There’s a downside to every hype cycle, and given the heights of hype Apple received around the iPhone, it was inevitable that a backlash would hit sooner or later. The last 10 days have seem a number of Apple missteps, from the $200 iPhone price cut, to dissatisfaction with the way Apple is handling custom ringtones, to reports that the new, oh so sleek iPod touch devices may have some display issues.
And to top it off, the New York Times has weighed in with an article suggesting that Apple’s making no gains in the overall computer market due to poor handling of their retail channel.
It’s certainly not positive press coverage. But if you compare it to the kind of coverage Microsoft is getting these days — that same NY Times article called Vista “a world of hurt”, and when what the last time you saw any press at all about the Zune? — I’d suggest that despite the backlash, Apple is still in a better position.
