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Apple Calls a Press Conference. Tech World Goes Crazy

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Apple is doing what it has to do and calling a hastily assembled press conference for this Friday to address the iPhone 4 “death grip” issues. As stated here previously, this episode has turned into a PR disaster for Apple, far exceeding the technology issues, and Apple is moving to address it. Speculation is rampant, following the Consumer Reports testing and reporting that led to a “can’t recommend” status of the new phone. Like sharks gathering around blood in the water, the blogosphere had already gone crazy with the topic and the mass media was beginning to jump in with both feet to keep the thrashing up. Apple’s competitors and partners have been using the “death grip” issue as a club or an incentive depending on their motives, most famously with a Microsoft Exec calling the iPhone 4 Apple’s Vista. Ouch on all fronts.

And of course the tech world is going crazy with speculation as to what Apple will say. Speculation runs from a recall to free bumpers to gift cards to lessons on how to hold the phone to Apple parading our a bunch of experts to talk about the issue. Somewhere in there is probably what we’ll hear, but keep in mind, the language used to communicate whatever we hear will be carefully chosen. The post press conference parsing will be be an amazing spectacle as well.

Apple has already released a Beta of iOS 4.1 that changes how the bars are displayed (and continues a few other fixes and updates) that has already been dissected. Of course there are reports that the update doesn’t affect the antenna attenuation issue, but then Apple never claimed that would be the case.

Apple’s timing (Friday at 1pm eastern on the day before a midsummer weekend) will see most of the media commentary until next week but you can expect blogs to be busy this weekend as well as Twitter.

I have no idea what Apple will announce or do and I don’t think speculating is worth my time beyond the fact that some will say Apple did well in addressing the issue and some will continue to cry foul. You can bet you’ll hear about this being the most successful product launch earlier and you can also bet that Apple will roll out some statistics about how few returns Apple has seen. Of course the danger is that Apple will prompt more of those if it isn’t careful with its statement. You can also bet that Steve Jobs won’t be holding the iPhone 4 the way he did at the announcement event. Entertainment will ensue.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Ben

    07/15/2010 at 6:10 am

    Haha, this is gonna be fun!

    I think the update to fix the Death Grip issue will simply always display full bars, even when there is poor signal.

  2. Be a Brave Boy

    07/15/2010 at 8:53 am

    “I don’t think speculating is worth my time…”

    Really? Where was this measured restraint within you in the months leading up to the release of the iPad? You hyped that thing with dozens of articles and piled on your speculation with reckless abandon. There are countless things that one could speculate both in terms for what the future holds as a result of this as well as how long this has been going on in the past and what other problems Apple might be trying to hide from us. Oh… but why bother speculating about that stuff? That’s no way to sell a product or a company. That’s just a way of promoting consumer education and provoking meaningful discussion amongst knowledgeable technology enthusiasts. No, that’s not what we want. We want to pretend like Apple is perfect because it’s not Microsoft. Warner, you’re a great writer. You have no problem sticking it to Microsoft and AT&T when they deserve it. Stop pulling punches on Apple. There are big reasons why it’s a minor force in technology that caters to a niche demographic. There are reasons why knowledgeable and prominent figure in computing continue to abandon the platform while ignorant consumers are attracted like bugs to a bug-zapper. I mean, my local Apple store is at the mall. When was the last time you said to yourself: “I need to get a really nice _____, let’s head to the mall”? So please, SPECULATE already. Don’t just write an article; Write a whole series of articles. Maybe it’s not worth your time, but it’s worth everybody else’s time.

    • Sumocat

      07/15/2010 at 2:03 pm

      You know he followed that line by pointing out we’ll be handed a lot of BS and puffery. Not exactly pulling punches with that.

    • Gavin

      07/15/2010 at 2:16 pm

      Why do you tarnish everyone everyone with tired anti apple cliche’s like ‘ignorant customers’. I owned my first computer in 1981 and have been a huge tech fan ever since. I love my iPad and get tremendous use for work and play from it after having owned many tablet PCs, so where do you get off suggesting folks like me are ignorant?

      Tell me, who are these’ knowledgeable and prominent figure’ you speak of?

      Oh, and paragraphs are great things!

  3. Paul Harrigan

    07/15/2010 at 9:17 am

    Brave Boy,

    What Warner says is that “Speculation” is not worth his time, not that reporting is not worth his time. Sure, one could speculate in order to spread more gossip and anti-Apple buzz, but what’s the point in that?

    This is not the same as reporting what was being said about the IPad before it came out. Tomorrow is not a new product, and certainly not the category-changer that the IPad has become.

    I agree with Warner’s position on this. We will find out tomorrow what Apple has to say. That is the appropriate time for comment.

  4. mrpacs

    07/15/2010 at 8:04 pm

    Worthless thread

  5. Tristan Thomas

    07/16/2010 at 4:09 am

    Its about time. I have been waiting for a solution that did not require me to spend my money to fix something that was not even my fault.

    I doubt that they will give us announce a free case as a solution later today but I pretty much know how things are going to happen tomorrow. I read an article at https://getyourgadgetsgoing.com/ that spoke about it. You should check it out.

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