Apple: Every Option Considered, But Recall Not At The Top Of The List
When something as massive as an antenna issue hits the Internet, you can imagine that every option has already been considered by the masses. And when Consumer Reports are being released, not helping the situation at all, we can see where people might begin to get worried. But, rest easy in knowing that Steve Jobs realizes that every option has to be considered, but that a hardware recall isn't at the top of their list. In fact, it sounds like they're ready to try just about everything first, before they get to that point.
When asked if a hardware redesign could fix the problem, Steve Jobs said, "There are Nokia phones with stickers saying "don't touch here". The problem hasn't been solved. Most of our customers aren't seeing the problem, those that are we'll get them a case, and then a refund if that doesn't address it. We'll keep working on antennas. But this is the state of the industry at the moment." So, you can see that Jobs and Company are ready to take matters into their own hands to make sure that Apple customers are happy with what they've just purchased, even if that means they've got to send out some of their own products for free to make that happen.
And, when asked directly about the chance of a recall, or if they had considered it at all, he said, "Nothing is beyond consideration, but we wanted to go from the data. We sent engineers to people, we looked at logs." Bob, while also on stage, added that, "We told them we were coming, though!" Before Jobs quipped, "And we didn't break down any doors!" Which, if you'll remember, is a remark about that purchased iPhone 4 prototype and the aftermath from it.
He goes on to say that Apple Store return rates are actually lower than AT&T's return rates of the iPhone 4. A good sign for Apple, without a doubt. But, we also realize that this issue isn't going to go away overnight, even after this press conference specifically designed to address the issue. Will we see the Cupertino-based company actually create a fix for the antenna issue, and if they do, what will the result be? A new iPhone altogether? Another software upgrade? So many questions, even after we get plenty of answers.