Touching a small area of the external case can stop a download instantly in it's tracks - no other phone does this, my 3G doesnt do this - this is even on wifi - explain how bar display will help? Oh, and no presumptions about what Apple MAY be doing, I'm not allowed speculation so nor are you.
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Apple on iPhone 4 Reception: Signal Strength Display Issue Only, Software Update Coming
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Touching a small area of the external case can stop a download instantly in it's tracks - no other phone does this, my 3G doesnt do this - this is even on wifi - explain how bar display will help? Oh, and no presumptions about what Apple MAY be doing, I'm not allowed speculation so nor are you.
Just did a test with my Huawei 1550 HSDPA modem and surprise, suprise if i cover it in my hand it instantly stops page from loading or if i'm downloading something it also stops. Releasing the modem resume everything. Also placing fingers on both sides of modem, about where 3 logo is, (see picture) will do the same thing download stops and speed goes to 0.
Please, witness, show me where you found that Apple officially wrote or said in an advertisement that this product in guaranteed to work in conditions worse than -89 dBm, operated in any manner/position/hold.
In fact, expert #23 just showed the court that by moving his hand up 3 cm on an iPhone 4, he got a connection is RF conditions 10X to 100X weaker than this popular Nokia/Blackberry/Palm/Android device could when held/positioned thus-and-so. Explain how that 100X improvement is a defect?
Just did a test with my Huawei 1550 HSDPA modem and surprise, suprise if i cover it in my hand it instantly stops page from loading or if i'm downloading something it also stops. Releasing the modem resume everything. Also placing fingers on both sides of modem, about where 3 logo is, (see picture) will do the same thing download stops and speed goes to 0.
That is not designed to be held in your hand. The iPhone is - therefore it's a design flaw. Other phones, including Apple's own don't do this.
The name of this site is MacRUMORS.
There's no editorial review backing up any of these replies. It's all speculation. Assume otherwise at your own risk (or delusion?).
Yes it is. It's exactly the point, the design itself is not fit for purpose - calling/browsing internet from the palm of your hand. If a bumper is required it should be in the box.
So I can be criticized for speculating Apple's fix not addressing the real issue but I can't criticize others for presuming it will solve all the problems that aren't mentioned in Apple's statement. I see.
No it's not. The point is COVER THE ANTENNA AND YOU WILL LOSE THE SIGNAL. Why people ignore this fact is a different story.
But if it were a design flaw, wouldn´t every user experience the antenna issue? Why do some people experience it and some not? And why have some people experienced that simply adjusting the SIM card solved the problem?
It does not seem clear to me where the problem lies and maybe Apple is just as buffled...
It does not seem clear to me where the problem lies and maybe Apple is just as buffled...
Other phones do not put the antenna where you put your hand - Apple did, despite plenty of previous research by Nokia showing this is a bad idea, so therefore it's their bad judgement that is causing this problem for so many - and in return themselves. Jesus even Steve Jobs demonstrated the exact problem at his keynote speech.
If your phone drops calls untouched, wrapped in a case, you have a defective unit, and the question is TOTALLY UNRELATED with the topic
Really? If one holds his phone in a palm of his hand as if his brain function was impaired i'm pretty sure there no such place in or on the phone to put the antenna so it's not "where you put your hand".
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Do you hold your laptop via the USB dongle Vader?
This would prove that your usb dongle does lose signal when covered by the palm of your hand I do agree but it is in no way natural or necessary for you to even touch the thing during use. The effects on the iPhone 4's antenna on the other hand can be caused by normal use of an uncased iPhone.
That pretty much is the difference between both cases.
Lord Vader said:
Do you hold your laptop via the USB dongle Vader?
This would prove that your usb dongle does lose signal when covered by the palm of your hand I do agree but it is in no way natural or necessary for you to even touch the thing during use. The effects on the iPhone 4's antenna on the other hand can be caused by normal use of an uncased iPhone.
That pretty much is the difference between both cases.
Perhaps some people should read the Anandtech review again.
All phones suffer some signal loss when held in certain ways.
But the design of the iPhone is much more sensitive. The signal loss is 24.9 decibels.
That's not 24%
If my maths is right, that is a drop of 300-fold! The 3GS drops signal too. But the iPhone4 is ten times more sensitive. It is not surprising that in weak signal areas, a 300fold drop in signal strength is enough to cause a call to fail.
Can this degree of sensitivity be considered a design flaw?
I think it can. The phone is designed to be hand-held. And designed to be used without a case. Accidentally bridging the gap is not a user-error.
The problem is massively improved by insulating the antenna and preventing users from accidentally bridging the gap with their fingers.
A bumper case is one solution. But a better solution would be to apply an invisible non-conductive coating to the stainless steel band. Anandtech suggests a diamond vapor deposition.
I would be surprised if Apple were not doing that right now. By treating this one component, this problem will be dramatically improved. They will silently roll out a iPhone4.1 hardware and will happily replace handsets in future.
C.
All phones suffer some signal loss when held in certain ways.
But the design of the iPhone is much more sensitive. The signal loss is 24.9 decibels.
That's not 24%
If my maths is right, that is a drop of 300-fold! The 3GS drops signal too. But the iPhone4 is ten times more sensitive. It is not surprising that in weak signal areas, a 300fold drop in signal strength is enough to cause a call to fail.
Can this degree of sensitivity be considered a design flaw?
I think it can. The phone is designed to be hand-held. And designed to be used without a case. Accidentally bridging the gap is not a user-error.
The problem is massively improved by insulating the antenna and preventing users from accidentally bridging the gap with their fingers.
A bumper case is one solution. But a better solution would be to apply an invisible non-conductive coating to the stainless steel band. Anandtech suggests a diamond vapor deposition.
I would be surprised if Apple were not doing that right now. By treating this one component, this problem will be dramatically improved. They will silently roll out a iPhone4.1 hardware and will happily replace handsets in future.
C.
mmmmmm i'm now really stunned and confused....... iphone4 prototype is dropped and found in a bar, now there is a problem with iphone4 dropping bars
Dear Arm Chair Engineers
There are quite a few posts here that have it all figured out. Using a little information that they have from a variety of sources they have made a diagnosis to the woes some people are experiencing. Better than what Apple has come up with.
The core issue is software and hardware are hard problems.
The expert on this particular issue is Apple and we will have to work through their process. I am sure Apple is going doing some hand wringing and certainly some hard questions are being asked.
On the software front they are going to push out the new iOS that probably addresses some of the signal strength perception issues which help set user expectation and are causal to the customer relation problem. When the average person is comparing two phones side by side and the iPhone 3GS has four bars and the iPhone 4 has two it makes people say that the iPhone 4 has signal problems. Not necessarily so, but it confuses people. Especially when you have a 2D graphic that is actually representing 1D information summarizing a complex set of factors. The signal bars are largely marketing but they need to at least be based on some sort of industry standard for representing it so actual side-by-side comparisons can occur.
On the hardware front the first problem you encounter is to what extent is the problem real as in not a perceived signal problem? The signal-to-noise ratio here is incredibly low, where people aren't just reporting problem they are reporting opinion. Like the whole rumor site concept, although MacRumors is hardly just a rumor site, this story has taken on a life of its own.
I am going to pose that the antenna choice is probably not intrinsically bad. It has many merits and until Apple delves into the issue further we aren't going to know. For example, would a non-conductive treatment to the human-phone interface help things out? Maybe? That is going to take a while to sort out.
In the end, Apple will address these things if they exist, but they first must convince themselves that a problem exists, to what extent, and what can be changed. Maybe they should consider not launching their flagship phone product in the worst imaginable cellular market. That might help avoid some of the frivolous lawsuits the US is so famous for. Certainly, it must be tough to be a victim of your own success.
There are quite a few posts here that have it all figured out. Using a little information that they have from a variety of sources they have made a diagnosis to the woes some people are experiencing. Better than what Apple has come up with.
The core issue is software and hardware are hard problems.
The expert on this particular issue is Apple and we will have to work through their process. I am sure Apple is going doing some hand wringing and certainly some hard questions are being asked.
On the software front they are going to push out the new iOS that probably addresses some of the signal strength perception issues which help set user expectation and are causal to the customer relation problem. When the average person is comparing two phones side by side and the iPhone 3GS has four bars and the iPhone 4 has two it makes people say that the iPhone 4 has signal problems. Not necessarily so, but it confuses people. Especially when you have a 2D graphic that is actually representing 1D information summarizing a complex set of factors. The signal bars are largely marketing but they need to at least be based on some sort of industry standard for representing it so actual side-by-side comparisons can occur.
On the hardware front the first problem you encounter is to what extent is the problem real as in not a perceived signal problem? The signal-to-noise ratio here is incredibly low, where people aren't just reporting problem they are reporting opinion. Like the whole rumor site concept, although MacRumors is hardly just a rumor site, this story has taken on a life of its own.
I am going to pose that the antenna choice is probably not intrinsically bad. It has many merits and until Apple delves into the issue further we aren't going to know. For example, would a non-conductive treatment to the human-phone interface help things out? Maybe? That is going to take a while to sort out.
In the end, Apple will address these things if they exist, but they first must convince themselves that a problem exists, to what extent, and what can be changed. Maybe they should consider not launching their flagship phone product in the worst imaginable cellular market. That might help avoid some of the frivolous lawsuits the US is so famous for. Certainly, it must be tough to be a victim of your own success.
Seriously, how difficult is it to hold the damn phone in your palm of it's base, and two fingers on top of it from it's glass back edge, without touching the metal sides? How difficult that is?
Sometimes I got the feeling, people want to lose their signal just to feed their trolling needs and because the product is the most succesful consumer product ever.
Sometimes I got the feeling, people want to lose their signal just to feed their trolling needs and because the product is the most succesful consumer product ever.