Sen. Schumer Criticizes Apple for “Death Grip” Malfunction

Calls Apple's suggested fixes "insufficient"

Apple needs to be more "transparent" about the iPhone 4's reception problems and "remedy it free-of-charge," said New York Senator Charles Schumer in an open letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Schumer cites Consumer Report's recent review of the iPhone 4, in which it refused to recommend the device because "when your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone's lower left side—an easy thing, especially for lefties—the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal," the report concluded.

Apple had been saying that reception issues—which some are calling the "death grip" malfunction—were due to a faulty algorithm that caused the phone to display more bars than it actually had.  The company also suggested that customers buy a case for the phone to keep them from covering the signal.

Schumer called this answer "insufficient," saying "these proposed solutions would unfairly place the burden on consumers for resolving a problem they were not aware of when they purchased their phones."  

He also called for Apple to make good on its promise to correct the signal strength algorithm, and said that the company should make their new formula public "so that consumers can once again trust the product that they have invested in."

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