Tech giant Apple has promised to release a software update in the next few weeks that will fix the peculiar iPhone 4 antenna issue, which reduces the handset’s signal strength when held in a certain way.
But the promise to fix the issue has been overshadowed by an alleged exchange between Apple chief executive Steve Jobs and another customer. The company denies the exchange took place – one particular tech blog says otherwise.
Apple said in a statement the iPhone 4 issue is “both simple and surprising”.
“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 two more bars than it should for a given signal strength.”
“We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.”
The problem started when various websites reported users were having problems with their signal reception when holding the iPhone 4 a certain way, covering parts of the external antenna – a feature the company said was a “feat of engineering”.
Jobs originally said users should just “avoid holding it that way”. However, customers weren’t happy with this solution and the company quickly discovered the problem was bigger than it first appeared, based on internet feedback.
Soon, job ads for antenna engineers began to appear on the internet. Now, the official company says the software update will fix the problem altogether.
“For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologise for any anxiety we may have caused.”
But while iPhone 4 users have welcomed the software fix, others are more concerned about an alleged conversation a customer had with Jobs via email. The customer stated that he had lost all respect for Apple because of the problem.
“No, you are getting all worked up over a few days of rumours. Calm down,” Jobs allegedly said. However, Fortune posted a story citing an Apple spokesperson who claimed the email exchange never took place.
But tech blog Boy Genius Report says otherwise. In a comprehensive post citing email header data, the site writes that although Jobs may not have written the emails himself, the site still believes that it “believes 100% these emails are real”.
“Steve Jobs might not have personally sent those messages, but there isn’t any amount of spin Apple PR honcho Steve Dowling could throw on at this point because those email messages came from Steve Jobs’ email box.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
