Apple Responds To iPhone 4 Signal Problems

The launch of iPhone 4 yesterday was somewhat spoilt by concerns over a potential design flaw that can lead to reduced signal reception.

The smartphone sports a new antenna design featuring a metal band encasing its outer edge and acting as a 3G and wi-fi receiver, but holding it in a certain way causes the device to lose reception.

Apple played down the problem in a statement to MCV, suggesting it is an issue that affects all wireless handsets.

“Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas,” the company said.

“This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.”

Apple has also said that white iPhone 4 models “have proven more challenging to manufacture than expected, and as a result they will not be available until the second half of July", adding that “the availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected”.

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