Apple on iPhone 4 Reception: Signal Strength Display Issue Only, Software Update Coming

[ANTAWNM26]

Can't believe no one has posted this yet!



http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/02appleletter.html

PCWorld» Phones
Apple Admits iPhone 4 Reception Woes Are Hardware-Related
Apple's software update would only make iPhone 4's signal meter more accurate, but would do nothing to fix the hardware problem.
Ed Oswald, Technologizer
Jul 7, 2010 4:46 pm
EmailPrintRSS9 Comments2diggsdigg ShareThis43 Yes8 NoRecommends
It’s been like pulling teeth, and it took journalists mailing AppleCare rather than Apple’s notoriously tight-lipped and selectively-responding public relations department, but we have our answer. That iPhone 4 software update will do nothing to fix the reception problems–it is a hardware issue.

Gizmodo e-mailed AppleCare support three times this week and got the same answer every time, which means that Apple has changed their tone ever so slightly. AppleCare representatives confirmed an antenna interference issue when the phone is held near that infamous lower left-hand corner. The software update would only make iPhone 4′s signal meter more accurate, and not fix the problem.


In other words, now you’ll really get an idea of how much this issue is killing your reception.

Apple is telling its customers as it has in its most recent public statement to not hold the phone in a manner that causes the hand to touch that lower left hand corner, or purchase a $30 bumper from Apple which would solve the problem (a case from any manufacturer would, too).

Neowin’s Brad Sams has an obviously Microsoft-centric take on the issue, but its definitely true: Apple’s iPhone 4 problem is beginning to look a lot like Xbox 360′s Red Ring of Death Issue. Microsoft attempted to sweep the issue under the rug, but waseventually forced to take action just based on the sheer scope of it.

It could be argued that Apple is getting close to this point, and that’s why we’re beginning to see a change in its tone. I do agree that if customers are having enough of an issue with the phone that Apple should be providing these bumpers at no cost. It wasn’t the consumers’ fault that designers decided to make the antenna out of bare metal that surrounded the case.

Either way, it doesn’t look like this issue will be going away anytime soon. I highly doubt Apple would change the design of the phone in midstream, so we’ll probably be waiting until iPhone 5 for a true fix.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

Lol. So many laughs in here

I agree...

Perhaps it's just my sense of humor, but I must say it's like a bunch of spoiled little brats, name calling & fighting... So bloody hilarious. I've never witnessed behavior like this in _any_ other forum. Ever. These Apple people are a odd bunch.

 

[ANTAWNM26]

The guy doesn't even have an Iphone 4 and I don't need an Engineer to tell me whether this is a major issue or not -- It is a major issue for me when I can no longer make calls from my home, when holding the phone as I normally do. This involves my ring finger resting gently on the antenna separator on the bottom left of the phone.

And should I not consider it a big deal because in order to make a small device that does so much, there need to be sacrifices as the Engineer states? Unfortunately, phone reception is not one of the things I'm willing to sacrifice.

I could give a rats ass about Expert's opinions..OPINIONS=NOTHING...The fact is the antenna may out perform any past iphone antenna,but does it out perform the past iphone antenna when someone is damn holding it?

 

[psywzrd]

PCWorld» Phones
Apple Admits iPhone 4 Reception Woes Are Hardware-Related
Apple's software update would only make iPhone 4's signal meter more accurate, but would do nothing to fix the hardware problem.
Ed Oswald, Technologizer
Jul 7, 2010 4:46 pm
EmailPrintRSS9 Comments2diggsdigg ShareThis43 Yes8 NoRecommends
It’s been like pulling teeth, and it took journalists mailing AppleCare rather than Apple’s notoriously tight-lipped and selectively-responding public relations department, but we have our answer. That iPhone 4 software update will do nothing to fix the reception problems–it is a hardware issue.

Gizmodo e-mailed AppleCare support three times this week and got the same answer every time, which means that Apple has changed their tone ever so slightly. AppleCare representatives confirmed an antenna interference issue when the phone is held near that infamous lower left-hand corner. The software update would only make iPhone 4′s signal meter more accurate, and not fix the problem.


In other words, now you’ll really get an idea of how much this issue is killing your reception.

Apple is telling its customers as it has in its most recent public statement to not hold the phone in a manner that causes the hand to touch that lower left hand corner, or purchase a $30 bumper from Apple which would solve the problem (a case from any manufacturer would, too).

Neowin’s Brad Sams has an obviously Microsoft-centric take on the issue, but its definitely true: Apple’s iPhone 4 problem is beginning to look a lot like Xbox 360′s Red Ring of Death Issue. Microsoft attempted to sweep the issue under the rug, but waseventually forced to take action just based on the sheer scope of it.

It could be argued that Apple is getting close to this point, and that’s why we’re beginning to see a change in its tone. I do agree that if customers are having enough of an issue with the phone that Apple should be providing these bumpers at no cost. It wasn’t the consumers’ fault that designers decided to make the antenna out of bare metal that surrounded the case.

Either way, it doesn’t look like this issue will be going away anytime soon. I highly doubt Apple would change the design of the phone in midstream, so we’ll probably be waiting until iPhone 5 for a true fix.

Do you have a link to this article or whatever it is?

 

[psywzrd]

Forget it. Just found it:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/200660/apple_admits_iphone_4_reception_woes_are_hardwarerelated.html

And gizmodo too (whatever that's worth): http://gizmodo.com/5580587/

 

[Chimpware]

Forget it. Just found it:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/200660/apple_admits_iphone_4_reception_woes_are_hardwarerelated.html

And gizmodo too (whatever that's worth): http://gizmodo.com/5580587/

Somehow it is a reprint of this:

http://technologizer.com/2010/07/07/apple-confirms-iphone-4-reception-not-a-software-problem/

Not really journalism, just poor interpretation of facts we all already know.

 

[ANTAWNM26]

Do you have a link to this article or whatever it is?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/200660/apple_admits_iphone_4_reception_woes_are_hardwarerelated.html

 

[ANTAWNM26]

Gizmodo

People were searching the web for any hint of the up and coming iphone 4, and whenever Gizmodo gave them what they were wanting, they turned into to the bad guy..lol......They do what everyone else does try and fight to get the news first, just like your local news you watch, and any major event you get wind of....Now, sometimes their sources are wrong and with any other company,news columns etc....

 

[ahm]

Ho-ly crap. Over 2600 posts over an electronic. There's no way in hell I'm reading through every single reply, but I can only assume friends and enemies were gained and lost.

I am truly amazed. Great job!

 

[Max(IT)]

LOL that video is hillarious, what is under his hand???? Strangely he never shows the phone without his hand over it.

and your point is ???
Nothing strange here. Just someone showing you that, "death grip" or not, the iphone 4 still works, and quite well.

Why are you even in this thread? To troll? To argue that because you hold it differently, so should the world? GTFO!

And once again: show me proofs that THE WORLD hold the iphone in a different way.
I didn't change the way I'm holding it just for the iPhone 4. It's exactly the same I'm using with the iPhone 3GS and any other touchscreen smartphone/PDA since my first iPaq.

BTW I'm using the iphone mainly with a single hand, so my kind of handling is the best for typing in my opinion.

Lol. So many laughs in here

It is interesting he doesn't ever remove his hand off the phone.

and your point is ? He's showing the "death grip" behavior, what's the point in removing his hand ??? The signal could just improve.

The real point here is that we are not using your crap AT&T network, so the antenna could be (and surely IS) too much sensitive to attenuation, but in my experience and opinion it is not something worth of this hysteria

 

[Chimpware]

and your point is ???
Nothing strange here. Just someone showing you that, "death grip" or not, the iphone 4 still works, and quite well.



And once again: show me proofs that THE WORLD hold the iphone in a different way.
I didn't change the way I'm holding it just for the iPhone 4. It's exactly the same I'm using with the iPhone 3GS and any other touchscreen smartphone/PDA since my first iPaq.

BTW I'm using the iphone mainly with a single hand, so my kind of handling is the best for typing in my opinion.



and your point is ? He's showing the "death grip" behavior, what's the point in removing his hand ??? The signal could just improve.

The real point here is that we are not using your crap AT&T network, so the antenna could be (and surely IS) too much sensitive to attenuation, but in my experience and opinion it is not something worth of this hysteria

Ahhh yes and the density continues... Your head must be pure diamond at this point. I will make it simple assuming you still ride the small bus:

He obviously has something under his hand in the video, most likely clear tape covering the gap to ensure that skin contact does not cause an issue, that is why his hand never moves nor does he show the side of the phone. To prove it to myself I did the exact same thing and I can replicate this exact video with tape on the phone under my hand. If you are really interested I will post it on YouTube, but I would prefer not to, as some moron (much like you) will be posting it on these forums, and others, as proof the iPhone 4 has no issues.

The REAL point here is that no one, with the exception of the Apple Fanboys, is hysterical, and to be honest without your idiotic posts this thread would have probably been dead already, but the continued denial that the world is round is extremely annoying to those of us who know it is.

If you are so sure of yourself, search this forum for my posts offering a reward for anyone that is willing to ship their phone to a mutually agreeable testing facility and get a free thousand (or more up to 10 grand). Otherwise you can stop now as we will all know you don't have the confidence in the awesome iPhone that you continually post about.

 

[Magnets]

He obviously has something under his hand in the video, most likely clear tape covering the gap to ensure that skin contact does not cause an issue, that is why his hand never moves nor does he show the side of the phone. To prove it to myself I did the exact same thing and I can replicate this exact video with tape on the phone under my hand. If you are really interested I will post it on YouTube, but I would prefer not to, as some moron (much like you) will be posting it on these forums, and others, as proof the iPhone 4 has no issues.

Translated...

This video does not agree with my rant therefore must be fabricated.

 

[ANTAWNM26]

Iphone Problems

Press Contacts:
Natalie Harrison
Apple
harri@apple.com
(408) 862-0565


Steve Dowling
Apple
dowling@apple.com
(408) 974-1896

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/02appleletter.html

 

[MacGiver]

I am in France and ordered my IP4 today...not sure it is a smart move when I see all these issues...and assuming it is a HW issue (which seems more that plausible) it is definitely a stupid move but could not refrain myself.
The thing is that i want to see that by myself even though i trust all posters about that issue...the good thing is I have 7 days to return it and get my money back.

If it is a real HW issue, what is Apple going to do? Does anyone believe a recall is possible? I would hate buying a product with a known HW issue with no recall planned and in 4 months from now they change their manufacturing processes and fix the issue...those who bought it before the fix would be screwed as Apple would not do a recall/swap.

 

[Chimpware]

Translated...

This video does not agree with my rant therefore must be fabricated.

Did not say the video was fabricated, just pointed out it was odd that he never showed the phone, and that I could easily replicate the video with tape on the phone. Just want to make sure people understand what they are seeing when the view a one off video made in Italy.

If you are so sure I am wrong, make a video with your phone in a low to medium signal area (anything without 5 bars to start) and demonstrate clearly, showing the phone before and after, with out dropping out of frame, or cutting the video, that the phone does not have signal degradation/attenuation to the point that the data is unusable (cannot easily demonstrate calls in this fashion, so I think everyone here would accept data testing as proof).

Simple, make the video and post it and shut us all up. I have posted this many times and yet not one single video showing simply what I am asking.

 

[TroyBoy30]

Did not say the video was fabricated, just pointed out it was odd that he never showed the phone, and that I could easily replicate the video with tape on the phone. Just want to make sure people understand what they are seeing when the view a one off video made in Italy.

If you are so sure I am wrong, make a video with your phone in a low to medium signal area (anything without 5 bars to start) and demonstrate clearly, showing the phone before and after, with out dropping out of frame, or cutting the video, that the phone does not have signal degradation/attenuation to the point that the data is unusable (cannot easily demonstrate calls in this fashion, so I think everyone here would accept data testing as proof).

Simple, make the video and post it and shut us all up. I have posted this many times and yet not one single video showing simply what I am asking.

Originally Posted by Chimpware View Post
He obviously has something under his hand in the video, most likely clear tape covering the gap to ensure that skin contact does not cause an issue,

you didn't? sure looks like you did to me!

I know for a fact my phone will drop a single bar AT MOST when I am at work in a 2 bar area. Need a video to believe it? tough. If you choose not to believe me, that's your choice

 

[KnightWRX]

you didn't? sure looks like you did to me!

I know for a fact my phone will drop a single bar AT MOST when I am at work in a 2 bar area. Need a video to believe it? tough. If you choose not to believe me, that's your choice

Great, so we can discount your anecdotal account since you refuse to back it up with evidence.

Funny how all these "my phone doesn't have the issue, even in 2 bar areas" people never want to back up their claims. It's almost as if all iPhone 4s are affected and the only people not seeing the issue only hang out in strong signal areas...

 

[Max(IT)]

Ahhh yes and the density continues... Your head must be pure diamond at this point. I will make it simple assuming you still ride the small bus:

He obviously has something under his hand in the video, most likely clear tape covering the gap to ensure that skin contact does not cause an issue, that is why his hand never moves nor does he show the side of the phone. To prove it to myself I did the exact same thing and I can replicate this exact video with tape on the phone under my hand. If you are really interested I will post it on YouTube, but I would prefer not to, as some moron (much like you) will be posting it on these forums, and others, as proof the iPhone 4 has no issues.

The REAL point here is that no one, with the exception of the Apple Fanboys, is hysterical, and to be honest without your idiotic posts this thread would have probably been dead already, but the continued denial that the world is round is extremely annoying to those of us who know it is.

If you are so sure of yourself, search this forum for my posts offering a reward for anyone that is willing to ship their phone to a mutually agreeable testing facility and get a free thousand (or more up to 10 grand). Otherwise you can stop now as we will all know you don't have the confidence in the awesome iPhone that you continually post about.

Tape on the phone ? Fabricated video ?

You do have a real problem, dude, and is NOT your phone ...

I know him personally, and the video is absolutely honest.

you didn't? sure looks like you did to me!

I know for a fact my phone will drop a single bar AT MOST when I am at work in a 2 bar area. Need a video to believe it? tough. If you choose not to believe me, that's your choice

He's becoming paranoid

 

[tivoboy]

I'll take the bet that the SAR of the iPhone 4 is going to be higher than any other iPhone.. Any takers?

it appears that I was wrong.

The SAR rating on the iphone 4 is indeed higher than the 3gs, and the 2g, but not as high as the 3g. Wonder why?

comes in at 1.17, compared to 1.38 for the 38 and only .72 for the 3Gs

 

[jerry333]

I am in France and ordered my IP4 today...not sure it is a smart move when I see all these issues

Don't worry about it. There are folks who really have a problem due to where they live, the ATT switch problem, and the a few bad phones that no doubt got produced. However, most of the problems reported appear to be theoretical rather than practical. That is, you can see what people are talking about, and you can certainly make it happen if you try, but it doesn't seem to affect normal calls. So far I've put on 1801 minutes (according to ATT--easy to track because my billing cycle just happened to reset the day I got the iPhone 4) and I've yet to drop a call. Great phone.

The worst thing I can say about it so far is that the older iPhone headsets don't work well with it, so if you keep headsets in various locations (home, work, etc.) you'll have to purchase new ones. You can hear fine, but the clicker doesn't answer calls or hang up properly.

 

[rcandre2]

I've been to a couple different Apple stores over the last few days and I love it how EVERY employee I've mentioned the antenna problem to says "that's weird, mine doesn't do that." I swear, today, I almost knocked out the geek who said that to me (I'm a geek too, just a tough one ).

 

[Journojulz]

Thats business for you - more specifically that's business for you.

"No point speculating on a problem before you are ready to 'fix' it"

But i do trust them to play fair in the end. Its like the 3.1 coma issue, the genius didn't acknowledge that there was an issue - but he did swap a phone that was 4 days out of warranty without a fuss.

 

[gehrbox]

I received my bumper today. I bought it for protection while laying the phone flat.

No dropped calls previously other then in areas the 3GS would be useless as well.

Bumper install follow-up. Still no dropped calls and the area that was dead to my 3GS is still dead to the iP4.

What the heck I thought the bumper had magical powers!

 

[smoking monkey]

Can we all agree now that the bumper was indeed a deliberate apple release to counter the antenna design issue?

They knew this was going to happen. The press release about the signal bars... Obfuscation at its best!

 

[glossywhite]

Gosh!. This inane diatribe is still going?...