Apple’s IPhone 4S Gets Consumer Reports’ Recommendation After Antenna Fix

By Adam Satariano - Nov 9, 2011 4:50 AM GMT+0700

Consumer Reports is recommending the new iPhone 4S after Apple Inc. (AAPL) fixed an antenna glitch that left the magazine unwilling to endorse the previous model.

The iPhone 4S, released last month, doesn’t have the same reception problems as the iPhone 4, even though the devices have similar body designs, Consumer Reports said today on its website. The flaw had caused the iPhone 4 to drop calls when gripped a certain way. After initially playing down the issue, which became known as “Antennagate,” Apple gave out free cases and issued a software update designed to fix the glitch.

“While it closely resembles the iPhone 4 in appearance, it doesn’t suffer the reception problem we found in its predecessor in special tests in our labs,” said Mike Gikas of Consumer Reports.

The endorsement provides another boost to the iPhone 4S, which has already broken sales records for Apple and its carrier partners. The company sold more than 4 million of the devices in its debut weekend, more than twice as many as the iPhone 4 in its rollout in 2010. The iPhone is Apple’s top-selling product, accounting for 39 percent of sales last quarter.

Consumer Reports also praised the new phone’s battery, countering the complaints of some users, who say the new model’s power doesn’t last as long. Apple said earlier this month that it was working on a software update to address those concerns.

Still, the iPhone 4S isn’t better than new smartphones based on Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android operating system, the magazine said. The Galaxy S II from Samsung Electronics Co. and the Droid Bionic from Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. also earned top marks from Consumer Reports.

Apple rose $6.50 to $406.23 at the close today in U.S. trading. Shares of the Cupertino, California-based company have climbed 26 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Satariano in San Francisco at asatariano1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net