RIM, HTC and Samsung have slammed claims by Apple that other smart phones, not just the iPhone 4, suffer from reception problems.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs made the claims during a press conference last week, where the company addressed the antennae issues that have been plaguing iPhone 4 users.
He backed up his claims with test results that showed a BlackBerry Bold 9700, Samsung Omnia II and HTC Droid Eris all losing signal when held in a specific way.
“Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable,” said Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie from RIM.
“Apple’s claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation.”
RIM also said it had “avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage”.
“One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smart phone to maintain proper connectivity,” the pair added, in reference to Apple’s off a free bumper for the handset to anyone suffering from signal problems.
HTC and Samsung told the Wall Street Journal they were unaware of any signal problems affecting their smart phones.
“The reception problems are certainly not common among smart phones… (Apple) apparently didn’t give operators enough time to test the phone,” HTC chief financial officer Hui-Meng Cheng told the newspaper.
Meanwhile Nokia, despite not being named by Jobs, also slammed Apple’s comments.
The phone manufacturer told the Telegraph: “We prioritise antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict.”
