The iPhone 4 launched around the globe yesterday to hordes of stampeding crowds – and sent the technogeeks into a blogging frenzy.

Design flaws in the slick new smart phone did not deter thousands of excited fans from lining up at Apple stores in the US, Japan and Europe, some lining up as early as 2.30 am. But influential technology blogs, Techcrunch and Gizmodo, were quick to reveal the iPhone’s faults.

One problem, screen discolouration (specifically, the appearance of yellow banding and patchy areas on the display), is apparently due to “still-wet glue” used to bond the layers of glass. Gizmodo readers have commented on the site, posting examples of this, but according to the manufacturer of the glue, the discolouration will clear up after a few days.

Other problems include the shattering screen (a common occurrence when the iPhone was first released) and the camera causing the phone to crash – maybe they’re not major issues, but surely the cause of much frustration.

Of course, the iPhone 4 has some pretty slick features, too, like FaceTime for video calling and a super fast processing speed, particularly cool if you’re a gamehead. The beautiful high-res screen, longer battery life, multitasking capabilities – it seems many creases of the old models have been ironed out.

One of the most-talked about issues is related to the antenna which, unlike most phones these days, is external and in two parts. Supposedly if the phone is held in a certain way, the antenna’s two bits become bridged, causing the reception to drop out. One user actually emailed Steve Jobs himself  to explain the mystery of the holding position in relation to the drop-outs. And in typical Jobs style, he replied “Just avoid holding the phone like that.” Uh, o-kay.

But is the antenna problem big enough to dissuade people from buying the new iPhone? Software glitches are easy enough to fix, but if it’s a serious physical design flaw, can it be fixed? What are your thoughts?

Image Copyright Apple Inc