The iPhone 4 has been on sale for just one day, but one design fault is already well established: it’s possible to drop the phone’s reception substantially by holding it in a certain position. Now Apple (And Steve Jobs himself) has weighed in with its response to the issue, and well, it’s not entirely helpful. Read on for the details.
In a statement to Engadget, Apple confirmed the build issue on the iPhone 4, saying that clutching a handset will inevitably result in “some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others.”
Apple’s solution however is far from helpful if your iPhone 4 is dropping calls simply because you’re holding it up to your head: “If you ever experience this on your iPhone 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.”
We’re a bit disappointed to hear that this is the sum of Apple’s advice, especially since said cases conveniently include the £25 iPhone 4 bumper cases the company is selling on its store. Steve Jobs reportedly replied to a customer with similar advice, telling the new iPhone 4 owner to “Just avoid holding it in that way”.
Of course, while this is a clear design fault, it’s worth noting that it’s not a flaw that can be replicated on every device (our review unit has it, but you’d need to be a contortionist to pull it off by accident) and the same issue also affected some previous iPhone models – and well, Apple’s still had some pretty pleased customers until now.
What do you make of the iPhone 4’s signal issues? Are they a dealbreaker? Are you returning your phone? Happy to follow Apple’s advice? Jot your thoughts down in the comments below!
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