July 15th, 2010 
Droid According to some PR experts, Apple will be forced to recall the iPhone4 after damaging Consumer Reports tests confirm that the problem with the antenna is a hardware flaw and not caused by software.
Initial explanations received from Apple over the reception problems, stated that the issue with the signal was caused by gripping the iPhone in a particular way, and dubbed the ‘death grip’. Some users have indicated that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 signal bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band.
It then went on to say that upon further investigation it was found that the formula used to calculate signal strength was ‘totally wrong’, displaying 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength.
The ‘fix’ for this was to be a software release within a few weeks that would also incorporate updates for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G as they use the same formula to calculate signal strength.
Leading consumer magazine, Consumer Reports, tested three iPhone 4s, connecting them to a cell phone emulator inside a radio frequency isolation chamber, which cuts off all outside radio signals.
They also tested an iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre and neither were found to have reception issues, questioning Apples honesty over the issue.
Consumer Reports stated on their blog post, “When your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone’s lower left side—an easy thing, especially for lefties—the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you’re in an area with a weak signal.
Due to this problem, we can’t recommend the iPhone 4.”
Advice for getting around the problem includes putting duct tape or other non conductive tape over the antenna gap which will apparently solve the issue.
With many in the PR world predicting the same nightmare for Apple that Toyota has recently undergone, opinion seems to be that the sooner the recall is issued the better for the company. It seems of critical importance now that the iPhone brand image is protected and for the company to respond with a more meaningful fix to the situation than a software patch.
At this time there has been no comment from Apple on the recent test findings, but many feel that further delays will have a devastating effect on their reputation.
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