The extreme publicity over the iPhone 4 signal strength issue reminds me of the similarly overblown media coverage regarding leaks in the Frank Gehry-designed MIT Stata Center.
In both cases, the affected products are gorgeous, highly-acclaimed, innovative masterpieces. They’re already famous in their own right. They’re sufficiently innovative that some unforeseen problems are bound to crop up. And apparently, people love to find those flaws.
“That’s what you deserve for spending too much money on that product [which I secretly want and now feel better about not having].”
Of course, these reports leave for the last paragraph the fact that “the iPhone 4 enjoys better reception than any of its earlier models.” The same goes for quotes from Stata Center occupants, who maintain that “it is a joy to work in this building.”