Jobs explains iPhone 4 antenna issue: 'All smartphones do that'

Stephen Withers
Saturday, 17 July 2010 15:12

Your IT - Mobility

All smartphones suffer from reduced signal strength when held in particular ways, and the iPhone 4 is no exception, according to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Few owners are reporting issues to Apple, and return rates are particularly low, he claimed. But Apple has decided to give all owners a free case as this may help ameliorate the issue.

Apple has faced a maelstrom of negative publicity over reception issues with the iPhone 4, but the company feels the noise is not borne out by the facts.

Only 0.55% of iPhone users have called AppleCare with an issue that relates to the antenna or reception. "This is not a large number," Jobs claimed.

Similarly, return rates are low. "People return phones for all sorts of reasons," Jobs said. AT&T reported 6% return rates in the early days of the iPhone 3GS ("the best selling smartphone in history" with "below the smartphone average" return rates). For the iPhone 4, the corresponding number is 1.7%.

"Pretty interesting," said Jobs.

"It turns out [this problem is] certainly not unique to the iPhone 4." A video demonstration showed the BlackBerry Bold 9700 "perhaps the most popular smartphone in business," dropping from five bars to one with a normal grip, an HTC Droid Eris going from four bars to zero, and a Samsung Omnia II dropping from four bars to one).

"Most smartphones behave exactly the same way," said Jobs. "This is life in the smartphone world. Phones aren't perfect."

But Apple does admit the iPhone 4 isn't working quite as well as the 3GS in one respect. Please read on.