Hey, Mr. Jobs, it’s not 1984

Shame on Apple.

The iPhone 4 received a bad report card from the testers at Consumer Reports (http://bit.ly/cn8Uba) and Apple’s public relations folks won't allow discussions about it on the company’s forums. The move suggests that Apple believes that removing comments on the magazine’s "can't recommend the iPhone 4" story will make the story go away.

Sorry, Steve Jobs. You, better than anyone, should know that it doesn't work that way. This is, after all, 2010, and there's this thing called the Internet that teems with places people can gather to share thoughts, stories, experiences and, yes, rants.

By pulling the plug on comments about the Consumer Reports assessment of the iPhone 4’s antenna problems you have assumed the "Big Brother" role, Steve. How ironic is that? Wasn't an image of the supreme dictator the focal point of the one-time-only Apple commercial that launched the Macintosh during the 1984 telecast of the Super Bowl? The commercial shows a female athlete slinging a sledgehammer through a giant screen showing an image of a leader spewing his "pure ideology" message to row upon row of bald-headed human drones.

Watch the ad:

Don't be that dictator, Steve.

Face the music. Admit the design error and do something about it. Maybe you could offer free "bumpers" for all iPhone 4 customers. (I bought one already, but I'd welcome a $30 refund check, thankyouverymuch.)

Just don't try to stifle the discussion. Participate in it. Show some class. Sympathy, even. And do it quickly. Apple’s starting to lose some of its shine.

(For the record, I didn't notice any antenna issues with my new iPhone 4 before I add the bumper. Yes, I am having some issues with calls, but nothing I wasn't already experiencing on the much-taxed AT&T 3G network with my older, iPhone 3G.)