The event was an instructive shambles. In summary, the message was: Apple is good and makes great products; all smartphones have reception problems; Apple loves its customers, which is why it built all those cool retail stores for them; the iPhone problem can be fixed by fitting a rubberised “bumper” over the bezel; and Apple will give everyone a free bumper, so what’s the problem?
The press conference was instructive because it provided such a vivid demonstration of how inexperienced Apple is in its new role as just another company – and how inept Jobs is when faced with the hostile skepticism that is the routine experience of other CEOs.
“When it comes to responding to hostile or sceptical media coverage,” wrote one experienced commentator, “Jobs & co seem to be like a presidential contender who’s been able to skip the primaries and go straight to the general election – missing all the vetting and the hundreds of debates that help to surface any weakness or issues of concern, providing time to develop the skills necessary to respond to any situation. Jobs demonstrated what I've never seen him do in front of an audience: he not only lost his cool, he lost his charm. He was a like an arena rock star who can’t perform acoustic.”
Well, as we discussed last time, Apple pretty much did what was expected in their press conference. A defiant–perhaps even petulant–CEO Steve Jobs practically berated critics for having the temerity to challenge the iPhone 4’s obvious design flaws.
Jobs announced that “we’re not perfect,” then discussed technical issues and compared performance of competing smart phones. Jobs also attacked the media for making a mountain out of a molehill.
He threw new software and a free bumper fix to folks who had purchased the new iPhone and sent us away with a flea in our ear.
We’ll see. Even if it is, it’s just a bump in the road and hardly the end of the line. However, a recurring pattern of PR messes like this could be a sign of the Apple falling a little too far from the tree.
