

Apple to hold iPhone 4 press conference on Friday - ajg1977
http://www.loopinsight.com/2010/07/14/apple-to-hold-special-iphone-4-press-conference-on-friday/

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rbanffy
As long as Apple holds it the right way, the press conference will work
correctly.

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gmjosack
I know I'm not supposed to say this because my account is less than a year old
but this thread is definitely like being on Reddit. I actually like Reddit,
I'm just not used to seeing these types of comments being upvoted so high on
Hacker News.

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rbanffy
Sorry, but the use of the verb "to hold" in connection to the iPhone4 made it
too difficult to resist. I know snarky comments are not always well received
here and generally agree they should never be the core of a discussion, but
not many of us watch soap operas and companies like Apple and Microsoft, along
with their Steves and Bills provides us with the missing drama.

A world without Apple would be a lot less interesting. In fact, I am convinced
one of us would have no alternative but to invent it.

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gmjosack
I was not disappointed at the quality of your post; In fact it made me
chuckle. My comment was really on the chain that followed it. I replied to you
only because you we're the leader of what resulted in a Redditesque joke
thread. I think it's important that we can not come off as completely uptight
around here and can enjoy the occasional quip but I definitely wouldn't enjoy
long thread's where people are trying to be more clever than the next all for
"the lulz."

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rbanffy
If they succeed in being more clever than the previous, I can live with that.
It's the failed attempts that kill the fun ;-)

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mrduncan
Another interesting theory from Dan Rubin:

 _$10 says Friday's Apple press conference is the announcement about Verizon,
to — in the words of Don Draper — change the conversation._

<http://twitter.com/danrubin/status/18565906020>

While probably not too likely, it would be an interesting move on Apple's part
none the less.

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Niten
I think that would be _bad_ timing for a Verizon announcement. Wouldn't that
just piss off anyone who signed with AT&T for the iPhone 4 just because they
couldn't get it on Verizon?

Besides, if they're going to announce a Verizon phone then they're effectively
announcing a new model; the GSM iPhone 4 obviously isn't compatible with
Verizon's network. In my opinion this is the kind of thing you'd do at the
launch of a new iPhone generation, not just a few weeks afterward.

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andreyf
_In my opinion this is the kind of thing you'd do at the launch of a new
iPhone generation, not just a few weeks afterward._

Absolutely not. If a deal with Verizon were announced at the launch, it would
have completely overshadowed all of the engineering effort put into the phone.
It would be known as the "Verizon iPhone". This way, out of the spotlight, it
leaves the iPhone brand unharmed.

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risotto
What did Steve Jobs know, and when did he know it?

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Groxx
And how many reception bars could he chuck, if he could chuck bars?

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Tichy
Free bumpers seems unlikely to me: wouldn't it make iPhone 4 owners a laughing
stock? Here you are with a super-sleek 800$ device, and then you are forced to
deface it with an ugly rubber case. I think that solution would contradict
Apple's supposed dedication to perfection.

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elblanco
It'll be a free strip of non-conductive yellow packing tape to put on the
phone.

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atlbeer
Placing my bet: Free bumpers

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fname
I have to agree... I hate to cross post, but I posted this in the other Apple
thread:

 _I equate Apple's problems to the Nintendo lawsuit over their wrist straps.
Not everyone was throwing their controllers through their TV screens, but the
select few who did caused an uproar. It also didn't stop Wii consoles from
selling like hotcakes either. It took a class-action lawsuit to get Nintendo
to take action. The solution was very simple -- give everyone free wrist
straps for each of their controllers.

I think Apple needs to take a similar step to alleviate the problem._

... and free bumpers would be it!

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stcredzero
Clear high-tech custom insulating stickers might do as well.

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nailer
And not spoilt the look of the phone, which is one of the reasons people buy
it.

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ihodes
I misread the title as "Apple to hold how to hold the iPhone 4 press
conference...". Telling.

In all honesty, this has been blown out of proportion; though hell if it's a
great problem to have.

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martingordon
Wow. This is unprecedented. What are they going to do? 60 day return period
with no restocking fee? Free bumpers for everyone?

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SandB0x
They'll announce the iGlove, which will fix your faulty left hand.

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henning
I love the iGlove. It's so bad.

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fletchowns
Haven't watched that movie in awhile!

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Tichy
The question is: in case the stock price drops because of the announcement,
would it be a a good occasion to buy?

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rbanffy
Yes.

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relix
Isn't AAPL a bit overvalued in comparison to other tech stocks at the moment?

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rbanffy
Probably. Still, the question was whether it would be worth to buy in case it
crashes after the press conference.

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davidedicillo
I think this thing is ridiculous. My iPhone 4 so far has better reception of
all the previous models for me (I owned all of them)

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patrickaljord
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence>

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martythemaniak
My prediction:

\- free bumpers or exchange for today's customers

\- Minor redesign within a few months (ie, by the holidays) - something like a
thin insulating coating over the steel antenna, such that it solves the issue,
but doesn't change the appearance.

I expect they'll get major kudos from fans and critics alike.

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slantyyz
I predict they'll provide an even cheaper solution. A small transparent
electrostatic piece of plastic to cover the antenna (i.e., scotch tape without
the glue).

I don't expect them to issue much of a mea culpa over this though.

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Locke1689
* A small transparent electrostatic piece of plastic to cover the antenna (i.e., scotch tape without the glue).*

Would this even work? Capacitive coupling?

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slantyyz
On second thought, let's add the glue back to the piece of plastic. ;)

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tjogin
My prediction for the record:

* No free bumpers.

* Thirty day, no questions asked, money back guarantee.

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josh33
I have an iPhone 4, and I've had a bumper on it since I bought it. I also put
an invisishield on the front and back (basically, my whole phone is
protected). I have not had any reception issues, and my phone has worked
perfectly. Surely there are others out there in similar situations. I wonder
why the negativity clouds the internet sometimes.

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Niten
It's common knowledge that Apple's rubber bumpers are a workaround for the
antenna problem. But you shouldn't have to buy a $30 case for your $200 phone
just for the privilege of making calls reliably.

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palish
You don't. On day one, my wife spent a couple minutes covering the gap with a
piece of scotch tape. It's almost impossible to see and it worked flawlessly.
Anyone who drops $30 just to solve the antenna issue is either lazy or a fool
or a foolish lazy person or a loolish fazy person.

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c1sc0
Or someone who doesn't like mucky Scotch tape on their brand-new high-tech
device? I don't care, but I know plenty of people who buy the iPhone as a
design statement & I can see how that tiny imperfection could infuriate these
types of people.

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username3
Did Apple ever give something for free to fix a problem? What did they do?

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asmithmd1
When they dropped the price of the original iphone from $599 to $399 (WITH 2
year contract) just two months after it was introduced they gave everyone who
bought at the higher price a $100 gift certificate

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andreyf
A gift certificate isn't the same as giving something away for free. The
latter devaluates the product in the eye of the consumer.

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larsberg
I'm guessing admit full fault and a return/exchange of iPhone4.

Oh, and one more thing -- new MacPro and iMacs!

Making the iPhone recall a non-event, in terms of news and stock price :-)

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relix
An iPhone recall would never be a non-event, especially in stock price.

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eddieplan9
Just _hold_ it differently this time.

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rbanffy
Thanks for the inspiration: <http://www.dieblinkenlights.com/blog_en/hold-
different/>

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TechStuff
Product exchange program. First 1,000 people to return their iPhone 4 get a
free BlackBerry and $1,000 but can never use an iPhone again.

