Lawsuits Filed Against Apple For iPhone 4 Signal Issues

[Dynasty]

Told ya'all haters gonna hate.

Lawsuits filed claiming Apple knowingly sold a defective product because a few people get a drop in signal if they touch the lower left corner of the antenna.

You either have signal in an area, regardless of bars (to me it makes no difference), or you live in the sticks with hardly any satellites overhead so have 1 or 2 bars max at any time anyway.

In a rather unsurprising turn of events, a California-based law firm is investigating some of the issues with the iPhone 4 reported earlier this week for the purpose of possibly waging a class action lawsuit against Apple. The firm is looking for those affected namely by problems with reception as a result of the new device's antenna design.

The law firm -- Kershaw, Cutter, and Ratinoff of Sacramento, California -- is seeking potential claims against Apple, asking anyone who has experienced "poor reception quality, dropped calls and weak signals" to contact them.

While it remains to be seen if the firm will be able to gather enough evidence or have the legal grounds to seek damages from Apple, however, it does mark an interesting development in the story of the iPhone 4's post-launch woes.

A class action suit has also been filed in Texas, which alleges that Apple knowingly released a defective product, the iPhone 4, and specifically calls attention to Apple's response to the matter. Apple's negligence, the plaintiffs believe, entitles them to compensatory and punitive damages. The filing can be read online, in its entirety, here.

Shortly after going on sale last Thursday, many consumers began complaining of dropped calls and signal degradation as a result of holding the device in a certain way. It was later found and acknowledged by Apple that holding the device along the lower edges may result in performance issues in some units, which the company said could be remedied by using a case with the device, or by simply holding it in a different way.

http://uk.gear.ign.com/articles/110/1102604p1.html

This is quite pathetic really. An iPhone cover of some sort fixes the problem, even Apple released a bumper case of sorts that wraps around the 'antenna'...maybe they did know it would be a problem, but who cares REALLY?

You can get a silicone case for the iPhone 4 ALREADY for £3-10.

Anyone with an iPhone or anything else from Apple is GOING TO GET A CASE at some point. ***t Ive been afraid to touch mine until my case arrives. The product is too valuable to get the ***t scratched out of it, and having it wrapped stops the problem.

*sigh*

Sounds like a firm is desperate for monies...

 

[Eejit]

Apple apologist spotted

 

[Remus]

Apple apologist spotted

No kidding.

You're scaring me Dynasty D:

 

[Dynasty]

I'll defend them to the hills.

Put on your war faces ***ches!

 

[Nid Banikeri]

Full respect for what apple have done over last decade or so with the advancement in MP3's but f*** them and their faulty designed–to–break–after–a–year ipods with only one year warranty.

Good to see money could be coming out of their pocket for once to solve problems which they are the cause of.

 

[Yuri]

AHahaha, I love their response

"Buy a case!"

how awful

 

[63]

Apple gets class sued all the time, this won't go anywhere.

 

[Matorbogl]

The way consumers and individuals rally around brands and multi-billion dollar corporations with the zeal of religious fanatics has always deeply disturbed me. But anyway, don't think I'm singling Apple or their "defense force" specifically, this goes for just about any sort of consumer product.

 

[Jintor]

This is kind of stupid, honestly.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

This is honestly stupid, kind of.

But damn I hope they win, just for teh lulz.

 

[Bad^Hat]

I wonder how many chinese labourers committed suicide over this mistake.

Full respect for what apple have done over last decade or so with the advancement in MP3's but f*** them and their faulty designed–to–break–after–a–year ipods with only one year warranty.

Those crafty ****s, designing their products to be sturdy enough to withstand the warranty period. WHY I OUGHTA SUE THE PISS OUT OF THEM.

 

[Ravioli]

I lold hard at Steve Jobs "dont hold it that way" email response. In every single advertising and showcase, everyone holds it that way, and now you are telling us NOT to hold it that way? i bet he fired lots of people due to this.

 

[CyberPitz]

1.) Videos have shown it to be true. Also...

It's hard to find the larger image

 

[kupocake]

We get the class-action 'I know my rights, these goods are not of merchantable quality' guys in my small-town mobile phone shop too. Yet to get a iphone owner, though. Just idiots who think they've been conned out of buying their fashionable brick by being advised that they'd get the same lack of functionality from a cheaper brick.

That's the beauty of apple. Their customers fully realise that they're stupid, and don't hassle anyone else about it.

 

[15357]

You either have signal in an area, regardless of bars (to me it makes no difference), or you live in the sticks with hardly any satellites overhead so have 1 or 2 bars max at any time anyway

Wait, the iphone uses satellite signals instead of transmission arrays?


I will never buy iPhone.

 

[Krynn72]

I wonder how many chinese labourers committed suicide over this mistake.

Not enough to contend with how many died in the dangerous workshops while making it!

Those crafty ****s, designing their products to be sturdy enough to withstand the warranty period. WHY I OUGHTA SUE THE PISS OUT OF THEM.

Haha, I get it because in reality its ok for products to be designed to fail so long as they last long enough for the warranty (which they create) to expire. Totally bro!

 

[AtomicSpark]

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/06/30/130205/Apple-Hires-Antenna-Engineers-Really

lol'd

 

[Bad^Hat]

Are you actually suggesting that apple willfully design their products to fail after a predetermined amount of time? :|

 

[Krynn72]

Are you actually suggesting that apple willfully design their products to fail after a predetermined amount of time? :|

Uh... yeah. Its actually a fairly common practice in the electronics field. Its even got a name. Planned obsolescence.

 

[flamingdts]

Expensive, fragile, shiny.

I'm guessing shiny is all that matters for most people.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Uh... yeah. Its actually a fairly common practice in the electronics field. Its even got a name. Planned obsolescence.

Designing products to become obsolete by building them according to a projected lifetime and then replacing them with newer products isn't the same as designing them to actually fail as soon as the warranty period runs out, ie - what the original post I quoted was implying.

Anecdote time! I've had an ipod 5g for 3-4 years now, and it's still in tip top shape despite spending at least a year of that time down the back of a couch.

 

[Dynasty]

The only time anything Ive bought from Apple actually failed was when my iPod Nano went through the wash.

And I challenge anyone to find something electronic that will go through the wash and still work...provided you dont take it apart and lay it out on a radiator, blow drying it as you whimper and pray when you put it back together again.

My first iPod, the mini (which wasnt so mini) from a good 5 years ago (I think) is still in my draw and *checks* yes, still works, albeit the battery now lasts about 20 minutes on full charge due to me being a twat with recharging. For example, I hesitate to buy the FM transmitters if they charge your iPod in the car, because thats pretty much cancer for the battery. Even iPod docks arent good for the battery which is designed to make the iPod, you know, portable and last hours. How many times have you cursed yourself for not charging your iPod when you need it the most? That long-ass walk or journey is going to be oh-so-much sh**ter now.

It just comes down to personal experience in my opinion. If youve had problems with Apple products, youll always hate them because you feel the whole 'Ive spent so much and now it doesnt work' over-reaction. If youre like me and never had a problem, you dont care.

Personally, my iPhone doesnt lose any signal at all regardless of how I hold it. So Ive got no complaints.

And for those of you that laugh at Apple fanbois and have an iPod, like pretty much everyone with an mp3 player worth mentioning, then youre technically the same.

 

[kineaesth]

And for those of you that laugh at Apple fanbois and have an iPod, like pretty much everyone with an mp3 player worth mentioning, then youre technically the same.

Woop.

Owning an Apple product != being an Apple fanboy.

 

[Raziaar]

I don't know which company I love more, Apple or Sony.

Are you actually suggesting that apple willfully design their products to fail after a predetermined amount of time? :|

We've discussed it on the forums in the past. I know I made a thread about it before.

 

[VirusType2]

ZZZING

 

[FishBulb]

Told ya'all haters gonna hate.

Who exactly are the "haters" here? The only people I see actually involved in these lawsuits are the ambulance chasers and the early adopters, the latter of which I would call the exact opposite of "haters", really.

 

[Sedako]

Corporations have been sued for far less than this. Honestly, I hope these guys get something from Apple. Apple is being petty with it's ridiculous lawsuit against HTC. They realize that Android is becoming a big threat to their market, and if they can successfully shut out HTC, it will set a precedent with which they can block Android adoption, and eliminate a lot of competition. It doesn't help that the U.S. patent office issues extremely vague patents.

 

[Eejit]

And for those of you that laugh at Apple fanbois and have an iPod, like pretty much everyone with an mp3 player worth mentioning, then youre technically the same.

Haw haw, Creative Zen

 

[Nid Banikeri]

Designing products to become obsolete by building them according to a projected lifetime and then replacing them with newer products isn't the same as designing them to actually fail as soon as the warranty period runs out, ie - what the original post I quoted was implying.

I'm not implying there is a ticking bomb inside of each ipod which gives it a lifespan of only a year. However if you really do think that Apple didn't specifically design the whole one year warranty period with the fragility of the ipod well in mind then you're living in dreamland. Good business sure and it makes sense, more money for them but shows what utter shits they really are. Get your head out of Apple's ass.

 

[arch5]

This should fix the problem

 

[No Limit]

Fanboys are funny.

 

[StarBob]

Wait, the iphone uses satellite signals instead of transmission arrays?


I will never buy iPhone.

No they use antennas like all the other phones that aren't satellite phones. Besides... sattelite phones tend to get better reception out in nowhereland because of the lack of interference.

What's strange to me is that calls require very little bandwidth and hands have rarely been enough of an insulator to block radio waves on phone antennas so I'm wondering if it's something else in the design...

 

[Rizzo]

bitch and shit, iphones are for fags anyway.

Why do you censor yourself?

 

[VirusType2]

This should fix the problem

lol. 15 kbps faster if you hold it like a dick. DON'T LOOK AT IT, IT'S DOWNLOADING SOMETHING.

 

[arch5]

lol. 15 kbps faster if you hold it like a dick. DON'T LOOK AT IT, IT'S DOWNLOADING SOMETHING.

Doesn't stop there.

 

[No Limit]

They probably should of filled that position before they released a phone that doens't work right.

 

[Schall]

This is quite pathetic really. An iPhone cover of some sort fixes the problem, even Apple released a bumper case of sorts that wraps around the 'antenna'...maybe they did know it would be a problem, but who cares REALLY?

Yes, they released it with a flaw so that they could sell gullible people cases and make even more money. People like you make it sound like its not a big deal but it is. A huge deal.

 

[63]

Oh man these are great lol.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Get your head out of Apple's ass.

Hmm, had me going up until this. Protip: just because someone expresses an opinion contrary to yours doesn't make them a fanboy.

Oh wait, I forgot this was the internet. Lulz.

 

[Krynn72]

Designing products to become obsolete by building them according to a projected lifetime and then replacing them with newer products isn't the same as designing them to actually fail as soon as the warranty period runs out, ie - what the original post I quoted was implying.

Anecdote time! I've had an ipod 5g for 3-4 years now, and it's still in tip top shape despite spending at least a year of that time down the back of a couch.

Anecdotes are worthless. And I wasn't necessarily saying I agreed with what Nid said, I meant to just suggest that his comment (to which you made your sarcastic reply) wasn't as absurd as you seemed to make it. I can't find a decent study on the life span of ipods, I see things ranging from 2 to 4 years generally, so its hard to say how regularly they fail. But Planned Obsolescence includes designed mechanical failures. Its not just referring to new tech making old ipods lame.