The Cult of Apple, like all such relationships between fanatical followers and idealized organizations, is built upon a social contract. In the case of Apple, it is that the company will regularly provide its users with new products that are sufficiently innovative, beautiful, and “cool” that they will not only improve their lives, but also help them gain considerable social and cultural cachet in the process. In exchange they will have to make sacrifices in terms of price, available applications software (such as games), and even hardware.

This process, which began with the Apple II, reached its initial zenith with the Macintosh and reached its fullest glory with the iMac and the iPod. Apple, which had largely been dismissed as a niche company with a small army of acolytes, suddenly became a serious purchase consideration by every consumer. Soon, this process became self-perpetuating, with millions of people putting in their orders for new products even before they appeared. It’s hard to put a value on the feeling one got for being the first person in his or her office or group of friends or neighborhood to have the first of a new Apple product — an experience amplified by the general dreariness of offerings in the 21st century by the rest of the consumer electronics world.

But again, all of this is based upon that social contract — that Apple will deliver not just an innovative new product, but that the product will also feature all sorts of other intangible assets.

That’s what makes AntennaGate more than just — and Jobs is correct on this — a minor little design flaw. For the first time in a generation, it’s kind of embarrassing to own the latest Apple product. Your friends, with their Androids and Blackberries, get to pity you — and ask with mock concern whether your calls are getting through. They ask you to demonstrate the proper way to hold the phone so you get a full signal. And then, of course, there’s that rubber band you have to put around the phone … which not only compromises the sleek Apple look, but serves as a perpetual reminder of the company’s failure.nnaGate and the Future of Apple