I think Steve Jobs has made a big mistake. Not with the alleged faulty antenna in the iPhone. No. He strayed from the strategy that has made Apple one of the most powerful brands in the world.
Apple has made it’s name creating a brand experience that is like no other and, love him or hate him, Steve Jobs has done a masterful job of maintaining and promoting it. Until now. Faced with a publics relations storm surrounding the antenna issues on the iPhone he said:
“This is life in smartphone world. Phones aren’t perfect. Most every smartphone we tested behaved like this.”
While other vendors are “not too pleased with Steve Jobs’ comments“, they really should be applauding him. There’s a chink in the armor. A blemish on the Apple mystique. Rather than accept responsibility for a problem with his product and maintain it’s elevated status, he’s “lowered” Apple and the iPhone to the level of every other Smartphone.
Bottom Line: Steve Jobs just left an opening for the other Smartphone vendors to exploit.
UPDATE: October 2, 2010
Steve Jobs continues to step out of his ivory tower and sling mud as in the recent Engadget article about activations. Apples brand has always been about a blatant disregard for the competition and forging it’s own path. Are they feeling the pressure of competition in markets they created? Another chink in the armor?
What’s your POV?