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| A man tries an iPhone 4 at the 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York, the United States, in this file photo taken on June 24, 2010. Apple Inc. on July 16, 2010 said it will give iPhone 4 users free protective cases to address the smartphone's signal problem. After iPhone 4 went on sale on June 24, consumers have been complaining of a drop in reception when they hold the phone in a certain manner. (Xinhua/Wu Kaixiang) |
by Wendy Qi
SAN FRANCISCO, July 16 (Xinhua) -- In a press conference Friday morning, Apple Inc.'s management found itself in the unusual position of defending the company against mounting criticism of its newest product, the iPhone 4.
The company, which is known for its innovation and loyal fan base, has been facing widespread complaints, including a "cannot recommend" verdict from the highly influential industry publication Consumer Reports, due to poor reception and abnormal levels of dropped calls from the device's antenna design.
Although Apple announced that it would be giving free protective covers, or "bumpers", to resolve the issue to all iPhone 4 buyers until the end of September, public relations and crisis management experts say that the response may have come too late.
"When you have questions about brand integrity, you must respond in the first eight hours. Apple kind of forgot the cardinal rule: when in doubt, do something," said Dr. Larry Barton, a former vice president of crisis management at Motorola and consultant on the subject matter, in an interview with Xinhua.
"By not giving a time table, they allowed four days of global debate and rancor and disarray with the brand."
While complaints of failed reception had surfaced immediately following the smartphone's launch on June 24, prompting several pending class action lawsuits, experts see Consumer Reports' release on Monday this week as the tipping point in the case.
