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Apple Antenna Engineer and Carrier Partner Expressed Early Concern Over iPhone 4 Design

I'm a huge Apple "fan", but I'm not afraid to criticise when need be.

I've said on here time and again that the Apple I got into did not evolve, it was killed by Jobs the second he took "Computer" out the company name.

Every keynote is iPhone, iOS, iPad, App Store, etc.

Apple, through Jobs, has lost sight of what made Apple, Apple.

I love my iMac, and my iPhone 4 is a brilliant bit of kit. I've gone into detail about my own antenna experiences, and it doesn't hinder me while out and about. I only suffer while at home on our notoriously bad O2 reception.

However, if Jobs allowed a product to go into mass production that he knew had a chance of affecting some users experience, then he should be held accountable.

Apple were always renowned for gorgeous products that "just work", but it seems aesthetic appeal has finally cost Apple a little piece of their reputation.
 
madmaxmedia said:
If I had to guess, I am guessing that Apple did not know the impact of the iPhone antenna design on reception. Actually that seems hard to believe as well, but...
Click to expand...


But is there anyone who doesn't agree that the initial response of telling people to just BUY a case--which isn't even a case per say, it's a BORDER--was just plain wrong?? I didn't even buy the 4G due to my same capacity 3GS having been just replaced a week before the release, but that's the part that just kills me. :eek:
 
Irrational said:
Wow a press conference.... its like a movie. :eek:

BTW... There will be NO RECALL... so don't start posting about how there will be one!!!!!!!!!!

Its a freakening signal issue that is 100% avoidable and fixable by the user. Recall is just stupid for such a non-critical issue.

Response to posts:

You can fix it by using a case or not holding it in the left corner. I am not saying the phone is not designed poorly... but seriously... its not like it doesn't work. It does.

Why will there by no recall? Its completely unnecessary. I do believe Apple should do something... but a Recall is only if the phone could harm you.

My prediction will be they announce a slightly different antenna design and offer people with the other design to trade in if they want. Worst case... they will give out free bumpers.
Click to expand...
Yeah, a company sells customers a defective product. It's the customers' responsibility to "fix it" by purchasing bumpers, being careful not to "hold it wrong", etc. :rolleyes:

Of course the customer can "fix it" by simply returning this very expensive, defective product to Apple for a full refund. Case closed.
 
betab said:
Tomorrow press conference poster... :eek:
Click to expand...

More like...

gilly-snl.jpg


"Gilly?"
"Uhuh?"
"Gillyyy?"
"Yeah."
"Gillyyyyyyyyyy?"
"What?"
"Was it you who put the naughty antenna on the iPhone 4?"
"Thorry!"
 
WeegieMac said:
I'm a huge Apple "fan", but I'm not afraid to criticise when need be.

I've said on here time and again that the Apple I got into did not evolve, it was killed by Jobs the second he took "Computer" out the company name.

Every keynote is iPhone, iOS, iPad, App Store, etc.

Apple, through Jobs, has lost sight of what made Apple, Apple.

I love my iMac, and my iPhone 4 is a brilliant bit of kit. I've gone into detail about my own antenna experiences, and it doesn't hinder me while out and about. I only suffer while at home on our notoriously bad O2 reception.

However, if Jobs allowed a product to go into mass production that he knew had a chance of affecting some users experience, then he should be held accountable.

Apple were always renowned for gorgeous products that "just work", but it seems aesthetic appeal has finally cost Apple a little piece of their reputation.
Click to expand...

This. Great post.

So many think they need to defend what they like to no end rather than hold them to account when the need dictates it, and the only reason I can think of for this behavior is so they can justify their own like to themselves or others. As though they're "wrong" for liking a product or brand that has an epic fail attached to it so thus they need to defend if as if their very life is on the line.

It actually seems to emulate a bit of the same attitude that Apple itself appears to have been operating under in recent years.

There's nothing wrong with being wrong. It happens to everyone. Accept responsibility. Be accountable, learn lessons, move forward - progress.

And it's also OK to still like a person or entity that does sometimes make mistakes or poor decisions. It's not a reflection on your own decision to like them or their products. And it's infinitely more productive to be able to admit it and discuss it.

Welcome to AppleLine, 101.5 solving your problems all through the night... ;)
 
Ricard said:
Did Apple knew?
What seems weird is Apple pushing the "bumpers" during the presentation of the iPhone 4 and after the release of the phone it is precisely the issue of the antenna what the bumper fixes... Did Apple knew about the reception issue from the beginning, but it was too late to stop shipments and refurb the units or change the design of the antenna. A recall at this point will cost Apple billions of dollars...
Click to expand...

first learn so grammar and they most likely did not know anything. Releasing a faulty product is a suicide even for Apple. The reason why Apple released a bumper is because they changed the form factor and they knew that people like to use cases with their phones. The bumper is a case but it does not cover the Apple logo which Apple really wants on display. Sure they could have released a case with an Apple logo on the back but that would raise the question of weather Apple is actually entering the case market and will put them in direct competition with companies that are actually better than them. It's simple business logic dude so stop with the conspiracy theory.

Oh and tomorrow everyone will be told that there in fact was a problem with the initial batch that has been now fixed and will be addressed in future software releases. Apple will probably swap out silently some of the faulty phones through their store network and the problem will be swept under the rug. This is not a simple feature phone and you can indeed hide quite a few of the hardware problems through software tweaks. Oh and this is hardly the first time Apple is covering up for bad hardware design so you guys should chill. The only thing is that this time the issue was made really public.
 
To all the people that complained it was just a software fix and not a real problem (Apple fanboyism at it's finest) and the 15+ "professional" threads that said it's just as software fix, YOU'RE WRONG!
 
Apple should listen to its employees and other interested parties.

If Apple did, it wouldn't be now in this PR mess.
 
skidbubble said:
Which you can then use to pay the $375 early termination fee AT&T will certainly slap you with.
Click to expand...

Not sure if this still works, but I've moved out of the country twice and I tell them that every time - I've actually gotten money back both times and was in the middle of my contract.
 
joeblowatl said:
ENG: You want the antenna on the outside of the phone?
Ive: It is the ultimate in design. So sleek. So sexy.
ENG: But you will essentially be able to ground your antenna
Ive: It is the ultimate in design. It will reinvent the phone as we know it.
ENG: This will cause reception issues.
Ive: It is the ultimate in design. Magical. Beautiful. Sexy.
ENG: This is not going to work well.
Ive: We are gonna put the goddamn antenna on the outside.
ENG: After testing it this is gonna be the suck. People are going to basically lose connection.
Ive: It's beautiful.

Jobs: **** it we will sell a case.
Click to expand...

Jobs to ENG: You're holding it wrong.
 
Yebot said:
All I know is...

I've had an iPhone 4 since June 23rd.

I can play finger twister and make some bars go away.

I've had one or two dropped calls.

The iPhone 4 is the best phone I've owned to date. Better reception, better battery, better performance.
Click to expand...

+1, except I have had zero dropped calls.
 
Arisian said:
Not sure if this still works, but I've moved out of the country twice and I tell them that every time - I've actually gotten money back both times and was in the middle of my contract.
Click to expand...

Who's the creepy guy you're using for your avatar?
 
The timing is interesting, I'm guessing this may in be due in part to the fact that the iPhone 4 is about to go on sale in many more countries on July 29.

Those countries have been hearing news about this antenna issue for weeks before they even had a chance to buy the phone, so perhaps Apple is concerned that it will affect sales more negatively than it did in the US where 1.7 million phones were sold before word got out.

As a European I'm often miffed that Americans get some (not all) movies and gadgets before we do, but maybe I should see it as a giant guinea pig farm instead. If a movie sucks I'll know from Americans ranting about it on IMDb and if a gadget has issues I'll find out in places like MR. I'm a compulsive early adopter so I save a lot of money by being forced to wait.
 
timing

Anuba said:
The timing is interesting, I'm guessing this may in be due in part to the fact that the iPhone 4 is about to go on sale in many more countries on July 29.
Click to expand...

could also be the options expiration is friday, earnings are announced NEXT WEEK, I think they want to get the street comfortable with whatever costs may be associated with a recall.

My guess is between 350-600M in 2H10, NOTHING in the grand scheme of things and we can get back to the huge growth story that apple is
 
I bought my iPhone4 with a bumper, and it works great. In the week that I've had the iPhone4, not a single dropped call, not even from places that were a problem for my 3G. Download speeds, the camera, the responsiveness, and the sound quality are all much better than my 3G as well. Cosmetically, and ergonomically, the bumper is great (although I do think the bare phone looks nicer).

Too bad that SJ didn't do the iPhone4 unveiling with a bumper, then remove it on stage to show off a thinner, cooler looking phone as an OPTION
 
Press conference

Every one should tune it.. I hear they are going to be serving apple kool aid..

Looks like apple done what every one said they would never do..
 
All I want is for Apple to admit there is an issue, as opposed to saying "it's not an issue, but here are a couple of workarounds".

I work in software support and my customer's would nail me to the wall if I told them their issue won't be fixed, but here are a couple of workarounds. Even if 1 customer has the issue, the problem gets fixed if at all possible, and we certainly don't try and throw the blame on the customer (you're using the software wrong).

I returned my phone yesterday and will hope this gets sorted out. If not, then as many of the people in the 'Apple can do no wrong' crowd have voiced, I'll look for a phone that better suits my needs (i.e. a phone I can actually use to make a phone call on at my house and hold comfortably without a case).

It's still frustrating to have people that don't experience the issue tell me that it's not a big deal or to just put a case on it. Again, that's working around an issue and if I have to do that, then I at least want Apple to admit there is a true issue.

I loved my 2G and 3G phones and I expected to be a lifer on the iphone -- so this issue is more of a disappointment to me. Doesn't Apple care that I'm having an issue? I spend a lot of money on their products, as do the many people I recommend to their brand.

I guess we'll find out tomorrow how much they care. I don't care if only 10% of customers have this issue (and I feel that is a conservative number). That should still be enough users for Apple to take notice -- If they really do care about the user experience of their products (which they tout every chance they get).
 
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