Nigel Cheshire's Blog

A couple of weeks or so after launch, I thought it might be fun to scout around and find out whether iPhone users are experiencing significant software problems with the device or not. I haven’t traded my Blackberry for an iPhone (yet), but a couple of folks in the office have them and are all glassy eyed and in love.

It's a slick device, there's no question about it, and the software appears to be well executed. Of course there have been some early glitches, but these all seem relatively minor (and shrink even more in comparison to some of the problems experienced with the software on the Nokia N95 - probably the iPhone's closest competitor).

The iPhone story that interested me the most though, was Bubba Murarka's tale of his service experience with Apple. Here's someone who clearly likes the product, but the whole experience is let down by the support model. I had a similar experience when I returned my malfunctioning Macbook 17 days after I purchased it. If the problem had arisen within 14 days, the Apple “Genius” happily told me, they would replace the device with no questions asked. But because it was now 17 days old, they would have to repair it. I won’t bore you with details of the story, other than to say that ultimately I was left with no laptop for more than 2 weeks.

Ultimately, it sounds like the iPhone launch has been a success. Apple deserves to do well, in my opinion, on the basis of their products, which are well designed and well executed. But I hope that the Genius Bar support model, along with some lame warranty policies, is not their undoing.

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