Hacker News Reader

Comment by dieterrams | Hacker News Reader

Apple's done a crappy job dealing with the antenna fallout. At the same time, the press and other attention seekers are blowing this way out of proportion. I've seen some compare the iPhone 4's antenna issues to Toyota's accelerator disaster (which I always suspected was largely manufactured by the press and politicians), demanding a recall. That's just hilarious. At worst, they should give out free bumpers until they can fix the design.

It's still Consumer Reports' highest rated smartphone, and the antenna problem has a variety of easy fixes. I can't say I'm that impressed with the phone (for all its improvements, it's a big step back ergonomically), but most of the controversy is manufactured. I'm sure it's done wonders for pageviews, though.

View on HN

I've seen some compare the iPhone 4's antenna issues to Toyota's accelerator disaster

That would be grossly unfair to Toyota. There's a measurable and reproducible problem with the iPhone 4.

True. But the people making that analogy are attempting to transfer the life-threatening gravity of faulty cars onto, well, an antenna. The gross unfairness goes both ways.

Apple started the war by making their design decisions out to be things of monumental consequence. When you portray your each and every device as a mind-bending magical artifact that will change your life, I think it's fair to look at the shortcomings through the same lens.

That said, I wish we could just stop dissecting each and every Apple product. I'm tired of hearing about it. It's a piece of engineering, it has features, flaws, and useful applications.

Well stated. Anyone who suggests that we need to be giving Apple a break for gloating about a new amazing magical antenna design and not calling them on it not working needs to realize this. The same perspective/lens should be used. It's not our fault Apple feels the need to gloat and spew words nearly referencing fairy tale unicorns. They should be prepared for some lash outs if they're going to deliver a phone that fundamentally doesn't even perform as a phone well, when they're boasting so much.

Couldn't agree more. I'm tired of the whole Apple form/function mantra. Too often it's just a pretentious way of saying "That's so pretty." I'm not sick of hearing (or not hearing) about Apple. I'm sick of the religion and the fawning and the lack of serious criticism.

I find it odd when I hear people saying they are sick of hearing about apple, and then proceed to talk about apple even more... its a cycle.

Well, imagine you're on the either side of a life-saving call which gets dropped.

And according to at least two black boxes recovered from totaled Toyotas, there was a measurable and reproducible problem with Toyotas.

Apple's done a crappy job dealing with the antenna fallout. At the same time, the press and other attention seekers are blowing this way out of proportion.

Look at it this way, the press and other attention seekers are blowing this way out of proportion because Apple's done a crappy job dealing with the antenna fallout.

That's part of it, sure. But it's not a justification. By definition, blowing something out of proportion is to exceed to the justifiably proportionate response.

Like I said, there are a variety of easy fixes. They range from being as cheap as a strip of electrical tape, to $30 for a bumper. If that's such a huge deal for you that it outweighs the merits of the phone, then return it, wait for a fix, or use another phone. I can think of hundreds of other things that deserve far more attention.

As for Apple's crappy response, by all means, call them out on it. This deserves a decent amount of attention, since it seems like a bad case of corporate denial. But at the end of the day, whether they cop to it or not isn't really going to change anyone's life.

I agree this isn't going to change anyone's life but I also suspect Apple would have continued to ignore the issues if this hadn't been 'blown way out of proportion'. They have already demonstrated twice the direct desire to play this down and make it go away. While the response has been disproportionate to the severity of the issue, I feel it also is the only reason Apple is being forced to address it fully now. They really really really don't ever like to admit they made a mistake. Perhaps this is what was required to make them 'man up' and perhaps eat a little corporate humble pie.

If the new Mercedes S class had a flaw that could be fixed with something as simple as a strip of duct tape up to a $400 widget (paid for out of pocket by the customer), would that be acceptable?

Because that's how Apple positions themselves in the market.

Disregarding cost, that probably depends on if the tape/widget goes under the hood somewhere or prominently in the middle of the windshield.

Apple is like Toyota in the sense that the media and public hold them to higher standards than other companies. Dell was hit with a class-action for selling millions known-defective computers - how long did that stay in the news? Ditto for Greenpeace's criticisms of Apple's environmental policies. Are other manufacturers worse? Obviously, but no one cares.

The public just likes to see the top dogs fall. I'm not sure if this is an American phenomenon or if it extends to the rest of the world.

In the case of Apple especially (though it probably applies to Toyota to some extent), there is definitely a strong contingent of Apple haters who are perpetually annoyed by Apple-product-owner smugness. Even though the actual smugness is probably greatly exaggerated, and the perception of which often seems to be tinged with an unacknowledged envy.

It's certainly not unique to America, here in New Zealand it's known as Tall Poppy Syndrome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome

"for all its improvements, it's a big step back ergonomically"

The funny thing about handheld devices is that we each have different hands. Double-fisting both of my iPhones right now, the 4 feels a lot better in my hand. If you have bigger hands with me this probably isn't true for you, though.

I was reading this thread on my 4, and when I read your comment I looked to see how I was grasping the device: in landscape mode, pinched between my thumb (below) and middle finger (above). I was scrolling with the index finger on the same hand. The old design was poor for a 1-hand, 2-finger grip like that. I wouldn't want to go back.

Well it looks like they are about to finally do something more: http://www.loopinsight.com/2010/07/14/apple-to-hold-special-...

How is it a big step back ergonomically?

Probably more comparable to Intel's Pentium fdiv bug.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com