A new IDC survey indicates that 66% of current iPhone owners are delaying their purchase of the iPhone 4, lengthening the normal upgrade cycle associated with the release of a new phone. However, the antenna issues do not seem to be impacting the 74% of non-iPhone owners who indicated that they are not delaying their purchase plans.
The IDC survey was done in collaboration with the IDG TechPanel that seeks to provide insight into the impact the technical problems with the Apple iPhone 4.
We've got a call out to IDC to see if they can comment about consumers perceptions of the iPhone after Steve Jobs' press conference today in which he offered free cases and returns.
As part of an effort to improve the iPhone's reception capabilities,
the iPhone 4 introduced a new antenna design that was both functional
and aesthetically pleasing. Instead of placing the antenna inside the
device shell, the iPhone 4's antenna was built into a metal band that
surrounded the exterior edge of the phone. Unfortunately, when the phone
was held in a manner that covered the lower left hand corner of
exterior edge, signal strength deteriorated resulting in a dropped call.
The antenna design flaw was uncovered after the iPhone 4's initial
introduction, which, as referenced above, was nothing short of a
success. Even with a loyal fan-base and reviews that were unanimously
positive, the effect of the technical problem on those who are looking
to purchase a new phone, particularly the iPhone is largely unknown. It
will be interesting to monitor the effect of Apple's response to the
antenna problem over the next several months.
Consumer
Reports is not giving the iPhone their seal of approval and also
found Apple's claim that the signal bars were
wrongly calculated was bogus.
Wireless and Mobile News' "Review of Reviews" of the
iPhone 4 (AT&T) showed many good features, but also concerns
for the limited data plans as well as signal attenuation.
The
iPhone 4 had problems with
slow uploads. Apple reported that they were stunned with the
south-paw attenuation/death grip and there was problem with signal bars
that would be fixed with a
software update. On almost every cell phone there can be signal
degradation from hands
blocking the antenna. We posted several videos that show
signal attenuation.