At Apple’s press conference Friday about the iPhone 4’s antenna problems, CEO Steve Jobs said devices made by HTC, Research In Motion, Samsung and others also had reception problems. Now those manufacturers are countering that charge.
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On Monday, HTC issued a statement that its model mentioned by Jobs had 35 times fewer complaints than the iPhone 4. Apple should face its own problems, HTC’s Chief Financial Officer Hui-Meng Cheng said.
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RIM Doesn’t ‘Need To Use a Case’
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RIM said Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable, adding that RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4. RIM added that its customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity.
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Samsung, whose Omnia II was cited by Jobs as having comparable reception problems when held in certain ways, said its phones employ an antenna-design technology that optimizes reception quality for any type of hand-grip use.
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Although Motorola wasn’t named directly, that company’s Co-CEO Sanjay Jha said Friday that it’s disingenuous to suggest all phones perform equally. He added that Motorola’s tests found its Droid X performs much better than iPhone 4 when held by consumers.
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On Friday, Jobs appeared at a hastily called press conference at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., to respond to complaints about signal loss on the best-selling iPhone 4 when a user’s skin touches the lower left corner, a situation which some in the press are dubbing Antennagate. Jobs said Apple will offer free bumper cases to every iPhone 4 customer, or a refund for any case already purchased. In addition, consumers can get a full refund for the return of undamaged iPhone 4s.
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Jobs also said antenna complaints have only been received by one-half of one percent of iPhone 4 users, and return rates are less…