Hoo boy! After Apple called out RIM (the makers of Blackberry), HTC and Samsung, the three phone-makers are coming back at the company and coming back strong: "Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable."
During Apple's press conference addressing
, Steve Jobs brought up RIM's Blackberry Bold 9700, the HTC Droid Eris and the Samsung Omnia II. The company even posted
showing how these phones lose signal when held a certain way.
The videos are pretty damning, and the trio of companies aren't taking it lying down.
Tech
"Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable," RIM co-chief executives Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie said, leading the pack with the harshest words for Apple. "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."
They finished strong: "One thing is for certain, RIM's customers don't need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity." Ka-boom!
HTC and Samsung weren't as direct. HTC said that, while antenna problems can be very real, "we carefully engineer our phones to ensure that this effect is minimized in real-world use," implying that it's HTC's engineering prowess that makes this issue invisible.
Samsung, likewise, played up engineering: "Based on years of experience of designing high-quality phones, Samsung mobile phones employ an internal antenna design technology that optimises reception quality for any type of hand-grip use."
Apple is traveling along a long, hard road right now with the iPhone 4. From early leaks to endless complaints, the company now finds itself answering to the senate, even. There's no denying it was a lucrative launch, but it'll be interesting to see if any of this has farther-reaching effects on the company.
Via PhysOrg
