OK, like many others here I can systematically re-create the iPhone 4 dropped call "death grip" issue. Woo - free bumper, $170 gift card and pony for me right? Eh, no.
"...but, it's a design flaw in the external antenna in the iPhone 4, right?"
No! It's a flaw in iOS 4.0 (yes, read carefully, "point" (.) - "oh" (0) ).
"You're full of it, are you an engineer? Didn't think so!", "YouTube or it didn't happen!"...
Nope, I'm not an engineer, nor do I have the ability to show the interweb my very unscientific, yet I believe, well founded theories. I bet a nickel that this is a software issue in iOS4, not a flaw with the iPhone 4 hardware. Why? Because I live in an area where I'm about equal distance (as the crow flies) between 3 AT&T towers and have lived here since long before we even knew that the iPhone existed as a twinkle in Steve's eye. For a visual reference, draw a simple triangle and then place a dot in the middle. That's how I'm situated for this story - roughly 2 miles from each tower. How handy, huh? Possibly, read on if you'd like.
Since the day I moved into my house I've had multiple AT&T phones, from Motorola to Apple, and even some Blackberry hardware in between. Once a "long, long time ago" Apple released the iPhone 3G on July 11, 2008. Amazingly enough there was outrage by those early adopters about dropping calls and unreliable 3G service! On August 18, 2008 (38 days later) Apple release iOS 2.0.2 which pretty well cured this issue. I was one of the ones affected by dropped calls, no signal, etc. during those days (well, most of them - I didn't get my 3G until August 2nd). Before I had the iPhone 3G I was perfectly content and happy with the performance of my original iPhone since June 29, 2007. EDGE may have been slow, but dang it was reliable!
Why did you waste everyone's time by starting ANOTHER thread like this at Macrumors?
I've been reading as much as possible, more so this evening after being able to reproduce the "issue". One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the similarity to the "3G 2.0" radio "hardware defect". The trouble between July - August 2008 ultimately lied in iOS 2.0 (again, read carefully: point" (.) - "oh" (0) ) and it's ability to properly hand off calls between 3G and EDGE (remember that?!?), not an inherent "fatal flaw" in the 3G design, be it radio or antenna as suspected. What I experienced tonight is exactly what I would experience back in 2008 - depending on where I stood in my house, or what direction I faced I could drop calls. Why? Because I'm "tower hopping" for lack of better description. It's the nature of the landscape between AT&T tower placement & my home.
"WTH does this have to do with the iPhone 4 "death grip"?"
From the same exact location where my 3G "tower hopping" issues first appeared in August 2008, I can again replicate them in June of 2010 with different hardware. The key piece here is where Apple has stated iOS 4.0 uses a new algorithm in determining it's opinion of what tower is best for call quality instead of using the iOS 1,2,3.x version. Yes, I can make the phone drop calls with the magic "bridging the antennas" trick like anyone else, but if I avoid that spot the iPhone 4 is clearly superior when not bridging the lower left corner, to that of the 3G from 2008 that now again started dropping calls with iOS 4.0.
The 3G always had issues in my home. Yes 2.0.2 made things better, but never perfect. 3.x helped and 3.1.3 was by far the best experience (I still had to avoid parts of the house, namely where my home office is), but when I installed 4.0 on the 3G (last Monday) it was 2008 all over again. The only difference between the 3G and 4 hardware is that there's no "magic spot" to to touch and drop a call on my 3G - it decides when it wants to drop calls all by itself. Personally, it's easier for me to be able to predict when a call will drop instead of finding out after it's too late.
"OK fine, whatever you say - why software, not hardware?"
Between a combination of a bunch of speed tests measuring download / upload speeds, intentionally trying to drop calls, being able to successfully complete 30+ minute calls and remembering the past iOS .0 issues it hit me. Depending on which direction I face (Which tower has least resistance between the phone and my body? Which tower does iOS 4.0 think has the best quality?) I could replicate signal degradation on the 3G and iPhone 4 side by side - except for one thing: fully dropped signal resulting in dropped calls. This is the first iOS release for the iPhone 4 hardware, much like iOS 2.0 was the first software release for iPhone 3G. Odds are the programming for how iOS 4.0 interprets various signals from the 3G antenna in combination with the "new algorithm" to determine which signal is "best" is causing calls to get dropped artificially. The radio has the power and ability to do this - Apple just needs to find the bugs in iOS 4.0 to get it to play fair based on what the hardware does be it correct / incorrect / green / blue and/or within FCC regulations.
My guess is we will see the 4.0.1 update to address this issue next week (as has been hinted about), possibly on Monday if we're lucky! 6 days is one heck of a lot better than 38 the last time around we had the issue. Of course it shouldn't have happened at all, but demanding a replacement handset and/or "pain and suffering" compensation for an avoidable issue is just regrettable. On the other hand I won't argue if they do provide some sort of benefit as I will likely accept it - after all I was one of those who got the original "$100 Apple Store Gift Cards" for being a launch day customer. It comes with the territory, always has and will continue to do so. Such as life - so many choices to make!
Personally, I love the new hardware and believe the "iFail 4" is a result of now millions of people wanting what few did so just a few years ago, as well as the influence of social media in those same two years.
Best of luck to all!
"...but, it's a design flaw in the external antenna in the iPhone 4, right?"
No! It's a flaw in iOS 4.0 (yes, read carefully, "point" (.) - "oh" (0) ).
"You're full of it, are you an engineer? Didn't think so!", "YouTube or it didn't happen!"...
Nope, I'm not an engineer, nor do I have the ability to show the interweb my very unscientific, yet I believe, well founded theories. I bet a nickel that this is a software issue in iOS4, not a flaw with the iPhone 4 hardware. Why? Because I live in an area where I'm about equal distance (as the crow flies) between 3 AT&T towers and have lived here since long before we even knew that the iPhone existed as a twinkle in Steve's eye. For a visual reference, draw a simple triangle and then place a dot in the middle. That's how I'm situated for this story - roughly 2 miles from each tower. How handy, huh? Possibly, read on if you'd like.
Since the day I moved into my house I've had multiple AT&T phones, from Motorola to Apple, and even some Blackberry hardware in between. Once a "long, long time ago" Apple released the iPhone 3G on July 11, 2008. Amazingly enough there was outrage by those early adopters about dropping calls and unreliable 3G service! On August 18, 2008 (38 days later) Apple release iOS 2.0.2 which pretty well cured this issue. I was one of the ones affected by dropped calls, no signal, etc. during those days (well, most of them - I didn't get my 3G until August 2nd). Before I had the iPhone 3G I was perfectly content and happy with the performance of my original iPhone since June 29, 2007. EDGE may have been slow, but dang it was reliable!
Why did you waste everyone's time by starting ANOTHER thread like this at Macrumors?
I've been reading as much as possible, more so this evening after being able to reproduce the "issue". One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the similarity to the "3G 2.0" radio "hardware defect". The trouble between July - August 2008 ultimately lied in iOS 2.0 (again, read carefully: point" (.) - "oh" (0) ) and it's ability to properly hand off calls between 3G and EDGE (remember that?!?), not an inherent "fatal flaw" in the 3G design, be it radio or antenna as suspected. What I experienced tonight is exactly what I would experience back in 2008 - depending on where I stood in my house, or what direction I faced I could drop calls. Why? Because I'm "tower hopping" for lack of better description. It's the nature of the landscape between AT&T tower placement & my home.
"WTH does this have to do with the iPhone 4 "death grip"?"
From the same exact location where my 3G "tower hopping" issues first appeared in August 2008, I can again replicate them in June of 2010 with different hardware. The key piece here is where Apple has stated iOS 4.0 uses a new algorithm in determining it's opinion of what tower is best for call quality instead of using the iOS 1,2,3.x version. Yes, I can make the phone drop calls with the magic "bridging the antennas" trick like anyone else, but if I avoid that spot the iPhone 4 is clearly superior when not bridging the lower left corner, to that of the 3G from 2008 that now again started dropping calls with iOS 4.0.
The 3G always had issues in my home. Yes 2.0.2 made things better, but never perfect. 3.x helped and 3.1.3 was by far the best experience (I still had to avoid parts of the house, namely where my home office is), but when I installed 4.0 on the 3G (last Monday) it was 2008 all over again. The only difference between the 3G and 4 hardware is that there's no "magic spot" to to touch and drop a call on my 3G - it decides when it wants to drop calls all by itself. Personally, it's easier for me to be able to predict when a call will drop instead of finding out after it's too late.
"OK fine, whatever you say - why software, not hardware?"
Between a combination of a bunch of speed tests measuring download / upload speeds, intentionally trying to drop calls, being able to successfully complete 30+ minute calls and remembering the past iOS .0 issues it hit me. Depending on which direction I face (Which tower has least resistance between the phone and my body? Which tower does iOS 4.0 think has the best quality?) I could replicate signal degradation on the 3G and iPhone 4 side by side - except for one thing: fully dropped signal resulting in dropped calls. This is the first iOS release for the iPhone 4 hardware, much like iOS 2.0 was the first software release for iPhone 3G. Odds are the programming for how iOS 4.0 interprets various signals from the 3G antenna in combination with the "new algorithm" to determine which signal is "best" is causing calls to get dropped artificially. The radio has the power and ability to do this - Apple just needs to find the bugs in iOS 4.0 to get it to play fair based on what the hardware does be it correct / incorrect / green / blue and/or within FCC regulations.
My guess is we will see the 4.0.1 update to address this issue next week (as has been hinted about), possibly on Monday if we're lucky! 6 days is one heck of a lot better than 38 the last time around we had the issue. Of course it shouldn't have happened at all, but demanding a replacement handset and/or "pain and suffering" compensation for an avoidable issue is just regrettable. On the other hand I won't argue if they do provide some sort of benefit as I will likely accept it - after all I was one of those who got the original "$100 Apple Store Gift Cards" for being a launch day customer. It comes with the territory, always has and will continue to do so. Such as life - so many choices to make!
Personally, I love the new hardware and believe the "iFail 4" is a result of now millions of people wanting what few did so just a few years ago, as well as the influence of social media in those same two years.
Best of luck to all!
