Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

Place your bets: Odds are on for iPhone 4 recall

By | July 14, 2010, 10:38am PDT

Summary: Only Apple knows for sure if an iPhone 4 recall is in the works - but that hasn’t stopped oddsmakers from taking bets on the eventual outcome. As of now, odds are that the company will issue a recall.

Wall Street analysts are saying that it’s unlikely that Apple would recall the iPhone 4 over its antenna issues, which were called a hardware flaw by Consumer Reports this week. But would those analysts put down their hard-earned money to back their insight?

At least one online betting side, Paddy Power, an Ireland-based bookmaker, said today that odds are on for a recall - slashing those odds from 2/1 to 4/6, meaning that the likelihood of a recall has shifted from No to Yes. As of now, a $4 bet will win $6 if there’s a recall. The odds for no recall are 11/10.

At least those were the odds earlier today. As gamblers know, odds constantly change.

In an email, the company said the Consumer Reports non-recommendation sparked “a betting frenzy over the past 24 hours,” with gamblers backing a potential recall. The company said:

It looks like Apple may have been a little too fast out of the traps with the iPhone 4 launch.  If current betting trends are to be believed it now seems certain that a recall is on the cards.

Of course, the odds are just that. And, by definition, gambling on something that someone else might or might not do is riskier than betting on the outcome of a game. Only Steve Jobs and company knows for sure whether a recall is in the future - but they’re not saying anything yet.

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Sam has been a technology and business blogger for more than 18 years.

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Biography

Sam Diaz

Sam has been a technology and business blogger, reporter and editor at ZDNet, the Washington Post, San Jose Mercury News and Fresno Bee for more than 18 years. He's a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and a graduate of California State University, Fresno.

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RE: Place your bets: Odds are on for iPhone 4 recall
tomlin21-24319035676893835085146735905770 11th Oct
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0 Votes
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There will be no recall
NonZealot 14th Jul 2010
That is my prediction.
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Agreed, NZ
Userama 14th Jul 2010
As you once said, there's a first time for everything.
...but that company is far too arrogant. I don't think they'll do it.
@NonZealot

Frankly, I don't think that there should be anyone forcing Apple to recall, but the free market should make the call. If people walk away from the phone and others don't buy, the free market will force Apple's hand (if the cost/benefit indicates that the recalls are the better holistic financial decision).

That said, this article says that the recall is a done deal. Read it, it is FUNNY.

http://www.dailygoat.com/?p=1491
@pchrun
Not only that, if Apple can't do it immediately, there will be some one who would bring it courts for class action suite and that makes the lawyers' pocket heavy, neither consumers nor Apple would benefit out of it. So they better react immediately before it goes out of hand.
0 Votes
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My Prediction Is...
Steve@... 14th Jul 2010
@NonZealot
apple won't recall the phone, but will force AT&T to recall it, thus saving the day (and apple face), and apple will tell the world that the recall was unnecessary, and accuse AT&T of jumping the gun...
You, NonZealot, are correct in that apple will not issue a recall. That would be like some god telling the masses that it abused a child...
Why recall then? Not going to happen. Discounted or free case is enough if Apple wants to do anything. Wonder why not just fix it by putting a small piece of transparent Scotch tape over that black gap?
0 Votes
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...that the iPhone has over its competition. Current Android phones are better in every aspect, except for the design.
@drphysx
Nope sir, Androids are not good either. They have their own issues. I own EVO 4G. The issue there is touch response and HTC had to release a patch to fix it. Apple has better UX and touch response. I am not saying android doesn't have upper hand, it has some features that Apple misses in iPhone, but iPhone has better aspects than Android in many aspects.
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Why not? That is easy to answer.
cornpie 14th Jul 2010
@cool_techie The reason why not is that when I buy a brand new product (from any company) I expect it to work for it's intended purpose when it comes out of the box. If it doesn't it's going back. You see, there are phones I can buy that don't require a piece of tape on them.

There, does that explain it well enough?
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Apple lets you return and get full refund
cool_techie 14th Jul 2010
@cornpie
The overwhelming majority of people buy iPhone because of many good reasons that outweigh this minor problem, which happens only in places where the signal is weak. If this minor problem turns anyone away, then why would he/she buy iPhone in the first place. Apple knows that this will turn away only a tiny number of their customers, therefore a recall is not needed in a business sense.
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30 Day Full Refund = Volunatry Recall
taylor@... 14th Jul 2010
Apple has dropped the restocking fee and extended the full refund period to 30 days. Since anyone can return the phone, now, today, for a full refund, a recall isn't necessary.
A recall is only necessary when you're stuck with a defective product.
However, Apple does need to admit the problem so that people can return the phone within 30 days.
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Huh?
Userama 14th Jul 2010
People don't know they have a problem unless Apple admits it?
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In this case, yes.
drphysx 14th Jul 2010
@Userama

Lots of them are going to blame AT&T for their dropped calls, when in fact, their faulty iPhone is the issue. They won't know it's faulty unless someone tells them that it's not AT&T that is to blame.
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@taylor@...
I have a feeling that they will extend the return period from 30 days to 60--or maybe even 90--with no restocking and full refund.
@Userama
May be, but they may give out those cheap rubber material that is not even worth of $1 to every one and will ask people to move on.
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As Most People Know...
Steve@... 14th Jul 2010
@taylor@...
apple knows that the vast majority of it's initial buyers are fan boys, and would never return their phones, so they could offer 90 day complete refund, and also offer a gift certificate for $100, and none of the fan boys would touch it.
And, as is clear on this board, the fan boys are threatening, coercing and insulting people for even believing that a problem exists. All in hopes that their nazi tactics will shut everyone up, and restore the shine on their Jobs portraits.
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People having problems...
CowLauncher 14th Jul 2010
should just return their phones.
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Exactly
drphysx Updated - 14th Jul 2010
Nevertheless, Apple must admit the failure, if they want to retain any credibility that's left.
@drphysx
I don't think they will. They will give away cheap rubber material AKA bumpers to iPhone buyers and ask them to move on. if they agree the failure, that actually brings them negative remark, because a lot of people buy Apple products thinking that they are above defects.
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Recall no, Free bumper, maybe, paid bumper probably.
TripleII-21189418044173169409978279405827 14th Jul 2010
Not a recall per se, they will probably offer $5 bumpers (that will still net them $4.50 since their cost of them will be 7c+postage) until outrage happens at that, then they will simply mail them to anyone who complains or requests them.

Apple knew about the problem, you can't deliver it with any testing without some tester finding it somewhere, and Apple decided to go ahead with it anyway. Time will tell whether that choice will in the end hurt them.

TripleII
0 Votes
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I would say 2 million sales
frgough 14th Jul 2010
with an almost non-existent return rate paints this for what it is. People with serious ***** envy praying and hoping Apple has finally shown they aren't as "ample" as all the ladies say they are.
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They won't call it a recall.
wolf_z 14th Jul 2010
I'm betting they'll come up with some kind of coating for the antennas that won't let them be bridged, they'll have the Genius Bar guys apply it, and then claim "Recall? Nah, that's for losers."

Or perhaps they'll break down and hand out bumpers. But those bumpers are stupid looking things...
And now people take advices from bookmakers? What's this nonsense?
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2,468,653.7 to 1 against the recall
Mister Spock 14th Jul 2010
as I do endeavor to be accurate.

plain
0 Votes
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Oh, for crying out loud
frgough Updated - 14th Jul 2010
recalls are issued when a product defect can cause injury or death. Not when it results in a dropped call and can be fixed with a rubber band.

Can you guys just please stop with the idiotic over the top rhetoric. You don't like Apple. We get it. You are wetting yourselves over the fact that perhaps Apple has finally done something to ease the ***** envy you've had for them all these years. We get that, too.
@frgough Sure mate... that's it.. a product recall can occurr for many reasons, a defective product that doesn't do what it is supposed to do for whatever reason is enough for a recall if the manufacture decides it warrants protecting their reputation and that of the product. If life or death is an issue, then they can be forced to issue a recall.. very different.

But hey, perhaps you are ok with buy a telephone that doesn't work... and insulting people is definitely a way to get people on your side
The point is that if you pay several hundred dollars for a phone you shouldn't have to buy a $30 fix to get it to work properly. I am left handed and it seems left handed people have the most issue because we hold the phone in our left hand. I was offended at Steve Job's response of "learn how to hold the phone".
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RE: The "left-handed" thing.
Userama 15th Jul 2010
@tommcd64
I'm right-handed, but left-eared. How can you take notes during a call with your right hand if you're holding the phone in your right hand? Just need to unload about this right/left thing.
0 Votes
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RE: Place your bets: Odds are on for iPhone 4 recall
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RE: Place your bets: Odds are on for iPhone 4 recall
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