Well, HTC also use external antennas. They've actually patented that (no, it's NOT an Apple invention - when was the last time Apple invented anything?).
Anyway, HTC phones do not suffer from issues like that. Of course, you can shield the antenna of any phone with your hand. But the iPhone 4 is the ONLY phone with an antenna design that lets you bridge the antenna with other metal parts, which is a completely stupid design.
And of course, while you can shield any phone's antenna, they're usually designed so that you can hold them naturally without losing reception. This, again, is very different from the iPhone 4's "death grip", which is the natural way of holding the phone. Again, totally stupid design.
During Apple’s much-publicized press conference yesterday regarding the antenna in the iPhone 4, CEO Steve Jobs cited several other smartphones with similar problems - including the BlackBerry. RIM execs aren’t buying the story.
As published by CrackBerry, RIM co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie published a statement together in response to Jobs’ comments - and they certainly don’t mince words. Take a look:
Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple’s claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple.
Concise and direct. Between Adobe and now RIM, Apple is certainly building a solid base of enemies. This could be the beginning of a whole new feud in Silicon Valley.
While it is true that plenty of other cell phones suffer from dropped calls (either at the fault of the device or the wireless provider), they make a pretty good point about other smartphones not needing a case or a bumper to work properly.
So do you think Jobs was right to point out that not all cell phones are perfect and that many other models made by competitors have also had antenna problems in the past? Or was he out of line and the RIM CEOs are right to call him out on it?
