New iPhone 4 Copes with Bad Reception Blues

New iPhone 4 Copes with Bad Reception Blues

The new iPhone 4, the latest in Apple’s ever-popular line of smartphones was released to much fanfare this summer. However, upon its release, consumers everywhere complained about the reception. The ensuing Apple response, in which Steve Jobs simply told consumers to hold the phone differently to ensure better reception, caused a storm of controversy.

The official Apple statement about the reception problem was released to press outlets only upon request. The statement noted:

"Gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your Phone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

To make matters worse, Consumer Reports, a publication that reviews and recommends various products, refused to give the phone a recommendation after testing three of the phones in its radio frequency isolation room. Consumer Reports verified what consumers suspected–the iPhone 4 has some serious antennae design flaws which inhibit reception, causing the phone to drop an inordinate amount of calls.

What to do about the problem? Apple has offered a "bumper" accessory that is said to mitigate the phone’s reception woes. Priced at $29, the bumper essentially eliminates the problem spot in the phone’s design by covering it, effectively prohibiting human contact. So for iPhone 4 enthusiasts, it’s either buy the bumper or hold the phone as Jobs has directed. Some consumers have offered their own solutions, which have ranged from using duct tape to painting clear nail polish over the problem spot.

Now, reports have surfaced that Apple knew about the problem long before the iPhone 4′s much anticipated June 24 release. According to one report, Apple’s senior antennae expert warned Jobs as far back as last year that the product design could hurt reception. Apple thus far has declined to comment on these developments, but has promised a press conference on Friday July 16.

Despite Apple’s PR disaster, in all likelihood, the controversy will do little to hurt the Apple powerhouse, which has released wave upon wave of best-selling personal technology products, including the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. Only time will tell how the controversy itself pans out.