In the discussion about how badly Apple has handled the Iphone 4 antenna problem the writer states:
"Complaints about any product are only a couple of mouse clicks away for any customer, especially in light of the lightning-fast spread of product information. This problem was first identified by an iPhone customer who posted a video demonstration to YouTube, which was picked up by Gizmodo and then the rest of the tech press and eventually mainstream news outlets worldwide. It's impossible for Apple, or any company, to hide from product quality issues anymore."
This is the power of Web 2.0.
Here's something I find very interesting about this issue. The blog and video world have been having a field day with the debacle, but Apple can't make the phones fast enough for demand and their stock price and market cap continued to rise.
ReplyDeleteHere's the interesting part: although Web 2.0 complained loudly, Apple wasn't effected negatively. However, when Consumer Reports came out and said they could not, in good conscience, recommend the iPhone 4 to consumers, Apple's stock price fell more than $10 per share from their recent high and their market cap lost ground to Microsoft (who they had only recently overtaken).
So, it appears that Web 2.0 spread the word of the iPhone 4 problem, but it took the reputation of an established voice like Consumer Reports to see any change in demand.