The bug is super fun, but I also find the Intel response to be fascinating on its own. They apparently didn’t replace everyone’s processor with a non faulty version who wanted it, resulting in a ton of bad press.

To contrast, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Amazon Colorsoft launch, which had a yellow band graphics issue on some devices (mine included). Amazon waited a bit before acknowledging it (maybe a day or two, presumably to get the facts right). Then they simply quietly replace all of them. No recall. They just send you a new one if you ask for it (mine replacement comes Friday, hopefully it will fix it). My takeaway is that it’s pretty clear that having an incredibly robust return/support apparatus has a lot of benefits when launches don’t go quite right. Certainly more than you’d expect from analysis.

Similarly I haven’t seen too many recent reports about the Apple AirPod Pros crackle issue that happened a couple years ago (my AirPods had to be replaced twice), but Apple also just quietly replaced them and the support competence really seemed something powerful that isn’t always noticed.

Colorsoft: https://www.tomsguide.com/tablets/e-readers/amazon-kindle-co...

AirPods Pro: https://support.apple.com/airpods-pro-service-program-sound-...