The iPhone Antenna Issue

A coworker is thinking about getting an iPhone. Actually, she's been "thinking about it" for over two years. She decided to get one after seeing mine a couple of years ago, but decided instead to get a crappy Samsung iPhone look-alike that barely works. I told her so. Repeatedly.

But now she's up for an upgrade again and has decided that she wants the iPhone again. But all she can talk about - or anyone in the office that doesn't have an iPhone - is what they've been hearing on the news about the reception issues.

Let me state for the record - bluntly - that I think the media is making a big deal out of this because it's Apple's first misstep in years. As a long-time Apple fan, I remember well the days when you couldn't read an article about Apple without the word "beleaguered" being inserted first before their name. In the heady days of Windows 98 and XP, Apple was the media's favorite whipping boy. And then came the iPod. It became trendy and sexy and made Apple the media darling again. Then came the iPhone and it seemed as if Apple could do no wrong. Then came the iPhone 4 and there were reports that reception sucked due to a design flaw. And the media began piling on and piling on and piling on. And soon all the other awesome things about the iPhone 4 became drowned out in the noise.

But here's the thing - both Kristi and I have an iPhone 4. I've tried repeatedly to get the signal to drop the way it has been reported, and I simply can't get it to do it. And furthermore, my iPhone 4 has better reception than any of our other previous versions of iPhone (we've owned every version except the 3G).

The issues some people are having are, I'm sure, real. But they're hardly widespread. The people having the issues seem to be having them in already weak 3G signal areas. And the same people don't even seem to be able to repeat the signal drop issue in other places. It only happens in some places to some people.

But due to the echo chamber of "the iPhone 4 sucks" news, Apple now seems to have a full-blown PR nightmare on its hands. Up until now there hasn't been any indication that it has hurt sales at all. But I think we're at that tipping point. So Apple is having a press conference tomorrow to address the issues. But short of a full-out admission of guilt, a recall and a public lynching of Jonny Ive, I don't think the media will be satisfied. They smell blood and they're in full pounce mode. And it's sad, really, because this story has been blown completely out of proportion.

And also for the record... the only issue I'm having with my iPhone 4 is that the proximity sensor on the front of the phone isn't as sensitive as in previous versions. I've hung up on a couple of calls and keep hitting the keypad keys with my cheek. That's flat-out annoying. But that's probably also an easy software fix for Apple. Is it enough for me to downgrade or to get another phone? Not on your life.

So my advice for my coworker is this: get your iPhone 4. If Apple odes recall the phone, you'll be fine and you'll get a new phone. If they release a software patch that solves some of the issues, all you have to do is plug your phone into your computer and apply the update. And even if nothing is solved, you'll still have the best phone on the market. But trust me... this will get solved in a hurry.