I must say, I really do have a problem with Apple products. I bought a 120 GB iPod about 20 months ago. Turned out that it was faulty. It turned itself off all the time, it would skip in playback, or just randomly change songs. The controller wheel would also stop working, like it just froze up for a couple of seconds, and there was also a lot of lag in the menus and in the loading of simple graphics. Pondering this, I found the support pages on the Apple website was not useful at all. Just fill of generic crap. No real issues was recognized by Apple. I guess their product works perfectly, at all times.
When I entered their official forums, the story was very different. You can see problems galore in there with every single product. It did not take me long to find at least 3 multi-page threads, describing these problems with this particular iPod. So, I returned for a replacement. 2 weeks later, I got a reply from the store. Faults had been found, and they would supply me with a new one. I was happy to discover that the random skipping and powering off was gone. The problems with the controller wheel, the interface lag, and the slow loading of simple pictures in the album art was unfortunately still there. Apparently, Apple does not consider these issues to be problems with the device. It is WAD, or Working As Designed...
That is just horrible. My old 20GB Creative Zen didn't have these problems. It was rock solid in its performance and practically indestructible. Dropping the iPod, which happened a few times, is downright scary! I know at least of one friend whose iPod disintegrated after dropping it from 1½ meters... the first time! With the iPod, the lag was often associated with the slight humming of the HD spinning up. Making playlists in the iPod is a real pain, and the menus are cluttered and confusing.
My old Zen was years older than the iPod, yet in its core functionality, like in playing music, making playlists, lag, user friendly menus, etc... it blew the at least 2 generations newer iPod away. But as long as used the iPod, people would walk up to me and say. wow, that is really neat... can I see it? That really didn't happen with the Zen. There was no flashy graphics and peer impressing bling-bling about. It just did its job.
That is really my issue with Apple. Their products are designed to impress peers... that is the first and most important design parameter. It is a fashion statement. A marker of personal identity. Functionality comes, at best, a distant second.
I saw a review, discussing if Apple would do a iPhone4 recall to address the issue of the antenna. The authors conclusion was no, but they might issue free bumpers. Pondering if this problem would damage brand or stifle sales, fanboy as he was, he concluded no... because in the end the consumer could use it. To bolster this claim, he referenced the American consumer guide review, that concluded that the iphone4 as A PHONE was mediocre. They recommended not to by, but did admit that the iPhone4 was a leading media device. So, the reviewer concluded, it was usable for those who purchased it.
This is exactly my point and iPod experience. The device has stupid design flaws, and the primary function it is supposed to do, it does mediocre job of at best. "Hey, I have this TV I want to sell you. It isn't very good, it is slow to change channels and settings, and it is kind of difficult to program. But it looks awesome, it is very flashy when you use it! It can make espresso, ice cubes out of the side, and extra heat on the back to dry clothes while you watch it! Everyone will think you are the sh!t when you show it to them. Wanna buy?"
...
To compound the matter, my iPod was stolen about a month ago, while I was on a binge. Some kid decided that it was worth the risk, to grab into my bag in a massively crowded area, and take the iPod while I had the bag over my shoulder. When I discovered it was gone, I realized, despite having used an mp3 player regularly for years, that I was not even sorry it was gone. The only thing that gave me a sting, was the fact that I had to shell out for a replacement. I will probably get a Cowon. Nobody knows what it is, but as far as I can read, it actually does work as promised.
But I get it. Some kid wanted to risk stealing the iPod from me, because of the bling-bling value... so it has to be there!
Apple won't do a recall with this phone. They have years of experience handling this sort of sh!t with their products. The sheeple will want them, even if they don't work as they should. After all, people walk up to you and say; "Wow that is neat! Can I see it?"... or steal it.
It's only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything.