They should just do it the Verizon way...walk around the country with the phone "can you hear me now?"
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A Look Inside Apple's Wireless Testing Facilities
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They should just do it the Verizon way...walk around the country with the phone "can you hear me now?"
This is called a questionable premise. You assert that any informed Apple user in the tech world would know this is a problem and that, therefore, Apple's "stay tuned" messages mean that users wouldn't call...your whole argument relies on two assumptions. (1) the questionable premise that a large number of users are informed of the "stay tuned" message. Can you give evidence of how many users did know this message? and (2) that users wouldn't call because they'd heard this message--another questionable premise.
Funny. The message keeps going out to people that all phones can drop calls in a similar way, yet people are still arguing and complaining. The message keeps going out to return the phone if you're not happy. Yet people are still complaining. It seems to me, that you, yourself, undercut this argument--which is not based on data or evidence, just assumptions. Even if Apple says "Stay tuned" people--like you--would still seem likely to call them up and complain. There was that guy who presumably wrote e-mail after e-mail even after Jobs, HIMSELF, told him to "stay tuned." So, given the one bit of evidence (?) we have, such messages don't stop people from complaining.
And according to them it's one that the design requires in order for the phone to do all it does. And according to them, it's common to all phones--meaning that for now, that's the way it is. What they were "working on" was seeing if their problem was worse than anyone else's. They decided it wasn't--but that there was a mistake with the bars (which they admitted to) and after fixing that, that they could minimize the problem with a bumper/case. This, they argue, is all they can do until they can find a way around this problem which, according to them, no one in the smartphone world seems to have found a way around yet.
Even if they're lying, by the way, it likely will take time to reconfigure the factories to make the phone a different way. Maybe in September they'll have a fix that satisfies you. But, clearly, this is the best they can do for now. So. Once again, I want to know. What do you want them to do that would satisfy you? If you don't believe a word they're saying, if Apple has utterly failed you, and if you're miserably unsatisfied--if what you wanted was: "Bring in your phone and we will fix it so you never, ever drop a call no matter where on the planet you are," and you won't be happy till they say that....
...then why isn't returning your phone, getting a refund and buying a different phone, good enough for you?
I'm really curious to know what you're feeling. Because your arguments go round and round and always come back to "They knew there was a problem and they're not fixing it!" Which is fine. But isn't that the end of it? Apple didn't steal your lover, they didn't destroy your job or your life. They disappointed you. The phone didn't live up to your expectations, and you feel they gave you the run-around when it came to fixing it. Usually, when that happens, we say, "Well, they won't be getting any more of my business," and that's the end of it. I'm really curious to know why your disappointment is so profound that you feel the need to convince others--who aren't disappointed or unhappy--that they must join you. I mean, if you believe they're all deluded, why not just leave them to their delusion?
You invented a phone that doesn't exist. Deal with it.
What current analysis?
If you believe that, then my days of taking you seriously are nearing a close (tip: phones consist of more than the antenna. Trade-offs are not merely binary).
Whooooooooooosh!
You are either using aggregate statistics, or you are using case study....
...but still an anecdote. The correct way to address the issue is to ask if this anecdote is consistent with the statistics. And, why bless me it is! Exactly like those who report being able to make calls where previously they couldn't.
Only if you do it the right way round. The statistics infer certain things about performance for individuals. All of the anecdotes (apart from the obvious trolls) are consistent with those statistics. Yours AND those who are able to make calls that they previously could not.
And it turns out your experience isn't even related to the data set (Clue: AT&T do not provide services in the UK).
That which was nearing a close has arrived.
And yet, even with all these impressive testing rooms, with cell towers ON CAMPUS, Apple STILL does most of its Ad-hoc testing in ideal reception.
That layered with the OCD need for secrecy, all off campus real-world reception tests will be performed with a CASE on the device.
Flawed testing missing the vital test case necessary for the external antenna.
That layered with the OCD need for secrecy, all off campus real-world reception tests will be performed with a CASE on the device.
Flawed testing missing the vital test case necessary for the external antenna.
iPhone, [...], iPhone 3a, iPhone 3b, iPhone 4. Apple's iPhone naming scheme is silly, a break from their pleasant "iPod n'th generation" or "iMac late 2009". Like Microsoft, Apple cannot make up their mind whether to align the name with the version or the product experience. I was poking fun at it. Look forward to the optimised iPhone 7 in the spring
.(Also, Psion correctly went straight to 5, skipping 4. They knew the number to be unlucky!)
The one where we see Jobs mentioning a 1% change in dropped calls and consider what this actually means.
Let's try that one again. What are the advantages of juxtaposing two unshielded antennas on a handgrip? A trade-off implies that you're losing out in some way but gaining in another. I'm not asking for the advantage of an external 3G radio antenna, I'm asking for the advantage of an antenna which is:
- external;
- unshielded;
- juxtaposed with another antenna; and finally
- on the handgrip area for left-handers.
Once you've calculated summary statistics your job isn't done. You apply them to realistic scenarios to establish how your conclusions are going to affect people.
Perhaps you're still confused about what an anecdote is in the context of data gathering. An anecdote one person recounting an experience based on his individual circumstances. An anecdote is "one time in band camp". It has not been ensured that a fair test is taking place. The results have not necessarily been repeated under similar conditions. The population or a representative sample has not been analysed, so even 100 similar anecdotes ("the plural of anecdote is not...") won't necessarily confirm anything.
Meanwhile, let's repeat what I did. Unlike Jobs, I'll make up a summary statistic which we can assume true: "almost all humans are likely to have a road accident every 10,000 times they cross the road, except humans with only one eye who are likely to have twice as many such accidents". Now let's say I consider a man who crosses the street 100,000 times in his lifetime and who experiences average behaviour (people rarely do, but it's the most favourable for Apple's case which is why I chose it). Then he is likely to experience about 10 minor road accidents. A one-eyed man is likely to experience 20 such accidents. This is not an anecdote. It's merely applying the statistics to illustrate their effect in the average case.
It turns out that most of my experience using mobile 'phones is in the UK, so I thought I'd give details about the UK. Now:
- They sell iPhones here too;
- We use the same GSM tech here;
- There's no evidence AT&T have uniquely designed cell towers which modify the laws of electromagnetism;
- My call success/failure rates aren't atypical for any traveller.
FIRST: If you had bothered to look at my location, Minnesota has been part of the United States since 1858. Maybe geography and history are not your strong points.
SECOND: Just as an aside, you've still failed to justify your earlier assertion that "everyone else" has the iphone problem, but is too (stupid--lazy--petulant--disbelieving--unable to get a dial tone....whatever your alleged rationale for the alleged inaction on the part of everyone else) to contact Apple and get fall their money back or a new phone. You wanted me to provide the rationale. No, you made the assertion, you back it up.
THIRD: Now you're saying that Apple's patents are of the "on-the-internet" group of patents, whatever you think that is. That's just bizarre. This just shows that you know very little about Apple's patents, and perhaps less about the USPTO, EPO or patents and claims. Perhaps you should bookmark the Patently Apple website.
FOURTH: I'm sorry you don't understand "applied" science as it is commonly used. Maybe you're from academia; that would explain your engineering school journal comment and your desire to see published materials, or maybe even be published. Applied science means that the discoveries or inventions are not just theoretical but can be directly (or in a normal business cycle) applied to the creation of products in the real world. Warping spacetime = theoretical and of limited benefit this century. New battery design = applied and useful right now. Does that help? This is often done under restrictive confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements to enhance corporate competitive advantage or to delay or prevent others from gaining a competitive edge. That limits publishing in academic journals. When you actually have to pay for the research, or you have a commercial use for it, you don't tend to give it away so easily. Is this new to you?
I wouldn't dare assume that someone's current position reflects their cultural / political / commercial / any background.
In more than one post above I've explained why it's logical for people with the problem to not have contacted Apple before the conference. To summarise: because they knew Apple knew about it and were waiting for a fix, and AppleCare weren't likely to provide a special early fix just for them.
I couldn't have asked for better proof that Apple are a good plumbing company. And for the more computer sciency, am I supposed to take "L1 cache flush when processor is entering low power mode" as original research in the academic sense? Abstract: "The control unit is configured to flush the plurality of cache blocks from the data cache responsive to an indication that the processor is to transition to a low power state in which one or more clocks for the processor are inhibited." Sigh, next.
This one sounds better: "Variable caching policy system and method." That's vague enough to sound impressive to the layman. Hm, description of drawings: "The system 100 dynamically selects a caching policy based on the detected file system type." Okay, that's a bit more pedestrian. But Figure 2 is surely more complex than being made out from the text alone? Let's check the application. Oh dear. Is Apple insulting me?
Bla bla bla, standard cache diagrams and descriptions - hm, what's this "data threshold" - "The detection of the file system type can be based on accessing the memory for file system type indicators that are associated with a unique file system type. [...] The FAT system type can be detected if the received data is equal to or less than a received data threshold." And this is patentable? But wait, another reference to thresholds: "In some implementations, the caching policy dictates when to write data to the flash memory by use of comparison operations. A comparison operation may be made between an amount of data currently stored in the cache and a cache threshold to determine whether the threshold has been met." Madre de dios, this would have been insightful in the '50s, maybe.
These are "on the Internet" style patents - you describe one or two existing algorithms and combine them together in some trivial way, often mentioning some recently developed platform, in order to make a patent. This is a legal game, not research.
In the style of many IBM publications, for example. The internal academic research comes first, then the consideration of how to fit the pieces together, then the patents and the publications, then the physical creations. Apple doesn't research in the academic sense (with the possible exception of UI design methodology). You may define plumbing as research if you want, but I wouldn't. Apple are really really good at plumbing, of course.
So now we now what they were doing for the last 22 days. Building these totally awesome rooms....
is the iPhone organic? does it heal itself? no, fanboys, it's not really magical. that's just marketing. so until the problem is actually fixed, it will remain a problem.
The "problem" is trivial beyond reason. Yes, if you are in a place an iPhone 3GS would not work or work poorly due to low signal, you might see some issues if you do not use a case or a bumper. If you put a case or a bumper on the phone, you will get far better reception than a 3GS.
Use a bumper and get twice the reception of a 3G, don't use a bumper and get great reception 95% of the places you go, or use a different cell phone.
It's not just a bunch of foam... anyone who's spent time around recording studios know how expensive it is for the work and materials to soundproof a room, especially one that huge. Also, they mentioned that it has a copper lining to act as a faraday chamber so I'm sure that added a lot to the cost as well. That and you obviously need wiring, sensors, and other computer gear to measure your test results... it's not just a box.
Dummy
Did you even look at the pictures?
Try again. Take your time.
Note the person standing in one, and sitting in another, using the iPhone.
Inside the chamber.
You're welcome.
Did you even look at the pictures?
Try again. Take your time.
Note the person standing in one, and sitting in another, using the iPhone.
Inside the chamber.
You're welcome.
But the user IS organic
Now we know the problem has a simple workaround - we can work around it.
Apple folk are like that.
Non-Techie Response
I don't know much about technology, but here are my thoughts:
1. The comments Steve Jobs made about all cell phones having these problems seems reasonable to me. I have had a number of cell phones from different manufacturers that have lost signal strength or had the connection degraded based on how I was holding the phone. It didn't happen often and I didn't make the connection to the problem and how I was holding the phone until this issue came up. The Blackberry I have to carry for work occasionally has a reception problem where people suddenly indicate they can't here me, I subconsciously change my grip and people can here me again.
2. The reason why some people are making a big deal out of this is because Apple, through its products and its advertising, has worked very hard to create a brand identity that is based on superior design and superior performance. So yes, they are being held to a higher standard than everyone else, but it is a standard that Apple is responsible for creating and cultivating for years.
3. It is clear that Steve Jobs and Apple do not believe there is a problem, or that if there is a problem, it is a problem shared by all cell phones. But given the high standard that everyone holds Apple to, there is no way Steve Jobs could say that without being crucified. The free case is damage control to address an issue that Apple clearly believes is a perception and PR issue, not a technical fault.
4. The September 30th date and re-evaluation is based solely on public opinion because Apply does not believe there is a technical problem. If this is still an issue the end of September from a PR perspective, they will continue the offer. If things have died down, then the offer will go away.
Those are my thoughts. I know many of you feel that there truly is a technical problem with the phone that is unique to Apple. You may very well be right - I don't have a technical background but reading the various posts on this site, it sounds like there are good arguments for either position. My thoughts are purely based on my own experiences and how I think Apple perceives the situation (right or wrong).
I don't know much about technology, but here are my thoughts:
1. The comments Steve Jobs made about all cell phones having these problems seems reasonable to me. I have had a number of cell phones from different manufacturers that have lost signal strength or had the connection degraded based on how I was holding the phone. It didn't happen often and I didn't make the connection to the problem and how I was holding the phone until this issue came up. The Blackberry I have to carry for work occasionally has a reception problem where people suddenly indicate they can't here me, I subconsciously change my grip and people can here me again.
2. The reason why some people are making a big deal out of this is because Apple, through its products and its advertising, has worked very hard to create a brand identity that is based on superior design and superior performance. So yes, they are being held to a higher standard than everyone else, but it is a standard that Apple is responsible for creating and cultivating for years.
3. It is clear that Steve Jobs and Apple do not believe there is a problem, or that if there is a problem, it is a problem shared by all cell phones. But given the high standard that everyone holds Apple to, there is no way Steve Jobs could say that without being crucified. The free case is damage control to address an issue that Apple clearly believes is a perception and PR issue, not a technical fault.
4. The September 30th date and re-evaluation is based solely on public opinion because Apply does not believe there is a technical problem. If this is still an issue the end of September from a PR perspective, they will continue the offer. If things have died down, then the offer will go away.
Those are my thoughts. I know many of you feel that there truly is a technical problem with the phone that is unique to Apple. You may very well be right - I don't have a technical background but reading the various posts on this site, it sounds like there are good arguments for either position. My thoughts are purely based on my own experiences and how I think Apple perceives the situation (right or wrong).
I agree with your points. Lastly, you don't need a technical background to know if your phone is dropping calls or not. The bottom line for me is that my phone hasn't dropped a call yet, and to be fair, doubt it is dropping many calls for others either. This is just a "flaw" everyone is using to try and bring down Apple. I bet if Apple were barely moving any units this would be more of a non issue. But the idea is that they are moving tons, and someone out there is trying to prevent that. Everyone needs to give this a rest, as it is really a non issue.
I'm curious as to why the existence of this testing lab was treated as a secret. Personally, I would find it odd if anyone involved in designing and building wireless communication devices didn't have a testing facility.
Mine does...
I know this doesn't matter to some, half, most or even all of you but my phone does everything I want it to do. No complaints here. If it didn't do what I wanted it to do I would surely have brought it back the first day and allowed Apple to fix it. If the fix/replacement didn't remedy the issue, I would have brought it back for a full refund and gone back to my old phone or purchase another phone. The choices are pretty cut and dry. Keep it and deal with what you know to be an issue for you or return it and get something you'll be happier with. Not many other choices except to keep and complain about it. I don't know why people waste their time and energy complaining about an issue that is so bad that it hinders their ability to use a phone. I know I would like to have a phone that works the way I want it and if the iPhone 4 didn't do that, I would surely take it back. Nevertheless, mine works when I want it to, where I want it to and therefore I will be keeping my small piece of hardware and use all the features it was built to do. Am I flaunting? Maybe.. but since there are those of you out there that insist they can complain, I will be one of those out there that insist that I flaunt.
Nuff said?
I know this doesn't matter to some, half, most or even all of you but my phone does everything I want it to do. No complaints here. If it didn't do what I wanted it to do I would surely have brought it back the first day and allowed Apple to fix it. If the fix/replacement didn't remedy the issue, I would have brought it back for a full refund and gone back to my old phone or purchase another phone. The choices are pretty cut and dry. Keep it and deal with what you know to be an issue for you or return it and get something you'll be happier with. Not many other choices except to keep and complain about it. I don't know why people waste their time and energy complaining about an issue that is so bad that it hinders their ability to use a phone. I know I would like to have a phone that works the way I want it and if the iPhone 4 didn't do that, I would surely take it back. Nevertheless, mine works when I want it to, where I want it to and therefore I will be keeping my small piece of hardware and use all the features it was built to do. Am I flaunting? Maybe.. but since there are those of you out there that insist they can complain, I will be one of those out there that insist that I flaunt.
Nuff said?
I agree with you as well, although I think there are two groups making a big deal out of this. There are those that hate everything Apple and love to see Apple fail at anything. But I have also met a few Apple lovers that hold the company to a very high standard (one might argue unreasonably so) and will make the biggest possible issue out of the most minor of problems.
But the bottom line is Apple is giving you plenty of choices - if your phone is working fine, guess what, they'll still give you a free case. If you are having a few problems, but you think a case will solve them and you normally use a case anyway, then the free case should be fine. And if you are having a few problems and hate cases or you are having a lot of problems and don't think the case will work, then you can return the phone for a full refund.
My company requires us to carry Blackberrys, but we can buy any one we want and get reimbursed for both the device and the service. I thought I would try the Storm 2. I didn't like it. The touch screen with the click sounded cool, but after a week, it got really annoying. So I took it back and exchanged it for a Tour which is working great. That's why most cell phone companies give you a 30 day guarantee, so you can try a device out and have time to return it if you don't like it.
Regardless of whether or not you think Steve Jobs is a god or an arrogant prick, I think Apple has handled this very well - at least as well as can be expected.
Exactly.
No. Beyond the Apple haters (and why they want to waste their time on Apple boards is beyond me, but I'll grant you they do exist), and the "few Apple lovers" who are so picky they'll make the "biggest possible issue out of the most minor of problems", there is at least one more group - customers who really want this phone with the beautiful, large screen to work, but who were not lucky enough to get one of the ones that is without more than one problem.
Don't insult us by claiming these are minor problems if you haven't experienced it for yourself. Having your calls drop, your battery drain from date connectivity issues so it's dead at noon, call inference from the proximity sensor problem are not minor. There are minor issues affecting some phones as well: the white balance camera problem, a loud hissy speaker, loose home buttons.
Before anyone claims it's the customer's fault for not calling Apple, I called them more than once (not Applecare, I didn't buy Applecare, I spoke to representatives who spoke to supervisors), and went into the genius bar twice. Jobs had his speech ready with the "applecare" qualifier.
If you want to label groups, then consider these: Group 1 who got lucky and their phone has zero problems, group 2 who are too dense to test out features all their features like voice memo with and without earphones, or group 3, Apple stockholders, fanboyz, or employees, who completely deny that there is a problem.
Does group 3 ever wonder why Apple designed that strange little bumper which does nothing to protect the phone but does cover that outside antennae?
The real question is why if Apple has state-of-the-art testing facilities, did they miss this one? This used to be a smart company - how could they not know putting the antennae on the outside would be an issue? Why - as Jobs claims - did they not know about it until we the customers started beta-testing for them? Not just the big one, the connectivity issue, but also the proximity sensor, the camera white-balance, the yellow adhesive.
I have always liked Apple as a company, their products were far superior to everything else out there. But Jobs should have listened to that engineer who warned him. And he should have been straight with us. You can't have it both ways. You can't say you have the top testing facility but that you missed something so obvious. You can't design a bumper to solve it and then claim you didn't know there was any problem until we, the customers, told you.
I hope they now that the people and the press have brought this to their attention, that they do work 24/7, and through hardware and software fixes, get this one right.