Do The Right Thing
This entry started out as a tweet, but after some more time to let the idea percolate I thought I might expand on it in a little longer form.
In late 2006, not terribly long after the Wii was released, we started seeing reports of TV after TV being damaged by a careless player losing their grip of the Wii Remote and accidentally launching it at the TV (most frequently, during a heated Wii Sports: Tennis match, if memory serves). There was even a website dedicated to posting thrown-wii-remote related injuries, both to TVs and to people.
Not my TV!
The issue really hit the mainstream with this commercial for Southwest Airlines, mocking the situation:
In October of 2007, Nintendo announced that it would include new "Jacket" covers for the remotes with all future sales, and in addition to that, gave all current owners the option to have up to 4 jackets sent to them by mail, free of charge, including shipping. [Wikipedia]
As a Wii owner now concerned for the safety of my TV when anyone but myself played, I ordered the 4 free jackets. They are large bulbous and squishy at the front end, which is presumably the end that most often hit televisions, causing damage. They do look like they would protect the TV, at least for the most part, but thankfully I haven't had occasion to know first hand. What is most important, though, is that Nintendo recognized there was a problem -- one inherent in the design of their product -- and did the right thing. That gave me confidence in my purchase and made me happy to continue to purchase Nintendo products.
If they had done nothing, and I had been vigilant in protecting my TV, then I would probably still be a satisfied customer. But if they had done nothing and I (or one of my friends) had broken my TV, I would be furious!
Now, I don't own an iPhone4, and thus I have no experience with the defect. But in my eyes, the ongoing issue with the antenna is not entirely unlike the Wii Remote issue. The Wii Remote works as intended, so in that regard, there was no flaw. However, the intended fashion of play put players into a risky situation: waving a fairly weighty object in what may become sweaty hands in the general direction of your TV. This idea is probably what prompted the creation of the wrist strap before the console (and remote) went to market -- and the strap was also improved after launch. It took them a while, but Nintendo admitted some guilt and made some concessions.
That seems to be all that people want from Apple. Admit that you're not perfect, and provide a free piece of rubber that probably costs you less than $1 each to make. (As the Gizmodo petition points out, it is "essentially a double wide livestrong armband.")
But if Apple is following in Nintendo's footsteps, it could be a long ride until they do.
in Apple | Nintendo | 1 Response 2010-06-29 12:14
The downside is that they have to admit the iPhone isn't perfect as is. I get the feeling that could be a dealbreaker.