subject: Apple iPhone 4 Reception Problem And Dropped Bars [print this page] Apple iPhone 4 Reception Problem And Dropped Bars
Just a couple of hours after the launch of the iPhone 4, user reports have been pouring in about the numerous problems that are surfacing with the new Apple iPhone 4.
A curious thing happened when an early adopter of the iPhone 4 held the phone by its side - the bars dropped, one by one, eventually to "searching for service." This is the 2nd problem to arise since Apple's launch of the iPhone 4, the first being the yellow tint problem users were experiencing.
The user recorded a video and sent it to online publications showing this issue. Soon thereafter, hundreds of users have sent in videos demonstrating this very problem and confirmed it across the board.
This issue can be traced back to the design, a flawed one, of the new iPhone 4. The antenna of the iPhone were designed to wrap around the side edge of the phone and in two pieces, one being the antenna for 3G and the other for WiFi. When one holds the phone by the edges and a finger happens to overlap the two antenna pieces, it creates interference causing the phone to lose reception and the bars on the phone to drop to zero. When the phone is put back down on a table or held by the glass, the reception slowly creeps back up to full.
Apple has made no formal response of this issue, however, it is confirmed that this is a design flaw and everyone is experiencing the same thing. It makes logical sense why Apple would release a case of their own, which happens to wrap around the silver antenna of the iPhone 4. Perhaps it was too late to go back to the drawing board as they have pushed production too early. Apple has never released a protective case themselves and the task was left up to 3rd parties to build and sell their own Apple product cases.
[UPDATE]: It appears an email was sent to Apple regarding the issue and the reply/solution was to hold the phone in a different way. It seems then that Apple has openly admitted the design flaw of the iPhone 4's antenna and that the phone must be held in a different way - to avoid overlapping the two antenna pieces causing interference. This seems to me like a huge issue for Apple because they expect the user to mold and cater to their design flaws instead of issuing a recall to fix this issue, if it is even possible to fix.
What do you think?
Should Apple recall the iPhone 4 because of this design flaw? (Vote to receive a FREE iPhone 4!)
