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Apple does bear some responsibility for this backlash. Their products used to be prohibitively expensive and offered little value. They claimed to be perfectionists, but no technology company is perfect. Having used many different products from several tech companies, both professionally and personally, their products generally exhibit higher quality, but are not perfect. Slogans such as “it just works” came off as arrogant and were ironic, considering the poor quality of iOS 5, which was released in conjunction with the new rhetoric. Their advertising campaigns, particularly the ones with Justing Long and Jonathan Hodgman, came off as conceited and snarky. It kept me away from Apple products.
With the passing of Steve Jobs, Apple found new leadership under Tim Cook. Their new CEO changed the tone of the company. He dropped the “it just works” slogan, and after some key leadership changes, the quality of iOS and OS X improved dramatically. Both operating systems were already more stable and secure than the competition. Apple now focuses on the personal experience of their products and how they touch people’s lives. Many of their competitors have taken on the role of “talking trash”. Such advertising strategies actually alienate potential customers.
Unfortunately, the talking points and rhetoric of Apple haters persist, even when the company has changed direction. The overwhelming success of Apple has created a vocal cadre of Apple-haters. Blogs and social media serve as an echo chamber, amplifying talking points and providing unbalanced lists of specs to regurgitate. The overwhelming success of the iPhone 6 has created a frenzy of Apple hatred, resulting in bend-gate or bendghazi. This is not a new phenomenon. Here’s a brief list of some of the other Apple-gates that were launched in conjunction with new Apple products:
- video iPod scratches with normal use
- the Power Mac G4 Cube case cracks
- original iPhone gets too hot
- antenna-gate
- iOS Maps
- iOS 7 is ugly
- TouchID touch fade
- U2 album which some customers didn’t want
- iOS 8.0.1 fiasco
There is truth to some of these problems, but they are usually overblown or problems common to all devices of their class. When these are real issues, Apple usually takes accountability and acts quickly to ameliorate the problem. Apple is a very large corporation with hundreds of millions of customers. Major news media outlets create headlines out of flaws in Apple products. These stories are amplified and colored by Apple critics on social media and blogs.
Regardless of the issue, you can be assured that with every Apple product launch, there will be Apple haters taking to social media, often under the pretense of an Apple customer experiencing these issues. This makes a small problem seem more widespread. The issue with the bendable iPhone 6 Plus is just another case of Apple bashing. There is some truth to it, but virtually every comparable device can bend or break.
How To Find The Truth About Bendghazi or Bend-Gate
Don’t believe me. For all you know, I could be an Apple fanboy. For those who are familiar with my site, this is clearly not the case. However, you shouldn’t believe something just because it is on a blog or goes viral on social media. None of these resources are fact checked or vetted. Don’t believe Apple either. They claim that this problem has surfaced on only 9 iPhones out of 10 million sold. Their customer support would be well aware of this number, however, with so much at stake, the numbers could be minimized.
The best way to get to the bottom of these “gates” is to become an informed consumer. You need to do research and read customer reviews from actual customers. Don’t get this information from a tech website, blog, social media, or some geek poseur. Most of these sources have an agenda, and you will be the one paying $80 a month for two years and suffering with defects or missing out on the killer apps. The phone is the cheapest part of the deal, even if you pay a premium price for an unlocked version. (continue…)