Apple Releases iPhone 4: Panic Ensues

The iPhone 4 is now available nationwide, and is expected to be the biggest phone release in history, dwarfing even the release of the first iPhone. Many analysts, including apples own, are predicting up to 1.5 million sold in the first weekend. This updated version of the world’s favorite phone is bring with it a slew of technological breakthroughs. Unfortunately, many reports indicate it is also bringing a whole slew of problems. 

The first of these problems, although not necessarily the fault of Apple, is the fragile design. Reports of cracked and damaged iPhones started rolling in on the first day. The newly designed body offers a smooth glass finish on both the front and rear of the device. While this polished look is a pleasure to behold, it makes for a slippery hand hold and is easy to drop. So many have been dropped and cracked that Apple and AT&T have stopped offering replacements for the cracked handsets. This is good news for the makers of iPhone 4 cases, as many are looking for ways to protect their investment. Among the most attractive I have seen is the invisibleSHIELD by ZAGG. While it may not help much in the event of a fall, the nano cell material provides top notch scratch protection, and offers a much firmer grip, without taking away any of the touch screens sensitivity.

The next problem, and probably the biggest out of all the reported problems to date is the antenna reception issue. An apparent flaw in the design of the iPhone 4, holding the phone in certain ways is causing problems with signal strength, reception, and causing dropped calls. Making contact with the metal band that goes around the perimeter of the phone seems to be the cause of this issue. Apple did respond with a resolution for this: “Hold the phone differently.” Astoundingly, this was the actual response from Apple when asked about the issue. Apple also has released a rubber “bumper” that encircles the phone, preventing the contact that is causing the reception problems. There are also rumors floating around the Mac forums that a software update is coming soon that will resolve the issues. I find it hard to believe that any sort of software update will resolve this hardware design flaw, but the rumors state it will adjust the frequencies that the antennas use and fix everything. No official word from Apple on a software fix at this time.

Yellow lines and white dots are present on many iPhone 4’s bought on day 1. It is not as widespread as the antenna problem, but enough cases have been reported to warrant concern. Some are speculating that the coloring and dots are attributed to the new retina display, and other reports state that it is a problem is the adhesive used to glue the screen to the frame. Fortunately, these are problems that do fall under the replacement guidelines, so you don’t have to suffer through it for long.

Some of the other reported issues fall into the category of poor or rushed manufacturing. There are documented reports of the volume buttons being mixed up. + and – buttons switched. Not major, but majorly annoying. Many people have reported problems with the microphone, being unable to make calls unless the speaker phone is engaged. There are also many cases of cameras not working properly, or not working at all, as well as the proximity sensors not recognizing users. This makes it extremely difficult to take advantage of the face front camera for video calls. And finally there are the reported cases of SIM Card failure. These are usually occurring after the phone has already been activated. And there has been at least one report of the SIM Card being scratched by the iPhone, but it seems unlikely that these issues are related.

Having read this list of the most reported issues with the iPhone 4, you might be wondering if this will be the ruin of Apple. The answer is quite simply: Not a chance! Every product launch experiences similar problems. In the case of the iPhone 4, there was so much hype, and so many people involved in the initial release, that these problems were found quicker and will be addressed sooner. All the media hype about the hardware and software failures has really only helped Apple. Now that Apple is aware of the major problems right away, they can nip them in the bud. The iPhone 4 will remain the biggest phone ever to be released, at least until the next major Apple release. And regardless of how many more news releases and blog articles I read about the initial problems, I am still eagerly awaiting my iPhone 4, and you should too.