HTC Corp. and Samsung Electronics aren't happy with Apple's claims that the iPhone 4's reception problems are shared by other global smartphone makers, reports the "Wall Street Journal" (http://macosg.me/2/jw).

Taiwan-based HTC said Monday that reception problems aren't common on smartphones and Apple should address the problem on its own rather than blame competitors. Samsung said it "hasn't received significant customer feedbacks on any signal reduction issue for the Omnia II" smartphone that was featured in Apple's video.
Apple's arguments were also rejected by RIM and U.S.-based Motorola Inc., "which said they have deliberately avoided Apple's approach of locating antennas on a phone's edge," says the "Journal."

Meanwhile, Patrick Kerley, a crisis communication expert for Levick Strategic Communications, says that Apple should have responded faster to the uproar over the iPhone 4's reception problems, reports the "International Business Times" (http://macosg.me/2/jx). In spite of the evaluation, Kerley, whose official title is "senior digital strategist" for the Washington D.C.-based firm, gave a positive evaluation of Steve Jobs, the electronic company's CEO, for his handling of the press conference in which Apple announced that all iPhone 4 buyers will get free cases, the article adds.‚Ä®

"For the test, I'd give Apple a B+ or A-, but for the entire semester, they get just a C," Kerley says. "Apple got caught flat-footed.. By waiting as long as they did, they created a vacuum of news, and others stepped in, like 'Consumer Reports,' to fill that vacuum."

Speaking of "Consumer Reports," the product testing site/mag believes Apple's offer of free cases is "a good first step," staffers write in a blog post."However, Apple has indicated that this is not a long-term solution, it has guaranteed the offer only through September 30, and has not extended it unequivocally to customers who bought cases from third-party vendors. We look forward to a long-term fix from Apple. As things currently stand, the iPhone 4 is still not one of our Recommended models," "Consumer Reports" said.