<p><br /> Apple is to give people who bought its iPhone4 a free case to address growing complaints about reception problems that have hurt the company's shares and image.<br /> </p><p><br /> Chief Executive Steve Jobs announced the news at a rare media conference, when he admitted that Apple and the phone were "not perfect."<br /> </p><p><br /> But he defiantly asserted that smartphone reception issues were a problem shared by the entire wireless industry, including devices by Apple competitors such as Research in Motion and HTC Corp.<br /> </p><p><br /> Shares of Apple, which had fallen about 1 per cent in the morning, climbed 1.3 per cent after Jobs' comments.<br /> </p><p><br /> "This has been blown so out of proportion, it's incredible," Jobs told an auditorium at Apple's Silicon Valley headquarters.<br /> </p><p><br /> Jobs said that if iPhone4 users were still not satisfied, Apple will offer a full refund within a month.<br /> </p><p><br /> Apple has sold well over 3 million units of the iPhone 4 in the three weeks since its launch.<br /> </p>
