Apple just posted a letter in their Hot News section of their website. It basically tells us how the iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in the history of Apple and how much users and reviewers love the iPhone 4.
The letter also states they were surprised to read reports about the reception problems and, again, mentions how gripping any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by one or more bars.
Here’s what Apple found out when they began looking further into this issue:
Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.
A free software update will be available within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula based on recommendations by AT&T on how to calculate signal strength.
Apple would also like to remind you that if you’re not satisfied with your iPhone 4, you can return it (undamaged, of course) to any Apple Retail Store within 30 days of purchase, for a full refund.
Click here to read the entire letter from Apple regarding iPhone 4.
At least this is some good news (if you believe it) – and it’s also a much better answer from Apple than the lousy replies that Steve Jobs has been sending out on e-mail recently.
I am glad Apple admitted to their mistake and are willing to do a recall for defective products.
But on the other hand, this signal issue is a blemish on Apple’s reputation. Didn’t they do any rigorous testing or have they become too complacent?
Hi Paul,
I’m not sure what exactly you’ve been reading (or smoking? lol). Apple is not admitting a problem with the antenna, only that their software is doing wrong calculations – and they’re certainly NOT recalling anything.
Well, I am not so sure about the softward update working. The signal issue is likely to persist unless Apple overhaul its antenna design.
http://gizmodo.com/5577812/why-apples-iphone-4-update-wont-fix-your-reception-problem
Right now they are offering a refund, but seeing how Apple are backtracking on their earlier statements, I won’t eliminate the possibility of a recall for affected products.
Apple will usually select a few that may test the new phone. But this time they just dropped the phonein the store so everyone who bought it from the beginning are like test subjects. In any case, what I heard .. I’m using google translation so it may sound strange.
It’s a shame that this phone so good present these problems. I hope the resolve. Greetings!
It really bothers me how Apple does that sort of thing and then gives a lame excuse like hold your phone differently, as a fix for the issue.