Duct tape on the iPhone 4? That's the quick and dirty solution proposed by Consumer Reports to the device's reception problems in the
much-publicized study blaming signal loss on the phone's external antenna design rather than a software glitch.
Of course,
such a suggestion would likely give Apple CEO Steve Jobs a heart attack -- the equivalent of throwing house paint on a Picasso or "fixing" the Venus De Milo with Elmer's Glue. According to one report, Apple is already removing threads discussing the damning Consumer Reports article on the iPhone 4 from support
forums.
The well-known product watchdog said it couldn't recommend the latest version of Apple's smartphone because of the signal problem created when a user's hand grips the lower left side
of the device, causing it to lose a connection completely in a weak signal area. Consumer Reports also questioned Apple's explanation that the signal strength issues stemmed largely from faulty
software that showed more bars than was actually the case.
Whatever the chief cause of poor reception, it seems incorporating the antenna into the stainless steel band wrapping the glass frame
of the iPhone 4 was more of an aesthetic than a practical choice. It certainly hasn't helped improve call quality. But few would disagree the device is the sleekest incarnation of the iPhone to
date, 24% thinner than the 3GS, with the metal band lending it an edgier, industrial look and feel.
Apple has long been hailed for fusing art with technology in its products -- which sets them
apart from the utilitarian offerings of competitors and adds to the cult-like status the company enjoys among global brands. But matching form with function hasn't always been easy for Apple. The
iPhone and other Apple products in the past have had battery-related woes, while the iPod has had issues with durability and being scratched easily.
And as the company creates more streamlined
devices, smaller components have to perform equally well or better than larger prior versions. Apple has run into trouble this time by putting one of the components on the outside, making the antenna
vulnerable to interference when touched by a hand or finger.
Apple's own solution to the problem -- a recommendation to buy a $29 rubber "bumper" for the iPhone 4 -- is hardly elegant, or
inexpensive. But for Jobs, it's surely better than slapping on a piece of duct tape to do the job. After all, iPhone's lesser cousin the iPod has already become a museum
piece.