Consumer Reports Still Won’t Recommend iPhone 4: Free Bumpers “Not A Long-Term Solution”

John Brownlee ()

Consumer Reports Still Won’t Recommend iPhone 4: Free Bumpers “Not A Long-Term Solution”

Apple’s public relations problems with the iPhone 4 antenna reached critical mass last week when Consumer Reports said they could not recommend their readers purchase an iPhone 4 because of their issue. In many ways, then, yesterday’s press conference was a specific response to the well-respected consumer advocacy site.

So did Jobs change Consumer Reports’ mind on the issue? Nope.

Consumer Reports believes Apple’s offer of free cases is a good first step. However, Apple has indicated that this is not a long-term solution, it has guaranteed the offer only through September 30th, and has not extended it unequivocally to customers who bought cases from third-party vendors. We look forward to a long-term fix from Apple. As things currently stand, the iPhone 4 is still not one of our Recommended models.

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About the author

John BrownleeJohn Brownlee is news editor here at Cult of Mac, and has also written about a lot of things for a lot of different places, including Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker, AMC, Geek and the Consumerist. He lives in Cambridge with his charming inamorata and a tiny budgerigar punningly christened after Nabokov's most famous pervert. You can follow him here on Twitter.

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Posted in iPhone, News, Top stories |

  • http://deoclicianocgiportfolio.wordpress.com Deocliciano Okssipin Vieira

    Something wrong with USA media.

    - How come in a country with so much PhD antenna technicians Gizmodo was able to thrash Apple so easily?

  • Scott

    They rank it as the best smartphone out there, but can’t recommend it because a few people whine about an issue that is no issue in real life? Ok…

  • http://blog.tice.de/?sprache=englisch Tice

    You know what: I testet what Apple said with my SE Naite – and Apple is right. Its a general Problem: http://www.youtube.com/user/TiceHH#p/u/0/tUJg1rpfc68

  • Horst

    My question is: if this only affects a very small number of user, ie. iPhones, as Apple claims, why doesn’t Apple exchange those apparently faulty phones with new ones? However, the issue is still officially not covered by Apple’s warranty. Doesn’t make sense, does it?

  • Joseph

    What the purpose of a ranking system if you can’t recommend the product you’ve ranked number one? It makes zero sense.

  • Chris

    who is this consumer reports?

  • Romeo

    You know what?
    It doesn’t matter at all. Everybody is drulling over an iPhone4 so everybody’s gettting it anyway… Just a reminder: who among you use the iPhone mostly to telephone??? Even if it’s faulty in that area, everybody knows that’s not what we want in the iPhone…

  • Peter Too

    Consumer Reports should start re-thinking exactly how vocal they want to be in this case, because they are going to lose out in the end.

    When the iPhone 4 will go on, despite their “not recommended” tag, to be a raging success Consumer Reports’ ratings of gadgets are going to matter less and less in the long run.

    In the future, when Consumer Reports “dumps” the new Nokia/RIM/HTC/whatever, those companies will undoubtedly go out and say “yes, but look how popular the iPhone 4 is despite the CR rating”.

    Consumer Reports are making themselves matter less with this pan headed crusade.

  • progr

    “who is this consumer reports?”
    You made my day man.

  • http://deoclicianocgiportfolio.wordpress.com Deocliciano Okssipin Vieira

    @Horst

    … apparently faulty …
    … no such thing, second to Apple.
    Mass hysteria that costed Apple billions, tarnished its good name.
    But mainly because Apple sucks at PR (which for customers is a good. thing)

    … exchange …
    Within 30 days, damaged ones excluded.

  • jack

    Never heard the “Consumer Reports” until recently! This “Consumer Reports” lacks of integrity and credibility. No wonder I didn’t about it. As a normal human will know that no one is perfect, so is the Iphone 4. I loved my Iphone with every heart beat!! I highly recommend gadget lovers that you have to get one!

  • MrJones

    So is Consumer Reports trying to become noticed by sticking to their guns? I wouldn’t let my grandma work my iPhone, so maybe they should just stick to reviewing Caddy’s and hearing aids.

  • charli

    @Horst. They will most certainly exchange faulty phones. What they don’t cover is unlocked, jailbroken and physically damaged phones. Also within 30 days of purchase you can return the phone no restock fee, no ETF. Which is what they are telling folks to do if your service is crap. Cause crappy ATT is going to stay crappy ATT, case or no case on the phone.

    As for Consumer Reports. I doubt that changing their minds was really on the agenda. Changing the minds of those that trust CR was. And when we find out that yet another 1 million phones have sold this coming week and hundreds of thousands of phones were not returned due to the antenna issue, well the numbers speak for themselves.

    RE: Sept 30th. By then folks should have gotten the memo to consider the quality of ATT service before buying. ANd if the quality is crap, don’t expect a phone, any phone, to make up for it

  • http://www.lugaresdemexico.com/ SiliconTlaco

    Who care!!!!
    Y a quien le importa esta opinión? La opinión que importa es la del usuario final el tenerlo en las mandos y probarlo.

  • Byron Taylor

    Gizmodo has an axe to grind with Apple and Consumer Reports is trying to get hits to stave off their impending demise for being irrelevant. It’s stupid nonsense and you are just helping give it life by reporting on it here.

  • Horst

    @ Deocliciano / charli:

    Steve Jobs said at the press conference that only a small number of users is affected by this problem. Which means that these phones don’t function as they should. Apple however will not exchange phones that show the death grip problem. Which means they are not exchanging apparently faulty phones…

  • Notablogger

    I heard Steve Jobs say the offer is good through September 30 and they would look at it again. CR is just being obstinate now.

  • JDS

    From the magazine that recommended Toyota over other cars!!!!

  • Sean Williams

    Consumer Reports is a great unbiased organization. They have been providing reviews for as long as I can remember.

    They present just the facts and it used to be that they RARELY recommended a product. Getting a recommendation from CR used to be a big deal. It may still be.

    What the media fails to report is that it is not uncommon for CR to rate something the best that there is, but not give it a recommendation. You can see this with TVs, Vacuum Cleaners, just about anything they review.

    Consumer Reports is doing what they have always done. People using Consumer Reports data are the ones corrupting it. If CR bowed into pressure from any outside group to recommend a product, they would likely lose their status as a non-profit organization. You may not like how people are twisting CR, but don’t fault great organization that presents the facts and explains how they arrived at them.

  • MrJones

    Sean,
    You make it sound like CR has never had egg on them. I seem to remember they faking Ford crash tests years ago. So maybe, just maybe they are enjoying the PR since they are often overlooked. All PR is good PR in some peoples minds, and I think they’ve enjoyed some serious mileage out of this.

  • nacra

    @Deocliciano Okssipin Vieira.: You are 100% right on….the stupidity of American culture continues to amaze me.

    Also, why is, all of a sudden, Consumer Reports the holy grail of product reviews? This is so completely ridiculous.

    If the data (complaints, returns, etc.) that Apple and AT&T revealed yesterday is true, then this whole thing is a non-issue translated into mass hysteria by the American media.

  • MarkByrn

    CR jumped the shark years ago and Cult of Mac has about as much objectivity as Glenn Beck.

  • Sean Williams

    @Mr Jones

    CR has never “faked” anything.

    @MarkByrn
    Jumped the shark? Yea, that is an empty statement. If you don’t like CR, then don’t listen to them. It’s like the people who say if you don’t like the iPhone, return it. CR didn’t hide their tests. They are an independent non-profit group that gains nothing from the purchase of any phone.

  • Neal

    I’ve had no issues with my iPhone 4. This has been blown way out of proportion in the media…and I don’t know what’s up with Consumer Reports, but who cares what they say?

  • ictus75

    I stopped reading CR years ago. Their “reports” are often a joke.

  • James D

    Lol, seems a lot of fanboys are having a good cry. How dare anyone say something bad about Apple. Fact is Apple admits there is an antenna problem. Amazing how fanboys still deny it, I didn’t realize there were that many stupid people.

  • janet55

    hmm, I read the news “Live from Apple’s iPhone 4 press conference”.
    Dude. I’m 99% sure there will be no recalls or h/w fixes. Like some dude called it, they’ll say
    1) 99% phones are okay
    2) 1% suffer from that issue, which still makes us the best and greatest
    3) we’re giving you free/discounted bumpers so worship us forever
    While I love their products, of course I do hope Apple steps up on the iPhone 4 improving as soon.
    The iPhone 4 tempting features, HD Video Recording and lovely pictures you’re surprised:
    A Review of Apple iPhone 4 in iFunia iPhone coloumn