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Apple on iPhone 4 Reception: Signal Strength Display Issue Only, Software Update Coming
- Thread starter fruitbat04
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You said that Ive quote was Apple's design philosophy, not me. If you meant just the iOS devices you really should have said so. That said, there are small differences between the devices that make the iPad the only one meant to truly be held (almost) any way.
Oh, c'mon. If this were ANY other company other than Apple, you KNOW (know to the bitter end), you'd be calling for an FTC investigation, a massive class action lawsuit and probably wouldn't be satsified until the company was outright shut down!
Hmm...actually I think people would just return their phones and get on with their lives.
They are going after Apple because they are a high profile target that has a lot of cash.
I'm surprised Apple says this bar calculation algorithm has been around since the original iPhone - using Field Test on my first-gen model, -85 dB shows up as four bars and -93 dB as three bars. Which is different from what Ananadtech's research shows, suggesting a different, more accurate bar calculation algorithm.
Well .. the dark side usually hates irregardless of the nationality and usually prefers dark loneliness over public online forums with lots of virtual people.
Nice to see one more June 2010 thread starter
read past posts, stop posting the same over and over again boring old news
MODS please delete or merge
read past posts, stop posting the same over and over again boring old news
MODS please delete or merge
Um, yeah... the design philosophy for iOS devices big and small. Arguably "no right or wrong way of holding it" is central to that philosophy since they are designed to automatically change orientation of the UI no matter how you turn the device, and the iPhone 4 has a gyroscope on top of that so they are clearly encouraging the user to hold the device in any damn way he pleases. That is why this antenna "death spot" is such an epic fail. Had it been a more traditional phone that doesn't change screen orientation and doesn't offer much apart from basic phone functionality, it wouldn't have been a biggie, but this is a phone + camera + video recorder + gaming device + video player etc etc, each task needs its own way of holding the device and all the time you have to mind a certain corner that could be anywhere depending on how you're holding the device at the time.
And dude, you know, you just KNOW that such a design flaw would have been subject to your endless mockery/rants/shock/disbelief/FUD had the device been called "The Zune Phone", so you can stop pretending to not understand why this issue has blown up in Apple's face.
Oh, c'mon. If this were ANY other company other than Apple, you KNOW (know to the bitter end), you'd be calling for an FTC investigation, a massive class action lawsuit and probably wouldn't be satsified until the company was outright shut down!
See, this I don't get.
What exactly would you be suing over? The "bars" on a cell phone have zero regulation on them they don't mean anything.
Worst case Apple created phone with a sub par broadcast system. They never lied to you. If you don't like it, return it. I believe the Apple store takes returns for 30 days.
It always drives me crazy when the second a company makes a mistake everyone is trying to figure out how to sue them.
The only problem I've had with the iPhone is the camera. So I took it back to O2 today of the 120 iPhones they've sold NO ONE has returned a phone or complained about reception. Now, I bought a case for my phone as soon as I got it - who wouldn't buy a case to protect such a beautiful piece of kit? In the week I've had it I've had NO problems whatsoever - infact (apart from the camera glitch) the phone is stunning and the reception issue is being blown all out of proportion. The anti-Apple brigade are just using this 'none-issue' to bash Apple - it's complete nonsense - and the vast majority of people are going to see through all this and enjoy the phone.
...
You misunderstood my post. Read my previous postings and you'll find that they were aimed at those who are posting incessantly, but relying solely on online ranting for resolution.
Fast forward: I finally have the phone, and so far so good. I'll post again in a week after for usage updates.
You misunderstood my post. Read my previous postings and you'll find that they were aimed at those who are posting incessantly, but relying solely on online ranting for resolution.
Fast forward: I finally have the phone, and so far so good. I'll post again in a week after for usage updates.
wow
Wow, almost 2000 comments, and it seems most people are wireless antenna engineers. I guess I'll contribute to this mess with my own opinion on the subject.
I have an iPhone4, and I love this phone. So if I have any bias it'll be in favor of this device because I really appreciate what Apple has done. It's a damn good looking phone without any plastic parts on the outside.
I worked for two different companies where software and hardware teams had to work together on products. The software guys liked to always blame the hardware, and the hardware guys blamed all issues on the software. It's actually not an easy thing to diagnose at all. There are many software issues that seem like hardware issues on the outside. There are also hardware problems that seem more like software problems. Sometimes, hardware issues can be mitigated and resolved with a software fix. If Apple is confident they can fix this problem with a software update, I have no reason to doubt them. Wait and see seems like a good philosophy here.
The other thing to keep in mind is that there are trade-offs with everything. Do I believe this phone will ever have the best reception on the market? Hell no, not even close, but I tend to pick form over function. Would you marry a fat chick that prepares great meals, or a really hot chick who's not as good at cooking? You simply can't get it all in one device.
Wow, almost 2000 comments, and it seems most people are wireless antenna engineers. I guess I'll contribute to this mess with my own opinion on the subject.
I have an iPhone4, and I love this phone. So if I have any bias it'll be in favor of this device because I really appreciate what Apple has done. It's a damn good looking phone without any plastic parts on the outside.
I worked for two different companies where software and hardware teams had to work together on products. The software guys liked to always blame the hardware, and the hardware guys blamed all issues on the software. It's actually not an easy thing to diagnose at all. There are many software issues that seem like hardware issues on the outside. There are also hardware problems that seem more like software problems. Sometimes, hardware issues can be mitigated and resolved with a software fix. If Apple is confident they can fix this problem with a software update, I have no reason to doubt them. Wait and see seems like a good philosophy here.
The other thing to keep in mind is that there are trade-offs with everything. Do I believe this phone will ever have the best reception on the market? Hell no, not even close, but I tend to pick form over function. Would you marry a fat chick that prepares great meals, or a really hot chick who's not as good at cooking? You simply can't get it all in one device.
Forget it, man. Bashing is rampant because it generates traffic. Good or bad, there will be some sort of spin that ends up going out of control.
Loving my iPhone 4 so far.
Apple: It's a software display issue.
BULL ****.
If it were only a bar display issue then NO CURRENT IPHONE would EVER text or send data or receive calls with only ONE or TWO bars. Because then only having one or two bars should be NO signal.
BULL ****.
If it were only a bar display issue then NO CURRENT IPHONE would EVER text or send data or receive calls with only ONE or TWO bars. Because then only having one or two bars should be NO signal.
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I do like me some good home cookin'!
I married the hot chick. I can cook my own meals and I have her for dessert.
Untrue
Apples explanation is not true at all. I have a 3Gs also and have no problems with it. I have dropped calls on the 4 and no dropped calls on 3GS in same spot!! Traveling w my daughter who has 3GS now she has reception and makes call and I have no service!! I agree the 4 is the best phone in the world but just like ATT screwed up by withholding MMS and now with charging us for teathering that should be covered in unlimited data, Apple is trying to cover a really bad design flaw!!!
Apples explanation is not true at all. I have a 3Gs also and have no problems with it. I have dropped calls on the 4 and no dropped calls on 3GS in same spot!! Traveling w my daughter who has 3GS now she has reception and makes call and I have no service!! I agree the 4 is the best phone in the world but just like ATT screwed up by withholding MMS and now with charging us for teathering that should be covered in unlimited data, Apple is trying to cover a really bad design flaw!!!
The guy, unlike probably 99% of the posters here, has a background in antenna design as related to cell phones. As such, he has a lot more credibility when he discusses the issue than anecdotal evidence posted here.
He basically says apple made a design decision that can impact performance; and that signal attenuation by a human body is normal and occurs in all phones. A pretty reasonable statement that explains what is happening and why it is not a design flaw per se but simply the result of Apple's industrial design.
People who don't like it should either get a case or return the phone.
iPhone in uk
Just been into apple store in uk. Tried to replicate the signal issue with 8 different iPhones. They were either on o2 or vodaphone and none in cases. No major signal loss occurred. I managed to get a few phones to lose 1 bar of signal when completely cupping the entire sides and back. No signal loss by holding normally in left or right hand.
Could it be the issue is amplified with at&t's already known to be poor network?
Just been into apple store in uk. Tried to replicate the signal issue with 8 different iPhones. They were either on o2 or vodaphone and none in cases. No major signal loss occurred. I managed to get a few phones to lose 1 bar of signal when completely cupping the entire sides and back. No signal loss by holding normally in left or right hand.
Could it be the issue is amplified with at&t's already known to be poor network?