In 2010, a lot of people were upset with Apple over the iPhone 4. The reason? The phone"s reception seemed to dip way down when you held the iPhone 4 in a certain way. Specifically, when the phone was held in the left hand, covering the black strip at the bottom left corner of the device, the phone"s signal dropped drastically.
Apple at first tried to downplay what later became known as "Antennagate". Officially, Apple said simply to not hold the iPhone 4 in that way. Later, Apple CEO Steven Jobs held a special press conference where he announced that everyone would get a bumper case for the phone if you bought it before a certain date. The case was made to improve reception for the device. However, the damage had already been done as a number of class action lawsuits were filed against Apple complaining about the iPhone 4 antenna issue.
Late on Friday, it was announced that Apple had reached a settlement in those cases. News.com reports that as part of the agreement, Apple will pay everyone who bought an iPhone 4 $15 in cash or offer them a free bumper case for the phone. The case actually settles 18 class action lawsuits that were later merged into one case.
Ira Rothken, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said:
We believe that the Apple iPhone 4 settlement is fair, adequate, and reasonable. We believe that it allows members of the class to choose, and they can get $15 of cash or a bumper, so we believe that type of choice is proportional to the circumstances.
A special web site, www.iPhone4Settlement.com, will be launched in the near future where iPhone 4 owners will be able to learn how to get their money or free case. Apple has yet to comment on the iPhone 4 settlement.