Apple to Address iPhone Antennae Problems
A senior Apple engineer warned C.E.O. Steve Jobs that the antenna design for the new iPhone 4 might lead to dropped calls, and that's not the only warning the company received that there could be problems with that antenna. A carrier partner, who's not being named, also raised concerns before the phone's release last month.
Connie Gugliemo, who co-reported the piece for Bloomberg, says complaints about dropped calls when the phone was held a certain way started almost immediately. This week, Consumer Reports, said they would have to take a pass in recommending the iPhone 4 for the same reasons. Click to Listen
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Gugliemo says Apple had many designs to choose from, but picked the one with the wrap-around antenna.
"They were told by the antennae team, and other engineers that that design could potentially be a problem because of the placement of the antennae," said Gugliemo.
But, if you know anything about the Apple culture, potential problems do not stop them.
"They are very confident that they can solve those problems, and so our understanding is that design was chosen because it was aesthetically pleasing, it lead to a lighter, thinner phone, and the engineers who were aware that it could be a potential problem had to make that a part of their design challenge as they worked on the new phone," said Gugliemo.
The fact that Apple is planning to meet with reporters Friday morning to respond to this controversy is surprising many in the hi-tech field. But Gugliemo is confident and says if fix is needed, Apple will make it.
