Apple: yes, iPhone 4 has reception problems, but it’s your fault

So Apple has acknowledged that its fresh, revolutionary iPhone 4 has signal reception issues – as a result of the manner the antennas are integrated into the immaculate steel band that’s wrapped across the device.

The company doesn’t say when or if it intends to repair this, however it does provide a couple of solutions.

Engadget has Apple’s official response on the problem:

Gripping any cellular phone will bring about some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others dependent on the situation of the antennas. this is a fact of life for each wireless phone. if you ever experience this in your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it within the lower left corner in a manner that covers either side of the black strip within the metal band, or just use one of many available cases.

Moreover, a user wrote an email on to Steve Jobs, complaining that “when I put my hand on the steel bands I lose all reception.”

The answer: “Just avoid holding it that way.”

So what Apple is suggesting is that it’s actually users’ fault that their iPhone 4s have reception issues.

I’m curious to understand if Apple knew about this problem before launching the hot iPhone. If it did, it’s not in any respect flattering that it waited until users discovered the difficulty, and only then acknowledged its existence. If it didn’t, well, that also looks bad for the corporate, as this proves that it didn’t test the device thoroughly.

Eldar Murtazin thinks that Apple mainly tested iPhone 4s units with protective cases on, “for security reasons”, and it’s likely that no left-handed person tested the device without a case on.

So, the best strategy to resolve the difficulty is, indeed, the only given by Steve Jobs: don’t hold your iPhone 4 in such way that you simply hand interacts with both antennas (yes, that’s a slightly ridiculous demand, I do know , especially for left-handed people). the other official solution (buying an Apple bumper case for $29) isn’t only expensive, however it also will make your iPhone look less cool. an alternative solution can be: visit a service center and ask in the event that they can apply a skinny isolation layer on the band portion that causes problems.

Perhaps the white iPhone 4 was delayed exactly on account of the reception issue, and perhaps Apple is asking for ways to isolate the antennas on it. It shouldn’t be too hard, I’m hoping.