Posts Tagged ‘iphone 4’
Apple (AAPL) iPhone4 Conference Coming Friday
by Jared Levy on July 16, 2010
Apple (NASADQ:AAPL) is doing the unthinkable today; they plan to publicly address the issues with their newest device. The company is under extreme pressure and has even been sued over the “external antenna” design flaws with the iPhone 4.
Apple has a history of saying practically nothing in between its earnings reports and product launches. Even in the forward-looking statements provided on earnings calls, extreme lack of detail is the norm, leaving us (the general public) to really wonder what is going on in the “Wonka Chocolate Factory.” Heck, the iPhone doesn’t even come with a complete user manual; you have to dig through the web for that one. (My grandfather still can’t get past making a call and texting).
That strategy has worked thus far. The Apple mystique and magic marketing machine has pushed product sales to record levels and in turn AAPL stock, which is up $42.00 or 20% year to date (it got as high as $279.00 on June 21). But Apple now faces a serious challenge with this iPhone 4 “problem.” Of course there may be potential costs associated with repairing/recalling the hundreds of thousands of iPhone 4s produced. But the bigger issue may be the firm’s reputation and whether the “Kool-Aid” they have so far been able to get just about everyone to drink is in unlimited supply after all.
A repair solution might be to give users a free case, which could cost Apple a few dollars per phone. Jobs might also offer a big cash rebate to really make everyone happy, but I believe that this weakness has the potential to really affect iPhone sales moving forward.
You see, it’s not just an antenna issue the iPhone has had; the battery life and dropped calls (on the older phones) are reported problems as well, along with some other small quirks. How many people do you know who have broken or cracked their iPhone screen?
Anecdotal Evidence: You Could Have Waited to Get Your iPhone
by Jared Levy on June 25, 2010
The question is, why would you want to? Earlier this week I wrote about the man who was camped out in front of the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) store for seven days to ensure that he got his new iPhone 4. Well. Mr. Wagoner maybe could have saved himself a bit of heat stroke and heartache in the sweltering Texas sun.
This morning, I took a ride by the Apple store at 10 a.m. to check out the insanity. Lo and behold, the lines had died down to about 12 deep. There was still a fully armed Dallas police officer to keep everyone in line; you know how those Apple users can be rowdy and unruly… 
But in fact, all of the prospective customers who showed up at the Highland Park Apple store yesterday were able to claim their new shiny glass devices and could, in fact, have waited until Friday to claim their phones, as there were still some in stock this morning. According to a very helpful and seemingly knowledgeable rep (called “Geniuses” at the Apple Store, btw), they were beginning to run low.