Add this to the list of site’s with theories and solutions to Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna problems. Eliot Van Buskirk offers an email from a biochemist who has the answer. From Wired:
Apple’s explanation for iPhone 4 signal reception problem is inaccurate at best, and disingenuous at worst. iPhone users are in some of the hottest and most humid parts of the country this summer, and have salty, damp hands — especially at events such as baseball games, barbecues, or other outdoor activities. Having bare metal antennae purposely handled will absolutely short [circuit] the signal.
So, clean hands by Apple’s testers is the culprit for faulty testing?
This problem will be difficult to reproduce in Apple’s labs, because the engineers are required to wash their hands before touching devices, which also strips off the natural hand electrolytes that are ever-present in the field on a hot day. This would also explain why certain users experience the problem, while others — who may have washed their hands more recently — can’t seem to replicate it.
The problem is electrochemistry? Sure. Why not?