The new Verizon iPhone may have antenna issues that are similar to its counterpart on AT&'T, according to Consumer Reports.
In one respect, this isna4a4t a huge surprise, since the Verizon iPhone 4 appears to be the same as the AT&'T iPhone 4 &8212' just, you know, on Verizon. If the antenna design created minor reception issues on one network (at least if you held the phone in a certain way), those problems wouldna4a4t go away if you moved to another network.
On the other hand, Apple seemed to escape any mention of antenna problems in the early reviews of the Verizon device. The Wall Street Journala4a4s Walt Mossberg didna4a4t bring up any antenna issues, and TechCruncha4a4s MG Siegler said he tried and failed to replicate the antenna problem.
So therea4a4s a discrepancy between CRa4a4s results and the reviewersa4a4. Even the consumer advocacy group admits that the Verizon antenna problems are limited to a4Alow-signal conditionsa4, but it argued that this is still a significant problem a4Asince low signal conditions are unavoidable when using any cell phone network.a4 (That&'s true, I guess, but they&'re probably much more avoidable on Verizon than on AT&'T.)
As a result, CR says that it wona4a4t include the Verizon iPhone on its list of recommended smartphones.
But will it make any difference in sales Probably not. After all, the earlier antenna scandal (dubbed a4Aantennagatea4) got a lot of publicity, with Apple chief executive Steve Jobs saying he was a4Astunned and upseta4 by the CRa4a4s criticisms, yet the iPhone 4 was a tremendous hit.
I suppose there is one risk: Verizon iPhone customers were probably waiting for this device specifically because they wanted better reception, so theya4a4re going to be less tolerant than AT&'T customers who accept dropped calls as a normal part of the iPhone experience.
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Companies: Apple, AT&'T, Consumer Reports, Verizon
Companies: Apple, AT&'T, Consumer Reports, Verizon
Anthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.
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