MPtechnology: iPhone 4 + bad antenna = a revolutionary rubber band Steve Jobs can't make enough of.

Ok, ok, that was some unashamed apple bashing in the title, but here is the follow up to my previous iPhone 4 antenna article. The situation is still suprisingly active, which is why i waited a couple weeks to let the dust (sorta) settle.
This will degrade into lots of jokes at the end but for now, the serious:
Apple held a press conference to deal with the issue and confirmed that it cannot be fixed with software (after saying a week earlier that software would fix the problem) and instead offered people free bumpers. A bumper is NOT a case, it is an oversized, heavy-duty rubberband which covers the stainless steel rim of the phone. It cost a whopping $30 at launch, though apple is refunding purchasers automatically. Steve Jobs said they can't make enough, maybe so, there is no way to tell, but I do find it interesting that the iPhone 4 was the first iPhone to have a bumper style case instead of a full case. The iphone 4 is made out of very durable glass (in a durability test, it took 3 falls from standing height onto concrete to break) and shouldn't need a case at all, isn't it convenient that apple only makes a "case" to cover the part of the phone that must be covered. Then Steve Jobs went on to say that the iPhone 4 is not alone in this problem (ironically, the iPhone 3G had this problem in a more minor fashion) but he points out other phones such as the droid X, and somehow has video footage of it succumbing to the "death grip." Yet other users of the droid X don't have this issue (and gary definitely doesn't have this issue). So ya, apple said they messed up, and is paying (pocket-change after another record quarter) for it's mistake.

And now for a gag reel of sorts:
1. Microsoft COO Kevin Turner said about the iPhone 4: "It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista, and I'm okay with that." http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/ce-oh-no-he-didnt-microsofts-kevin-turner-says-the-iphone-4/
2. If a bumper is too bulky, why not a band-aid, you can get 6 assorted colors for only five dollars, remember, "Ben Franklin would approve."http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/20/antenna-aid-bandages-your-iphone-4-reception-issue-hopes-for-ro/