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Apple on iPhone 4 Reception: Signal Strength Display Issue Only, Software Update Coming
- Thread starter fruitbat04
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But not being able to load your web page when you have 0 bars is not unexpected. The reason Apple got into trouble is that people think they have 5 bars, but when they touch the phone, they can't load a web page (and the bars drops to 0).
Apple's point is that if the phone had been displaying 0 bars all along, you wouldn't be surprised. (Of course, you'd still be right to be annoyed that you are getting 0 bars, but then you'd blame AT&T instead. Unless you have another phone to compare to, in which case you realize that whether i4 gets the best reception of any iphone or not, it still gets crappy reception compared to many cheaper phones, particularly when it is held in your hand).
Complete bs. How can I get one bar when my 3GS and my parents phones get5? Looks like apple again is passing the blame.
Wait till you absolutely need to get or place a call... in an area where the coverage only gives you -113 dBm.
Worth it to me? Absolutely.
There is no practical 'hold different' for the left hand and if it needed a case to function it would have one.
And yes, if they had put the camera in the middle of the back that too would be a design defect just like putting the antenna in a place that is completely impractical not to touch.
I don't have the problem with my IP4. Not because it isn't susceptible to it, just because I don't hold the phone that way. I'm not saying I hold it the "right" way, only that the way I hold it doesn't trigger the problem. That being the case, I have no intention of returning the phone to "keep Apple honest" or to teach them a lesson or because you don't like your phone.
If the IP4 design caused the problems for me that it causing for some, I'd return it. It doesn't, so I wont.
It's not a trade off for everyone, because a lot of people have no problems with the damn phone. MOst of the time my 3GS shows crappy 2 bars and i don't care because i have zero dropped calls and my HSDPA speed is about 3 Mbps.
I just want to know one thing. Where the hell are the moderators? Did they all just say eff it and take vacation after this sh*tstorm started on MacRumors?
An intelligent user wouldn't accept a phone you can't hold normally without having a big penalty in the first place... 24db is alot, 16 times worse than a nexus one.
beside you analogy is wrong. It should be "I can't take photos when touching the left side"
I don't like this news. What happens when the "fix" comes in and my data still dies when I hold it with the grip?
See this is the kind of post that the so-called "fanboys" are annoyed by and then tell people to simply return the iPhone. You're not even willing to entertain the idea that the fix might work. Apple is not in the business to post a fix for a major issue without making sure the fix actually does anything. Please, do yourself a favor and give Apple a chance. You're already on the "What if" train before it even takes off.
Lol. I love this post.
"I don't have the problem because I don't acknowledge it, I just go around it".
Hardware Construction Issue
I still don't understand how others don't think this is a hardware issue. If you "Physically" touch an area of the phone, and the signal decreases to "Searching" and the call is dropped, then commons sense would tell you that it is a physical hardware issue. Apple HAS admitted this already by Steve Jobs stating "Don't touch it there". It's even the joke on the late night shows that commons sense tells everyone, "It's the outside material of the phone that is the problem". Oh, well. Some people are raised to have no common sense, it's like a plague on our country right now.
I still don't understand how others don't think this is a hardware issue. If you "Physically" touch an area of the phone, and the signal decreases to "Searching" and the call is dropped, then commons sense would tell you that it is a physical hardware issue. Apple HAS admitted this already by Steve Jobs stating "Don't touch it there". It's even the joke on the late night shows that commons sense tells everyone, "It's the outside material of the phone that is the problem". Oh, well. Some people are raised to have no common sense, it's like a plague on our country right now.
Lol. I love this post.
"I don't have the problem because I don't acknowledge it, I just go around it".
Nothing wrong with his response. He's saying it doesn't bother him, not that doesn't exist or that you should hold your phone differently.
I would say if you don't fully understand what this change is going to do just return the phone now. It is not going to make you have less dropped calls than you do now or anything of the sort. So if that is what you are expecting it is not going to happen. It is simply going to provide you information about your signal in a way to better explain to you when you do have difficulty making calls or sending and receiving data. Where and when you have those problems is not going to change from where they are today.
So if you are unhappy with your ability to actually use the phone and are not just one of those people who like to irrationally touch your phone in a specific place to make it not work, then this will do nothing for you, and you should just return it now.
Please re-read Apple's letter again, and feel free to ask questions. Suffice it to say if you are expecting some actual change in how your phone works in terms of handling dropped calls and such, it will not.
Well they never said a software fix was going to resolve this. They specifically say you can hold any cell phone and cause the signal to degrade significantly enough to case bars to drop. They say that right there in the second paragraph of their message.
So if you are thinking somehow this is going to change that, go back and read the letter. That is not what they said at all. They simply said they are going to try and provide a more accurate representation of real signal strength. So you will see yourself having 2 bars and when you hold it in a way that degrades the signal it will drop to zero bars, and be none functioning.
Nothing about this change will change the fact that if you specifically touch that part of a phone in an area with a low signal you might drop calls or lose data connection.
People don't seem to understand. This is not an apology from Apple. It is an explanation. They are going to provide a new set of bars to help more accurately, in their opinion, depict the kind of reception people using iPhones get. They are not saying in any way shape or form that people who are touching the corner of the phone and not able to send data or are dropping calls will all of a sudden be able to do those things when touching the corner in those locations. That is not going to happen, and nothing in Apple's letter says that is going to happen.
So without artificially jacking up your phone by holding it to inflict signal block on it, or withholding a case from it when you normally would use one, if you are having serious problems with your phone and your dropped calls you should return it. Nothing about any of this will change that for you.
If you are not using a case but normally would, I suggest you put that case on, and if you are constantly touching the corner of the phone like some sort of open wound, I suggest you stop that as well. Those things combined with these new bars, will potentially provide you with a better overall experience.
Lol. I love this post.
"I don't have the problem because I don't acknowledge it, I just go around it".
1) I did acknowledge it.
2) I don't go around it; my normal way of holding the phone doesn't trigger the problem.
What's so hard to understand?
Apple haters do the same thing
I find your lack of faith disturbing. Lord Vader, have you joined the loony side of the Force?
So much hate on this board -- It's the holiday weekend folks (for us in the States), so let's not lose sight of that.
- I'm happy Apple finally gave a response and noted that a full refund is an available option. Had they not stated that I would have been very upset because it's quite obvious Apple is pretending this is not a design issue, and that's like a punch to the gut for me and others who know this issue is very real.
- For the rude people out there, just because you are not having the issue, doesn't mean the ones that are have defective hardware. It is extremely clear that this issue is only seen in specific areas (where cellular coverage is not great), and I feel if any one brought their iPhone to my house, they would see this issue. And anyone that travels will inevitably see this issue occur - it's just a matter of time.
- All I have to do is barely touch the black line on my phone and my data drops to 0 - I have done tons of tests at my house with this and it is reproducible 100% of the time. I drive 2 1/2 miles to my work, and this issue is not reproducible. I still see a drop in signal and download/upload rate, but it still works so I can deal with that.
- I sold my iphone 3G to my friend and he was over yesterday and confirmed that he had no data issues, even if he gorilla palmed the phone. I already knew this because I used my 3G at my house without any issues for over a year.
It is unfortunate, but I understand from Apples perspective that if the issue only impacts certain areas, it's necessary for them to pretend it's not an issue as a recall or providing free cases or any other type of solution that would make the customer happy, would make their shareholders very upset.
I think we all got a little too comfortable with Apple over the years making great products that had fantastic R&D so major issues have always been avoided.
Now, they have a pretty significant issue (even if it only affects 10% of their customers' that's still big), and we're seeing that Apple is just like any other big company and their customers don't always come first -- Money and "appeasing" shareholders is their #1 concern/responsibility.
I just hope Steve doesn't continue to act like he's our friend and cares about our experience -- He cares about making money, and that's it.
- I'm happy Apple finally gave a response and noted that a full refund is an available option. Had they not stated that I would have been very upset because it's quite obvious Apple is pretending this is not a design issue, and that's like a punch to the gut for me and others who know this issue is very real.
- For the rude people out there, just because you are not having the issue, doesn't mean the ones that are have defective hardware. It is extremely clear that this issue is only seen in specific areas (where cellular coverage is not great), and I feel if any one brought their iPhone to my house, they would see this issue. And anyone that travels will inevitably see this issue occur - it's just a matter of time.
- All I have to do is barely touch the black line on my phone and my data drops to 0 - I have done tons of tests at my house with this and it is reproducible 100% of the time. I drive 2 1/2 miles to my work, and this issue is not reproducible. I still see a drop in signal and download/upload rate, but it still works so I can deal with that.
- I sold my iphone 3G to my friend and he was over yesterday and confirmed that he had no data issues, even if he gorilla palmed the phone. I already knew this because I used my 3G at my house without any issues for over a year.
It is unfortunate, but I understand from Apples perspective that if the issue only impacts certain areas, it's necessary for them to pretend it's not an issue as a recall or providing free cases or any other type of solution that would make the customer happy, would make their shareholders very upset.
I think we all got a little too comfortable with Apple over the years making great products that had fantastic R&D so major issues have always been avoided.
Now, they have a pretty significant issue (even if it only affects 10% of their customers' that's still big), and we're seeing that Apple is just like any other big company and their customers don't always come first -- Money and "appeasing" shareholders is their #1 concern/responsibility.
I just hope Steve doesn't continue to act like he's our friend and cares about our experience -- He cares about making money, and that's it.
Except a cosmetic change wouldn't affect AT&T's network at all. If your _____ phone works/worked fine on AT&T and your iPhone 4 doesn't, it's not too hard to point the blame. Apple's "fix" will do nothing but push more people towards blaming AT&T for their own mistake.
Lol. I love this post.
"I don't have the problem because I don't acknowledge it, I just go around it".
I acknowledge that I can't take photos with my hand, OR EVEN A SINGLE FINGER, near the upper left back of my iPhone (landscape). But I'll just go around that, BY MOVING MY #^&%$ FINGER!"
Posts like this drive me crazy. You're drawing a conclusion based on partial data. That doesn't mean you're wrong but neither can you say you are absolutely correct.
None of the so called 'tests' done so far are anywhere near conclusive. There simply has not been time to design and execute a full engineering study of this issue.
Sure, it appears that some users are experiencing signal attenuation by contacting the antenna with their skin and this is a 'hardware' issue. That in no way precludes the possibility of software fix. The way in which the baseband code deals with this attenuation can be tweaked (it was moving from OS 3.1.3 to OS4).