Some of the reception problems with Apple’s iPhone 4 have been linked to the product’s antenna, which is an unusual design in that it circles the entire perimeter of the device. Phone makers typically try to place the antenna in places the user is less likely to touch in order to make a call. But with iPhone 4, unless you put a insulating cover around the antenna, the design seems to make it difficult to avoid touching it and unwittingly degrading reception by absorbing electromagnetic waves that carry phone calls, analysts say.However, a recent report by Consumer Reports points out that the iPhone’s problems are not unique. All phones are subject to interference from the human who is using them as any part of the body that comes between the phone’s antenna and the nearest cell tower will interfere with reception, the report says. That interference is exacerbated if the phone’s antenna is not insulated from human contact, as seems to be the case with the iPhone’s external antenna, which doubles as the phone’s stylish metal outer band.Read more from Reuters.
iPhone Antenna Design Absorbs EM Waves
