Apple faces backlash over latest iPhone

Consumer Reports, the non-profit magazine, on Monday published a review online that stated it had tested three iPhone 4s in controlled settings and found that touching the lower left corner “can significantly degrade” the signal, causing dropped calls.

Apple deleted references in several online discussions to the consumer group’s online posting, leading VentureBeat and investment blogs to pounce on what they described as censorship in the Apple-hosted forums.

Apple declined to comment on the forum issue; it has previously intervened to eliminate records of criticism on other topics.

The restrictions did not stop the debate – even on Apple’s pages. “If they don’t have a fix for this soon, I’m going to return mine” wrote one longtime Apple customer from Philadelphia.