What's really odd to me in this issue is that the press is covering it with all the passion of the Toyota recall.
But remember: Brake failure can easily cause death. This is just a cell phone that needs to be fixed.
It would probably have been smart to have this much intensity put behind the recall of all those medicinal products like Tylenol, Rolaids, etc. coming out of a single plant in Puerto Rico. They pulled Rolaids from the market ENTIRELY (except for the little rolls) for 6 months.
What a weird, weird, world.

I love the iP4. The retina display, photography, HD video, beautiful glass design, and other attributes really makes this stand out above the rest.
http://ifunia.com/iphone-column/index.html
Despite its problems with reception which is easily remedied with a bumper I would take it over a 3GS any day.

Also, the things you speak of are so far removed from the everyday user that fans aren’t reading that stuff and half these kids probably couldn’t tell you where Congo is or think Apple employees are fighting there for the supplies to bring them the next magical device.

Yes, there is negative coverage but not where it counts for the average consumer — this current iteration of the iphone being the example. Yea IP4 has an antenna issue but you’d be hard-pressed to find a critique of this phone were the criticism discusses the reality that a device who’s major function as a PHONE has problems unless one puts a bumper on it. But the media covering apple talks instead talks about the display, the new apps, the faster processor, added memory, its slim design..it’s a phone first and foremost. If I want the other stuff I’ll get an ipad or Touch. Even CR falls short…if it’s broken it gets no gold stars, period. But as always there’s an exception or dual standard for Apple and the media analysis becomes all that’s positive while minimizing the negative. That’s like giving a Toyota 4.5 stars because the car is DRIVABLE and environmentally friendly despite the fact that it has exceleration issues. Or Blackberry not reliably delivering messages with push and saying you can use your phones browser to call up your email instead and sayings its STILL the best mobile device for push delivery of email.

Another example: today, Jobs takes the stage to discuss a major issue and the reporters there are clapping, very minor observation, but that says a lot. No CEO is looking for adulation from the press in a crisis, but Jobs seems to expect it and they give it to him. I’ve seen one report today with the headline “Arrogant Apple Offers IP4 Bumper Bribe” the rest basically say all is well in Whoville but I haven’t finished reading most of the account. I actually mapped out how the press conference would go today on a post in a CNET discussion and the only thing I got wrong was that Jobs actually took questions and those he answered were almost non-answers or dismissive, like when he was asked if he knew about the issue and he pivots to “are you talking about the Bloomberg Report.” If I had been in the audience I would have said “I don’t depend on other reports, I’m asking when you knew about it the antenna problem.” Instead the question is “answered” and everyone moves on ’cause Jobs says it’s BS.

I’m part of the fraternity, I’ve been on-air (radio) and a corporate mouthpiece, so I’m not bashing media but am critical of the fact that it has let itself be engulfed in Apple’s well-oiled reality distortion field.

Just run down the NYT Apple page (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/apple_computer_inc/index.html) where recent stories include Verizon doesn’t need the iPhone, Consumer Reports says iPhone has flaw, Apple not doing well in China, rising labor costs hurting iPhone, an op-ed about the ties between Apple suppliers and war in the Congo, Apple being viewed as a bully in Silicon Valley, several articles voicing complaints from app store developers and on and on (that’s just going back one month).

At the end of the day, you don’t get to be the second-most valuable company in the entire U.S. stock market — and one of the fastest growing large corporations to boot — without doing a lot of things right. So I’m sure there’s also plenty of positive coverage. But there’s no pro-Apple conspiracy in the media.

Maybe it would clarify things if you or others could give a handful of examples of times when Apple deserved criticism or questioning but the press was fawning. On the other hand, I’ve perceived major stories that the media got wrong by being too negative including on the release of the original iPod and the immediate reaction when the iPad arrived.

LATER: Headline from Newsweek piece today: The Genocide Behind Your Smart Phone

How Apple will handle AntennaGate was an unknown, and as long as their testing was unable to rule out that this would be a long-term, possibly rising aggravation, their withholding the badge was at least roughly consistent with their past practice. (Their editorial, that Apple should fix it free, was not.)

Wrong. No carrier will ever have perfect coverage. Every carrier will have low coverage spots. When you touch the corner of the iPhone4 you lose signal strength. The problem is the stupid exposed antenna.