Consumer Reports said its tests show a hardwaredefect causes the iPhone 4 to lose reception when held a certain way, challenging Apple Inc.'s claims that the problem is rooted in software that can be easily fixed.
消费者报告》杂志说其测试显示，硬件缺陷导致用户以某种特定方式握住iPhone 4时会导致信号接收强度受损。这一结论挑战苹果公司（Apple Inc.）的声明。苹果公司说，这一问题源自于软件，可轻易修复。
The product-quality watchdog said Monday it can't recommend the newest iPhone despiteotherwise high marks, dinging a company that for many shoppers can do no wrong. It was the first time Consumer Reports has failed to give the thumbs up for an Apple phone.
周一，这家产品质量监督机构说尽管最新款iPhone在其它方面均得了高分，但它不能向消费者推荐这款产品。对许多消费者而言，苹果无论干什么都不会错，因此这一结果为苹果公司敲响了警钟。这是《消费者报告》第一次未对苹果手机竖起大拇指。
Apple redesigned the iPhone for this release, putting the antenna on the outside in a metal band running around the frame. But the unusual design puts the antenna in closer contact with hands and fingers, which antenna experts said makes it susceptible to signal problems.
苹果公司的新款iPhone经过了重新设计，把手机天线置于手机外壳的金属环上。但这种不同以往的设计让天线与人手和手指的接触更密切，天线专家说，这使手机更易受到信号问题的影响。
Consumer Reports said it had tested other smartphones in its labs, including the previous iPhone 3GS model as well as the Palm Pre, and found none showed the same loss of signal as the iPhone 4.
《消费者报告》说，他们还在实验室内对之前的iPhone 3GS及Palm Pre等其它智能手机进行了测试，但均未出现与iPhone 4相同的信号损失问题。
'Our findings call into question the recent claim by Apple that the iPhone 4's signal-strength issues were largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software,' Consumer Reports wrote in a blog post.
《消费者报告》在博客文章中说，近期，苹果声称iPhone 4的信号强度问题主要是由存在缺陷的软件造成的视觉上的错觉。但我们的发现对此表示质疑。
Apple didn't respond to requests for comment.
苹果公司未回复评论要求。
When early iPhone 4 buyers complained of signal issues, the company said reception will suffer when almost any cellphone is gripped in certain ways.
早期的iPhone 4用户报怨信号问题时，苹果公司说几乎所有手机的信号接收质量都会受到某些特定握机方式的影响。
In an open letter to customers July 2, Apple said after an investigation into the reception issue, it had discovered a software problem that inflated readings of signal strength and promised to deliver a software fix.
苹果公司在7月2日致顾客的公开信中说，在对信号接收问题进行了调查之后发现，一个软件问题夸大了信号的显示强度，并承诺发布一个软件补丁。
'We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same -- the iPhone 4's wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped,' Apple said at the time.
苹果公司当时说，我们回到实验室对方方面面进行了重新测试，结果均一样，iPhone 4的无线功能是我们所有产品中最棒的。
Consumer Reports took some of the heat away from AT&T Inc.'s network, which has been criticized for dropped calls and not being able to adequately handle the load of data-guzzling iPhones.
《消费者报告》减轻了美国电话电报公司(AT&T Inc.)的部分压力。该报告曾批评AT&T的网络造成电话掉线，且无法充分满足iPhone的超大数据负荷。
'The tests also indicate that AT&T's network might not be the primarysuspect in the iPhone 4's much-reported signal woes,' the publication said.
《消费者报告》说，测试显示AT&T的网络可能不是造成iPhone 4的大量信号问题的主要原因。
AT&T declined to comment.
AT&T拒绝置评。
Negative reviews from Consumer Reports have forced companies to alter their products, but analysts said the signal problem hasn't thus far slowed demand for the iPhone 4.
以往，《消费者报告》的负面评价曾迫使各公司修改相关产品，但分析师说，迄今为止，信号问题并未减少市场对iPhone 4的需求。
The device has been in short supply since it went on sale June 24.
自6月24日上市以来，iPhone 4一直供不应求。
Antenna experts said the issue of declining signal strength due to hands covering the antenna in mobile devices is not uncommon, but Apple's design was risky because it makes the device more susceptible to the problem.
天线专家说，由手覆盖移动设备天线造成的信号强度下降问题是一个很常见的现象，但苹果的设计有风险，因为这种设计使手机更易受此类问题的影响。
'It's unusual, particularly because it's Apple,' said Martin Griss, director of Carnegie Mellon University's CyLab research center. 'People expect more of them.'
卡耐基-梅隆大学(Carnegie Mellon University) CyLab研究中心主任格里斯(Martin Griss)说，这很不寻常，特别是因为它是苹果公司，人们对它的期望更高。
Yukari Iwatani Kane / Niraj Sheth
- recommend [,rekə´mend]
vt.推荐；使受欢迎 (初中英语单词) - despite [di´spait] prep.尽管 (初中英语单词)
- otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)
- release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl] a.不平常的；异常的 (初中英语单词)
- contact [´kɔntækt] n.接触；联系 v.联络 (初中英语单词)
- previous [´pri:viəs] a.先，前，以前的 (初中英语单词)
- respond [ri´spɔnd] v.回答；响应；有反应 (初中英语单词)
- investigation [in,vesti´geiʃən] n.调查(研究) (初中英语单词)
- performance [pə´fɔ:məns] n.履行；行为；工作 (初中英语单词)
- primary [´praiməri] a.主要的 n.居首位的 (初中英语单词)
- suspect [´sʌspekt, sə´spekt] v.怀疑；觉得 n.嫌疑犯 (初中英语单词)
- device [di´vais] n.装置；器具；策略 (初中英语单词)
- director [di´rektə] n.指导者；....长；导演 (初中英语单词)
- research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)
- consumer [kən´sju:mə] n.消费者；用户 (高中英语单词)
- defect [di´fekt, ´di:fekt] n.缺点，不足 (高中英语单词)
- reception [ri´sepʃən] n.接待；欢迎；招待会 (高中英语单词)
- illusion [i´lu:ʒən] n.幻觉；幻影；错觉 (高中英语单词)
- publication [,pʌbli´keiʃən] n.发表；公布；发行 (高中英语单词)
- hardware [´hɑ:dweə] n.五金器皿 (英语四级单词)
- network [´netwə:k] n.网状物 vt.联播 (英语四级单词)
- uncommon [ʌn´kɔmən] a.非常的，非凡的，罕见的 (英语四级单词)
- antenna [æn´tenə] n.触角；天线 (英语六级单词)
- susceptible [sə´septəbəl] a.敏感的；易受影响的 (英语六级单词)
- faulty [´fɔ:lti] a.有毛病的；有故障的 (英语六级单词)
- adequately [´ædikwitli] ad.足够地；适当地 (英语六级单词)
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