Apple has again insisted that there is no problem with reception on the iPhone 4, in an open letter in which says that the drops in signal strength is not as bad as they may seem.
As the company says in the letter, some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band.
“This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.”
In fact, says Apple, the problem is nothing more than a faulty formula.
Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays two more bars than it should for a given signal strength,” the letter says.
“Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying four or five bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.
Consequently, Apple will send out a new formula in a software update for iPhone 4, 3Gs and 3G.
Apple reiterates that iPhone 4 has significantly better wireless performance than previous models — a claim that has been substantiated in several independent tests, most recently by AntennaSys, an antenna design, integration and consulting firm.
It also notes that anyone who is still not happy can return an undamaged phone within 30 days for a full refund.
