Senator Chuck Schumer has stepped into the iPhone 4 reception issue—the one that led to Consumer Reports saying it could not recommend the highly coveted product—fray with an open letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The Williamsburg waterfront concert-loving senior Senator wrote, "I ask that Apple provide iPhone 4 customers with a clearly written explanation of the cause of the reception problem and make a public commitment to remedy it free-of-charge. The solutions offered to date by Apple for dealing with the so-called 'death grip' malfunction—such as holding the device differently, or buying a cover for it—seem to be insufficient. These proposed solutions would unfairly place the burden on consumers for resolving a problem they were not aware of when they purchased their phones."
Schumer did acknowledge "Apple's innovative approach to mobile technology and appreciate its service to millions of iPhone users nationwide," but wants Apple to "address this flaw in a transparent manner" as well as "Apple to issue a written explanation of the formula it uses to calculate bar strength, so that consumers can once again trust the product that they have invested in."
Apple is holding a press conference tomorrow (1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST), which is leading to rumors of a recall (what about free bumpers?). We suppose Mayor Bloomberg will get involved when there are problems with Shazam.
