Is Apple’s response to I phone 4 Issues hurting marketing effectiveness?

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I have to admit; I’m an Apple convert. I bought a MacBook Pro three years ago after my second PC crash lost another load of work in progress. I also own an IPhone 3.

I was even tempted to buy an IPad when they were announced.

I visited an Apple store near Memphis to take a look. I hadn’t been in an Apple retail center in a few years and was amazed at the number of people in the place. This was a weekday, mid-week and the place was jammed with prospective customers.

My point is Apple clearly has a line of products people want and remain loyal to. Why are they taking such a defensive stance on the Iphone 4 reception problem?

I read an article in Bloomberg about Steve Job’s naming competitors phones with similar problems, which those companies denied. (read article here) 

Is it really the best strategy to dance round an issue by telling your customers that your phone works as good or bad as other phones?

Customer and brand loyalty is something to be appreciated and cultivated. Apple clearly has it for many of their products. They need to learn the old adage that it’s best to address a problem head on and not try to deflect it somewhere else. Whether Apple and Mr. Jobs believes they have a technical issue or not is immaterial at this point. Their customer base and the market perceives that they do, and addressing it head on is the only way to insure better marketing results.