Whatever the f*ck Steve Jobs is drinking, we’d like to have a few sips of the same, please.

Here, read this weird statement put out today by Apple regarding the reception issues when users grip its new iPhone 4 in a particular way:

We were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them.

Surprised to hear of reception problems on the phone?

Ha ha ha.

What the f*ck. Can it get any worse than bad reception on a mobile phone.

No one at a seasoned company like Apple heard of QA testing before launching a major product.?

Just does not sound kosher, the surprise bit.

Flood of Complaints
Responding to a deluge of complaints about the reception issues with the iPhone 4, the folks at Apple argue that gripping almost any mobile phone, be it iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM, in certain ways would reduce its reception by 1 or more bars.

Maybe, maybe not.

But some iPhone 4 customers have complained the new device can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way covering the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band.

Since this is a far bigger drop than normal, irate customers have not surprisingly charged that the iPhone 4 comes with a faulty antenna design.

Boy, that complaint on design must have been pretty galling to Apple, which prides itself on coming out with the most stylish digital media widgetry.

Apple says it investigated the cause of this dramatic drop in bars and came to a ‘simple and surprising’ conclusion:

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 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. 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 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

Apple now plans to issue a free software update within a few weeks incorporating the corrected formula.

Let’s see if the update placates those affected by the reception problems.

Apparently, this formula error has been present since the original iPhone. So the software update will be offered for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G as well.

Does this not mean that Apple was lying about the iPhone’s signal strength all these years? Good chance for the lawyers to go after Apple.

We haven’t encountered serious reception issues with our iPhone 4, perhaps because we use the Bluetooth earpiece most of the time and the iPhone is usually on the table.

Apologizing for the anxiety caused, Apple said if users were not satisfied they could return their undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. Good.

  Apple, AT&T, iPhone 4, reception