Apple denies that the recently released iPhone 4 has antenna issues, as reported by many disgruntled customers of the new phone.
Instead Apple has a very different story (surprisingly where it does admit some fault) by admitting to a glitch with how the signal bars are shown on the newest iPhone handset.
Apple claims it will send out a software update soon. I sure the “fan bois” will queue outside an Apple store for it!
“We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it’s both simple and surprising,” Apple stated in a “letter” on its own website.
The Cupertino-based company admits in the letter it is shocked by the recent discovery:
“Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength.
For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.
To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.”
Apple said it will release a software update for the device – this will incorporate the new and correct formula – at some point during the next few weeks. It said the technical blunder was also an issue in firm’s previous iPhone handsets (3GS and 3G), and therefore a fix will be provided for these as well. However no one complained about the issue it the older units – so is there another issue with the newest iPhone? Well, time will tell, and this may not be the end of the roller-coaster yet!
Popularity: 2% [?]