Apple admits to problems with the iPhone antenna and offers what is, effecively, a rubber band around the bezel to fix it.
Apple has finally accepted that there is a design flaw with the new iPhone 4. It is a design flaw because, Apple has a solution, the iPhone 4 Bumper, available in a variety of colors, including pink.
“Made of durable rubber and molded plastic, the two-tone iPhone 4 Bumper fits snugly around the edges of your iPhone 4 and gives it a splash of color. It’s a fun and unique way to personalize your iPhone 4.”
Yup, it is basically a rubber band that snaps onto the outer edge of the iPhone 4, and only the iPhone 4.
Gizmodo covers the original antenna issue in quite some detail here. And, the problem seems to have gone viral after Apple issued a statement saying:
“Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.”
Jefferson Graham at USA Today tried testing Apple’s solution to the problem:
“Then we tried putting one of Apple’s new “Bumper” products, similar to a case, over the phone, and reception improved. The bumpers come in several colors, and sell for a whopping $29.99 each. All it is is a plastic strip that goes around the iPhone. But if it lets you hold the phone while speaking, it is worth considering as an investment.”
That’s right, he said, “it is worth considering as an investment.” How do you think you should feel if you spend a few hundred dollars, and commited to years of many hundreds of dollars more, to be told that a $30 rubber band will take you one step closer to making a phone call?
