The IT Nerd

I wonder if this qualifies as good news for Apple?

Consumers Reports tested the Apple bumpers that are meant to protect the iPhone 4 and found that it solves the antenna problem the entire Internet is talking about:

In the earlier tests without a Bumper, signal strength on the iPhone 4 dropped significantly each time a finger was placed over the gap, a reduction that might cause a call to be dropped. The signal problem is the reason that we did not cite the iPhone 4 as a “recommended” model, even though its score in our other tests placed it atop our latest Ratings of smart phones, released this week and available to subscribers.

With the Bumper fitted, we repeated the test procedure, placing a finger on the Bumper at the point at which it covers the gap below. The result was a negligible drop in signal strength—so slight that it would not have any effect, in our judgment.

They also go on to say something else:

The Bumper solves the signal-strength problem. So does a piece of duct tape, as we reported earlier, or just being careful how you hold the phone. But these options all put the onus on consumers to solve or pay for a fix. We’re still calling on Apple to provide an acceptable free solution to the iPhone 4’s signal-loss problem.

So it sounds like Apple isn’t off the hook yet. That Apple news conference tomorrow better be amazing. Otherwise this story will not be going away.

This entry was posted on July 15, 2010 at 12:38 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Apple, iPhone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.