Even Wozniak Has iPhone Antenna Issues

Posted Jul 15th 2010 2:30PM by Tom Taulli
Filed under: Apple Inc (AAPL), iPhone

Apple's (AAPL) iPhone 4 must be the biggest tech event ever. And with tomorrow's news conference, the buzz has reached fever pitch.

I would certainly not want to be a senior executive at Apple right now. Steve Jobs is notorious for being extremely tough. Hey, there are stories where he has fired people in elevators, right?

In fact, according to a piece in Bloomberg today, a senior engineer at Apple -- Ruben Caballero -- voiced concerns about the iPhone 4's antenna. Perhaps this person is no longer part of the company? Or what about the person who was the source for the Bloomberg story?

Of course, another big-blow came from Consumer Reports, which said it would not recommend the phone. While the publication admitted there are solutions to the problem, it still requires user involvement.

But, perhaps the most interesting response has come from the co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak (he is no longer part of the day-to-day operations of the company). In an interview in a Dutch online publication, he talks about his experience with the iPhone 4.

Wozniak is one of the world's top engineers and no doubt, he was able to replicate the antenna problem. So his take on this? Well, as a gadget guy, Wozniak also carries a Verizon (VZ) phone as a backup. He also recommends that an iPhone user can instead rely on Skype for calls.

Although, Wozniak thinks the antenna issue is not a big deal. Basically, he thinks that the many other features of the device make it worth using. And based on the huge sales so far, it seems that many consumers agree as well.

Tom Taulli is also the author of several books, including the Complete M&A Handbook. He can be reached at his blog.

Tags: iPhone 4, Skype, Steve Wozniak, vz

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-15-2010 @ 5:07PM

mikemaj82 said...

haha. Wow. Verizon > Apple. Even the co-founder knows it.

7-15-2010 @ 7:34PM

homesavers24hrs said...

So What! if you want a I phone buy one if you wish Verizon had it. to bad they don't switch or shut up or use a black berry. Im sure Verizon and sprint are the ones pushing the ant issue.

7-15-2010 @ 7:36PM

RYAN said...

And you stood in line and paid big money for the latest gizmo....LOL........why are lessons best learned when you really really lose big?

7-15-2010 @ 7:49PM

jbigmacdaddy74 said...

I think its funny for all those people who just had to be first to get a PHONE That camped out for 24 hours just to be the first idiot to have one on the block.I will keep my $60 sprint that works great.lol

7-15-2010 @ 10:26PM

B.Jeffers said...

Interesting, I remember when the reason for using a phone was to make a phone call. Interesting how that has become so unimportant that people would buy a phone that can't make or maintain a phone connection. Yet, they still have AT&T and the iPhone 4 ... doesn't make sense.

I'll stay with Verizon and my Palm Pre that does everything the iPhone does and actually makes clear phone calls.

7-15-2010 @ 10:41PM

Charles said...

My iphone4 works just fine. I put my finger over the gap in the frame and see no drop in signal strength. I have had no dropped calls. Note: I am right handed, but I text using my left hand only. I did not stand in any line to buy the phone. I went to my local ATT store a few days after the release, no crowd, waited about 10 minutes for a service rep. Placed my order and then my phone came in the mail in about a week later, actually arriving on the day I got shipping confirmation from ATT. What is all the fuss about?

7-15-2010 @ 10:54PM

Pam said...

Funny, all the idiots that are slamming the Iphone are the ones that don't own one. I love my Iphone and have had no problems.

7-15-2010 @ 11:18PM

Fred said...

Absolutely. Verizon and Motorola and Google are pushing this. Yeah, there's a small problem, but it's no worse than several other cell phones I've had. Further, AOL has it in for Apple and AT&T which has been clear for a long time. It's a sad world in which biases become a part of almost everything we see today.