Consumer Reports knocks Verizon iPhone antenna

By Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY


Call it Antennagate: The Sequel.

Consumer Reports claims the Verizon iPhone 4 "has a problem that could cause the phone to drop calls, or be unable to place calls, in weak signal conditions." Engineers at the respected magazine reached the conclusion based on lab tests.

It's all similar to the antenna issues a rash of consumers complained about when the AT&T iPhone 4 came out last summer. In July, Consumer Reports labs were able to duplicate the "death grip" problem, which can occur when your fingers cover up a gap on the lower left hand side of the phone's outer case.

During the AT&T controversy, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said only a tiny percentage of users had complained about or saw the issue, but Apple still gave away free $29 rubber bumpers for a period, which eliminated the issue.


Apple has no plans to give away bumpers or cases this time around and wouldn't comment directly on Consumer Reports' findings. But spokesperson Natalie Kerris said that "iPhone 4 has a great antenna that allows it to have an amazingly thin design, great battery life and reception. We designed the iPhone 4 external antenna to work great on Verizon's CDMA/EVDO network."

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