Sen. Schumer Asks Steve Jobs for Quick Action on iPhone 4 Antenna Problem
New York is a hotbed of Apple fans and iPhone users, with four Apple stores in New York City. And when the citizens of New York are upset with Apple, politicians notice.
Taking time out from dealing with the unemployment, financial reform and other legislative issues, New York Sen. Charles Schumer wrote a letter asking Apple CEO Steve Jobs to come clean on the iPhone 4 antenna problem and "provide iPhone 4 customers with a clearly written explanation of the cause of the reception problem and make a public commitment to remedy it free-of-charge."
Apple is expected to address the antenna issue during a press conference Friday at the company's Cupertino, CA headquarters. Areport from Bloomberg contended posted Thursday that Jobs knew about the antenna reception problem during early phases of the design process.
Below is the text of Sen. Schumer's letter to Steve Jobs:
July 15, 2010
Dear Mr. Jobs,
I write to express concern regarding the reception problem with the Apple iPhone 4. While I commend Apple's innovative approach to mobile technology and appreciate its service to millions of iPhone users nationwide, I believe it is incumbent upon Apple to address this flaw in a transparent manner. According to Consumer Reports' review, released Monday on its website, the iPhone 4's signal-strength problem is a hardwire glitch triggered by gripping the device in a particular manner. This finding, according to Consumer Reports, "call[s] into question" Apple's recent claim that the problem is "largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software." Consumer Reports declined to recommend the iPhone 4 because of this hardware design flaw.
Given the discrepancy between Consumer Reports' explanation of the reception problem and the explanation provided by Apple in its July 2 letter to customers, I am concerned that the nearly two million purchasers of the iPhone 4 may not have complete information about the quality of the product they have purchased. The burden for consumers caused by this glitch, combined with the confusion over its cause and how it will be fixed, has the potential to undermine the many benefits of this innovative device. To address this concern, I ask that Apple provide iPhone 4 customers with a clearly written explanation of the cause of the reception problem and make a public commitment to remedy it free-of-charge. The solutions offered to date by Apple for dealing with the so-called "death grip" malfunction-such as holding the device differently, or buying a cover for it-seem to be insufficient. These proposed solutions would unfairly place the burden on consumers for resolving a problem they were not aware of when they purchased their phones.
I also encourage Apple to keep its promise to provide free software updates so that bars displayed accurately reflect signal strength; I further urge Apple to issue a written explanation of the formula it uses to calculate bar strength, so that consumers can once again trust the product that they have invested in.
I look forward to Apple's swift action on this matter, and once again laud Apple for its innovative efforts and service to millions of Americans.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
See also:
Consumer Reports: Why We Can't Recommend the iPhone 4
Report: Steve Jobs Knew About iPhone 4 Antenna Problem
