PR Experts: "iPhone 4 Hardware recall is Inevitable"
CultofMac
"Apple needs to put this fire out now," said Dr. Larry Barton, a leading expert in crisis management and author of Crisis Leadership Now. "There has to be a military-like response to this issue. And we have not seen this kind of urgency."
"Their response has been lackluster," he said. "It's been borderline irresponsible. They are in danger of betraying customers’ trust and hurting the brand, which is infinitely more valuable than any one product."
Dr. Barton is a former professor at Harvard Business School, Penn State, University of Nevada at Las Vegas and Boston College. He was Vice President of Crisis Management at Motorola from 1995 to 1999.
Prof. Seeger said Apple will likely delay a recall, and may issue a temporary "patch" such as free bumpers. However, a recall is unavoidable to protect the brand, which is more valuable than the cost of a recall, Prof. Seeger said.
"Apple lives and dies by its reputation," he said. "We pay a premium for its products. We expect them to operate on a premium level. It's very unfortunate, but they will have no choice but to mount a recall."