Apple iPhone Malfunctions And The "Swing" Consumer

There's been a lot of talk about the swing voter and although I'm not one of them, I've begun to realize that I am a "swing" consumer in another area: the cell phone.  Cell phone consumers bear certain resemblances to voters: about once every two years, we make a big decision to commit to one cell phone or another.

I've been on the fence about the iPhone for a while now.  For a time I considered buying the first iPhone, but I figured I'd wait until the new version came out.  I wasn't counting on a price drop (and in this case, the price went up - with a lower up-front cost and substantially higher monthly fees) but I wanted to wait for new technological advances.  Now that I'm hearing about the various problems with the new iPhone - most recently in the area of dropped calls - I'm holding back on buying the sexy gadget.  I want to be sure that it's working well before I make a two year commitment. 

What would help me make up my mind?  Just like a swing voter surveying the field, I understand that my phone may have upsides and downsides.  But I need to feel confidence that Apple and AT&T will address the problems with the iPhone.  I need to know that Apple is being candid with me - and with itself - about the current troubles.  When Steve Jobs spoke out and admitted that they'd bungled the initial roll-out, I started leaning Apple.  But yesterday in the WSJ, I read that AT&T was neither confirming nor denying that there's a problem with dropped calls. 

"Mr. Coe [an AT&T spokesman] wouldn't say whether the iPhone is more prone to dropped calls than other phones on the company's network."   

What a politician!  That lack of candor, that sense that maybe AT&T and Apple really aren't going to solve these problems, pushes me in the opposite direction.  I'm waiting to see if these companies can speak to me, to my fears, and to my telephonic dreams.  They have a shot at getting my next thousand dollars of cell money.  The question is whether time will run out and whether I - and I'm guessing hundreds of thousands of similar swing consumers - will deliver our cell vote elsewhere.

Comments

[daniel]

I'm waiting for Apple's exclusive contract with AT&T to expire. I like T-Mobile's service and I'm not willing to trade that for a sexier phone. I can't afford an iPhone now anyway.

[Emily]

Owning an apple ipod has become as common as owning a cell phone in recent times. It is a regular occurrence to see people listening to music while walking down the street, in stores, at gyms, and with additional equipment, in cars. With the regular use of iPods, malfunctions can occur which can cause a disturbance in our regular routine. Tuning out is now harder.