Steve Jobs was being, well, Steve Jobs when he made his response to the faulty iPhone 4 reception issue. Yes, there’s a problem. But everyone has the same problem is basically what was defended. Jobs comes out looking like a winner over the other cell phones and smartphones by providing free case bumpers until September 30th. The bumpers will guard against the “death grip” handling, preventing low reception and dropped calls.
How did this reception issue happen? Well, I argue that the defect was there all along due to the antenna being on the outside area of the casing. Out of all of the Apple technicians, I’m sure one of them tested gripping the iPhone lower on the case and noticed the reception issue. Some analysts blame the issue on not trialing the iPhone on more people due to Apple’s notrious secrecy. That’s hogwash! This specific design of the phone showcased a different area of where the antenna is and I’m sure some Apple gurus who worked on it knew of its defect.
Are other phone privy to the same reception issue? Those phones’ antennas that don’t have much padding or insulation, as the iPhone 4, will result in the same dropped calls or poor reception. Not all of them, but some might. If they do, it’s due to their own engineering processes, not because it’s a standard defects as Jobs argues.
The bottom line is that even if the iPhone 4 has 2-3 other defects, such as powering issues once in a while or technology freezing issues, the phone is still a class ahead of all the other smartphones. Thus, iPhone users are more forgiving and willing to endure some minor defects to enjoy the overall satisfaction of owning the best smartphone out there.
