Customers have been complaining about signal loss issues when they hold their iPhone 4 with the lower left corner covered. Apple said the problem was software related and released an update that more accurately shows signal strength on Thursday.
Consumer Reports, however, issued its own report saying the problem is a hardware issue and refused to give the phone its recommendation even though it ranks at the top of its smartphone study. The group followed up with a second report stating Apple’s Bumper case fixes the antenna issues.
The frenzy over recall ideas kicked up another notch on Thursday with a report that a senior Apple engineer warned the company’s top staff during the design phase that the iPhone 4’s antenna design could lead to dropped calls. Apple later denied that report.
Even without the New York Time’s unnamed source, the likelihood that Apple would recall the iPhone 4 seems slim. The phone isn’t posing an immediate threat to health or causing injuries to users, and less expensive options — like giving customers Bumper cases — are available, too.
Apple’s press conference will be at 10AM Pacific time, and The Mac Observer will be covering the company’s announcements.