With Apple's reputation on the rocks after antenna problems plagued the initial batch of iPhone 4s, public relations experts are suggesting that only a total recall of the flagship phone will save it.
A series of industry authorities have forecast that a recall of the new smartphones in interviews with Apple fansite Cult of Mac.
Crisis communications expert Professor Matthew Seeger said: "Apple will be forced to do a recall of this product. It's critically important.
"The brand image is the most important thing Apple has. This is potentially devastating."
His sentiments were echoed by PR guru Chris Lehane who claimed that the reception problem presents a "Toyota-style PR crisis for Apple and the company must respond with a more meaningful fix than a software patch".
Another verbal reproach to Apple's actions has been given by Dr. Larry Barton, who spoke to Cult of Mac regarding Apple's best approach in the wake of a damning investigation from Consumer Reports.
"Apple should quickly issue a statement that either strongly refutes Consumer Reports' tests; or admit the issue and detail some kind of hardware fix. Saying the iPhone 4 has a problem calculating signal strength doesn't cut it," he said.
The recall of the iPhone 4 is probably the last thing that Apple wants, particularly as it has already sold millions of units around the world. It will have to do some serious calculations in order to determine whether or not a recall would be cost effective.
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