Yet more news on the iPhone 4 antenna fiasco; there's been complaints, and fixes and independent tests but Apple themselves have been keeping quiet until now.
At a, some would say overdue, press conference Apple released pictures of its $100 million antenna testing centre consisting of 17 separate testing suites that test the iPhone antennae. The anechoic chambers are connected to sophisticated equipment that simulate cellular base stations, Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices and GPS satellites and measure performance in free space and when in use by human subjects.
Over at the Apple website there are more pictures of the chambers as well as a video demonstrating how some of the rooms are used and how the tests are performed. The company have been running tests and comparisons for the last 22 days and the figures they have come up with suggest that the problem has been somewhat exaggerated. Apparently, the iPhone 4 drops slightly more calls than iPhone 3 but all smartphones have issues when they are held.
Plus only 0.55% of calls to Applecare are iPhone 4 owners and only 1.7% of iPhone 4’s have been returned (lower than the 6% of the previous iPhone)
And the official Apple solution? As many of us expected, a free case (to anybody who buys an iPhone 4 before September 30) You will be offered a free bumper case or an alternative case if there are no bumpers left. From late next week you’ll be able to visit the Apple store, choose which case you want and have it shipped to you.
And if you were a step ahead of Apple and already got yourself a case you can get a refund from the shop were you purchased the case from.
So are Apple playing down the problem or is it really not as bad as the media is making out?
And have you go a faulty iPhone? If so, is a bumper case enough?
Via: Gadget Venue