iPhone 4 Antenna Issues

"Apple settles class-action suit over iPhone 4 antenna problem"

February 22, 2012

CNN.com

by Doug Gross

The wildly popular and technological sensation iPhone 4 was released and like its predecessors, had huge sales. The new Apple product was headline news and rose to the top of the sales charts as the number one selling smart phone. The phone had issues though as many customers reported calls being randomly dropped. The problem was found to be a faulty antenna. Apple tried slimming the phone down compared to it'd predecessor, the iPhone 3 and 3Gs.

However, by making the phone thinner, the antenna was warped to fit in the phone and caused it to lose reception at times when being held in a certain position, which became known as the "death grip".

Customers responded with anger as the phone cost several hundred dollars and is supposed to be the elite smart phone. Apple responded slowly but eventually answered, apologizing and eventually fixed the problem. Many customers however were still dissatisfied as they were still stuck with they're faulty iPhone. Lawsuits were filed against Apple and were finally solved recently with Apple agreeing to give customers $15 a piece or a new phone case.

I think this is a very poor result of a lawsuit as $15 seems like chump change compared to the $600 that the phone is worth. On a larger scale though it seems like a very generous solution as more than 20 million people are eligible for the $15 payout meaning Apple could shell out over $300,000,000 over a faulty antenna that drops calls, sometimes.

It is Apple's fault for making a flawed product but they are not 100% to blame. The cell phone market and demand for smart phones today is increasing at an alarming rate. The demand for slimmer, more compact, but also more powerful and efficient phones must be very stressful for phone companies. This is especially true for Apple as they have received the reputation among consumers to have the most elite products, most advanced technology, and the best products. With competitors also trying to give consumers better products, the smart phone industry is, in my opinion, the most hostile market in the economy. In the past 10 years the level of advancement in cell phones has been astronomical and beyond impressive. It's the competition between companies and the demand from consumers that has caused the advancement. It is because of this hostility that drives Apple to create the most elite products and it is completely understandable, in my opinion, for at least one flaw to happen under so much pressure.

It was Apple's fault and they should have tested the iPhone 4 more extensively before releasing it to consumers. However it is very generous of them, on a broad scale, to give something back to consumers as an apology. $300,000,000+ in reparations would severely cripple other companies, probably even fault production of future products. This may damage Apple financially, but in the long run, on a broad scale, this will make Apple viewed as a better company who takes blame for their mistakes and continues to develop better products at an elite company. It's of these reasons I commend Apple for their actions in the lawsuit and consider them the best corporation in the world.