When something goes wrong, someone is going to tell the story. You’ll be better off if it’s you. Otherwise, you create an opportunity for rumors, hearsay, and false information to spread.

When I read that in 37Signal’s new book Rework, I immediately thought of Antennagate. Was the whole thing overblown? Of course. But did Apple handle it in the best possible way? Not really.

If your first piece of PR is an email like this, something isn’t right. Apple really didn’t control the story from the start, and it proceeded to get completely out of hand. Their amazing earnings were not doubt overshadowed on Wall Street by the collective panic that was Antennagate. Apple did, however, make a pretty good non-apology.

In my opinion, the antenna thing isn’t a big deal. Apple made a choice to go for better reception for the majority and risk problems for a minority of situations (if you have weak reception and if you’re holding it wrong and if you don’t have a case). I love my iPhone 4; it’s just a shame that I have to keep its sexy stainless steel curves hidden under a rubber/plastic bumper.

So, what is the end result of Antennagate? I was at an O'Charley’s the other day and the waiter noticed my phone. He said his buddy had one and it drops calls. He didn’t mention FaceTime, folders, multitasking, the gyroscope, or the LED flash. Just the dropped calls.