Apple Engineer Told Steve Jobs IPhone Antenna Might Cut Calls

Peter Burrows and Connie Guglielmo Bloomberg.com 07/15/2010 15:18

Steve Jobs, chief executive officer of Apple Inc.

Apple Inc.’s senior antenna expert voiced concern to Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs in the early design phase of the iPhone 4 that the antenna design could lead to dropped calls, a person familiar with the matter said.

Last year, Ruben Caballero, a senior engineer and antenna expert, informed Apple’s management the device’s design may hurt reception, said the person, who is not authorized to speak on Apple’s behalf and asked not to be identified. A carrier partner also raised concerns about the antenna before the device’s June 24 release, according to another person familiar with the situation.

The latest model of the iPhone carries a metal antenna that surrounds the outside of the device -- a design chosen by Apple executives because it yielded a lighter, thinner handset. It has also resulted in dropped or degraded calls that led Consumer Reports to refrain from endorsing the iPhone 4, weighed on the company’s stock and stepped up pressure on Apple to issue a fix.

Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple, declined to comment and said he wouldn’t make Caballero available for an interview. Caballero didn’t respond to a call and an e-mail seeking comment.

(...) Tests carried out by one of the phone service providers before the device was released also indicated the antenna might hinder reception, said a person who asked not to be identified because discussions with Apple aren’t public.

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