One bad Apple spoiling a reputation

I am generally a big fan of Apple. However, the handling of the iPhone 4 technical problem is an indication that the company might have morphed from a consumer-friendly innovator that marched to the beat of a different (better) drummer to, well, just another company that puts profits above product and customer satisfaction.

The iPhone reception problem is real and doesn't appear to be software related as the company first said. Actually, the initial response from Apple head Steve Jobs was that people were holding the phone incorrectly. That didn't go over well with the public and was uncharacteristically stupid of Jobs to say.

Someone who works in the technology field recently demonstrated to me how the phone drops calls. It took him about 30 seconds to get the phone to malfunction. Other than that one rather significant flaw, the phone is a fascinating, user-friendly piece of hardware, like most Apple products.

The iPhone 4 is Apple's most successful product launch, which makes this debacle that much more significant. The company will hold a press conference tomorrow to address customer concerns.

I am not an iPhone user. I considered switching to the iPhone 3Gs recently, but my local dealer said that family-owned AT&T stores have not been permitted to sell iPhones, something that I did not previously know. She was not happy about Apple's decision to only market its phones through corporate franchise dealers. I could go to another AT&T store, but I generally prefer doing business with locally owned and operated companies whenever possible. Plus, something didn't seem right about Apple shutting out family businesses.

Apple's recent success with the iPod, iPad and iPhone is good news for a company that has always produced some of the best personal computers. However, Apple computers still struggle to compete with Microsoft Windows-based machines in terms of sales, mostly because of pricing.

Let's hope the company's handling of one rotten Apple doesn't open the flood gates to other problems experienced by previously revered manufacturers like Toyota. Jobs needs to address the iPhone problem with complete honesty and a plan to resolve consumer complaints. With the public suffering a massive British Petroleum hangover, we don't need for yet another company to try to spin and market its way out of a mess that it created.