A class-action lawsuit over the poor performance of antenna used in Apple’s iPhone 4 has been settled by the company. The class-action lawsuit was the result of consolidating 18 separate lawsuits, each of which claimed that Apple was “misrepr
esenting 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 class-action lawsuit will also result in the floating of a separate website to access settlement claims with the domain www.iPhone4Settlement.com.
As part of the settlement emails would be sent to consumers within April 30, 2012 and the period for claims would remain open for 120 days. Consumers will be able to find information about the settlement and ways to file a claim on the designated website.
As a preliminary reconciliation package, consumers of iPhone 4 can claim for $ 15 compensation in cash or a bumper case for iPhone 4 provided by Apple.
Customers who opted for Apple’s reconciliatory offering of a free iPhone case in 2010 will not be eligible for this compensation.
The lead counsel in the case, Ira Rothken, remarked “We believe that the Applie iPhone 4 settlement is fair, adequate, and reasonable…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.”
The public outcry over faulty antennas in iPhone 4 had been popularly dubbed “antennagate,” and for over three weeks, Apple dragged its feet trying to prove that other phones had similar problems too, and the faults did not merit special attention.
However, in Apple’s favor are facts that the company first offered consumers to return the phone for a complete refund, or opt for a complementary case from Apple or other makers. Apple Inc. kept this offer going for two months and also made software update that altered the visual representation of reception bar indicators.
The iPhone 4S, Apple’s latest offering was released last October. This device is free of the problems faced by the earlier iPhone 4.
