Antenna Woes

In the first weeks of use, iPhone 4 owners found that there was a design flaw in the iPhone 4 antenna.

The antenna wraps around the outer edge of the phone, and when held a certain way, calls get dropped. Last week, Apple offered an explanation and solution for what has been dubbed "antennagate."(So named for the frenzy of Apple and iPhone bashing that has been occurring online because of the problem.)  All the info after the jump.

In a surprise press conference held July 16, Apple's Steve Jobs addressed the iPhone 4 antenna design problem.  When a caller holds the bottom left corner edge of the phone, calls drop instantly.

Using what Jobs calls "a death grip" hold around the edge of the phone, can also interfere with call reception.

An iPhone case or edge bumper will alleviate the problem, so…Apple is offering a free bumper or case with the sale of each new iPhone 4, and offering vouchers for those who have already purchased a phone.

While looking into the antenna issues, Apple also either just found or just fessed up to a software problem that incorrectly over-reports all iPhone’s signal strength by two extra bars.

Read more about the original problem.  

See what Apple is doing to solve these problems. 

How to get your free iPhone 4 case.