Ian Baird via Twitter:

Great video for those of us in the tech industry to watch now and again: http://j.mp/aGZXbW.

Rene Ritchie, TiPb:

What Apple very neatly managed to do there was conflate their own widely reported iPhone 4 death-touch into the very real but widely under-reported death-grip phenomena that does indeed affect the entire industry.

Instead of pointing out that yes, Apple was correct, the death-grip was an industry-wide problem but the death-touch was thus far unique to Apple, RIM BlackBerry, Samsung, and Nokia denied the death-grip…

This is where the likes of Samsung, HTC, Nokia and RIM went wrong. Their responses should have discussed what Steve Jobs was trying to report – the fact that this is an industry-wide problem, and they are on the forefront of solving this industry-wide problem. Instead, all four of the mentioned companies deflected – albeit RIM’s response was the most jarring – causing a stir in the industry, where users are replicating the problem and the ‘big-four’ have no idea how to respond.

Apple, Press Release:

Apple® today announced that iPad™ will be available in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore this Friday, July 23.

RIM via Pocket-lint:

“Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable. 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. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple 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”.
“Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie”

Nokia via Pocket-lint:

“Antenna design is a complex subject and has been a core competence at Nokia for decades, across hundreds of phone models. Nokia was the pioneer in internal antennas; the Nokia 8810, launched in 1998, was the first commercial phone with this feature.
Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying human behaviour, including how people hold their phones for calls, music playing, web browsing and so on. As you would expect from a company focused on connecting people, we prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict.
In general, antenna performance of a mobile device/phone may be affected with a tight grip, depending on how the device is held. That’s why Nokia designs our phones to ensure acceptable performance in all real life cases, for example when the phone is held in either hand. Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying how people hold their phones and allows for this in designs, for example by having antennas both at the top and bottom of the phone and by careful selection of materials and their use in the mechanical design”.

HTC via Pocket-lint:

“Approximately .016% of customers”, Eric Lin, the company’s global PR and online community manager exclusively revealed to us before adding that “we have had very few complaints about signal or antenna problems on the Eris”.

Samsung via Samsung Hub and Reuters:

“The antenna is located at the bottom of the Omnia 2 phone, while iPhone’s antenna is on the lower left side of the device. Our design keeps the distance between a hand and an antenna. We have fully conducted field tests before the rollout of smartphones. Reception problems have not happened so far, and there is no room for such problems to happen in the future.”

“We have not received significant customer feedback on any signal reduction issue for the Omnia II.”

TiredOfStupid via TheAppleBlog:

Honestly, I don’t have the energy to care anymore. The smug Apple apologists and haters with nothing better to do have completely overshadowed any attempt at a rational argument with ad hominems. Trying to find a genuine debate on this issue is impossible on every tech site I’ve come across (including Om’s live-coverage post unfortunately).

This is not the year of the smartphone, its the year of the self-important-idiot. You’d think people were debating which way to put the toilet paper on the roll…

…not really on-topic I know, but it needed to be said.

GlennAC replied:

For you and all the others, then what would have satisfied you? It appears that nothing Apple could have said or done would have satisfied the detractors short of a total product recall, Apple’s abandonment of the iPhone 4, and their pledge to try better next summer.

While that may have gratified a small vocal minority, I imagine the 99% of satisfied users would object. So tell us, what else can Apple reasonably be expected to do for a product that the vast majority are entirely satisfied with?

No, I’m serious. What else could Apple have done to appease the dissatisfied while at the same time not pissing off the majority that are perfectly happy with the product?

Nothing.

Seth Weintraub, 9to5Mac:

1.3 million iPhones in 19 days is almost 70,000/day. That is a very solid number but not even half of what Android claims to be doing every day.

A little unfair to compare one device to an entire platform, but an interesting comparison nonetheless.

Matt Drance, Apple Outsider:

It’s lonely at the top. Perhaps Apple is taking it on the chin more than usual. Such is the price of success.

I remain very happy with my iPhone 4. I still believe it’s the best iPhone ever, by far. I believe the Bumper offering is an appropriate gesture, and I believe Apple will still sell a ton of phones.

Offering the Bumper is exactly that, a gesture – an action performed to convey one’s intentions in the knowledge that it will have no effect.

It seems everyone feels they must chime-in on the iPhone 4 Press Conference – myself included. Some sort of response is necessary, whether in accordance with Steve, or complete shock and/or dispute against the way the situation was handled. Some referring to the event as ‘uncharacteristic’ and ‘atypical’.
This situation has gotten out of hand, to the point where I have personal acquaintances stopping me in the food store asking me about ‘antennagate’. Some go as far as calling, to which I respond, “… ‘Antennagate’ is not unique to the iPhone 4. However, as proof the iPhone 4 is capable of making phone calls, make note of this conversation; it is happening between you and an iPhone 4.”
I am in 100% accordance with Leanna Lofte of TiPb:

The problem with the iPhone 4, is that there is a visible line on the device that initiates the reception failure. This makes it psychologically seem like a bigger deal when compared to other phones.

Following the iPhone 4 launch, people were ready to find a problem. God forbid this magical product be 0.0001mm thicker than Apple promised – something had to be wrong. During the week following the launch of the iPhone 4, these people found their “problem”.

Dieter Bohn, Smartphone Experts:

Although Steve Jobs made the kinds of “we love our users” points that you’d expect him to make, I was actually gratified to hear them – because they were combined with an honest admission that the iPhone 4 drops marginally more calls than it ought and that there is a “weak spot.”

Leanna Lofte, TiPb:

The problem with the iPhone 4, is that there is a visible line on the device that initiates the reception failure. This makes it psychologically seem like a bigger deal when compared to other phones.

Jerry Hildenbrand, Android Central:

… ignoring the questions about the antenna design, or deflecting them by showing “bars” from other manufacturers isn’t the response I had hoped for from someone who holds the trust of millions.

Ally Kazmucha, TiPb:

Free bumpers will not appease everyone, but as El Jobso stated, if you aren’t happy with your purchase, bring them back for a full refund.

Malatesta, WMExperts:

If you’re going to put all of your eggs into one basket, you better make sure that basket is 100% perfect or nearly so. Kudos to Apple for giving away those free cases, but we think that this problem should have never had happened in the first place.

Phil Nickinson, Andriod Central:

“Yeah, we may have a problem, but check out these guys!” There is a larger problem, and that is that everybody — all of us — are trying to become amateur RF engineers. We’re not. We’re not going to be.

Bla1ze, CrackBerry:

I’m still not convinced the issue with the iPhone 4 is as big of an issue as some media outlets are portraying it to be. But, to say that the issue does not exist entirely is a farce.

Rene Ritchie, TiPb:

This was a no win situation for Apple … As to the free bumpers, at first the bribery seems to conflict with the deflection. If there’s no problem, why give bumpers? Simple. People like free stuff.

The entire article is worth a read, but I thought it was appropriate to share the bits I felt were pertinent to the situation.

Nope.

John Gruber, Daring Fireball:

… I now have a hunch it’s going to be more — maybe a lot more — than just a defense of the iPhone 4 antenna. Sounds crazy, I know, but I think something big, or at least biggish, is going down tomorrow. This is not one of those “hunches” I get where I actually know something and play coy; I could be wrong and the thing could wind up just being 20 minutes of Steve Jobs telling us “not to hold it that way, or buy a case”. I’m betting on my hunch, though, and flying out late tonight.