SAN FRANCISCO — Apple’s response to a high-profile gaffe involving its iPhone software may be more important than the glitch itself.
As the giant tech company scrambled to fix a software glitch that left some of its new iPhones unable to make calls, some analysts said Thursday that Apple is doing the right thing by quickly acknowledging and apologizing for the problem — which it was slower to do with earlier iPhone problems.
“There’s a certain perception that Apple has to get things right. And when they don’t, the whole company gets questioned,” said Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel. “But they came out and said, ‘We apologize; we’re working 24/7 to fix it.’ I think that’s what matters.”
Apple’s stock fell 3.8 percent Thursday, leading a broader decline in technology shares, a day after the company was forced to withdraw an update to its new iOS 8 mobile software because of glitches that primarily affected customers who had purchased its new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models. The 6 Plus phone also has been the subject of social media reports that its extra-large shell is vulnerable to bending.
In a statement Thursday, Apple defended its manufacturing standards and said bending “is extremely rare” with normal use of an iPhone. The company said just nine customers had contacted Apple to report a bent iPhone 6 Plus since they went on sale Friday.
