It's no surprise that the recent iPhone buzz has been countered with some pretty harsh criticism since it's public release date on July 7th, 2010. The lines to get one phone averaged about a 6 hour wait time in most places and over a day in some in some cases. Apple has a huge following, but don't take my word for it, let the numbers speak for themselves. It's estimated that Apple sold 1.5 million units the first day! It's also predicted that they will sell 3 million units in the first month. Apple (AAPL) is however receiving numerous complaints about it's new gem though. The biggest complaint was in regards to it's metal antenna on the lower left side causing a weak reception for many people. There is even a petition for people to sign who are infuriated with their less-than-perfect gizmo. Steve Jobs response however, was "Relax, it's just a phone." Honestly, let's not forget that in the end. Sure, we're spending about $200 to $300 for the phone itself, but at the end of the day, we are just buying a phone.
I believe a lot of the hype for the iPhone 4 started around the article published online by gizmodo.com back in April, 2010. In the article they talked about how the iPhone 4 was camouflaged to look like its predecessor, the 3GS. They then disassembled it to discover that it was in fact, the real deal. I'll have to admit that when I first heard of the incident, I thought to myself, "someone is getting fired!" It soon dawned on me that it was actually a great marketing tactic. I can't think of one commercial I saw on t.v. that advertised the new phone, but I do remember the day I read on cnn.com about the new iPhone 4 leak. I'm not sure if the buzz around the leak enticed Apple to push the release date so consumers could finally have one in their hands quicker than anticipated. If so, we can dispute that they should have put it through a more rigorous testing process, but the fact is -- it's here, it's selling and it has flaws.
The same advice most would give in regards to buying a brand new car model also applies to a brand new tech product. "Wait until the glitches are fixed first." In my experience, it's usually a good idea to wait until v1.2 of either a new tech device or a car comes out because the initial feedback is taken into consideration and any issues are usually worked out or tweaked to provide the best performance for the consumer. The good news is that in regards to the iPhone 4, Apple is offering a free bumper for your phone that will both prevent the reception issue for occuring and provide some extra protection as well. So, if you're thinking about buying the iPhone 4 right away, just understand that it may not be perfect. If you've already purchased one and its imperfections are keeping you up at night, then I'm with Steve Jobs. "Relax, it's just a phone."
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