Apple Responds to iPhone 4 Antenna Issues

Apple have just concluded a hastily convened press conference, to respond to the growing bad press the new iPhone 4 has been receiving, in regards to the now infamous reception issues, popularly known as the 'iPhone Grip of Death.'

The press conference started with a short presentation, led by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and he started off by pointing out that all phones will suffer some kind of reception issues when held in a specific manner, citing the BlackBerry 9700, HTC Eris and Samsung Omnia as examples. After explaining all the testing that the iPhone 4 went through before release, Jobs said that Apple were aware of the reception issues the iPhone 4 had, but didn't see it as such a big deal, seeing how this is something that all phones suffered from to some degree. The rate at which a phone shows the signal dropping is calculated on a software algorithm, which differs from phone to phone. Apple have noted that there was a flaw in their calculation, which was resolved by a software update rolled out for all iPhone handsets through iTunes, which started going live yesterday.

Then some stats were rolled out, detailing how many calls to Apple Care were related to antenna issues, and of all calls received, only 0.55% were about this particular problem. Return rates of the iPhone 4 are just 1.7%, compared to the 3G S, which last year had a return rate of 6%, still well below the market average. Some further stats were shown, regarding dropped call rates on the AT&T network in the US. The stats showed that the iPhone 4 dropped more calls than the 3G S, but it was by less than one call per 100.

The stance Apple are taking then, from this data, is the whole issue with the iPhone 4 and reception problems has been blown all out of proportion, however, if any customer is unhappy then Apple care enough to do something about it. The first step, as noted above, is to release a software update which fixes the algorithm issue, as well as fixing a bug in the Exchange settings, which Apple recommend all iPhone users upgrade to. The second thing is, people who have experienced problems have commented that using a bumper on the iPhone resolved the issue. The obvious question is, if this is fixes the problem, then why not give everyone a free bumper? Well, that's exactly what Apple will do. There is a problem, though, and that is Apple cannot produce bumpers quick enough to keep up with demand. So Apple are going to source some other cases, and give consumers a choice. Simply apply on the Apple website, choose your case, and it will be sent out to you. And if you are still unhappy with the iPhone 4 after that, you can still return it for a refund.

Jobs then concluded the conference, by acknowledging the issue some people have been experiencing with the proximity sensor on the iPhone, which should be fixed in the next software update, and also said the white iPhone 4 should start shipping in late July, in small quantities, with numbers being ramped up in following weeks. Then Jobs laid out some Apple love for all consumers. Apple loves its customers, each and every one of them, which is why they work as hard as they can to ensure everyone is happy with their Apple product. And that is why Apple produce Macs, and iPods, and iPhones, and iPads, and so on and so on, to surprise and delight users. Because Apple love their users.

To conclude, Jobs said that no smartphone is perfect, all smartphones are limited in some way. He again acknowledges that Apple screwed up the signal bars on the display, but the promise of a free case to all customers is there, and if there is still dissatisfaction, the device can be returned. In the meantime Apple are going to work hard to eliminate all areas of weakness in smartphones, something that is a challenge for the whole industry.

So there you have it. There is no antenna problem with the iPhone 4, it has all been blown out of proportion. But just in case you do have a problem, Apple will give you a free case, or bumper. Because they love you.