Apple to give iPhone 4 users free cases

The move comes after reports about antenna and reception problems that Steve Jobs says are being blown out of proportion

Apple will give iPhone 4 users a free case for their smartphones to help them with antenna and receptions problems, even though those issues have been reported by just a fraction of the phone's users, CEO Steve Jobs said Friday during a press conference the company called at its headquarters to discuss ongoing issues with the smartphone.

Users who buy the new version of the iPhone by Sept. 30 will be able to sign up on the Apple website to receive a free case -- or "bumper" -- starting late next week. Users who already bought bumpers will receive refunds, he said. "And if you're still not happy, before or after you get a free case, you can bring your iPhone 4 back undamaged within 30 days for a full refund."

Apple's Jobs uses time-tested 'free stuff' tactic to appease customers 

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Apple will give iPhone 4 users a free case for their smartphones to help them with antenna and receptions problems, even though those issues have been reported by just a fraction of the phone's users, CEO Steve Jobs said Friday during a press conference the company called at its headquarters to discuss ongoing issues with the smartphone.

Users who buy the new version of the iPhone by Sept. 30 will be able to sign up on the Apple website to receive a free case -- or "bumper" -- starting late next week. Users who already bought bumpers will receive refunds, he said. "And if you're still not happy, before or after you get a free case, you can bring your iPhone 4 back undamaged within 30 days for a full refund."

Apple's Jobs uses time-tested 'free stuff' tactic to appease customers 

The company knew that if users gripped the iPhone 4 a certain way that the bars of reception would drop, but didn't think it would be a big problem, he said during a 15-minute presentation in Cupertino, California. And, according to figures from AppleCare, the company's help desk, 0.55 percent of iPhone users have called to report antenna or reception problems, contrary to how it might seem based on the ongoing coverage of the reception issue, he suggested.

"You know, we're not perfect," Jobs said at the start of his presentation. "And phones aren't perfect either. But we want to make all of our users happy. And if you don't know that about Apple, you don't know Apple."

iPhone 4 poll: Did Apple do the right thing about antenna issue?

Since the problem was reported 22 days ago, the company has worked hard to find out "what the real problem is," he said, opening his presentation by saying that other smartphones have the same issues and then ticking off a list of competing phones.

"Most smartphones behave exactly the same way," he said."Now these phones were tested in areas of relatively weak signal strength, as other testers have reported. This is life in the smartphone world. Phones aren't perfect."

AT&T has supplied Apple with data on drop rates, which show that the iPhone 4 does drop more calls per 100 than its predecessor, the iPhone 3GS, but the figure is still not substantial, Jobs said.

The saga continued meanwhile with Bloomberg reporting Thursday morning that Apple's "senior antenna executive" told Jobs early in the design process that he was concerned the smartphone's design could cause dropped calls and was a "serious engineering challenge." Later Thursday, The Wall Street Journal published a similar story saying that the company released the new iPhone despite internal worries about its design. The "shroud of secrecy" around the phone meant that carriers were given less time than usual to test it and were provided with "stealth" versions of the iPhone 4 that disguised its shape and some functions and that could not be touched, making it difficult to detect the antenna issue, the Journal reported. Both that account and Bloomberg's cited anonymous sources familiar with the situation.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.