Being an iPhone owner comes with a lot of advantages over owning an Android phone. But one of the biggest advantages comes as a surprise to most Apple fans. A critical press.
When it comes to tech gadgets, there is nothing worse than finding some major flaw after you’re out of your return window. You’re at the mercy of whatever company makes the gadget to either fix the problem or exchange your gadget for a good one if possible. But most companies are under immense pressure to minimize the amount of money that they spend on “warranty costs”. I know because I’ve budgeted warranty costs at multiple Fortune-500-level companies.
There is pressure every year to reduce your warranty expenses as a percent of your sales. And what is your reward for accomplishing this feat? A lower goal the following year. And if warranty spending goes up, the white hot focus out of the corporate tower will fall upon customer service like the eye of Sauron who’s just spotted a couple of hobbits. There is nothing wrong with the goal of reduced warranty costs in and of itself. Higher quality products and better customer service equals lower warranty costs. It’s just that in practice sometimes various departments get a little carried away evaluating customer complaints.
So where do iPhone owners get an advantage in all this compared to Android owners? Simple. The press becomes our unwitting muscle. For whatever reason, a large segment of the tech and general press seems to relish any story that puts a negative spin on Apple. That means if there is even a hint of a defect in any Apple product it will get broadcast to all four corners of the earth within minutes. I’m sure the speed with which the public found out about exploding Ford Pintos in the 1970’s could be measured in months.
That means if you buy an iPhone and later some software quirk pops up or the hardware is defective you can pretty much rest assured that Apple is going to make it right. Within weeks if not days. Once it hits the headlines, Apple will fix security holes quicker than it takes my kids to clean their rooms. My respect for Apple actually grew back in 2010 after the famous “antenna-gate” and I got a free bumper case within days of getting my first iPhone.
Meanwhile Android owners don’t get the same experience. At the carriers mercy they may get security patches months later, if ever. And I pity the guy who bought a mid-to-bottom tier Android phone and later discovers some kind of hardware design defect or software problem. The press isn’t going to write stories about defects with some low volume wannabe phone maker. So that means if you have a hissing speaker, fading screen back light, bad battery etc. you’re on your own.
Even large companies like Samsung get a pass for the most part unless their phones literally start exploding. Why? Because nobody cares if these companies stumble. Unless people are getting hurt or killed there just isn’t the same level of interest with these other companies. This is bad for their consumers. Without the spotlight of the press, nothing gets done.
So the fact that Apple-bashing stories bring millions of page views with them works to the advantage of the Apple consumer. All companies hate negative press and they will do just about anything to make it go away. That includes taking drastic measures such as software and hardware fixes. Apple customers take this for granted. Android customers have to buy another phone. But hey, at least they’re cheap.
There is pressure every year to reduce your warranty expenses as a percent of your sales. And what is your reward for accomplishing this feat? A lower goal the following year. And if warranty spending goes up, the white hot focus out of the corporate tower will fall upon customer service like the eye of Sauron who’s just spotted a couple of hobbits. There is nothing wrong with the goal of reduced warranty costs in and of itself. Higher quality products and better customer service equals lower warranty costs. It’s just that in practice sometimes various departments get a little carried away evaluating customer complaints.
So where do iPhone owners get an advantage in all this compared to Android owners? Simple. The press becomes our unwitting muscle. For whatever reason, a large segment of the tech and general press seems to relish any story that puts a negative spin on Apple. That means if there is even a hint of a defect in any Apple product it will get broadcast to all four corners of the earth within minutes. I’m sure the speed with which the public found out about exploding Ford Pintos in the 1970’s could be measured in months.
That means if you buy an iPhone and later some software quirk pops up or the hardware is defective you can pretty much rest assured that Apple is going to make it right. Within weeks if not days. Once it hits the headlines, Apple will fix security holes quicker than it takes my kids to clean their rooms. My respect for Apple actually grew back in 2010 after the famous “antenna-gate” and I got a free bumper case within days of getting my first iPhone.
Meanwhile Android owners don’t get the same experience. At the carriers mercy they may get security patches months later, if ever. And I pity the guy who bought a mid-to-bottom tier Android phone and later discovers some kind of hardware design defect or software problem. The press isn’t going to write stories about defects with some low volume wannabe phone maker. So that means if you have a hissing speaker, fading screen back light, bad battery etc. you’re on your own.
Even large companies like Samsung get a pass for the most part unless their phones literally start exploding. Why? Because nobody cares if these companies stumble. Unless people are getting hurt or killed there just isn’t the same level of interest with these other companies. This is bad for their consumers. Without the spotlight of the press, nothing gets done.
So the fact that Apple-bashing stories bring millions of page views with them works to the advantage of the Apple consumer. All companies hate negative press and they will do just about anything to make it go away. That includes taking drastic measures such as software and hardware fixes. Apple customers take this for granted. Android customers have to buy another phone. But hey, at least they’re cheap.
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