All this talk about Apple's July 16 Press Conference regarding the iPhone 4's antenna issues got me thinking about how we deal with competition. Steve Jobs threw his competitors under the bus by demonstrating how other smartphones have similar antenna problems to the iPhone 4. While yes, it's unfair that the iPhone 4 was receiving all the negative publicity for a fault shared by many smartphones, wasn't there was a classier way to go about it? The iPhone 4 is getting all this attention because we see Apple as the smartphone leader. If Apple saw this in a positive light, perhaps they would have been less defensive. And I couldn't help but think, and what? Other phones having antenna problems shouldn't mean it's OK for you to. We hold you to higher standards.

This brings me to another company with the name "Apple" (synchronicity!) I clearly remember this one ad in Hong Kong when I was a kid that left a bitter taste in my mouth. Comparative advertising was illegal back then; one could not use the name of another registered trade mark in an advertisement. They've since revised the law. But a local newspaper got around it by airing a TV ad showing a man biting into an apple to find a worm in it. It was an obvious jab at Apple Daily, one of the most popular, albeit trashy, newspapers. This neither made me disrespect Apple Daily (more than I already did, at least) nor gain respect for its competitor. In fact, it hurt their credibility.

So, what extent should we take competition to? Is it worth it to drag others down for our own gain in either business or life? Because sometimes it just backfires. 

Competition is a very good thing. It keeps you focused, motivated, and gives you benchmark to judge your success. But I'd like to think that 21st Century competition is moving away from aggression and greed, and moving toward respect and collaboration. Or at least just not blatantly shitting on your competitors. Don't get me wrong, I'm still madly in love with Apple products and think they are an amazing company. But perhaps this press conference took a tiny shred of confidence in Apple away from me.