Steve Jobs on iPhone 4: "No Reception Issues, Stay Tuned"

By: Charles Cooper
Topics: In The News ,; Tech Talk

Allow me to make the official introductions: Steve Jobs, meet Apple's PR department. Apple's PR department, meet your boss.

On Friday, Apple confirmed user complaints about reception problems with the new iPhone 4, cautioning that signal degradation might occur if users gripped the bottom-left corner of the device in a certain way.

Apple's official advice was to avoid holding the unit in way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band. Or, the company suggested, go out and buy "one of many available cases."

The iPhone 4's two antennas are built into the steel band on the exterior of the device. The one running on the left side of the phone is for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, while the one on the right is for cellular reception. For left-handers, that means they'll likely grip the phone differently than right-handed people.

But in an e-mail to a customer, CEO Steve Jobs seems to have a slightly different take on the affair.

"There is no reception issue. Stay tuned," he wrote in a response to a user who wrote Jobs directly.

Jobs' one-liner appears to contradict his earlier advice where he advised a user to "just avoid holding [his phone a particular] way." Apple did not reply for comment by the time this post went up.

It is possible that Jobs is simply tipping the company's hand in advance of a rumored software update to iOS 4 that would resolve the problem.

AppleInsider is reporting that information about the software fix was found in comments on Apple's tech support forums before being pulled down.

Whatever confusion still attends the antenna issue, there's little sign that it has impacted early demand. On Friday, an analyst for Oppenheimer estimated first-day sales at over 1.5 million. By comparison, Apple sold 1 million iPhone 3G units the first weekend it was available for puchase in 2008, and 1 million iPhone 3GS units during its first weekend on sale in 2009.

Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.

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by williamsqualus July 25, 2010 1:26 AM EDT

How quickly he went from no issue to apologizing and offering a free case.

Oh my.

http://www.ilogicbomb.com/topic/9/Can+Apple%27s+most+advanced+mobile+phone+make+phone+calls%3F

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by williamsqualus July 25, 2010 1:29 AM EDT: Forgot to add about the foxconn suicides but thats on the ilogicbomb article.


by rick13994 July 15, 2010 9:08 PM EDT: I had a 3G for a long time before I got my iPhone4. My 3G had great reception all of the time in my house. I am lucky to ever be able to make a call at my house with my iPhone 4, holding the phone on the antenae or not. Not only that, my 3G sync'd perfectly all the time with my car Bluetooth. With my iPhone 4 is hit or miss. I am seriously on the fence whether to return it and go back to the 3G.; Reply to this comment


by msjb1 June 28, 2010 5:42 PM EDT: they are so popular cause jobs figures everybody talking about them products on tv are all free adds for his products; Reply to this comment


by MPHgrad June 28, 2010 1:20 PM EDT: I have an i"phone" and it works well. However, I am not one of the apple drones. I don't like any other product other than the phone. I have an HP laptop that I love. My friend has a mac book that I really don't like. Why apple drones are so sensitive when someone doesn't LOVE all things apple is beyond me. It isn't about hate. It is about preferences, likes, and dislikes. I dislike Jobs' response about holding it differently, but it flies because what appears to be the typical apple geek, doesn't care as long as they have the coveted product.; Reply to this comment

by wangoboy June 27, 2010 8:31 PM EDT

This is one sorry bunch of comments. Just glad there are forums where intelligent discourse still reigns supreme.

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by bobnjersey June 28, 2010 2:51 PM EDT: [This is one sorry bunch of comments. Just glad there are forums where intelligent discourse still reigns supreme.]

and this is coming from someone named 'wangoboy' disparaging everyone else ... and posting nothing of value themselves.


by teebopp June 27, 2010 6:37 PM EDT: Sounds to me like Jobs is WAY full of himself.

Lou
www.anon-vpn.at.tc; Reply to this comment

by vaancee June 27, 2010 5:59 PM EDT

The said iOS 4.0 update that will fix this reception problem will just make the phone report false signal. Good luck :)

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by voxpopulus June 27, 2010 6:02 PM EDT: Yeah, you can't talk to anyone, but all the bars will be there on your screen telling you it's working.


by vaancee June 27, 2010 5:56 PM EDT: BP needs to hire Steve Jobs to handle the gulf oil spill crisis.

Jobs: "We do not have a spill problem. Just don't drink from there."; Reply to this comment


by phantomzer0 June 27, 2010 5:45 PM EDT: http://www.icanhasinternets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/iphonelarge.jpg; Reply to this comment


by phantomzer0 June 27, 2010 5:41 PM EDT: You guys are complaining of Android fragmentation, but how quickly do you forget that there are still iPhone users out there who have not "PAID" to upgrade their iphone 1. The difference here is that Android is available on many phones and it's not an issue with Google or the OS, it's an issue with manufacturers not pushing out the upgrade.

I don't see how you can say Android is a financial bust for Google when they offer the OS for free to manufacturers. You sound more like someone who got some bleak info from a pro iphone site and clearly have no grasp on what android even is. I suggest you go read up on it if you are going to post a comment completely void of factual information.; Reply to this comment