Over the next few days, some customers who purchased an iPhone 4 in 2010 will receive a check for $15 in the mail. Special thanks to Apple.
The checks are part of a class action settled by the company last year after mobile customers complained about call reception on the iPhone 4.
The problem turned out to be with the phone’s antenna reception, and quickly became an Internet obsession in 2010. At the time, Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, famously told one customer: “Just avoid holding it that way.†Before long, the problem was labeled The Death Grip and Antennagate.
Apple eventually admitted a problem with the phone’s hardware, and an Apple hardware executive left the company. Mr. Jobs apologized publicly, one of the few times he did so at Apple. “We are human and we make mistakes sometimes,†he said.
A class action accused Apple of “misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale and servicing of its iPhone 4 â€" particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception.†Apple last year agreed to a settlement of $53 million.
Apple iPhone owners took to social media Tuesday to share messages about their class action winnings.
“My iPhone 4 settlement check is here! Buying a boat and sailing the world. Thanks, lawyers! #retired†wrote Brad Kelly, an iPhone 4 owner who received his check, on Twitter.
Some people will have received larger checks in the mail, specifically the lawyers on the case. Although Apple agreed to pay $53 million to settle, $16 million went to the legal counsel for the plaintiffs.
