“I'm no advertising expert, but I can't think of too many situations where you advertise your competitors products even in a negative light without saying something very positive about your product.”

It makes Consumer Report's not-recommended status look increasingly irrational. If they give a recommend on the Droid X with such an obvious deathgrip problem (I actually hold my phone that way, using my thumb to interact with a pinching motion), then they're going to get called out on it hard.

“Scott Adams article was also a bit of a Rorschach test, whether you think Steve Jobs succeeded with his 'High Ground Maneuver' depends very much on your own point of view.”

This is the human condition. I see a pair of rainbows, someone else sees the hand of God.

"It makes Consumer Report's not-recommended status look increasingly irrational..."

If this is the root of Apple's concern then they can work with Consumer Report to establish whether their appraisal was unjustified against other devices. They don't have to take this approach.

You're certain of this? I can't imagine Consumer Reports is amenable to negotiation on their product reviews. If they are, then that's a scandal in and of itself.

Consumer Reports originally recommended the iPhone4. They retracted the recommendation when they heard about the death grip. They confirmed the problem on the iPhone4, but apparently they didn't check other phones the same way.

Yes. If Apple are in the right, a refusal to re-investigate the issue by Consumer Reports would make them look silly and the review contrived.