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Greg MacSweeney
Greg MacSweeney
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Perception Problems

What Apple's "antennagate" issues can teach us about innovation.

Probably the last thing you want to read on this page is a column about financial regulatory reform and how it will impact Wall Street. Don't worry - I really don't want to write about that either.

Instead, I'll tackle a much lighter topic, at least for everyone not named Steve Jobs. "Antennagate," as the iPhone 4 reception problem is now being called, is humorous to watch from the outside. I do not own an iPhone 4; if I did have one, it might not be so funny, especially since I am left-handed and the reception problem reportedly occurs more frequently with us southpaws.

But the amusing part of the drama is not that Apple actually released a faulty phone. Mistakes happen. It's the way the previously untarnished, seemingly perfect company is handling the aftermath. During a press conference intended to address antennagate, Apple's Jobs spent just as much time criticizing other smart phones from Research In Motion (the BlackBerry), HTC and Samsung as he did talking about the iPhone's reception problem. Apple's press conference had a sour taste.

During the past decade most of the company's major products not only have been home runs, but grand slams (iPod, iPhone, iPad). With so much success, and so few problems, it's obvious that Apple does not know how to respond to a big problem when one arises. As a result, a technology glitch has morphed into a major public relations issue.

If Apple had acknowledged the problem when it first came up - rather than first deny it and then subsequently attack competitors - the iPhone's reception glitch never would have evolved into antennagate. To be fair, it's likely that antennagate is more hype than reality, as bloggers and consumer publications have some fun with Apple. But certainly, when you are billed as a company whose business is innovation, small technology flaws can be big stories.

Innovation is something that many companies aim for, but few actually achieve. Apple's innovations have altered the way people interact with technology. These consumer innovations have forced companies to improve their enterprise technology, as their employees and customers have come to expect Apple-like experiences in corporate applications. But as State Street CIO and 2010 Gold Book honoree Christopher Perretta points out , competing with consumer technology from a corporate technology standpoint is a losing proposition. Finding the right way to incorporate consumer technologies in a corporate environment is the real key to success.

At State Street, Perretta encourages innovation in corporate IT, with just the occasional dash of consumer technology thrown in.

Greg MacSweeney is editorial director of InformationWeek Financial Services, whose brands include Wall Street & Technology, Bank Systems & Technology, Advanced Trading, and Insurance & Technology. View Full Bio
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