14 DAY TRIAL // Activity on Apple’s Discussions forum has spawned numerous reports lately, due to the outcry surrounding Apple’s iPhone 4, and its reception issues. Interestingly, some users who went ahead and bought themselves a Bumper to avoid touching the phone’s antenna are now reporting that their phone is still losing signal, and dropping calls.
On a thread entitled “Serious antenna problem!”, an iPhone 4 owner identified as “b_boult” claims that “The bumper provided no redress as far as my situation was concerned. Instead, I was left with a phone that continued to drop calls at home where this had never happened before with any of my older handsets, despite their using the same network.”
Forum user “Mark870” chimes in to say, “I still get bad reception where I had fantastic reception with my 3g and dropped/garbled calls with the bumper. Apple cannot continue to look the other way much longer. It's insulting when someone doesn't ‘Own up’ and I can't imagine Apple taking that road.”
Needless to point out, the two scenarios are very similar, while others are just as frustrated because Apple is taking too long to address the problem. Still, the company upholds that users experiencing dropped calls are finding themselves in low signal areas. The Cupertino-based Mac maker does admit there is a flaw with iPhone 4, but claims it is not hardware related, and rather software-bound, affecting only the number of signal bars being displayed on the phone’s screen (not the cellular signal itself).
On the same Apple Discussions forum, “the real reason for bad reception” is explained by several users who’ve done some digging up around the web. Some agree with Apple’s theory, others don’t. One customer, though, strongly upholds that Apple should not charge for Bumpers, especially if they are proven necessary for iPhone 4 customers. He claims the widely reported antenna issues are keeping him away from the device, for now.
“I am concerned about the design flaw of the iPhone 4 which causes the phone to lose reception when the antenna is bridged by human contact,” Damon_LB95 writes. “While it may not be happening on all iPhones shipped, I do not feel that it is proper to be forced to buy an overpriced piece of rubber to make the iPhone usable.”
“I am waiting to hear Apple's official response to this issue before I decide on wether or not to purchase the new iPhone,” Damon_LB95 adds. “I hope that Apple protects its distinguished brand name and commitment to customer service by remedying this problem,” the forum poster concludes.