Apple just called to invite the FT to a press conference “about iPhone 4″ to be held at its Cupertino headquarters on Friday morning at 10 a.m.
The company wouldn’t say anything else, but given the events of the past week, it’s hard to imagine that Apple would be having such a rare audience to announce, say, an upgrade to the FaceTime video calling feature.
No, in the present climate, “about the iPhone 4″ means that Apple finally has something more concrete to say about the reception issues that have been frustrating many buyers of Apple’s latest mobile phone. The possibilities from there diverge: At the most contentious extreme, Apple could dispute the accuracy of tests, most recently by Consumer Reports, that show a substantial reduction in 3G connectivity when the bottom left corner of the phone is touched. It’s difficult to see the upside to such a counterattack, because many customers are experiencing the problem firsthand.
At the opposite, most contrite extreme, Apple could accede to the requests of some tech pundits and issue a full recall that might cost $1.5bn. But I don’t see what Apple would offer in place of the current models. It can’t even make enough of the iPhone 4 to satisfy demand, let alone produce something new.
Apple could offer downgrades to the iPhone 3GS, or promise free upgrades to next year’s version when it appears.
The path of least resistance would be in the middle: offering a free bumper, which retails for $29 but might cost Apple as little as $1, according to one analyst. Or perhaps that plus an exchange program.
Whichever way Apple goes, it will say a lot about its attitude toward customers. And to that end, it would be highly appropriate to hear from Steve Jobs, who was so proud of the innovative antenna that wraps around the phone and doesn’t take well to human contact.
Not about why it’s so great, but about why it falls short, why Apple went ahead with it anyway, and what Apple would do in retrospect. Even for such a proud company and after the most successful launch in mobile phone history, there are lessons to be learned.
