Apple will give iPhone 4 owners a free case to cover problems some exploiter have reported with the new speech sound ’s antenna — an issue that affects the entire cellular phone industry , CEO Steve Jobs contends . Apple herald its free compositor’s case pass at a press conference at its Cupertino headquarters on Friday .
The iPhone 4 debut on June 24 and has testify to be a bighearted hit for Apple — on Friday , Jobs said the society had trade 3 million speech sound since last calendar month ’s launching . But nearly straight off after the sound ’s launching some users reported problems with antenna hinderance . The most common complaint demand the receipt bars vanish from the iPhone ’s status bar when user hold the twist a sure way , with their digit covering the phone ’s antennas .
Jobs drop much of Friday ’s public press conference insisting the problem was n’t unique to the iPhone , showing video of a Blackberry Bold 9700 and HTC Droid Eris exhibiting the same behavior when users grip the phones . And the party update its Website on Friday with apage dedicated to smartphone antenna performance issues .
“ It ’s a challenge for the whole industry , and we ’re doing the best we can , ” Jobs said . “ But every phone has weak spots . ”
Still , Apple says its workings to plow complaint from users who have had problems with electric cell reception . On Thursday , the troupe released iOS 4.0.1 , an update to its roving operating organization aimed at more accurately displaying signal strength bars on the iPhone ’s status prevention . Earlier this month , Apple conceded that it had used the unseasonable formulato calculate sign strength for all its phones .
Apple also design to appease iPhone 4 owners with reception problems by offering them a innocent face for their smartphone . test by multiple sources have point that wrap up the phone in a protective case like Apple ’s $ 29 iPhone Bumper can foreclose the signal fading some iPhone 4 owners have reported .
The detached typeface offer is available to anyone who buys an iPhone through September 30 as well as to live iPhone 4 owner . exploiter who ’ve already bought a bumper will be given a refund , Apple say . drug user who bought third - political party cases are n’t eligible for the refund .
Asked why Apple had settled on September 30 as the cutoff date , Jobs indicated the companionship could extend the costless suit offer beyond that . “ We ’ll re - evaluate it in September , ” he said . ”
Because Apple ’s has n’t made enough of its bumper to meet requirement yet , Jobs said the company will put up a choice of cases to customers . start out next week , iPhone 4 owners will be able to go to Apple ’s Website , and apply for a case .
If customers are n’t happy with the iPhone 4—“before or after you get a devoid case , ” Jobs added — they can institute back the undamaged phone within 30 day for a full refund . Job suppose Apple wo n’t charge a restock fee and that user would be able to get out of their contract with AT&T.
“ We want to make all of our customers felicitous , ” Jobs say . “ And if you do n’t know that about Apple , you do n’t have sex Apple . ”
Though Apple is offering free cases to iPhone 4 users , it was clean during Friday ’s press conference that the party believes the iPhone 4 reception issues have been grandiloquent . allot to Jobs , only 0.55 percent of all iPhone customers have called the fellowship ’s AppleCare service with an antenna issue . ( The company did not provide figures on the percentage of iPhone customers who sought out aid from the Genius Bar service at Apple ’s retail outlet . ) Job also take note that the AT&T ’s return rate for the iPhone 4 was 1.7 percent , compared to 6 percent for the iPhone 3GS during the same full point a twelvemonth ago . chore did confess that AT&T ’s frame indicate the iPhone 4 drops more call per 100 margin call than the iPhone 3GS does , but he note that the 3GS drop off few than 1 call per 100 .
“ The data result you to the ending that it ’s been so blown out of proportion , it ’s incredible , ” Jobs said .
Jobs also can areport published Thursday by Bloombergthat Apple had been admonish by one of its engineers last twelvemonth about potential reception problems . Jobs called the account “ a total crock . ”
“ We heard about [ response problems ] 22 days ago and have been work our butts off , ” Jobs said at one point during the press league . “ It ’s not like we ’ve had our heads in the moxie for three months . ”
“ We know that if you gripped it a certain way , the bar were run short to go down a number like every smartphone , ” he said . “ And we did n’t guess it would be a self-aggrandising job . ”
Jobs also defended Apple ’s response to reports of problems with the iPhone 4 ’s receipt , which , until Friday ’s press conference , had been limited to a smattering of public statement . “ The fact we did n’t say anything after a week , it ’s because we did n’t experience enough [ about the issue ] , ” Jobs said . “ And it ’s taken us a while to get the data . If we ’d have done this a week and a one-half ago , we would n’t have had half the data that we divvy up with you today . ”
Asked if Apple would reconsider where it place aerial in future iPhone designing , Jobs demurred . “ We ’ve been kind of pre - occupied with this , ” he said , adding that the company is happy with the iPhone 4 ’s antenna intent . “ maybe our wizards in the antenna science laboratory will hail up with something better . But we ’re not feel that this is a giant trouble we call for to fix . ”
Apple also addressed problems with the iPhone 4 ’s proximity sensor on Friday . Some users have said that the sensor — which detects when you ’re throw the phone up to your typeface and disables the screen during call so you do n’t inadvertently mechanical press buttons — either does n’t turn off the display or does n’t reactive the screen after the call is complete . Jobs tell Apple is knead on a mend that will be available in the next software update .
Apple has posted avideo of its Friday press conferenceon itswebsite .
Updated at 11:33 a.m. PT to include more entropy from Friday ’s press outcome . update at 12:37 p.m. PT to admit radio link to textile on Apple ’s Website .
