Over the past couple of months since the iPhone 4's launch, there's been a great debate. This debate hasn't been about the iPhone versus Google's very powerful Android stable of the Evo 4G, HTC Incredible, or even the Droid X. This debate has been over the validity of a claim that touching the lower left corner of the iPhone caused it to drop calls.
Originally, Apple came out to say that the dropping of calls was caused by holding the phone wrong and people should avoid touching the bottom left side of the iPhone. Later, Apple decided that the fix would be as easy as a software update to the way in which the iPhone handles measuring signal quality, which has been a problem on all four generations of iPhones.
Apple has been adamant about not giving out free "bumpers". Bumpers, as you can see in the picture, are a device that fits around the iPhone to stop people's hands from touching the place where the two antennas meet, which is the cause of the signal disruption.
Apple has made the issue significantly larger than it should have been. Rumors floating around the internet have talked of Apple issuing notices to Apple Store employees that they should not tell the customer to expect any sort of a recall or free cases or bumpers and that it's merely the customer's way of holding the phone that is causing the issue. Today, with Consumer Reports claiming that "Due to this problem, we cannot recommend the iPhone 4", Apple has received a huge slap in the face and has entered the deepest tier of public relations hell.
The entire story can serve as a reminder to businesses big and small: keep in mind that the most important thing isn't always the product you put out, but the way you conduct your business. You can put out the best value, best quality product, but if you treat your customers as if they're incapable of correctly handling your product or try to cover up a problem, you are simply digging yourself a deep grave.
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-Bobby Keith
Owner of Keith Technologies
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