The latest on the iPhone 4

As I blogged last week, I didn’t run out and buy the new Apple iPhone 4—although I was really tempted. Our initial testing found the phone to be a real standout, and that’s why we named it a Hot product in our current issue.

But our engineers subsequently discovered a big drawback: an antenna problem that causes the iPhone4 to drop calls. (It’s especially problematic for lefties because of the way they hold the phone, easily blocking one of the antennas on the side.) Because of this, we can’t recommend the iPhone 4.

Apple has now acknowledged the signal-loss complaints and is offering a free case for each iPhone4—while also saying that other smart phones share the problem. We believe Apple's offer of free cases is a good first step. However, we look forward to a long-term fix from Apple.

Meanwhile, you can read more from our colleagues at Consumer Reports, including info on how to get your free case.

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Comments

[Tim]

Ridiculous. I've lost respect for Consumer Reports due to it's iPhone 4 link-baiting coverage. This may help with more visitors and thus subscribers in the short-term, but in the long-term you're hurting the brand. You asked for free cases from Apple and said they solved the problem and now that's still not enough.