We have already taken the stand that Apple should consider itself in the midst of a crisis, and as iPhone 4 reception issues continues to irritate users and grab headlines worldwide there are few that would disagree. This quote from Appolicious.com has more details about the actions (and lack thereof) that turned a hardware issue into a dangerous problem:
Apple has so far avoided the serious issue of whether the iPhone 4 has a legitimate hardware problem and instead obfuscated the issue by first telling users how to hold the new iPhone and then blaming a software glitch. As a result, Apple now has a big PR headache on top of an obvious hardware flaw.
If Apple admitted the hardware flaw, its PR problem would start to go away. But it hasn’t, and news organizations including Consumer Reports and Engadget continue to prove the antenna is faulty. Worse, countless consumers have weighed in on the matter … and that’s Apple’s biggest problem.
Names like Consumer Reports and Engadget may as well be the New York Times in terms of credibility given by consumers these days. If they are proving repeatedly that your product is flawed, it’s crisis management time. The longer Apple waits to take decisive action, the more the reputation damage will pile up.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/