Hi guys! Have you got one yet? I don't think you can get it just yet, but if you, from one mean or another, bought one of the US versions, then you have got to be careful.
Plaintiffs sue Apple, AT&T, saying device's design is to blame for signal loss
by Ian Paul PC World updated 7/1/2010 10:53:26 AM Two Maryland residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple and AT&T over the iPhone 4 antenna design issue that has caused dropped calls and signal loss for some users. The plaintiffs are seeking financial compensation for their troubles, and the case also asks the court to prevent Apple from selling the iPhone 4 until the antenna issue is solved. The laundry list of allegations against the two companies includes negligence, breach of implied warranty, deceptive trade practices and fraud. The suit also holds Apple accountable for knowingly selling a defective product, according to Computerworld. Plaintiffs Kevin McCaffrey and Linda Wrinn separately pre-ordered the iPhone 4, and each received their phones between June 24 and June 28 the suit says. Soon after both plaintiffs experienced signal loss and dropped calls when "handling the phones as demonstrated in Apple's advertisements or as a reasonable person would handle a mobile telephone when making calls," according to court documents obtained by Gizmodo. The antenna issue
Apple has been under intense scrutiny after it was discovered that covering the lower left side of the recently launched iPhone 4 can cause signal loss. The problem appears to be caused by the fact that the cellular antenna points are located where most people would hold a mobile phone thereby causing your hand to dampen the signal. Apple issued a statement shortly after the antenna issue came up saying that all mobile phones experience some signal loss when held in certain ways. The company advises users to either hold the phone differently or buy a case to prevent your hand from coming in contact with the antenna points. A software fix is rumored to be under development to solve the issue, and some say we could see a firmware update as early as Monday. Apple has not made any public statements admitting that the antenna issue was related to a software problem. McCaffrey and Wrinn are represented in the suit against Apple and AT&T by the Washington D.C.-based law firm Ward & Ward, as well as the Maryland-based law offices of Charles A. Gilman. Since June 29, Ward & Ward has been covering the iPhone 4 antenna issue on its blog and asking iPhone 4 users experiencing problems to contact the firm. The class action suit filed in Maryland may be the first of many brought against Apple and possibly AT&T over the iPhone 4. Bloomberg News is reporting of two separate class action suits filed against Apple: one by New Jersey resident Alan Benvenisty and another by Massachusetts resident Christopher Dydyk. The Dydyk suit wants Apple to supply free bumper cases to customers who pre-ordered the iPhone 4. |
Vocabulary:
plaintiff -- (n)[C](Legal) someone who makes a legal complaint against someone else in court
allegation -- (n)[C](Legal) a statement which has not been proved to be true which says that someone has done something wrong or illegal
negligence -- (n)[U] when you do not give enough care or attention to someone or something
breach -- (n)[C] an act of breaking a law, promise, agreement or relationship
deceptive -- (adj) making you believe something that is not true
fraud -- (n) [C or U] the crime of getting money by deceiving people
defective -- (adj) describes something that has a fault in it and does not work correctly
scrutiny -- (n) [U] the careful and detailed examination of something in order to get information about it
dampen -- (vb) [T] to make feelings, especially of excitement or enjoyment, less strong, hereby referring to the signal
rumoured -- (adj) describes a fact that people are talking about, which might be true or invented
bumper -- (adj) larger in amount than usual
remedy -- (n)[C] a successful way of curing an illness or dealing with a problem or difficulty
mandatory -- (adj) [Formal] describes something which must be done, or which is demanded by law
restocking fee -- (n)[C] Amount charged by a seller for accepting a returned merchandise and paying a refund
Opinions:
Lucky that I am not into new gadgets. Never have the money, never can bear the pain of making a scratch on one of these phones or losing one, never even touched one before, I suppose it works incredibly well.
But mobile phones is like a car, once you have bought it, it is already 30% down in price.
I know that mobiles can do a lot like a computer today, handy, streamlined, fast, etc., but I'm still pretty much back in the 80's. I prefer a mobile with just the talking function. After all, the technology for mobile security isn't really so mature yet, and information leak is all too often.
I'll wait a few more years.
Resources:
6) Naked In Buenos Aires
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