When will the madness end? Consumer Reports, the voice of reason behind millions of shoppers, has once again taken a pass on the Apple iPhone 4. Apparently even the Verizon iPhone 4 suffers from the “death grip” which occurs when holding the phone on the bottom left corner.
Last summer we saw unprecedented numbers of iPhone 4s fly off retail shelves worldwide. It was during that time that the saga known as Antennagate came to fruition, causing some buyers to reconsider their next smartphone purchase. In the months that followed, Apple released several videos of competing handset demonstrating the same the same signal degradation. The concept is simple, grip the phone tightly over the antenna and you lose bars.
Consumer Reports didn’t take the bait. Instead the applauded Apple for offering free cases and bumpers, but insisted the iPhone 4 had a design flaw. Earlier this month when the Verizon iPhone 4 went on sale, tech journalists were quick to point out a change in the aluminum band around the phone which makes up the antennas.
Despite the design change, Antennagate live on. According to Consumer Reports, “the Verizon iPhone 4 has a problem that could cause the phone to drop calls, or be unable to place calls, in weak signal conditions, Consumer Reports engineers have found in lab tests”.
As a result, the Verizon iPhone 4 (like its close relative) is not included in its list of recommended smartphones. Quite the conundrum considering the smartphone outperformed most of the competition in nearly every category. Now for the million dollar (or ten million dollar) question — will Apple offer a case/bumper program for Verizon iPhone 4 owners?
via Consumer Reports | Cnet
