Some Claiming Apple Issuing Silent Recall On iPhone 4

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Is Apple quietly exchanging iPhone 4′s with antenna problems for newer ones with corrected antennas? That’s what a few on the web are claiming. A reader of popular tech site Gizmodo wrote in to that site claiming that after he was having issues with his iPhone 4, it was exchanged for a different one with a different antenna and an improved proximity sensor.

As mentioned, the reader was suffering from the antenna issue as well as the proximity sensor issue – in addition to a few other ‘software bugs’. He took it into the Apple Store, who ran a diagnostic on it and found that iOS was corrupted on the device and some utility programs were failing (!). The Geniuses at the Genius Bar also told him that any iPhones with the proximity sensor issue were being sent back to the mothership in Cupertino for further investigation.

The new iPhone that this fellow received back, was allegedly different. He said the antenna ban was less shiny and metallic and more matte. He said the black glass looked different, around the antenna as well. In reference to the proximity sensor, he said that he could see the proximity sensor, which led him to believe it was a new model.

Overall, all of his problems are gone with the phone. Is Apple silently exchanging first-run iPhone 4′s for newer, fixed ones? It’s hard to believe that Apple would do this without making a major announcement. And further, many people are on their third, fourth iPhones and still haven’t had their units working.

Some experts in the field have suggested that a chemical treatment on the antenna’s bands may prevent the shorting issue. Is the matte antenna a sign of a new chemical treatment?

Anybody having luck with a new iPhone they received in exchange from the Genius Bar?