It could be the overall downward trend in the market.  On the other hand, it could be something like what Sony had to contend with when they first released the PlayStation Portable: awesome technology, beautiful vivid screen.  But, wait a second — what’s wrong with my display?

And in fact, for those not actually owning iPhones, or even keeping up with this kind of stuff, it may surprise to you to know that not only is the iPhone is far from perfect, but there are a small but significant portion of them that are defective.  I’m talking dead pixels, and perhaps more importantly dead zones (i.e. areas that become non-responsive) that have become the stuff of nightmares for the Faithful — and non-Faithful, who merely own shares in Entralled Apple, Inc (yours truly included).

The dead zones and pixels may be the result of Apple purchasing some Finnish technology that may have been defective from the beginning, as an analyst at Nomura International has sussed out.  Basically, its based on some chemical composition that is heat sensitive, and may wear out over time.

Translation?  Apple stock is taking a huge hit — and actually has been doing so since its high on July 28, when Apple announced its earnings for the quarter.  Its down by about $20 since that time, although, perhaps it was temporarily buoyed by the news of the new iMacs.  Unfortunately it looks like brushed aluminum isn’t giving Apple a bullet proof vest when it comes to stock market jitters.

Personally, I think these fears (as with most fears) are a bit unfounded.  After all, with Apple’s history of tech churn, you can bet that if they don’t already have a program in place (albeit an unofficial one) to replace defective iPhones, they will correct it with the next iteration of the iPhone, which I hear is due out in another 10 weeks or so.

(Of course I’m kidding).