Apple iPhone 4 Signal Issues
Everyone waited with excitement for the new iPhone 4 to come out this past June, regardless if you were an iPhone user or not. The initial reports projected another successful product by Apple, then the reports started to come in via blogs and YouTube. The reports were about the iPhone 4 suffering from a severe drop in signal reception. Even Consumer Report, which publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory with approximately 7.3 million subscribers stated, “we can not recommend the iPhone 4 due to the antenna/signal issues that are obviously and apparent.”
The problem stems from holding the phone with a bare hand can muffle the wireless signal, a term described as the “death grip”. Apple and some analyst in the cell phone industry stated, this is a common issue suffered by many Smartphone devices and it is a design defect that affects many cell phone makers. They showed a Blackberry Bold, an HTC Droid Eris, and a Samsung Smartphone all being held “the wrong way” and suffering a severe drop in signal reception.
Michael Price, an iPhone user in the Washington DC area stated, Apple design the antenna using parts of the phone’s outer casing on the lower left edge as compared to the internal working of the phone in most cell phone designs. Apple needed to save space may have left them exposed by covering a spot of the case blocks wireless signal.
These rumors and as well as the findings from Consumer Report prompted Steve Jobs of Apple to hold a news conference to discuss these matter and provide a solution. So this past Friday at 1 p.m. ET offering Apple’s take on antenna problems that cropped up after the phone went on sale late in June. After noting that three million iPhone 4s had been sold in the first three weeks the phone was on the market and said the company first learned about reception problems three weeks ago. Jobs defended the iPhone 4’s design and said the iPhone 4’s antenna issue is not widespread. He said just over five out of every thousand users have complained to Apple’s warranty service, and less than 2 percent have returned the device.
Steve Jobs also talked about a giveaway during a news conference stating, “Anyone who bought the iPhone 4 will be eligible to receiver a free bumper to assist with better reception through Sept. 30.
This latest event will sure help the competitor Google gain some market shares.