Apple admits reception issue with iPhone 4

Apple has decided to break silence over the issue surrounding the new iPhone 4 and the poor signal many users are experiencing – and the statement is a little bemusing.

We've written a couple of stories today about the issues with the reception caused by holding the iPhone in your left palm and covering the small black band that houses the antenna.

But now Apple has finally responded over the issue, telling Engadget that if users are finding a problem with reception when holding the iPhone 4 a certain way... well... stop holding the phone that way.

Here's the statement:

"Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone.

"If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

Bumper haul

We were wondering why Apple was so keen to push the rubber Bumper casing for a phone it claimed was so scratch-proof – while this is unlikely to be the only reason, it does all start to add up.

We're sure there will be a number of irate users at the fact the issue isn't going to be addressed any time soon – we can only assume the placement of the antenna here was the only way to fit everything in.

However, let's get some perspective – this issue has affected a number of phones, including the iPhone 3GS, and in our review we found call reception to be fine, although that could be because we naturally don't hold the phone that way.

So, the short version is: learn to hold your new Apple iPhone 4 a new way to get the most signal.