Why in the hell would you design an antenna in a metal strip around the edge of a mobile device where you know it has to be held  to use...AND by covering the antenna with your hand it would cut down or eliminate your reception?

Well that's what Apple did...You would think in pre-testing that this flaw would be readily apparent. But what's worse for Apple is the high probability that they are refusing to make the design flaw right by their customers!

Are lawsuits coming? A strong possibility.  

This report from
Mashable by Jolie O'Dell:

According to documents leaked to
Boy Genius Reporttoday, AppleCare representatives are being given a strong company line to deliver to unhappy iPhone 4 owners who complain about reception issues.

Employees are told to say that the device’s reception performance “is the best we have ever shipped” and that its critical antenna flawsare “a fact of life in the wireless world.” They are told not to perform service on iPhones with these problems and instead to give customers a PR-driven recitative instead.

In a nutshell, Apple knows the phone has problems but will insist that users are simply “holding it wrong.”

These statements are dead ringers for CEO Steve Jobs’s own assertionsthat the iPhone 4 antenna and reception issues do not, in fact, exist. “There is no reception issue,” he told one user. But the very fact that this document exists suggests that Apple execs know there is indeed a widespread hardware flaw, even if they’re unwilling to address it publicly at this time.

Outside the reality distortion field, on the other hand, we and many others have been able to duplicate the issue being discussed: When held by its sides, which are composed of a metal antenna band, the phone’s reception quality drops dramatically. iPhone owners in our newsroom have seen reception decrease from five to two bars simply from holding the phone with two points of contact between the owner’s hand and the antenna band.

One law firm is even preparing for a class-action lawsuit against Appleand is soliciting iPhone 4 customers to contact them about reception issues.

Also, while some folks have reported that using a bumper case prevents contact with the antenna band and preserves reception quality, AppleCare reps are being told to not give bumper cases to disgruntled users.

Here’s the full text of the document as reported:

1. Keep all of the positioning statements in the BN handy – your tone when delivering this information is important.

  • a. The iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. Our testing shows that iPhone 4’s overall antenna performance is better than iPhone 3GS.
  • b. Gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.
  • c. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 3GS, avoid covering the bottom-right side with your hand.
  • d. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 4, avoid covering the black strip in the lower-left corner of the metal band.
  • e. The use of a case or Bumper that is made out of rubber or plastic may improve wireless performance by keeping your hand from directly covering these areas.

2. Do not perform warranty service. Use the positioning above for any customer questions or concerns.
3. Don’t forget YOU STILL NEED to probe and troubleshoot. If a customer calls about their reception while the phone is sitting on a table (not being held) it is not the metal band.
4. ONLY escalate if the issue exists when the phone is not held AND you cannot resolve it.
5. We ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers – DON’T promise a free bumper to customers.

Do you think Apple is responding appropriately to iPhone 4 owners with this five-point plan for dealing with complaints?