A few hours ago news sources reported that Apple Inc. released a statement saying they will have a news conference on Friday to discuss the reported iPhone 4 problems that seem to be affecting a small percentage of users in the form of poor antenna reception. There are many people guessing as to what Apple might do to rectify the problem. My guess is that they’ll bend over backwards to show that they stand behind their customers. Even if it costs them a fortune, a show of goodwill at this critical point can result in a goldmine down the road. But instead of speculating on what Apple will do, I want to focus on the angry mob of bleeding edge buyers.
I mean, really, what did they expect? Even the greatest companies in the world, known for high quality products have created duds here and there — especially with brand new tech. Take, for example, auto-manufacture BMW and their iDrive technology which was an iPod like interface that controls virtually all aspect of the car from A/C to your AM radio. Eventually, BMW improved the iDrive and it no longer sucks.
People have to understand that new technology, even with the best of companies can be riddled with bugs. People that are just sick over their iPhone 4 having reception problems obviously are not the type of people that should be buying the latest and greatest gear. I have a friend who is one of the greatest technical minds I’ve ever known. His philosophy is that no matter the product, always wait at least 6 months or until rev. 2 comes out before buying. After all, when it comes down to it, human beings still create these products despite them being made by machines today. And we all know people do make mistakes That is sound advise.
I tend to follow this advice but diverge from it when I buy warranties. For example, when I buy a new car, I tend to wait for the new model to come out. And if anything is broken on it, I at least have 3 years for the kinks to work out and I can take them in for replacement or tweaking. The other instance I do not follow my friends advise is when I purchase extended warranties for electronics…which is almost never. For the most part, they’re a rip-off. Except when I buy Apple computer hardware. If the hardware is over $2000, I opt for the Apple Care warranty. This is because I usually hang on to my Mac for 4+ years. Because of this, I want to get the biggest bang for the buck. For example, I recently upgraded to the MacBook Pro with the i7 processor. I bought it the first week it was available. If there are any design problems, I have the warranty replacement guarantee to keep me sleeping soundly at night.
So I suppose my advise to all of you out there is to make sure you are fully capable of handling a lemon of a product every now and then. If not, buy the extended warranty or wait until version 2 rolls around. Many times in the world of technology, patients pays off!
