After panning the iPhone 4 because of its much-publicized antenna problems, the non-profit Consumer Reports magazine is giving its successor, the 4S, the thumbs-up. But not as high up as some leading Android devices.
“Apple’s newest smart phone performed very well in our tests, and while it closely resembles the iPhone 4 in appearance, it doesn’t suffer the reception problem we found in its predecessor in special tests in our labs,” the magazine’s Mike Gikas wrote Tuesday.
The problems with the iPhone 4 stemmed from its unique steel band design comprised of two antennas. When holding the phone in a way that bridged both antennas calls were interrupted, some users reported, and Consumer Reports found in lab tests. The glitch had little effect on sales, and Apple ultimately addressed the problem by offering, for a time, free cases that covered the bands.
Tests of new samples of the still-available iPhone 4 continue to find the problem, Gikas wrote, and so it is still not recommended by the magazine’s researchers.
Does It Matter?
Consumer Reports does more intensive testing of phones and other electronic devices than the more standard “hands-on” user tests done by many technology blogs. But despite that high standard, its recommendations may not have the same cachet among younger technology buffs.
“For an IT vendor, a CR recommendation is like having your mom say she thinks your girlfriend is ‘nice,’ ” said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. “While gratifying, it’s not the stuff true romance or commercial markets depend on.”
Wireless industry analyst Kirk Parsons of JD Power and Associates, which also gives ratings for consumer products, said: “Consumer Reports may hold more sway over other industry findings like auto ratings. I remember they made a big deal on not recommending a specific SUV for failing their roll-over test. In wireless devices,…
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