Problems mar iPhone 4 launch

Apple Stores around the world are packed with people, waiting to be first to get the iPhone 4, but reports of hardware issues are already circulating the Internet.

The biggest problem pertains to the iPhone 4's wireless antenna, which is actually comprised of the metal trim that lines the sides of the phone. Reportedly, the wireless signal is lost when some users touch the antenna. There are also reports of yellowing around the edges of the iPhone's display, and minor scratches to the glass on the phone's back side.

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Gizmodo has been continuously updating its blog with reports of iPhone 4 reception problems and screen yellowing. As of this writing, there are nearly two dozen videos documenting the antenna problem. It appears that when users hold the iPhone 4 by the metal trim, the signal drops dramatically, sometimes to the point where the iPhone says it's "searching" for service. Some people could still place calls when this happened, but one user ran a speed test that showed significant drops in download and upload rates.

As for screen yellowing, Gizmodo says more than 40 cases have been reported where the screen has either a slight yellow blot or band running across the display.

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A report of scratched glass comes directly from Engadget. The blog's review unit already has scratches that aren't obvious from head-on or under low light, but they become clear when viewed on an angle in bright light.

I'm not surprised to see day one issues reported. The same thing happened with last year's iPhone 3GS, where a few reports of overheating and battery problems were widely circulated. I'm also not shocked to hear about scratched glass; that's just what happens when your phone is covered in glass on both sides. However, the antenna issue is particularly troubling because there's so much video evidence.

On the bright side, it's not exactly easy to get an iPhone 4 right now, so maybe Apple will fix these issues by the time the early adopters clear out.

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