苹果“天线设计通病”遭驳斥，诺基亚称内置天线领先

Motorola, Nokia, RIM, reject Apple antenna claim

by Bolaji Ojo

Apple Inc.'s contention that all smartphones in the market have antenna and “dropped call” problems similar to the ones reported by iPhone 4 users has been rejected by three of the leading mobile phone handset OEMs in the industry.

In separate statements, Motorola Inc., maker of the Droid X handset, Nokia Corp., the world's top manufacturer of wireless phones, and Research In Motion Inc., the maker of the Blackberry device, objected to statements by Apple chairman and CEO Steve Jobs indicating all smartphones have a tendency to drop ongoing calls.

Jobs made the observation while offering a spirited defense Friday, July 16, to concerns about the performance of Apple's latest wireless handset, the iPhone 4. Some customers had complained calls were being cut off due to problems associated with the phone's design.

Antenna design, according to Jobs is “a challenge for the entire industry.”

Apple has offered to reimburse dissatisfied users and is providing free cases referred to as “bumpers” for iPhone 4 buyers who wish to keep their phones but are concerned about the likelihood of dropped calls.

“Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable,” RIM's co-CEOs Mike Lazarids and Jim Balsillie, said in a statement. “Apple's claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public's understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple's difficult situation.”

The RIM co-CEOs further stated the Blackberry does not require the use of a rubber cover to help prevent signal degradation. Apple, they said, “ clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple.”

In its own statement issued by co-CEO Sanjay Jha who also heads the company's mobile handset business, Motorola said: “it is disingenuous to suggest that all phones perform equally.”

The company said tests it performed on its latest mobile device, the Droix X now being sold by Verizon Inc., indicate the equipment “performs much better than iPhone 4 when held by consumers.”

Nokia, the Espoo, Finland-based company that sells more than one-third of all mobile handset used worldwide, confirmed Apple's claim that antenna design is quite “complex.” Nokia further validated opinions in the market that the “antenna performance of a mobile device/phone may be affected with a tight grip.”

The company said it had as a result ensured all Nokia phones were designed “to ensure acceptable performance in all real life cases, for example when the phone is held in either hand,” a jibe at Apple's explanation that the iPhone 4's performance could be poorer than expected when held in a certain way by users.

“As you would expect from a company focused on connecting people, we prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict,” Nokia said.