Next iPhone 4 Problem: The Proximity Sensor?

Ever since the iPhone 4 launched in an orgiastic explosion of fanboy love and press insanity, we’ve been hearing things about ‘the antenna problem’ – an issue in which holding the phone in a particular way may or may not cause the phone’s signal to drop, and may or not be the reason for a kitten being mistreated on the other side of the world.

Less reported, however, is an issue with the phone’s proximity sensor, which detects when you hold that beautiful glass display up to your sweaty, greasy ear so that it can shut it off, thereby preventing your ear from doing things your finger would never dream of.

But for many iPhone 4 owners, it seems to be not be working the way it should, refusing to shut the screen down when it is held against the face, causing hang-ups, random dialing and, at least once, twittering about the fact that you weren’t actually “working late” like you said you were.

Like the antenna issue, no-one is very clear on whether the issue is a hardware one or a software one. Some suggest a clean install may help, but many users claim to have the same problems exist even after a fresh restore.

What is clear, however, is that despite the iPhone 4’s unprecedented success, the launch is definitely not going as smoothly as its 3GS predecessor. As per usual, there is no word from Apple on issue – or even a cryptic email from St. Jobs.