by Renee Israel
Paddy Power Plc, Ireland's largest bookmaker is offering odds on the recall of the Apple iPhone 4. Following customer complaints of poor reception and a critical review by Consumer Reports, it seems more likely that Apple will recall the iPhone.
In the review from the consumer organisation, Consumer Reports, on July 12, they stated that they would not recommend the iPhone 4, due to its tendency to lose signal strength when the iPhone is held is a particular way.
If a consumer holds the phone in a way that covers the lower left part of the phone, which is where the two part of the antenna meet, calls may be dropped in areas with weak AT&T coverage.
Following the review, Paddy Power is reporting a "betting frenzy". Paddy Power stated in a press release: "If the current betting trends are to be believed, it now seems certain that a recall is in the cards."
Originally Paddy Power offered odds of 2 to 1 that the phone would be recalled, meaning that if you bet $1 on a recall and it occurred, you would be paid out $2 on top of your original bet.
The odds are now being changed to 4 to 6, meaning if you bet $1 on a recall and it occurred , you would be paid $1.66.
On July 2, Apple said that the problem was due to issues with the software that helps to display the phone's signal strength. It has promised a free fix to iPhone users, although the fix is not available yet.
In the meantime, Consumer Reports has said that it would not recommend the iPhone 4 until the problem has been corrected, despite the fact that the phone received high ratings in other areas.
