by Lynette Alice

Created on: June 25, 2010

If you are a new owner of the Apple iPhone 4 and have found that reception is a problem, Steve Jobs has an answer for you - “Just avoid holding it that way.” Actually that was one of two responses Jobs had - the other will be looked at momentarily. The truth of the matter is some people have little to no problem with the signal on their iPhone 4, and others are endlessly irritated watching bars go down faster than coffee ant an AA meeting. What is the problem exactly, and what can really be done to fix it?

The above suggestion Jobs provided to hold the iPhone 4 different does work to some degree, and matches the official email response he is blasting out to everyone that contacted him personally about the problem. The problem with the iPhone 4 antennae is that it is a wrap around rather than being in one fixed spot like most cellular phones. The wrap around design allows for a thinner device and in theory it was supposed to improve reception.

The problem is the antennae, for whatever reason, seems dependent on the bottom left portion of the device remaining free of much direct contact in order to hold a signal. If you’re left handed or a person that prefers holding your phone in your left hand the design is a problem. The suggestion to just hold your phone different is logical, but what are the odds people can consciously remember to do it long enough to make it second nature? It likely will not be easy for people to just remember to hold a phone differently that they have their entire life.

So let’s assume that is an option you think is inconvenient, is there any other way to get around the reception problem? Luckily there is, and Jobs suggests that using a case will solve the problem. A case that fit’s the iPhone 4 is $29 plus shipping and tax where applicable. What the heck, you already sank a couple hundred into your new iPhone 4 - at the least - so what is another $30? Just thinking out loud, but maybe Apple should just bite the bullet and ship cases out to everyone that purchased an iPhone 4 and make them a standard part of the iPhone 4 package - at no additional cost! How good is the phone or how attractive is it to consumers if they know the odds are that the way they hold the phone is going to screw up reception? If they did that, they would be the good guys, and those who already worship at the altar of Apple would gush and converts would be made.

The reception problem is undeniably bad. It is hard to believe that someone on the design team or a beta tester did not notice this and bring it up at some point. Apple had to know this was at the least a potential problem, and they certainly could have made that clear in advance - but that might mess up sales, and Apple cannot have that. So long as you hold the iPhone 4 in your right hand, in your left only using your fingertips and completely avoiding the bottom left of the unit, or buy a $30 iPhone 4 case, it’s a pretty good unit - until the next problem pops up.

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