This is what lawyer ira rothken told the online service CNET over the weekend. Apple, however, spoke of a "small number of customers" who had rejected the original offer of free cell phones. With nearly $100 billion in cash reserves, the amount would not be a major problem for apple.
The issue, also known as "antennagate", dates back to the launch of the iphone 4 in the summer of 2010. Apple used an unusual design for the phone: the antennas are not hidden under a plastic cover, but instead form the device’s rough metal frame. After the phone’s release, many U.S. Customers complained of reception problems and dropped calls.
Critics argued that this was due to the contact between the hand and the antenna when making phone calls. In europe, where mobile networks are better than in the USA, there have been far fewer complaints. After several weeks of silence, apple offered customers a free phone, but denied a design defect. Also in the new iphone 4S, the metal frame contains the antennas, but they have been slightly revised.