Apple’s press conference this morning is pretty much what a lot of people expected — lots of praise for the iPhone 4, followed up with a solution that doesn’t involve a recall or hardware revision.
I think Apple did a good job at highlighting that lots of other phones show the same issue that the iPhone 4 does. I know that my Motorola Droid exhibits the issue when I’m in an area with poor reception. That said, the whole thing came off as a little passive-aggressive.
The look behind the scenes at Apple’s testing facilities is super rare. It makes the fact that Apple considers itself an engineering giant. The company has a lot more going into antenna testing and engineering than a lot of us thought.
Apple’s overall stance on this entire issue seems to be that the problem has been presented online and in the media to be far bigger — and far worse — than it actually is. In a sense, Apple is trying to paint themselves as a victim. That said, Apple being open with the fact that the iPhone 4 drops less than 1 more call per 100 than the iPhone 3GS is appreciated.
Handing out free cases is the company’s response to that rise in dropped calls. I think by giving back money spent on Bumpers — in addition to offering free Bumpers and other cases — is a good move.
Does the iPhone 4 need a hardware revamp? Perhaps. Is the issue bigger than Jobs says it is? Perhaps. Time will tell, but I think today is a step in the right direction. No matter how unhappy Jobs was onstage.