Apple in a Corner?
by john on Jul.17, 2010, under Uncategorized
The media has been all aflutter for the past three weeks about the iPhone 4′s antenna. For more links about the issue than you could ever care to read check our Daring Fireball’s coverage.
Yesterday Apple had a big sit down with the media and characterized the issue on their own terms and offered a band-aid. Now everyone is getting a free bumper or other case with their iPhone 4. Seems like a sensible solution for those few that are experiencing problems. However there is a deadline: as of right now you have to buy your iPhone 4 before Sept 30th to get your free case.
What are the odds that the Sept 30th cutoff indicates that there is some sort of hardware revision in the works? Either Apple is working furiously on a solution or at that point they plan on ramping up production to put a bumper in the box with the phone. Otherwise they’ve painted themselves into a corner, with the phone being seen by the overeager media as defective after Sept. 30.
Steve Jobs said that they would reevaluate the situation before Sept. 30. I think that “reevaluate” is a euphemism for “hardware fix” but they would never announce that right now, as it would kill sales right when they’re booming.
In any case it is unimaginable that they’ll simply stop offering free a bumper on Sept 30 without any change to the phone.
