If Apple is going to give out free bumpers, I hope they give a refund to people that already bought one.
If they do decide to go this route, they won't actually implement it by giving out bumpers or refunds. Instead they will offer $35 gift cards to the Apple Store to all purchasers (past and current). They'll let the users decide whether and how they want to spend the credit. Many will go ahead and spend more than that while they are there, regardless of whether they get a bumper, and most will go home feeling taken care of.
They won't give away free bumpers. That would confirm the 'design flaw'. They will simply say nothing is wrong. Re-state their belief about it being an issue with their reception bars math. And say they've fixed that and it's good to go.
Now that there's millions of sales, admitting anything would be a nightmare. So they'll admit nothing and hope that sales don't get impacted and that the number of folks with reception issues remains a tiny, and easily ignored minority.
Seeing as Apple announced it specifically to address the issue its not a huge leap to assume...
They announced that they would be releasing an update shortly, which will likely be 4.0.1, not this 4.1 beta which isn't likely to be released for some time since it just went to beta.
Great point! Maybe $29.99 gift card toward a case of your choice on apple.com.
If anything like this is the solution, then it would probably just be a Gift Card that can be used any way you want. This would give those folks that don't want a case a little bit of stroking... there may be a big segment of folks that don't hold their phones that way, for whatever reason. But they still may feel "entitled" just out of principle.
I hope they do something, I upgraded the beta 4.1 today and wham, not good.
4.1 did nothing to fix the problem in fact I am really sorry to say I think it made it worse on my phone. Before I had to really squeeze hard to get the results everyone else was having so i did not think it was that big of a deal, now after 4.1, I just hold it slightly and the bars drop like a rock!
Wasn't that the point? To show you how bad reception is where you are? I think Apple wants you to blame AT&T here, not your iPhone 4.
It's very possible that all iPhone 4's are NOT faulty, but due to the "public" (internet) perception spilling over into mainstream media, they're going to go above and beyond the call of duty to avoid tarnishing the brand.
So you have tens of thousands of faulty units (acceptable for 2 million+ units built) that have possibly failed due to issues in the new manufacturing process, and a software display bug.
You combine this with the fact that ALL antenna's attenuate when touched (especially external ones) and you can have a serious perception crisis that gets amplified by a blogosphere desperate to report on anything Apple. And if they can make it look SUPER negative, they'll always opt for negative.
This is why the many positive reports on the new antenna from the public, from the tech press, and from antenna engineers who have come forward in recent days have been overshadowed.
It has come to our attention that in a weak signal area - where previously you might get no signal - you might get a dropped call if you are not using a case for your iPhone and happen to place your hand over the antenna in a certain way. Or you might not. In this instance, as a gesture of goodwill we will be giving vouchers to those who are concerned about this issue so they can buy a case of their choosing from any Apple Store. Now be grateful and shut the f**k up about antenna attenuation.
Wow...this whole episode proves that there are some really dumb asses in this country.The iPhone 4 is the best cell phone/personal media device EVER created and it is getting trashed by a bunch of tards who cant for the life of them figure out how not to cover that one little area of their phone!
I don't think they'll get a refund, but more like store credit.
You're probably right. Friday will be the 14th day of my bumper purchase. So if the announcement is a free one, I'm luckily just within the return period.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris_CA
Why? The problem is solve with bumpers and you don't have a problem (because you already have a bumper).
I honestly don't know how to respond to this. It just seems obvious to me why I would want a refund. I'm not trying to be a jerk; I simply don't know how to logically form a rebuttal demonstrating my point.
It was stated clearly that as a part of 4.1 it was to include the signal fix that apple talked about, 1st I did not expect a real fix but for them to make it worse is a bit bothersome, Apple has always produced such high quality products, so with this round of misteps i'm a little shocked.
No bashing, No trashing, Just the reality, After the update its REALLY BAD, something is wrong there.... you can't argue with facts. Well you could but it does not make sense to me.
Just trying to make a point...
What's this? Can you describe what is bad after the update? If it's that you now show hardly any bars in your location, well that's exactly the predicted result for low signal areas. Your signal wouldn't be any weaker. Your display would simply be more representative. Or is there something else going on, e.g. more dropped calls, continued large impact to displayed strength, etc?
Update: I just came across your previous post on the earlier page.
I'm glad my iPhone is still on order. Still time to cancel if things go south .. or be pleasantly surprised if they try to compensate for this reception issue.
IPHONE 4 is a true work of art. Even with holding the phone in the lower left hand corner I have no problem.
I really don't expect APPLE to do much on FRIDAY. However it seems that the people that are complaining are looking for a free bumper and maybe they'll get a credit or a free bumper.
For the people that are having the problem, they should return the iphone4. Why keep complaining.? get your money back and call it a day.
Exactly. Fortune surveyed 25 AT&T stores and found that a total of 11 iPhones had been returned. Obviously the number of people who are unhappy enough to do something other than whine is tiny.
Btw, it wasn't Fortune that surveyed AT&T stores. It was BMO Capital Markets. When will you start reporting facts correctly instead of twisting facts ? BMO is a financial company that has a buy rating for Apple. I take their so called survey with a grain of salt. They have a dog in this fight. Do you know the methodology of this survey ? Do you know how many stores they truly called ? Do you think store managers really have the freedom from AT&T to accurately report this data to an outside source ? When was this survey taken ? A lot of unanswered questions. This so called survey is completely meaningless without more facts behind it. Also, it will be interesting to see how many customers will be returning their phone when their 30-day trial gets close to the end. Because they are just waiting/hoping for Apple to come out with a fix. Which it looks like they might announce this Friday.
oh goodness, not good for Apple. Honestly, I watch the news at night and hadn't seen much on it. Other than tech news on the internet, I wouldn't have known. The fact that it's made it to Letterman means that it's a bit more mainstream than I thought. Perhaps more people know about this than I imagined.
At least they're going to address it. Even Apple knows that staying quiet with an issue this big (or saying "you're holding it wrong") is a dumbass mistake.
Frankly, there's no problem with the iPhone. I think Apple will reiterate this and tell people simply to return the phone if they don't want to hold it the right way.
Well, if the world was full of intelligent reasonable people that like hearing the truth then telling people they are holding it wrong would actually be the *best* way to go, since that's essentially the only problem.
The trouble is that Steve and Co. have no idea how the average dumb-ass consumers reacts to statements like that. So, yeah. It was a bad move I guess.
This whole debacle shows off Apple's achilles heel. They make superior products because they are a superior company full of superior human beings, but as a result, they just don't get how regular folks think sometimes. Same with the Hockey puck mouse for the original iMac. To a designer, it's beauty, art, etc. but to the average computer user it was a POS that didn't fit in your hand.
Really? So you're a genius who always holds your phone correctly? It's a cell phone, you should be able to hold it however. People are busy, multi-tasking, shifting a phone from one hand to the other, making calls in bed, etc. They shouldn't have to think "Am I holding my iPhone correctly?" That's idiotic.
This is clearly the result of inadequate testing on Apple's part. Likely that every prototype iPhone, whether on or off the Cupertino campus, was shrouded in a case that masked the problem. As an avid Apple aficionado and shareholder, it's overdue for Apple to resolve this DEFECT and put the problem behind them.
Well they had to respond. Meanwhile our iPhone 4s are the best iPhones we've had. Better, faster connection. And this is the experience for most users.
I can make the signal degrade if I really try, but in everyday use, no problems. It's perfect.
Comments
If Apple is going to give out free bumpers, I hope they give a refund to people that already bought one.
If they do decide to go this route, they won't actually implement it by giving out bumpers or refunds. Instead they will offer $35 gift cards to the Apple Store to all purchasers (past and current). They'll let the users decide whether and how they want to spend the credit. Many will go ahead and spend more than that while they are there, regardless of whether they get a bumper, and most will go home feeling taken care of.
Done deal.
Thompson
Now that there's millions of sales, admitting anything would be a nightmare. So they'll admit nothing and hope that sales don't get impacted and that the number of folks with reception issues remains a tiny, and easily ignored minority.
Seeing as Apple announced it specifically to address the issue its not a huge leap to assume...
They announced that they would be releasing an update shortly, which will likely be 4.0.1, not this 4.1 beta which isn't likely to be released for some time since it just went to beta.
It was stated clearly that as a part of 4.1 it was to include the signal fix that apple talked about, ...
In the 4.1 SDK release notes? Or are you referring to the unspecified release they mentioned in the letter?
Great point! Maybe $29.99 gift card toward a case of your choice on apple.com.
If anything like this is the solution, then it would probably just be a Gift Card that can be used any way you want. This would give those folks that don't want a case a little bit of stroking... there may be a big segment of folks that don't hold their phones that way, for whatever reason. But they still may feel "entitled" just out of principle.
Thompson
I hope they do something, I upgraded the beta 4.1 today and wham, not good.
4.1 did nothing to fix the problem in fact I am really sorry to say I think it made it worse on my phone. Before I had to really squeeze hard to get the results everyone else was having so i did not think it was that big of a deal, now after 4.1, I just hold it slightly and the bars drop like a rock!
Wasn't that the point? To show you how bad reception is where you are? I think Apple wants you to blame AT&T here, not your iPhone 4.
So you have tens of thousands of faulty units (acceptable for 2 million+ units built) that have possibly failed due to issues in the new manufacturing process, and a software display bug.
You combine this with the fact that ALL antenna's attenuate when touched (especially external ones) and you can have a serious perception crisis that gets amplified by a blogosphere desperate to report on anything Apple. And if they can make it look SUPER negative, they'll always opt for negative.
This is why the many positive reports on the new antenna from the public, from the tech press, and from antenna engineers who have come forward in recent days have been overshadowed.
Don't stick your grubby mitts over the antenna.
What Apple will probably say:
It has come to our attention that in a weak signal area - where previously you might get no signal - you might get a dropped call if you are not using a case for your iPhone and happen to place your hand over the antenna in a certain way. Or you might not. In this instance, as a gesture of goodwill we will be giving vouchers to those who are concerned about this issue so they can buy a case of their choosing from any Apple Store. Now be grateful and shut the f**k up about antenna attenuation.
Man there are some stupid people out there.
I don't think they'll get a refund, but more like store credit.
You're probably right. Friday will be the 14th day of my bumper purchase. So if the announcement is a free one, I'm luckily just within the return period.
Why? The problem is solve with bumpers and you don't have a problem (because you already have a bumper).
I honestly don't know how to respond to this. It just seems obvious to me why I would want a refund. I'm not trying to be a jerk; I simply don't know how to logically form a rebuttal demonstrating my point.
It was stated clearly that as a part of 4.1 it was to include the signal fix that apple talked about, 1st I did not expect a real fix but for them to make it worse is a bit bothersome, Apple has always produced such high quality products, so with this round of misteps i'm a little shocked.
No bashing, No trashing, Just the reality, After the update its REALLY BAD, something is wrong there.... you can't argue with facts. Well you could but it does not make sense to me.
Just trying to make a point...
What's this? Can you describe what is bad after the update? If it's that you now show hardly any bars in your location, well that's exactly the predicted result for low signal areas. Your signal wouldn't be any weaker. Your display would simply be more representative. Or is there something else going on, e.g. more dropped calls, continued large impact to displayed strength, etc?
Update: I just came across your previous post on the earlier page.
Thompson
I really don't expect APPLE to do much on FRIDAY. However it seems that the people that are complaining are looking for a free bumper and maybe they'll get a credit or a free bumper.
For the people that are having the problem, they should return the iphone4. Why keep complaining.? get your money back and call it a day.
Exactly. Fortune surveyed 25 AT&T stores and found that a total of 11 iPhones had been returned. Obviously the number of people who are unhappy enough to do something other than whine is tiny.
Btw, it wasn't Fortune that surveyed AT&T stores. It was BMO Capital Markets. When will you start reporting facts correctly instead of twisting facts ? BMO is a financial company that has a buy rating for Apple. I take their so called survey with a grain of salt. They have a dog in this fight. Do you know the methodology of this survey ? Do you know how many stores they truly called ? Do you think store managers really have the freedom from AT&T to accurately report this data to an outside source ? When was this survey taken ? A lot of unanswered questions. This so called survey is completely meaningless without more facts behind it. Also, it will be interesting to see how many customers will be returning their phone when their 30-day trial gets close to the end. Because they are just waiting/hoping for Apple to come out with a fix. Which it looks like they might announce this Friday.
At least they're going to address it. Even Apple knows that staying quiet with an issue this big (or saying "you're holding it wrong") is a dumbass mistake.
Frankly, there's no problem with the iPhone. I think Apple will reiterate this and tell people simply to return the phone if they don't want to hold it the right way.
Well, if the world was full of intelligent reasonable people that like hearing the truth then telling people they are holding it wrong would actually be the *best* way to go, since that's essentially the only problem.
The trouble is that Steve and Co. have no idea how the average dumb-ass consumers reacts to statements like that. So, yeah. It was a bad move I guess.
This whole debacle shows off Apple's achilles heel. They make superior products because they are a superior company full of superior human beings, but as a result, they just don't get how regular folks think sometimes. Same with the Hockey puck mouse for the original iMac. To a designer, it's beauty, art, etc. but to the average computer user it was a POS that didn't fit in your hand.
Really? So you're a genius who always holds your phone correctly? It's a cell phone, you should be able to hold it however. People are busy, multi-tasking, shifting a phone from one hand to the other, making calls in bed, etc. They shouldn't have to think "Am I holding my iPhone correctly?" That's idiotic.
This is clearly the result of inadequate testing on Apple's part. Likely that every prototype iPhone, whether on or off the Cupertino campus, was shrouded in a case that masked the problem. As an avid Apple aficionado and shareholder, it's overdue for Apple to resolve this DEFECT and put the problem behind them.
Well they had to respond. Meanwhile our iPhone 4s are the best iPhones we've had. Better, faster connection. And this is the experience for most users.
I can make the signal degrade if I really try, but in everyday use, no problems. It's perfect.
Your intelligent comments stand out here.
Perhaps more people know about this than I imagined.
If they didn't they do now! I am guessing Letterman's going to get a pissy letter soon like a certain other talk show host recently....
Your intelligent comments stand out here.
Your comment says more you than AppleZilla's comment. Exactly how would he know if most users are satisfied?