iPhone 4: If you can’t fix ’em, patch ’em

At its press conference to address the iPhone 4 reception issues, Apple laid out its response plan.

Apple has acknowledged that there is a problem and that it is committed to making its customers happy. Although the data shows that the rate of dropped calls on the iPhone 4 are higher than on the iPhone 3GS, the increase in dropped calls is less than 1 per 100 calls (did somebody say BS?).

Apple made it clear that it is committed to making its customers happy and providing the best products it can offer. With regards to the iPhone 4, this is what the company said it was going to do:

1. Release a software update so the phone reports the actual signal, so when you grip a caseless iPhone it will show you you’re holding it wrong.
2. Offer owners a free bumper or a refund for their existing  Apple bumper – Apple believes that part of the reason that the dropped call ratio has increased (however slightly) is because fewer users have cases for their new iPhone 4. (During the first week after the launch of the iPhone 4 people started complaining about the bad reception and many realized there was a problem with the antenna, many came up with solutions that range from putting duct tape on the strip where the antenna is, to using a bumper so your fingers don’t come in contact with the strip, so it’s simpler for Apple to go cheap and give out cheap-ass bumpers for “free”…)
3. Unsatisfied customers will get a full refund if the case/bumper doesn’t resolve the problem (or they will try to convince you to pick a different unit).

Sadly Apple will not be providing refunds for users who bought a case from a third-party manufacturer, in part because only a few of those cases are currently on the market.

What really surprises me is how they seemed to be unaware of this problem, or they just didn’t care. I thought Apple always did extensive product testing, how could they not know about the reception issue? They have been with AT&T for years, how can something as important as call reception/drop go unnoticed?

Seriously, what’s the point of having a Swiss Army knife if the blade is missing? What’s the point of having a ton of these jigga majiggers if the most important thing that makes the iPhone a phone doesn’t work?

For what people paid they should come up with a real solution, it sounds as if having a case/bumper is a must for the iPhone to kind of work, people should sue both Apple and AT&T for their bad service on the iPhones.

[via]