Today, Apple held an "emergency" press conference to address the iPhone 4's many issues, and to a lesser extent iOS 4.0.
Steve Jobs started things off by saying they aren't perfect. A surprise, I'm sure, to many Apple fanatics.
Jobs went on then to explain the issue, give details about how they test things, how many people work on antenna design, the inherit flaws with all phones, etc. They even showed other smartphones gripped certain ways that caused them to drop bars as well; Blackberry Bold 9700, HTC Droid Eris, and the Samsung Omnia II all dropped most of their bars when held.
Jobs said that the iPhone 4 antenna problem is getting blown out of proportion. He said the issue is only "affecting a small batch". It is true that some users have said they don't have an antenna problem. They said the return rate on the iPhone 4 is much lower than the iPhone 3GS, and that only around 0.55% of owners have complained to them about the issue.
To try and make users happy, they will be doing a few things:
- You can bring your phone back for a full refund. No questions asked, no restocking fee.
- Everyone who buys an iPhone 4 before September 30th gets a free case. Not just a free Apple Bumper case, but other cases made by 3rd parties. Apple will pay for it. Already purchased an Apple Bumper case? You will get a refund.
(It has been reported that if you do have an iPhone 4 with the antenna problem, a case, such as Apple's Bumper case, fixes it by insulating the antenna).
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/live-from-apples-iphone-4-press-conference/