Apple has shot down speculation that the iPhone 4 antenna issue might be sorted by a software fix. Several reports including one from the New York Times had offered up the theory. But Steve Jobs slammed the idea and the media during the iPhone 4 press conference. So if you were hoping for a downloadable patch to match the free cases, you’re out of luck.
A question from Engadget (captured by GDGT) raised the possibility of an iPhone 4 software fix: “Josh Engadget: NY Times says this might have a software fix, is this something that can be helped with software?”
Steve Jobs was not amused: “We just spent the last hour going through how the iPhone 4 drops only 1 more call per hundred than the 3GS…go talk to the Times, because you guys talk to yourselves a lot and they’re making this stuff up.”
iOS boss (and proud owner of a new Twitter account) Scott Forstall then chipped in: “That statement is patently false. Can we continue to tune the way the baseband interacts with the network? Yes, and we do it all the time. But the statement is untrue.”
Jobs then sparked into life again to deliver a jab at all the iPhone 4 signal stories (yes, we know we know we’ve written a fair few): “One of many statements lately that fall into that category.”
He reiterated that the iOS 4.0.1 update gives iPhone a more accurate idea of how much signal they’ve got but the dream of some magic software silver bullet is over.
Out now | £varies | Apple
