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Zach Bass (a.k.a Ernie Varitimos) is Chief Bloviator of Investor in the Wilderness. He has 30 years experience as a Tech Maven, Investor and Consultant. Zach has been using Macs since their introduction in 1984, and investing in the markets just as long. His mission is to help guide all level of investors through the Apple Ecosphere and make sense of the markets. Zach's take on Apple, the markets, and life pursuits, will keep your mind tuned.

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Are iPhone 3G Defect Rates Way Above Apple’s Standards?

August 16th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under
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This is my second article concerning Apple’s lack of quality control in as many days. So, let me just say that I’m sorry for the incessant rant. But I am losing confidence in a company that I have stood by in both thick and thin. Even during the dark days of Apple, I had unwavering faith in the company and their products. But my recent experience has rocked that confidence. So here’s my latest call for action…

I have no statistical information to this assertion, only anecdotal. But I’m reading about it with greater regularity, and I’ve gotten reports from many posters as well. I DO have my personal frustrations which have caused me to return 3 iPhones due manufacturer defects, so that now I’m on my 4th 3G iPhone!! So, I’m hoping that the 4th iPhone is a go. Here are the 4 defects:

  1. Home button did not work (returned for second iPhone)
  2. Cracked Case (returned for 3rd iPhone)
  3. On/off switch depressed making it very difficult to press
  4. Earphone jack misaligned so that mute switch will not work (returned for 4th iPhone)

But these physical defects are not the only problems. On the software side, even after the 2.01 upgrade, I have the following problems:

  1. Edit magnifying glass hangs or very slow
  2. Keyboard hangs on first character
  3. iPhone Backup sometimes takes 20-30 minutes
  4. Safari quits unexpectedly, a lot
  5. Many more…

Oh, and the new styled Apple white ear buds, with the thin rubber around the ear piece was a nice change, providing better sound isolation and comfort, except that after about 3 months worth of use, that thin rubber piece deteriorates making the ear buds useless after that. I’ve bought at least 8 pairs of replacement buds for me and my two daughters at $30 a pop!

Look, I buy A LOT of Apple products, probably more than 99.99% of all Apple non-commercial customers. I’ve owned nearly 80 Macs in my life, bought my first Mac 2 days after it was first introduced back in 1984. I’m usually an early adopter of new models, and currently have 7 Macs running in my home. When I retire Macs I usually give them away to friends and family, as they are still in perfect working order.

I have bought about 10 iPods, 3 iPhones, every conceivable accessory, printer, speaker system, wireless device, airports of all flavors (currently have an Airpot Extreme, Time Capsule, and 3 Express’). I spend more than $2K per year on Apple branded software, and on Family packs for iLife, .Mac/Me, iWork, and professional packages as well. I buy AppleCare on EVERY product that has it available.

I make it my duty to convince non-Apple users on the superior total cost of ownership of Apple products compared to Windows-based products, I have lauded Apple’s outstanding product quality, and especially laud their in-store service. I also evangelize the Apple philosophy and culture every chance I get.

But I’m having a hard time getting over the TOTAL LACK of QUALITY CONTROL of the iPhone 3G, both hardware AND software. The ONLY saving grace for me has been the exceptional customer service when I have had a problem. But quite frankly, I don’t expect to have problems with Apple products, at least with this regularity, and the new 3G iPhone is putting a very bad taste in my mouth.

Apple,you must do something about this NOW. Perhaps it’s the manufacturer? If so, find another. If you have to pay a little more for the assurance that defects will be reduced, then do it, it’s got to be more cost effective than what’s happening now. Perhaps it’s the design of the products, faulty tolerances, poor material choices. Then if so, fire the engineers and quality control people that are screwing things up and get capable people. I’ve been in engineering, both hardware and software for 30 years. Hire me, I’ll fix the problem!

  • Maddox
    When you compare the iPhone 3G to other cell phones, Apple beats them hands down (even with these issues). I would tather have an iPhome with a few software bugs than any other phone. As for the phisical phone itself, while the iPhone in not perfect, Apple is working hard to address any manufacturing issuses. Producing new ground breaking technology is always going to have some kinks and working through them is a part of the process of developing new technology.

    Zach, while you may me frustrated with your petsonal experience, I do not think this is the norm. There are many satisfied iPhone 3G customers and I happen to be one of them.

    Posted from my iPhone 3G
  • MRP
    Zach have you called Apple support and talked to anyone about these issues? I have had numerous software issues (no hardware problems) and have called only to be told to perform restore after restore. No real solutions. I will be visiting the Braintree store early next week and will hopefully get more clarity. I'd be very curious to hear if you have had any feedback from Apple.
  • skwasha
    I still have my iPhone 2.5G - So I can't speak to the HW issues with the 3G. That said, I can attest to several issues of stability and usability with the new 2.X firmwares. The new features are welcome, but the decrease in quality has me on the verge of reverting to 1.1.4. Among other things, I've noticed: Safari issues, faster battery drain, random lock-ups or quits. Hopefully, the much rumored 2.1 firmware can address the many reported software glitches.
  • iPhone Backup sometimes takes 20-30 minutes

    YOU DONT NEED TO BACK UP EVERY TIME OR EVERY DAY - JUST CLICK THE LITTLE CIRCLE WITH THE X IN IT TO STOP THE BACKUP... AND CHECK OUT THE AUTO SYNCING IN YOUR PREFERENCES - TURN OFF IF YOU DONT LIKE THIS HAPPENING - THIS IS WHAT MIGHT BE TAKING THE ITUNES DOWN WHEN YOU TRY AND QUIT THIS BACK-UP...

    CHEERS G
  • Jesse Dorland
    I bought my first Apple product last month - Mini-Mac, and I am quite happy with it. However, I must say apple support for some of their products is lot to be desire. iMac Verticle line, Mac Book's motherboard, and iPhone faulty hardware/software. The list is endless, but the sad part is Apple will try to cover up these problems.
  • taojones
    Your having a rough time Zach Keep the faith designing the new phone is a complex process and maybe apple Walmarted the suppliers. hopefully apple will return the problem phones to the suppliers responsible and let them eat hardware until they get it together. keep the faith. in the end apple will make it right.

    remember the days when apple used to "blame the victim" and find some small scratch on your hardware and try to say you dropped it. they have come a long way since those times.
    anytime i really wanted a response from apple i addressed a snail mail letter to "the vice president in charge of customer relations" I always got a response and a solution. (poop rolls down hill faster than it climbs up the corporate ladder. no employee wants to pass a problem up to his superior. no executive wants a problem on his desk overnight . a pebble at the top of the hill moves more dirt than a bulldozer at the bottom . once the big dog barks (and signs off on it) everybody does what it takes to make it happen.
  • A little help from Leoville on software issues. He has stated in his macbreak weekly pods that after doing a "clean" software restore, only download and install apps through itunes. Laporte claims this has fixed the nagging software lag and apps crashing issues on the iPhone 3G. I have a jailbroken and unlocked (use my BB sim) 1st gen iPhone and love it! Have not had any issues with the software other than lag in the keyboard on a few apps. That said, I find the virtual keyboard to be the quickest method on a phone for entering text in emails and SMS. I believe these issues will be resolved in future updates. This thing is still a baby.
  • A lot of the problems stem from the lack of testing many of the apps have as well. Sure, there still may be numerous bugs in the iPhone software as well, but most of the problems I've had is with specific applications. Generally ones that need interaction with a web back end, and they don't fail graciously when they're unable to connect.

    As far as the hardware goes, I think I'll hold on to my 1st gen iPhone and wait until the next redesign (iPhone 3G v2).
  • Ed
    reports from many posters as well????


    how many, 4? there have been over 3 million sold....

    also, why are you spending $30 every couple of months for head phones when they're under warranty for a year?


    two apple bashing posts in under 48 hours? i'm sure you're hoping seeking alpha picks this up and I already see your seed has been planted over on yahoo. Either you're turning into a drama queen who likes to hear himself talk, zach or you're short the stock or options and playing dirty by trying to manipulate the stock in the same ways you've bashed others in the not so recent past.

    a truly classless act, zach--you're becoming obsessed by the way, telling everyone you're going away on vacation only to wind up posting eve ore than normal during your week off. sad.
  • Richard Little
    It seems the problem occurs only after the iphone is taken from it's case. This should narrow the search.

    This is a simple fix whatever it is, in fact it probably has already been fixed in the factory. However, you have inventory which must be sorted through.

    I would also be frustrated but based on what Apple has been able to do with this new phone, I certainly would no give up on the company
  • Hey Zach,
    This is Waseem from wikinvest.com. I tried looking for an email address on your site, but couldn't find one. I would like to discuss a collaboration opportunity between your blog and us and was wondering if I could use an email address for you. Please shoot me an email at waseem@wikinvest.com

    Thanks.
  • JuLius Devereaux
    Zach, we are in the same boat - I am in love with Apple computer products.

    Way back in the late 70's when Apple II came to the world to threaten the giant IBM, I was already involved with Apple when we developed the Citibank worldwide network called Citiflash. Let me.remind you that the web was only a figment of the imagination then.

    We used Apples then to make the various programs for the main frames, using seven platforms in machine language. I am now a tech gadget trader in the the whole East Asia, headquartered in Hongkong, and I am still very happy using Apple products, except the for iPhone, simply because I find the mobile device very primitive.

    What do I get from my other phones? I can now simultaneously watch a movie, get a steady stream of stock quotes, look at a map showing the epicenter of a recent earthquake, and compose/read my SMS. Yes, I get all these all at the same time. I use my phone as a debit card to pay for my various needs - groceries, dining, etc... including fare for the rail transit. I was pleasantly surprised that I can even shop with my phone in the malls in the Philippines, Malaysia, & Thailand. My celebrated iPhone 3G could not handle any of these.

    If I were to make a list of the ten best mobile phones, it may land last of the ten. I strongly suggest that you examine the mobile devices available worldwide so that you can have a wider perspective.
  • Jeff Walker
    I sit here at my computer waiting for UPS to deliver my 3rd replacement iPhone 3G.

    Being my first Apple product (I have been dead set against Apple for a long time as I have always thought they sacrificed design over functionality), I have to say that this will also be my last.

    In my entire life of buying electronics I have never had to replace one product 3 times due to the same issues. Typically in this situation I would have just returned the product and moved onto something else, but of course I am now bound by a 3 year contract.

    My first phone developed a crack between the headphone jack and the bezel, as well as major light leak on the left side.

    The replacement phone had a misaligned screen, sharp edges on the bezel, a light leak on the left, and the plastic between the jack and the bezel cracked when I plugged in the headphones.

    In your other article you talked about what the chances must be for one person to have this many issues, well I can tell you that I am now on my 3rd phone, and there are people on iPhone related forums claiming that they are on their 5th to 8th.

    With all that said...what I would really like to know is what we can do about it. I simply can't dedicate any more time to calling for, waiting for, and sending back replacements. What I would honestly like at this point is a rebate for every defect on the next phone (something like 10% for every defect), as well as a guarantee that it'll be replaced over the next 3 years of my contract if they decide to change the design or the materials.

    I would really like to get some people behind me on this because I have three more years left with this phone and I really don't want to have to plug it into my calendar to do a weekly iPhone replacement routine.

    Jeff
  • I feel your pain Jeff, as you know. I have been a buyer of Apple products for 30 years and until recently I have hardly ever had a problem with product quality, even during the years Steve Jobs was absent from Apple. But the iPhone isn't the only product I have a problem with. The Mighty Mouse scroll ball after some time stops working. It's happened on 4 separate mouses. Also, the rubber around the white earbuds wears out prematurely. There are many other instances of recent products that have had similar repeatable failures.

    Perhaps it's the Chinese manufacturers fault, I don't know. Ultimately it's Apple's fault, and I hope they recognize the problem and fix it.
  • Mikey Mike
    Very interesting writing Zach, I myself have had 2 iphones become faulty in the 3 months since i bought one. One lost all connection to any networks and this one just today has lost bluetooth capability. Clearly i troubleshooted them first. So that is 2 broken iphones in 3 months... meanwhile each time i have to wait 2 weeks for a replacement iphone.

    I wish all you 'apple fanboys' would open your eyes and realize that Apple have dropped the ball on this one, indeed the iphone IS UNRELIABLE. To be honest the last thing i want from a from is unreliability. Last time i was in the shop to claim my replacement iphone and there were 2 other people there at that exact time to do the same thing.. clearly quite a few people have issues imo.

    Just because you yourself might have been lucky enough to have the iphone work so far, doesn't mean something won't break next month or the month after.
  • Yasuyuki
    I'm actually thinking about switching to an Iphone for awhile now after having a Samsung Blackjack for 9 months. The thing is slow and extremely tiresome to use. Plus the scroll wheel is pretty annoying. Mine broke this week and also started to have charging issues. I had to send it in for a replacement. But with an Iphone I know I won't be able to get used to the touch screen or the inability to text messages fast. Plus I've heard the camera isn't all that great either.

    I've guess I've hit the limit to finding the best cellphone out there for an AT&T customer minus the Blackberry?
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