A Look Inside Apple's Wireless Testing Facilities

[NewtonsApple]

I thought the Steve's presentation was genuinely sincere.

It is just like Apple to make things right with the customer. This could not have been easy for Steve who is very proud of the company he rebuilt from scratch.

 

[Fluffy Bunny]

So wait, is the only way to get reception on an iPhone 4 is to sit in a giant blue room with some sort of foam shapes all over the walls, ceiling and floor?

 

[gruntersdad]

Whether they spend $100 million or $500 million on antenna test facilities, if they don't test their products the right way, then they will release a defective product. I bet not a single one of their anechoic chamber tests involved even a human dummy holding an iphone. They probably just tested the iPhone 4 in total isolation.

I think the second picture shows a real dummy sitting in the room holding a real phone.

 

[tatonka]

Three million users, increase in dropped calls compared to 3Gs? less than 1%

Even assuming they didn't do real world tests (and it's pretty safe to assume they did) the margin of error in a real world test would have dwarfed the findings.

That is not quite accurate .. it was around 1% point more. If the the 3GS dropped around one in a hundred calls, that would be 200% more dropped calls for the iPhone4 ...
The problem is without knowing the baseline the number seems rather low .. but we can't really tell.

T.

 

[Max(IT)]

100 million dollar room and 18 phd scientists and they still put the antenna on the outside of the phone.

and you clearly know better than them what is the best antenna position, right ?

the best testing facility is real world

and you clearly had an RF master to say that, right ?
How many years experience in RF testing, dude ?

So exactly how does a bunch of foam lined chambers cost $100 million. No wonder the Droid X is $100.00 less. And how exactly does it not make the antenna loose decibels when holding the phone with the death grip? Sounds a bit like what people are calling the Willie Wonka syndrome is actually real in this case. Cheer up Charlie, Mr. Slugworth actually works for Apple. But since you touched the fizzy lifting drink antenna, you get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir!

you clearly had no idea on how that kind of chamber works .... but you feel the urge to post that BS ....

Lol fanboys. Apple make a phone that doesn't work if you hold it in your left hand and yet Windows is brought into it .

except that iphone 4 actually works, at least as any other smartphone out there, as Apple demonstrated.
ANY antenna attenuates when covered. get over it.
It is a BEHAVIOR , not a flaw.
iphone 4 antenna attenuates more, because it is external, but it compensates with a better SNR, because it is external.

Microsoft claim to have spent $6,000,000,000 on Vista development, so by my calculations Vista is a 60 times better experience than an iPhone antenna.

and by my calculations comparing software to a phone is just ridiculous ...

 

[falconeight]

Looks a wee little more accurant than people on you tube.

 

[Veri]

and you clearly had an RF master to say that, right ?

Radio ham, mathematics graduate and experienced human here, reporting in to confirm that putting two uninsulated antennas in a position where they will routinely be not just gripped but gripped simultaneously is stupid. My extensive involvement with my senses of vision and touch confirm that Apple is pretty much alone in boldly ignoring physics by designing a radio like this.

except that iphone 4 actually works, at least as any other smartphone out there, as Apple demonstrated.

Yes. A venomous snake may also work as a rat-catcher. Its just that things go awful wrong when you try holding it.

It is a BEHAVIOR , not a flaw.

No no no. It's a feature, not a bug is the correct line if you're parodying.

 

[GS17]

Not impressed. Nobody is sitting in such a room making calls from their iPhone. I refuse to let Apple distract me by showing off images of their spiked room with a high chair. Nice try, Apple.

+1 Apple (S Jobs actually) is behaving like a 5 year old, just whining, "I have bigger and better toys than you do (Consumer Reports)"

The thing I noticed when I watched the video that I thought was kinda funny is the rubber band wrapped around the iPhone holding it out to that extended beams in the testing facility. Just saying with all the $ that went into the place they would have something other than a rubber band to hold it in place.

That's another high tech rubberized prototype!!!! It has become to be known as the Apple iPhone 4 Bumper

When they received the first batch of iPhone's 4 and found that they didn't perform well, they went into their $100 million facility for answers and found the rubber band and what do you know.... that was the answer! They wrapped it around the phone and voila it worked.

Or maybe Steve-o forgot to say at the end of his speech "And one more thing.... we tested using the upcoming iPhone 4 for Verizon so we had no idea how it was going to behave on AT&T's .... They suck!"

Or maybe is that they have many rubber dummies as clients, either they isolate the problem or the truth just bounces off them.

 

[faroZ06]

Watch the Video

100 million dollar room and 18 phd scientists and they still put the antenna on the outside of the phone.

According to Apple, the Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and HTC phones have the same problem but people don't pay as much attention.
All smartphones have a weak spot in a place you'd usually hold a phone.

In fact, the HTC Droid did the worst job dropping from 4 bars to 0 bars (iPhone 4 did 5 to 1, same with Windows).

Watch the video for all of your answers.

 

[gruntersdad]

This is how I see the whole iPhone 4 thing. The facts. Apple took a chance on a totally new design which puts the antenna on the outside. Some people have no problem with dropped calls others have more dropped calls. Apple cannot test every scenario on their new designs. If you are having more trouble then return it and wait until next version. Not sure to get it, ask around you of people that actually have an iPhone 4. Don't get rid of your current phone until you are sure you are satisfied with the iPhone 4. Or try the free case from Apple. Any time someone tries a new model of any phone there is a chance it doesn't meet their expectations. They return it then. RIM says it doesn't need a case when essentially its in a case inside the phone. The comparison should be of dropped calls between the phones on the same network in the same areas. Not the signal meter. For me the iPhone 4 has dropped 3 or so calls since launch day. But doesn't drop them where it used to with the 3Gs.

If I remember the iPhone presentation Jobs did more than" take a chance" with the antenna on the outside, Jobs bragged about it being the "latest advancement in antenna technology." Now that it has issues, whether other phones have issues or not, is why he was almost in tears yesterday, as if to say "how dare you question us or write negative things about us in blogs?" And $100,000000.00 for a testing room? They make that a day, big deal. I would also love to see the in-house memo that tells all Apple employees to only hold the phone with their fingertips while in public or be fired. Try holding your phone as steve does for any length of time and carpal tunnel will be the next news conference subject. Also does anyone know if the Bumper comes with a warranty against cracking, breaking or peeling?

 

[faroZ06]

Radio ham, mathematics graduate and experienced human here, reporting in to confirm that putting two uninsulated antennas in a position where they will routinely be not just gripped but gripped simultaneously is stupid. My extensive involvement with my senses of vision and touch confirm that Apple is pretty much alone in boldly ignoring physics by designing a radio like this.


Yes. A venomous snake may also work as a rat-catcher. Its just that things go awful wrong when you try holding it.


No no no. It's a feature, not a bug is the correct line if you're parodying.

Do you even have an iPhone 4??? Only .5% of people actually had the problem. They can fix it with a bumper case that Apple is giving out for free.

You're just a Droid fan if you still aren't happy.
Lemme tell you, the antenna problem on the Droid is worse. It drops to 0 bars when you hold it from 4 (full). Not to mention its other flaws...

 

[Treefu]

Yes. A venomous snake may also work as a rat-catcher. Its just that things go awful wrong when you try holding it.

Or everyone would love to drive an Indy 500 to work... until they got tired of ending up in the ditch because they weren't sensitive enough with the controls. At this point some have it replaced, some buy a different car and some put a bumper on their Indy.

 

[Veri]

Do you even have an iPhone 4??? Only .5% of people actually had the problem.

No. .5% of people had made the problem known in a way which Apple records as a problem with the antenna. Everyone else has known that it's a big issue and not bothered wasting their and Apple's time with an individual contact. For example, a new-iPhone-4-owning friend has been spending much of the week bitching at me about it (he is a fanboy but not an idiot, and knows when Apple has messed up). He knows there would be no point taking action until after the software update and yesterday's conference.

They can fix it with a bumper case that Apple is giving out for free.

This is like fixing the problem of a warzone by giving everyone bullet-proof vests. My problem is with Apple being the masters of "BS", to use a quoted SJ term. They are insulting everyone with more than an hour's knowledge of RF engineering.

 

[Journojulz]

I feel that 'everything is compromise' fitting situations, like when I'm hesitant between a 323i and a 318i. One is more powerful and better equipped, but the other one is better on fuel and cheaper to insure.

i went for the 318i rather than the 328i while i am saving up for another S-Type Jag.

The fuel economy is an important consideration, but not as much as "not ending up in jail / fatal fireball".

back on topic - yes style is important.

Just tried a 3g case and it's loose enough to suggest a replica 3g case would fit - but it wouln't look as cool.

 

[the-oz-man]

This might be the creepiest thing about Steve Jobs and Apple that I have ever read. I wonder if anyone peaked under the black clothes???

 

[faroZ06]

?????

No. .5% of people had made the problem known in a way which Apple records as a problem with the antenna. Everyone else has known that it's a big issue and not bothered wasting their and Apple's time with an individual contact. For example, a new-iPhone-4-owning friend has been spending much of the week bitching at me about it (he is a fanboy but not an idiot, and knows when Apple has messed up). He knows there would be no point taking action until after the software update and yesterday's conference.


This is like fixing the problem of a warzone by giving everyone bullet-proof vests. My problem is with Apple being the masters of "BS", to use a quoted SJ term. They are insulting everyone with more than an hour's knowledge of RF engineering.

Sooooo...... Why is the bumper a bad idea again?

 

[Treefu]

This is like fixing the problem of a warzone by giving everyone bullet-proof vests. My problem is with Apple being the masters of "BS", to use a quoted SJ term. They are insulting everyone with more than an hour's knowledge of RF engineering.

But Apple are the masters of RealityField engineering...

 

[rumorswtcf]

I'd still go in. I'd try to sneak an omplaloompa out!

Ha, yeah all branded in Foxconn t-shirts and shackled together

 

[Friscohoya]

$100M Lab?

Still waiting on my golden ticket…

 

[kernkraft]

i went for the 318i rather than the 328i while i am saving up for another S-Type Jag.

The fuel economy is an important consideration, but not as much as "not ending up in jail / fatal fireball".

back on topic - yes style is important.

Just tried a 3g case and it's loose enough to suggest a replica 3g case would fit - but it wouln't look as cool.

I went for the 318i three times and for the 323i once. If they had something like the 318is again, I'd stop blaming myself for giving up the six-potter. Still, a BMW six cylinder is still better on fuel than my 1983 SL280 was - 21mpg (imperial!)!

But anyway, these are decent products and they have been tested properly. In fact, that SL had over a decade in its current shape before mine was manufactured and I have to say that that was not just my only classic Mercedes but also my most reliable car ever.

Mercedes and BMW knew better than Apple Inc - testing, testing, testing and not coming up with anything radical unless you can test it properly.

(OK, the last bit doesn't apply to some corrosion protection in the last millennia, the A class and the iDrive.)

 

[baryon]

That room looks like a test chamber from Portal or something! Pretty freaking awesome! I'm sure Apple takes this stuff seriously, I never thought otherwise...

 

[Veri]

Sooooo...... Why is the bumper a bad idea again?

2/10 straw man. Everyone agrees that the bumper will reduce the problem of signal attenuation.

But not everyone wants a tacky bit of plastic round his 'phone, nor will he let a firm which comes out with tripe get away with such misdirection. It's like calling out a cult preacher: you could just ignore him but it's more beneficial to yourself and others to establish and explain why he's wrong.

 

[sigamy]

Excellent post.

1. It might look "cool" to some and might feel even cooler when Apple mention a random large amount of money, singing to the choir who are already easily wowed by shiny, but they're designing 'phones. They should have a test chamber.

It'd be like walking into a restaurant and the owner giving you a tour of the sink. Good. They have a sink. You need to use the sink as part of a hygiene routine, but you're not going to guarantee cleanliness just because everyone washes his hands. "Oh, wow, they have sinks, they couldn't have caused the food poisoning!" would be a horribly unsound argument.

2. The problem isn't that signals can be attenuated if you put your hand near/on the antenna. Anyone in the first year of any sort of analog electrical engineering study will have a grasp of that, and mobile 'phones have been designed with that problem in mind for nigh on 30 years. The problems are (a) the likelihood of proximity of hand to antenna position; (b) the amount of insulation between antenna and hand. You don't need a $100,000,000 lab to find this out, just one left handed person operating the phone on the move without a phone condom.

IOW, one day with any x-hander of Good Character[tm] who is able to sign an NDA would have been a very good investment for Apple.

3. The low return rate is misleading. In early weeks you are going to get a lower rate because you're selling more to fans than people going through their normal upgrade cycle, and fans have higher tolerance levels. What is more, Apple have been making unique promises: a software upgrade would fix the problem; a conference will be hosted to discuss other solutions; returns without restocking fee. All these are (yes, including the final one!) more likely to make people hold onto their 'phone for a while longer despite the troubles, for they are reassured that they have many alternatives.

The iPhone 4 is, by today's mobile phone standards, a fairly decent phone with an awful antenna position. Jobs could have left it at the "we're not perfect" rather than set up the hilarious site which might as well have a flashing marquee, "All surfaces are covered with millions of bacteria. Not just ours. So if we cause food poisoning, everyone does. And this irrelevant and tenuous argument is why you can't class action us."

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

If you're a large company like Apple and one day everyone on the web and in the media starts screaming about a product defect, how do you quantify whether these issues are real or not? Well, you need to determine how widespread the problem is and do some testing. You don't make assumptions based on the loudness of the media.

Apple discovered that 0.55% of buyers complained to AppleCare and that 1.7% of iP4s were actually returned. Where else should you look for data if not from your own warranty group or channel partners? People are still not satisfied with the data, but it was sufficient for Apple to determine that there is a problem affecting a minority of iP4 buyers. Apple is addressing the solution to the MINORITY of iP4 buyers by offering a free bumper, reimbursement for an already purchased bumper, an exchange, or a refund without penalty. On top of that, Apple took the time to show that other smartphones behave in very similar, if not identical, ways. I can attest to the fact that my Palm Treo would always drop a call when held in my left hand regardless of signal strength. If I held the Treo in my left hand up to my left ear, calls drop immediately. Nobody made a big stink about that, or what a crappy network Verizon had, etc.

So, what more is Apple supposed to do? If you're not happy, get a refund. If you feel "locked" into Apple's ecosystem, then keep your 3GS which is still a fantastic smartphone and be happy. It's the CONSUMER who has the choice whether or not to buy a specific product. If you must have an iPhone but can't put up with this horrible, terrible defect that is really a non-issue, then get the iPhone 3GS.

Apple happens to feel that this issue affects a tiny minority of its customers based on hard data. Those claiming otherwise, where is their data? If you feel differently, and somehow feel an entitlement to an iPhone 4 just because, then it's time to have your head examined. These are the options people - buy or don't buy. Keep it or return it. Get a bumper or not. You have choices and nobody is twisting your arm to do anything.

Apple is one of the only companies that would go to this extent to keep its customers happy. I don't see HTC, Blackberry, or Samsung offering free cases even though their phones behave in exactly the same manner as the iP4. Yet everyone is screaming at Apple.

The next outcry will come on September 30th when Apple will announce a modified version of the iP4 which doesn't have this issue. Why would Apple limit free bumpers to September 30 unless they were planning on having the issue permanently solved by then? At several points in the presentation and during the Q&A afterward, Jobs hinted that they are looking at other ways to solve this issue and they may have a permanent solution soon.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

2/10 straw man. Everyone agrees that the bumper will reduce the problem of signal attenuation.

But not everyone wants a tacky bit of plastic round his 'phone, nor will he let a firm which comes out with tripe get away with such misdirection. It's like calling out a cult preacher: you could just ignore him but it's more beneficial to yourself and others to establish and explain why he's wrong.

But the 3GS is surrounded by tacky plastic and nobody seems to mind. Based on how offended you seem to be, I suggest you take your iPhone 4 back to the store and wait for something else to come along. It's really that simple. I don't know why people are getting so emotional over this. It's almost like people feel a sense of entitlement to Apple products.

I am perfectly happy with Apple's response. In fact, I'm more thrilled than ever with Apple after the press conference. What other smartphone manufacturer has stepped up in this big way over an issue with their products? Name one and tell us what they did.