Friday, February 24, 2012

Settlement reached in iPhone 4 antennagate suit

Settlement reached in iPhone 4 antennagate suit | Apple Talk - CNET News CNET News @import "http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/Ads/common/css/SponsoredTextLink/sponsoredTextLink.live.css"; Manage Packages With UPS My Choice Home Reviews Cell Phones Camcorders Digital Cameras Laptops TVs Car Tech Forums Appliances Cell Phone Accessories Components Desktops E-book Readers Games and Gear GPS Hard Drives & Storage Headphones Home Audio Home Video Internet Access Monitors MP3 Players Networking and Wi-Fi Peripherals Printers Software Tablets Web Hosting You are here: News Latest News Mobile Startups Cutting Edge Media Security Business Tech Health Tech Crave Apple Microsoft Politics & Law Gaming & Culture Blogs Video Photos RSS Download Windows Software Mac Software Mobile Apps Web Apps The Download Blog CNET TV How To Computers Home Theater Smartphones Tablets Web Marketplace Log In | Join Log In Join CNET Sign in with My profile Log out .mad_center {text-align:center;} .mad_center div, .mad_center table, .mad_center iframe, .mad_center a img {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}Click Here
CNET News Apple Talk Settlement reached in iPhone 4 antennagate suit Josh Lowensohn by Josh Lowensohn February 17, 2012 5:34 PM PST Follow @Josh

OriginaliPhone 4 buyers can get either $15 or a new bumper case from Apple as part of a newly settled class-action lawsuit.

An iPhone 4 being tested inside one of Apple's anechoic chambers, a photo released during Apple's antenna press conference in 2010.An iPhone 4 being tested inside one of Apple's anechoic chambers, a photo released during Apple's antenna press conference in 2010.

(Credit:Apple)

A settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit targeting the antenna performance of Apple'siPhone 4.

As part of a preliminary approval made this afternoon, U.S. residents who bought Apple's iPhone 4 will be entitled to $15 in cash or a bumper case provided by Apple.

The settlement comes from 18 separate lawsuits that were consolidated into one. All share the claim that Apple was "misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4--particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software."

The settlement has its own Web site, www.iPhone4Settlement.com, which will be up in the coming weeks (the site doesn't go anywhere right now). There, customers will be able to get information about the settlement and how to make a claim. As part of the arrangement, e-mails will also be sent alerting original buyers to the settlement before April 30, 2012. The claims period is then open for 120 days.

"We believe that the Apple iPhone 4 settlement is fair, adequate, and reasonable," Ira Rothken, co-lead counsel representing the class, told CNET. "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."

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Related storiesMore suits filed in iPhone 4 antenna fracasApple to end free iPhone 4 case offer Sept. 30Lawsuit filed over iPhone 4 antenna

Shortly after the release of the iPhone 4, owners began posting videos of themselves holding the phone tightly, showing that the device would eventually lose some reception, something that was criticized as being a hardware flaw.

Apple did not weigh in on the matter for three weeks, deciding instead to hold a press conference to address what had been dubbed "antennagate" with a sea of data to show that other phones had similar issues. The company then offered to let people return the phone for a full refund, or claim a complementary case from Apple or third-party case makers--an offer it kept going for two months. It also issued a software update that changed how the phone determined how many reception bars were displayed.

Apple's latest iPhone, theiPhone 4S, was released in October of last year. According to testing done by Consumer Reports about a month after its release, the device was free of the issue.

Rothken says the class is comprised of 25 million members. Besides the e-mails to those members, the settlement requires a summary notice of the settlement to be posted in print versions of USA Today and Macworld.

Posted by Ambar jaiswal at 9:48 AM
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