“That Is Normal”
by sammassooleh
There is a general pattern of reconciliation on the part of the organizations at fault in ethically compromising situations; whether it’s an oil spill or a taboo school chant, apologies are made, and steps are taken to ensure it never happens again.
For the most part, Apple doesn’t seem to operate this way.
Upon launch, the iPhone 5 was reported to have a weak aluminum back casing, which was highly prone to scratches. Some customers found their new iPhones scratched right out of the box.
And as much as you would suspect the company to offer some kind of compensation for damaged $600 “new phones,” they didn’t even acknowledge it as a serious issue. Executive Phil Schiller offered the simple explanation:
“Any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver color. That is normal.”
In fact, Apple has an extended history of blatantly ignoring major problems with the iPhone. The iPhone 4 launched with a catastrophic glitch that caused it to drop calls frequently. Once again, Apple released released a dainty response:
“Avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band.”
There is a certain degree of ethical ambiguity when a company makes millions of dollars of faulty products that offer customers no alternatives. And yet, both of these phones rank among the highest grossing mobile phones in the world, and Apple remains one of the most valuable companies. Does a lack of consequences justify passing on mistakes that cost its customers thousands of dollars?