Apple boss Steve Jobs has responded to complaints about the new iPhone 4 losing its signal by telling users to ‘just avoid holding it in that way’…

In a statement, Apple said: ‘Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas.’

‘This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.’

Apple claims that using one of its ‘bumpers’ – which cost £25 each and clip over the iPhone to protect it – will stop the user’s hand interfering with the signal.