Steve Jobs announced today that the reception problems with iPhone 4 is not limited to iPhone 4, it also affects 3G and 3GS as well. Apple is going to give free bumpers to all iPhone 4 owners. So, here is a question: If the same antenna problem exists in 3G and 3GS, why doesn’t Apple give free bumpers/cases to 3G and 3GS owners as well? He said that He has a theory why more people are noticing the reception problem with iPhone 4: It is because Apple did not produce enough iPhone 4 bumpers, so the iPhone 4 buyers couldn’t get a case/bumper with their iPhone 4 purchase. Isn’t this as same as saying “Our phones don’t function properly without a case”
That said, I own two iPhone 3GS phones, I don’t have a case, I only am running the iOS4 on one of the phones. I cannot say that holding the phone was a problem for me, but again I don’t use the phone w/o a headset because I don’t like to expose my head to a lot of RF emitted by these devices. So your best bet is not the bumper/case, your best bet is the hands-free headset. Just keep the darned phone away from your head and try not to hold it in your hand while you are talking on the phone.
Since I am ranting about Apple stuff, let me give you an update on the iPad front. If you remember, I mentioned the wireless problems I was having with my iPad in my previous posts. We were vacationing at Napa County and Mendocino last week, so I took my iPad with me. iPad behaved perfectly in two different wireless networks during my vacation. So, I decided to use another wireless router for my iPad and set up a WRT54g, one of the new sleek looking ones. I didn’t see any problem with wireless since. Perhaps Apple tests the iPad with common routers such as WRT54g and didn’t test it with newer, less common routers. Is there a pattern emerging about the Apple’s quality control here? Time will tell…