It has long been confirmed that the iPhone has a little reception problem. Not the problem with AT&T dropping the ball, but the issue with its antennae design. The antennae wraps around the outer edge of the phone in such a way that you can easily short out the system just by holding the phone a certain way. The problem is, this is how many people hold their phones. It is now being called the “iPhone Death Grip.”
It’s not clear just how many people have run into the problem, but there have been enough to bring a class action lawsuit against Apple and AT&T. Apple’s responses to claims that the antennae is defective or just poorly designed have been less than stellar. Upset iPhone 4 customers were basically told to not hold the phone that way by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Later, Apple attempted to blame a software bug.
“Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength,” Apple’s letter reads. “For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars.”
So, the software bug should be fixed with an update, but does this mean your iPhone 4 antennae problems are solved? Not really. While your phone will more accurately report how bad AT&T’s reception is on the phone, you’ll still get even worse reception by holding your phone in that special way. Real solutions for the problem involve putting a case on the phone or otherwise covering up part of the antennae with tape. I said “real” not “desirable.”
Apple doesn’t seem to want to take any responsibility for the issue, infuriating many customers. It doesn’t look like they will get out of this one unscathed, though. Consumer reports just tested and reviewed the iPhone 4 and, while they say it’s the best smartphone on the market, they can’t officially recommend it because of the antennae problems. When you want to buy this product, we recommend you get a loan first, here is a best site to get a loan.
According to some PR experts, a complete recall is inevitable. According to RWW, “Apple’s stock is taking a hit due to the R-word being batted around, with it already down 4% by 10:45 this morning.” While some claim that this is a non-issue and will all blow over, I think Apple is going to have to do something major to appease their fans and investors.