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

[br0adband]

"As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund."

^^^^^^^^^
Please do that!

Thank you!

Mark

Returning the phone is not enough.

Apple will simply sell it to someone else as a refurb and make a profit - that's make yet another level of profit - from the second selling of the same device, and some other poor schmuck (or rich one, who knows) will end up with exactly the same situation you did before returning the phone.

It's not enough.

 

[krUnIzZlE]

@krUnIzZIE - Take both your hands and make a sandwhich over the bottom half of your phone. I'm going to bet that you will see the bars drop. I'm not saying that Apple's issue isn't worse, but every phone's antenna can be interfered with by your hand, it is just a matter of amount and figuring out where your antenna is.

lol, just tried what you said. Not 1 single car dropped. but vodafone in india has the best signal in my area. so im not sure then.. but i love my nokia ATM. if apple dont get their **** straight with their antenna problems, ill just go get the N8/N9 or whatever... Im a real apple fan but this aint worth it to me...

 

[atomicbatteries]

Wow, it took them a whole week to come up with this. Interesting because many here said this would be the tactic they would take. Stunned, come on!

So, for those whose phones are exhibiting this issue you need to make a decision, soon. Either keep your phone and try the fix they have planned or return it for a full refund. There will be no service charge according to the release.
Best do it soon cause they won't release this until after the 30 days.
So you have options.

My guess is most will keep their phones and will continue to bitch about it until the next the phone comes out and then they'll go buy that and find something wrong with the newer version. It's seems pretty routine with all the products at this point, some like it and some hate it. Facts are Apple is putting out product and are selling them by the truck loads, stock is doing well and it's a sunny day in Cupertino!

The way I see it in my area, heavily populated with iPhone users ATT has always sucked, no matter what the bar formulation said or didn't say. i always experienced dropped calls with my 3G & 3GS, always! Most people I know who have had these devices in this area have the same issues. ATT as carrier is inferior to Verizon and that's why I will switch to them if and when they get this device.

On the other hand, with the new iPhone 4, I was able to replicate the issue at first, several times and consistently, but yesterday outside I tried for a long time and was unable to and was unable to again this morning at home, so honestly I do understand why this is but there you go..I have not had any dropped calls either, where i would get them all the time with the previous devices.

Maybe metabolism, hand size, heat emanating from ones hand plays some kind of role in individual issues with the device, i dont know, I'm not a scientist but its really clear this issue is not affecting everyone. Some might want to believe it is, that's just not factual. It's not, and there will be no mass returns, just not going to happen, this phone is not the Edsel, sorry, for me it's an improvement over the 3GS.

Those that are should try going and getting a replacement and seeing if that has anything to do with it.

So I'll be keeping the phone. Works for me, in fact i will get a white one as ion as I can. Those that are unhappy bite the bullet and either return it or try the solution being offered. If it doesn't work, perhaps you'll be able to raise hell and get them to take it back, but maybe not.

 

[AtlasBoy]

They are not. Show me one 3GS that will drop a call if touched with one finger.

Oh - So I guess the people that have posted on MR and other places are lying. That said, I can't show you one that has the problem as mine does not. My I4 is rock solid. I have not dropped one call.

 

[i.mac]

I don't really see how it can just be a misrepresentation of the signal strength if people are reporting dropped calls and data grinding to a halt.

Are you a scientist with expertise in rf reception?

Are you an engineer with intimate knowledge of the inwards of iPhone os?

Not worth the time answering to the likes of you...

 

[packetjunkie]

First call on iPhone 4 dropped mid-call. I've had many calls drop - including being dropped three times on a long call last night while stationary. I have to say, I never had a dropped call problem with my 3GS, now I get them more often than not on my calls. :-(

 

[iRobertM]

whining will end when dropped calls end.

Dropped calls are a fact of life, all the cell phones I have owned dropped calls at some point. The bad news now is any dropped call will automatically be "Apple's" fault. Its a shame.

 

[01grander]

So you are pissed about people defending Apple to the point of keeping a thing you do not want?
Right or wrong is (much of time) irrelevant, people should know what they want, otherwise they are abused.

What are you talking about? I'm just saying Apple doesn't seem to care and Att says they will charge a restocking fee......I don't get where you are getting that from what I said. I just don't seem to have an option in the matter if I do not pay the restocking fee which is insane.

 

[tigres]

As I understand it, 3G and 2G work on different frequencies.

My guess is that the signal loss due to skin contact affects 3G frequencies more.

C.

I have a case. Happens on a desk, untouched.

 

[zed]

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the gulf of mexico was never clean. we mistakenly showed that there was no oil. swimmers who thought the gulf was clean probably were just in an area with very weak pollution and were surprised by the sudden drop in water quality. now we will update the arial photographs to show that there was always oil. no clean up effort is necessary.

I cannot deal with these comparisons b/w the gulf oil spill and losing a few bars on your cell phone. I'm sorry, but your dropped call is not nearly as significant and an entire region losing their means to support their families.

 

[rwilliams]

Awwww, I wanted to keep my iPhone. But if I can't hold it normally, then I'll have to return it. Can't apple just confess that they screwed up and give us a hardware fix?

Hardware, as in a bumper or case? Or hardware, as in a redesign of the phone? One is a quick, easy "fix". The other will require a LOT of money, R&D, testing, etc. and would probably take as long to finish as it would to just wait for next year's iPhone refresh.

 

[alejovh1]

Nice! so, now my phone instead of showing the one bar I get when i hold it with the left hand; is going to show the more accurate "zero bars"?

 

[Mark Booth]

That's not true.

What wasn't true yesterday might very well be true now that Apple has released this statement.

Now stop being an obstructionist. The main goal is that everyone be satisfied. So, EVERYONE that isn't satisfied with their iPhone 4 should IMMEDIATELY return it for a FULL refund.

Do it for your blood pressure. Do it so you'll stop beating the dog. Do it for the sake of humanity and the sanity of the satisfied customers in the forum!

Mark

 

[donlphi]

Or maybe just buy a case. I mean, you weren't going to get a case anyway? It's a 600$ Phone. If you had no intention of buying a case for it, then that means you care more about it being a fashion accessory than it being actually useful.

Have you seen how expensive the bumpers are? I've read reports that the bumper doesn't even fix the problem.

The phone should work as advertised. I shouldn't have to hold it funny to make it work. I couldn't imagine typing like this with my wrist all curled up.

I love Apple, but this is not acceptable, not even for them.

This "fix" is not going to change anything.

 

[eye.surgeon]

Oh - So I guess the people that have posted on MR and other places are lying. That said, I can't show you one that has the problem as mine does not. My I4 is rock solid. I have not dropped one call.

All that means is you use your phone in a high signal area. EVERY iPhone4 has the same antenna design, kinda makes me laugh that you think yours is somehow different than everyone elses...you think maybe Jobs touched it on the assembly line? Every I4 shows poor data and phone performance in marginal signal areas when touched on the gap, much worse than the attenuation in the previous phones, and I had them all.

 

[Chwisch87]

interestingly enough I just did some of my own testing. in the death grip, reporting one bar, my download was 2.165 megs

Laying flat on the table, reporting 5 bars, it shows the speed at 2.415 megs.

Here is where things getting interesting. In all my tests, upload speeds while in the death grip SUCKED! in my two tests I got 44 Kbits/s and 124.

Laying flat will get upload speeds on 780, 762,

With one finger over the bottom left part separator, doesn't affect my testing, nor does holding it in your right hand.

In the death grip, it never completely lost signal. Then again I have a pretty strong signal at my apartment as you can tell with my 2.5 meg download.

Is apple BS'ing us though??

 

[p-rice]

Wow. This is pathetic. They still don't want to man up to their design flaw. Seriously what is this new FW going to do to help drop calls? Not drop bars but actual drop "calls"?

 

[Eric S.]

Who even cares about what's displayed? People are supposed to feel better because Apple blames the problem on AT&T?

 

[Carniphage]

I have a case. Happens on a desk, untouched.

Then I would definitely definitely return it.

C.

 

[Mark Booth]

First call on iPhone 4 dropped mid-call. I've had many calls drop - including being dropped three times on a long call last night while stationary. I have to say, I never had a dropped call problem with my 3GS, now I get them more often than not on my calls. :-(

Proximity sensor bug!

Mark

 

[tales123]

If you are having problems and are unsatisfied with your phone, vote with your wallet not your mouth.

I have held off buying the iphone4 until this issue is fixed, if everyone with the signal problem returned their phones then apple would have to do something about it.

So why doesn't everyone return their faulty phones?

 

[iSimx]

If they fix the problem, why would people still be unsatisfied? unless this fix is purely to cover up the problem rather than fix it.

 

[daitalianjob]

Returning the phone is not enough.

Apple will simply sell it to someone else as a refurb and make a profit - that's make yet another level of profit - from the second selling of the same device, and some other poor schmuck (or rich one, who knows) will end up with exactly the same situation you did before returning the phone.

It's not enough.

Dude nobody made you buy the phone. They're fixing it and if you aren't satisfied, return it. Get over it it's just a phone.

 

[samcraig]

I would LOVE to read (if any) a response from ATT.

Not that it will be ever released. But I imagine it would go like this

"When ATT became the official carrier of the iPhone in the United States, we tried to work with Apple to give them the very best data and logarithms to determine signal strength. They were unwilling to use our formulas in an effort to illustrate how their new phone was going to grab a much better signal than it did compared to other phones on the market. We strongly advised against this. The proceeded. ATT apologized that customers have not had the best service in many areas and we are constantly working on our network. We apologize that our customers were duped into believing our service was better than it was by Apple's deception."

 

[Evilution]

People wouldn't have to worry bout poor signal based on location if apple just went with verizon. Nobody would have noticed their flaw.