Analyst says Apple has a hardware fix for iPhone 4
Analyst Ashok Kumar says supply chain checks show the company has come up with a design fix that "more adequately insulates the transceiver module."
Is an iPhone 4 antenna fix beyond the bumper in the works? One analyst says there is.
A hardware fix would result in better insulation for an antenna-related module, according to an analyst.
In a note sent out Thursday morning, Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw, said the long-term fix is mechanical. "Our supply chain checks reveal that Apple has instituted a design fix for the iPhone 4 that more adequately insulates the transceiver module," he wrote in the note.
How, or when, Apple would implement a fix for existing iPhone 4 owners, however, is unclear.
Ever since the iPhone 4 was released on June 24, some iPhone owners have complained that when gripping the phone around the lower left-hand corner of the device, the signal degrades or calls are dropped.
The company has acknowledged an antenna issue but has said it is a software problem. Apple has also suggested that consumers should hold the phone differently. Another piece of advice from the company has been to buy its $29 rubber bumper to put around the phone to avoid covering up the antenna.
Apple is expected to hold a press conference Friday that may address the antenna issue.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
