Apple must recall iPhone 4, say PR experts

[wuyanks]

​

Over the past few weeks, rumors about iPhone 4 recalls have been swirling across the web, due to the antenna's hardware flaws. These rumors began heating up again when Consumer Reports just yesterday denied the iPhone 4 its recommendation rating, because of said hardware issues. And today, Cult of Mac, a respectable Apple blog, did some investigating of its own by reaching out to PR experts on the matter. The theme of the article is that Apple will be inevitably forced to issue a recall on the iPhone 4, if the company cares to avoid its reputation from being tarnished any further. Prof. Seeger, who is chair of the Department of Communication at Wayne State University in Detroit, sums the predicament up well:

“Apple lives and dies by its reputation... we pay a premium for its products. We expect them to operate on a premium level. It’s very unfortunate, but they will have no choice but to mount a recall.”

Chris Lehane, former Clinton White House ”Master of Disaster,” agrees, and explains how Apple has taken the wrong approach to the problem from the start:

"The iPhone 4 reception issue presents a Toyota-style PR crisis for Apple, and the company must respond with a more meaningful fix than a software patch... Apple was under tremendous pressure to respond. They pushed out some information that wasn’t really baked... They found themselves in a hole, and they dug a deeper hole..."

Now, although this isn't exactly akin to the Toyota PR crisis, the analogy is striking. But let's remember: this hypothetical recall wouldn't be due to a safety threat, and as such, would not be mandatory. However, according to the experts, if Apple plans to recover from the predicament, it must offer a hardware recall.

And what about the Apple loyalists? Surely they would look past these problems, and maintain brand loyalty, right? Dr. Barton is not so sure.

It’s been borderline irresponsible. They are in danger of betraying customers’ trust and hurting the brand, which is infinitely more valuable than any one product

Dr. Barton is a "former professor at Harvard Business School, Penn State, University of Nevada at Las Vegas and Boston College. He was Vice President of Crisis Management at Motorola from 1995 to 1999."

BoyGeniusReport responded to the Cult of Mac article with some thoughts of their own. They believe that Apple will try to bandage the problem with a software patch, and possibly free "Bumpers", but that will not solve the real problem. They suggest that Apple can decide to go one of two ways, neither of which is ideal:

1. Do nothing. Stick with the stance that there is no antenna issue with the iPhone 4, remind users that holding all smartphones a certain way will cause signal degradation, and deal with the impending lawsuits. Refute the concrete evidence and try to ride out the public relations nightmare.
2. Do some sort of voluntary recall of the first wave of iPhone 4’s. By doing this it would be admitting that, at best, the company was wrong and did not fully understand its own product, or at worst, it lied to its customer base. Deal with the backlash, and still potential lawsuit, and move on.

So, what does everyone think? Will Apple eventually be able to overcome these PR gaffes? Should Apple issue a voluntary recall of the iPhone 4? Let us know.

Source: Cult of Mac, BoyGeniusReport

 

[DannyBoy]

Buy a case....or don't buy the phone. Apple knew about this well before it was released. So they made bumpers. No matter how many blogs rant.... Apple isn't going to recall.

 

[jenny]

Isn't this the fastest selling Apple product, ever?

I don't see them doing a recall.

 

[traquy]

They don't even have the stock to get iphones to those that want them, let alone replace hundreds of thousands of recalled phones. Not going to happen.

 

[freddy]

i wont return mine and they sole way to many to give back all that money

 

[s10dude]

just live w/a case , because Apple wont mount a recall.....they will never ADMIT to a design flaw !

 

[Gregoris]

apple would lose so much money i doubt they will, and it has not stopped people wanting it, there are still 3 week waits to get it...?

 

[lordlato]

how many members on this forum have the reception issue ?

 

[Gregoris]

there is a pole on that somewhere on the forum... i am one who does not

 

[Col.bris]

In 2 weeks apple will release the iPhone 4 in Australia and other countries it remains to be seen if this will be delayed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gregoris]

i doubt they will be delays

so what makes this tapatalk worth using instead of just opening this site in safari?

 

[Col.bris]

Easier low overhead on 3G as super moderator for 2 forums much faster to pick up spammers. Try it
I use it when no wifi access on my iPad


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Red_Rock]

The antenna design was supposed to be one that set apple apart and give better reception. That is how it was talked about. Apple has no choice but to make it right for users. This is the 4th iPhone I have bought and to keep buyers like me on board apple will have to redesign.

 

[lordlato]

"there is a pole on that somewhere on the forum... i am one who does not"

and you are not the only one who doesnt many people from other countries who bought the iphone 4 didnt have the reception issue so what does it mean ?

 

[Red_Rock]

I have used a case from day one before all of this press. I do not have issues but have made the bars go down when holding without a case.