumably screwed, unless Apple admits there is a serious design flaw.
My options are use the Apple Bumper case that I bought out of need, not desire. But this case just makes the iPhone look frumpy. By choice I refuse to put the Bumper case on the phone that I bought that cost good money. There is logic here, allbeit a true Western warped logic.
I did not upgrade my phone out of practicality, I did so out of lust, desire and because I could. The iPhone 4 is stunning, yet the Bumper cases hide and degrades the true essence of the iPhone. It’s a poor solution in comparison to the nature of Apples screw up.
Other options are using insulating tape or taking the iPhone back. But again, this is a problem. I recycled my iPhone 3G, so have no back-up iPhone or phone. If I take advantage of Apple’s 30 day money back, where will that leave me? Will they give me a new 3GS or will I have to wait until a ‘hope full’ hardware upgrade is made and available, and God doesn’t even know when or if that will happen.
For the iPhone hardware to be updated means Apple having to admit there is a serious fault, and that is not something they have done yet.
Recall
I have heard people say a mass recall is needed to present us with proof that Apple has good intentions and respect for its many loyal new new customers. I am not sure this is needed, but an optional recall would be a great way for Apple to start saving face.
Offer a free replacement iPhone 4 (hardware updated of course) to all those users who have problems or who are worried about future problems occurring). I am pretty sure many many people will not bother, happy to live with the fault, maybe fixing it with insulating tape or relying on a suitable case.
Or replace with a free iPhone 3GS. But then the early adopters, the ones that supported Apple from the beginning will end up back at square one. An old new iPhone 3GS, whilst others still buy and hang onto their iPhone 4, hoping not to experience any problems, ever. Unlikely.
And the bloody annoying thing is, once you have experienced the iPhone 4, the crisp display, the various improvements to the camera and video, you feel yourself torn between being practical and being ignorant. It’s hard to let go and imagine having to go back wards. This is truly a sad state of affairs over what is just a bunch of electronics, but Apple is passionate about these things, and so therefore, so are we. Apple could be to blame for this mass warped perception of what is important in our lives. When it goes wrong, where are they then?
Brand damage
Apple need to do something otherwise their brand will take a real hit. Offering free Bumper cases is not my idea of a goodwill gesture. This is the equivalent of a bodge hack. Apple are way above this sort of remedy, they don’t want to be know for the company that offered cheap workarounds for a serious design flaw. I know I wouldn’t. The only thing open to them, is some sort of optional recall, then leave it to individuals to decide if they need to take the offer up.
It’s not about Apple doing the cheapest thing, it’s about Apple needing to do what is right and frankly, now expected. If large brands like Toyato can take this sort of hit by recalling so many of it’s cars due to the dangerous accelerator problem, Apple can do it with some luxury and non life threatning phones (unless you experience a drop call during a 999, then it’s a whole different nightmare.
This lack of respect WILL affect future ‘first adopter’ behaviour for which Apple rely on to hit the ground running.
Put it into context and you will start to see that Apple are playing a dangerous game with their many customers. I have been using the mighty Apple since the Mac Colour Classic, and this is the first time I have had such negative thoughts about them. I can’t be the only one.
It’s all the remarkable when you consider that Apple are putting everything into the iPhone, seemingly at the expense of existing Apple product development. That they are playing with fire on their flagship product is just astonishing.
So where to go now
And I am still undecided. I will call O2 and see what their stance is. Presumably if Apple do admit fault, and this is out of the 30 day money back period for some users, a replacement or refund would still be in place?
But remember, just because you may be happy with your iPhone 4 now, does not mean you will always will be. It’s worth thinking about when you may need the iPhone 4 in an urgent or serious situation, in a new location with a weaker signal than you are used to. This is something Apple has put on us, what will you do about it?
My advice?
I can honestly say now, with benefit of hindsight, knowing what I do now after 3 weeks of use, I wouldn’t buy the phone. Wait until Apple admitted some level of fault and made good. If you are stll in contract, especially if you have a 3GS and have to pay a tidy sum just to get the iPhone 4, just sit it out for now.
The lure of the iPhone is strong, but once you experience the dropped calls and such like, it becomes a different story.
There is even ‘talk’ about if the iPhone is ‘fit for it’s intended purpose?’ I can say that for such a high level, premium smart phone, this antenna issue makes the iPhone ‘less than fit for making calls’. It’s not all the time, don’t get me wrong, but it can be enough to make you wish you had a phone that kept the signal. Ergo, is it ‘fit for purpose?’
Love Apple, Hate Apple
I do love Apple, I love Apple stuff, my job requires me to use Apple products all day every day. I have never had a real reason to doubt Apple in the past, all my purchases have been sound and reliable. This is the only time things have gone pear shaped.
I’m not new to Apple, my first Apple was the Colour Classic, then the LC. Have used Mac’s at home and in work, seen and used all revisions of the Mac desktop and laptop. I don’t say this to be all ‘la la la’, I say it because it can be important to put into context how I view Apple in general. Which has been, up till now, very positive, with the odd minor ‘tut tut’.
I am not even angry at the actual fault, I am angry with the way Apple are dealing with it. When you do decide to go ‘early adopter’ or ‘first day release buying frenzy’ then you should expect a few teething problems, but this is beyond a teething problem.
That’s the difference here for me. I am not anti Apple or anti iPhone, I am anti ‘the way they are dealing with this particular situation.’ Just hope they ‘man up’ and take accountability and do themselves a major favour in the process.
Light hearted poke on the iPhone 4 antenna – The Apple iAntenna – The Ultimate iPhone 4 Bumper Case Accessory
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Great post Graham, I love my Droid!
I’ve just tried buying a Samsung Galaxy Android in Hong Kong today (where iPhone 3 is discontinued and iPhone 4 problems mean a waiting list). Prices of top of the range Android phones (on 1010 network) were put up substantially today. I think the consumer report coverage may have something to do with it.
A great post, for the first time I’m happy that we always get things late in South Africa otherwise I certainly would have been one of the first to get an iPhone 4. I think one of the most important points you make is that most apple fans are not angry about the fault they just angry about the way Apple is handling it. Its funny you should mention Toyota, when they made that recall I had a whole new respect for their company culture and ethics. I think it may be already to late for Apple to make up for the damage with a recall but it certainly would be a giant leap in the right direction.
An excellent post Graham, a good read. I'm actually glad I avoided being one of the 1st with an iPhone4. I hate to be in the dilemma that you are in.
I hope it all works out for you.
Hi Graham
Am in the same situation, thankfully in an area with a good reception and it hasn't been a problem, but think Apple is now going to have to fix and offer an optional recall quickly just to avoid a PR nightmare.
If the option was to go back to a 3GS then I think I would have to stick with the 4, firstly it looks so much sexier than the previous versions and secondly the screen resolution is without a doubt so so much better.
Will be interesting over the coming weeks to see if Apple sort it or risk losing a share of the market to their competitors.
James
I've had an iPhone since the original, and I'm an avid Apple fan, iMac, MacBook and even convinced my new employer to get me an iMac at work as part of recruiting me! I've just upgraded to the iPhone 4, I didn't rush to do it on launch day (I can't stand queueing!) so obviously by the time I got mine I was well aware of the antenna issues.
Did it stop me buying it? No. Am I thinking twice now? Yes.
Of course I'm wondering if I could really go back now? The screen, the camera, the flash, the faster processor. It makes the 3G S look very inferior. But I have dropped calls and am forever losing the signal. There's nothing worse than holding the phone while you're typing an SMS only to then lose the signal and not be able to send it.
I'm starting to lose my love for Apple, they are losing sight of the very thing that got them where they are today – designing and building high quality (get what you pay for) gadgets and computers with unbelievable attention to detail and foremostly with the consumer in mind. They are turning into more of a Microsoft than Microsoft!
I think at this juncture Apple's only course of action to rescue what will inevitably be a long term thorn in their side is to recall the faulty handsets, but only when a proper hardware fix has been found. And they should be concentrating on this rather than shipping any more faulty handsets.
The majority of current iPhone 4 users are long term Apple fans, and the last thing Apple need is for people like me to take their two computers, their laptop, their MP3 player and their smartphone to other manufacturers…
Just my thoughts.
Can I have an apology? I tried to make you see this long ago, and got all sort of insults because of it. ;)
Well, I was right at the time. ;0)
Who will risk being first inline for Apple's next new invention? If they carry on down this road, they will surely see a lack of trust in the consumers. People need to trust Apple has their back in case of a screw up. Apple right now, are showing they just don't give a damn.
And this WILL affect future 'first adopter' behaviour.
Ha, yeah, fair enough. Cant really argue with waiting until you experience the issue for yourself before complaining :)
And I am being a git by the way. :)
I didn't know that many people were upset with the new iPhone. I thought it would be the same love affair everyone always has with Apple. Here in the states, where we live, AT&T provides service that is terrible. I can't imagine someone wanting an iPhone 4 with this cell service.
It's different here in the UK, you can use any number of cell carriers, all are pretty good infact. Orange, O2, Vodaphone… all compete for your custom. I don't believe we have any one 'unreliable' carrier.
Seems strange the US is a little backward with this. I am happy with O2, been with them for a while, sure they are sucking up a lot of flack for what is Apple's mess.
Totally agreed, and not only will it affect first adopters, it will affect all Apple consumers IMHO. I mean customer service is a deciding factor for most people, and so far I've been blown away by Apple's customer service. For example my 3G S was from a faulty batch that shows cracks within the polycarbonate on the back (it was white) and they replaced it there and then in the Apple Store. No questions asked.
Now I'm not so sure. What happens when my £1000 Mac packs in? The sole tool the earns me my living. What will I have to go through to get it fixed?
I may have been knee high to a grasshopper when Apple almost went down the pan last time, but I may not miss out on the next time round…
In the UK your talking about a much denser population in a much smaller landmass. I would expect, and it seems you have, excellent cell service all around. Here in the US carriers put the most cell towers where they'll make the great impact; big cities. They don't erect a tower for the people in location where density may only be a few people per square mile. It gets real dodgey the farther you get from civilization. I think I just said UK was more civilized…
You’d think the UK should be able to provide a good mature set up but wait until you come to Hong Kong. We have 100% signal 3.5G mobile everywhere. All the road and rail tunnels under the sea. All the underground trains. Every subway crossing under the road. Every building (except in steel elevators: glass ones are fine). Then there’s free WiFi in every government housing block, and 6000 other places including every 7/11, Sta**cks, Pacific Coffee, the Airport, etc. Oh and by the way; all landline calls are free and unlimited to mobiles AND other landlines for the equivalent of a fiver in GB£ / mth. If you want ‘civilised’ though Chris, as in excellent coverage in a huge country with a tiny population; visit Sweden. As for broadband, I have a dedicated 1000Meg fibre optic line at home for eqivalent of £22/mth. In the UK I have a 50:1 contended 8Meg for £25. I think we deserve better in the UK
Haha, @chris, it did kinda sound that way. ;D I'm a proud owner of a 3GS and no plans to upgrade. It looks pretty sweet but you're right, AT&T's service is shotty at best but I'll deal with it since I like my iPhone so much.
@ImJustCreative, yes it is a bit backwards but unfortunately Apple struck a contract with AT&T and they are the only ones that can provider service for the phone. There's talk of some other ones getting it, but just rumors as far as I know. Excellent post, you handled the issue differently than most others I've read.
But the odd thing is. O2 initially had sole dealership, then this year they lost that dealer exclusivity. Apple opened it up most of the major carriers.
Maybe Apple signed a longer contract with AT&T than O2, but it shows that Apple are aware of the advantages of having carrier competition.
You're quite right. The very fact they have resisted it so far, shows how they view the situation. IM sure they think that time will heal and I am sure that's right to a degree. But they are pushing that dangerously close to a point where time won't heal.
It also smacks of plain arrogance, and that sort of brand association is a tricky one to fully fan out.
Sure other phone makers are revelling in this iPhone problem, bet they are just hoping that Apple does string it out, for maximum damage.
And they will reap some of the benefits.
This is not the first time Apple did not react at all issues with their hardware. Years ago I bought a Macbook Pro when it came out (Rev. 1.1).
The machine was getting so hot on the bottom (and it still does) so that you seriously could and still can't touch it – it H.U.R.T.S !.
Furthermore most of the first gen. macbook pro's had issues with high-pitched noise – mine as well. Only “workaround” some piece of software constantly pushing the CPU. No comment.
Plus I had to replace 2 times the battery (luckily on warranty because I insisted on it and there were reports about burning notebooks due to battery failure). The 2nd replacement battery after 3 monts (out of warranty then). I'm pretty sure the batteries died because of the excessive heat on the bottom.
Then someone noticed that the thermal grease on the CPUs were applied improperly (too much grease so that it spread all over the CPUs) causing overheats and/or garbled screens. I reapplied it myself and the CPU became cooler afterwards. (still have screenshots).
This machine is the most broken device I ever bought. I was able to keep it more or less working just to avoid buying a new mac(book).
I love the software but the hardware is totally overpriced and full of issues in the first generation.
And you know what ? ….. Nothing changed…
As long as the constant stream of new converts (not sure if that's the right term but I guess you know what I mean) is higher than the number of distracted people the brand will survive.
Alex
I have about a full year and more left on my O2 contract, and it has so far prevented me from upgrading my 3GS to the iPhone4. Do you think I should wait until there is definitely a fix released for the iPhone4?
With benifit of hindsight, I would choose to wait until Apple admitted a problem, then dealt with it in a satisfactory way.
Even though for the most part, I have no problems when at home and in a strong signal area. But when you hit a lower signal the iPhone just falls apart when other phones on same carrier work perfectly.
One could argue in these cases, 'Is the iPhone fit for purpose'.
It baffles me how they let this get released! Like was that even a real phone Stevo was using?! Crazy scenario really.
I think I will wait until I see something new being released at least. I actually believe that my iPhone 3GS signal strength has declined since I installed the iOS4 update! When I go downstairs in my house my signal dies!
Nice article, I have been in a similar situation, and was in the position where I could not return it because Apple had not called the phone FAULTY…
Returning an iPhone4 to Orange UK is a NIGHTMARE!!! I eventually returned my iPhone4 yesterday after over two weeks of complaining: +20 phone calls to Orange and Apple, and 6 or 7 visits to the Orange UK store where I bought the phone, and a registered legal letter of complaint…
All that trouble because Apple had not acknowledged it as a FAULT, which meant I could not return a phone that was “not faulty” but simply had a bit of incorrect software which was going to be fixed by an update.
Personally I am sick to death of Steve Jobs’ lack of integrity, he really gives me the creeps, standing on his stage, smug and lying about his products. This time he has been caught out, claiming this phone has better reception than any of it’s predecessors. Last time he was claiming the iPad was the “most advanced piece of technology he has ever worked on” LOL What a bald-faced lie- its an overgrown iPod!
I’m upgrading to Android. I am tired of the hype, and this disappointment takes the cake.
Sorry to hear of your troubles Graham. This is exactly why I advocate not jumping on the gadget bandwagon with initial roll-outs. There are always teething problems, big or small. If not that then a new-and-improved model is usually right around the corner. Even something as basic as a firmware upgrade can end up being a headache. I always wait to see what the fallout is no matter what the product is.
But with my iPhone 3 – given my health issues and the fact that I'm disabled and alone, it is my lifeline to the outside world if Im in an emergency. Dropped calls or no signal would be a disaster for me in very critical ways just on a daily basis. I'd be very surprised if Apple went ahead with a recall for this latest model, given their reluctance to man-up so far and deleting threads and comments from their forums about the CR article.
Yes, I usually practice restraint. The only other time I got the 1st gen was the original 5gb iPod. That was just too much of a revolutionary device to pass up. Fortunately it worked and still works now, I have it hooked up in the kitchen.
I did accept a possibility of some teething problems, but not this. So I do feel a little disappointed in myself for rushing in. But hey ho.
Its only a phone right? ;)
Certainly seems that part of the problem is with the ios4 software. Which presumably can be patched, so how much this actually affects the antenna issue is any ones guess. But I like to think the buggy ios is the Main culprit, which is just putting exposure onto the antenna as the main problem.
Interested to see what steve says tomorrow in the press conference.
Only a phone?
Ooooerrrrr….. 8p