Man up, Steve

Steve JobsThis iPhone4 fiasco is way beyond ridiculous and Steve Jobs looks even more like a petulant fool (he’s even starting to look more like Mongomery Burns, too) the more he stonewalls the reality that his newest baby has a serious flaw: It can't make phone calls unless you hold it a certain way or you have a special add-on.

Instead of admitting Apple rushed a flawed product to market – believe me, he has enough chits to cash in with an adoring public – he basically is waving a stiff middle finger to all of his customers and future customers, saying, “How dare you question me!”

Adding fuel to the fire, Jobs says that only 0.5 percent of new iPhone4 customers have called to complain. OK, quick math: 3 million new iPhone owners X 0.05 =  150,000 customers who cared enough to call to say they have a problem. Um, Montgomery Burnsthat’s kind of a lot of people, Steve. And since most of those 3 million of those new iPhone4 owners are over-the-top Apple fans who are likely to be more accepting of systemic flaws, the reality is the number of unhappy customers is way higher. But noooo, not in Steve’s world. 

Publicly, Jobs says, "We're not perfect" and "Phones aren't perfect" but impartial reviewers at Consumer Reports called BS on Apple's initial brushing off of consumer complaints. The best smartphones do push the envelope, but you kinda expect a phone to be able to process an actual call without requiring a $30 add-on.

Don’t get me wrong: I like Apple’s products. I think my iPod Touch is one of the most amazing devices ever. I use a Powerbook at work and have a Mac Mini at home. And I want an iPad.

But I’d like Apple an awful lot more if they acted human. This mindset of diminishing the concerns of real customers should scare any consumer. Jobs’ responses are starting to sound like an abusive spouse or boss who blames everything on someone else, berating anyone who dares question his wisdom. I would not be surprised if, while raging at critics, he were to slip into Burns-speak and tell his minions to "Release the hounds."

It’s time for Jobs to take a deep breath and recognize that that customers will be forgiving if you show them some trust and respect. If you don’t, there’s a forgiving company called Google that’s ready to capitalize on pompousness (remember that several key iPhone4 features are playing catchup to Android). Given the pace of overall Android sales and app development is surpassing that of the iPhone, that time might already be here. 

Update on Monday, July 19, 2010 at 8:53 PM by Logan Molen

Wired has an excellent, fairly balanced look at the contentious Apple-AT&T marriage. Jobs comes across as expected, bullying AT&T into uncomfortable positions, and threatening to take his toy elsewhere if AT&T balks What's really interesting is AT&T has pushed back on several things, much to Jobs' surprise. AT&T fears the minute they lose iPhone exclusivity, but that deal has brought a heavy burden that seemingly could make or break the company long-term.

Diving into the Android world

I'm in the market for a new smartphone. My Helio Ocean was killer when it first came out two years ago and I still use it all the time. I'm a Swiss-Army knife kinda mobile user so voice is secondary to my uses, which include lots of SMS, mobile web, camera/video, GPS, notes and calendar.Helio Ocean was revolutionary when it first launched

But since Virgin Mobile bought Helio awhile back, service has been spotty and I've had to send back two malfunctioning devices. And while the Ocean was revolutionary when it first dropped (it had GPS long before Apple led you believe they invented it), the iPhone/iTouch has raised the bar when it comes to mobile devices and content expectations.

So, what to buy? I like my iTouch but can't stand the thought of signing on with AT&T, which has an iPhone exclusive. I've thought about the Palm Pre, which Walt Mossberg says is an iPhone rival, but didn't like the keyboard. And I've looked at other models, but none rock my socks.

That takes me to Google's Android mobile OS, which is now available on two three phones in the U.S., with promises of up to 10 more by year's end. It's like being a kid in a candy store, not knowing what treats are around the corner.

Sprint's HTC Hero is loaded with cool appsI really like what I hear and read about the HTC Hero, which Sprint put sale this week. It's got all the core stuff important to me, plus a big customizable screen, a 5-meg camera (!?!?), augmented reality tools, feed readers and open-source apps to come (Google has 8,000 Android apps so far). It's been getting good reviews, and again Mossberg gives it a thumb's up as an iPhone rival. And you can't beat Sprint's data pricing, which keeps mobile bills affordable.

Hero's big downside for me, though, is its virtual keyboard. I do a lot of texting, and my fingers have never gotten used to virtual keyboards like thoSprint's Samsung Momentse on the iTouch. So, I'll keep an eye on Sprint's Samsung Moment, an Android-powered device with slide-out hard keyboard. 

In the meantime, I'll be camped out on gadget sites like Endgadget and Gizmodo looking for anything better that might come along. Ultimately, though, you just have to dive in to the fray, two-year service plans or not.

Update on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 9:39 AM by Logan Molen

Interesting MocoNews story today on how the opennesss and infancy of Google's Android platform is creating "fragmentation" in the platform:

"The problem with fragmentation is that developers will have a difficult time developing applications that could run smoothly on each platform. Besides hardware differences, like screen sizes, there will be software differences, too. Some phones will support multi-touch, and others won’t. Not to mention, each manufacturer is building their own user interface on top of the platform that offers a host of other features.

All of the problems could be solved if the older devices were upgraded to the latest software, but that’s not likely going to happen, reports IDG News Service. The Motorola Cliq runs version 1.5; the Motorola Droid runs 2.0 and most others run Android 1.6."

Hang on for a wild ride.