The iPhone has really developed as a product over the years, and so have its ardent fans. No longer do they need to be discontent with the lack of installable software, and lack of basic features such as copy-pasting, recording video, or sending MMS messages – the iPhone 4 has moved beyond all that. Now they need only worry about signal loss issues, and burnt hands.
It comes as no surprise then that Consumer Reports, one of the most trusted source of consumer product reviews, have confirmed the existence of the antenna issues, and say that “can’t recommend the iPhone 4” until a fix is devised by Apple.
Unfortunately Apple has still not taken responsibility for an issue which has received such wide attention, and has been objectively shown to exist, rather their response has been to shift the blame to software, claiming that making the antenna bars bigger and changing how the network signal strength is calculated. An entirely irresponsible response at best, but they are going a step further and deleting mentions of the Consumer Reports review of the phone from their support forums!
In the least Apple would be expected to give their customers some means to continue using their phone by offering free covers, however Apple’s official policy is to forbid their stores from doing even that. They are already facing a lawsuit as a result of these issues.
Apple has a history of mistreating developers for its iDevices, but the Apple App Store is lucrative, and few people get to hear the developers’ woes. This time though they are messing with the end consumers of their product, and things might not go as smoothly. Most certainly this is not the end of Apple, but this would be the perfect time for Steve Jobs to show some humility, before the reputation of Apple tarnishes beyond repair.