Apple Takes on Droid X With Latest Smartphone Antenna Video

[ouimetnick]

So you don't own all three phones and did not have them in the same place at the same time to check the signals as you explained?
Correct me if I'm wrong?

No, but the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 were in the same location at the same time. One dropped a call the other one didn't both were held the same way.

 

[BlondeBuddhist]

Hahaha. I love it. Absolutely love it!

I wonder if Consumer Reports will now say they cannot recommend every other phone. This is all throwing facts in CR's face. (it was after all their report that pushed the truck over the cliff)

I hope these videos keep coming. It isn't hurting them, because last I checked the site they were 3 weeks behind in shipping. $$$$$$$$$!!


Blonde Buddhist

 

[TehNrd]

"Death grip", whats this? I thought the iPhone suffered from the "pinky touch of death".

In all seriousness I agree with the findings of the videos but I pretty sure none of those phones would lose 4+ bars while being touched with one finger.

 

[ouimetnick]

To add to this, there's a video on the front page of MacRumors showing that the brand new Droid X also shows a DRAMATIC drop in signal when held normally.

It's weird that no one thinks it happens with all phones based on strength of signal yet that's what ALL THE VIDEOS AS A WHOLE prove, whether looking at the iPhone 4 videos or the other phone videos.

It's not too hard to understand.

Maybe its Androids formula/algerisum? I think Apple needs to actually call someone and hold it or death grip it. Even Steve Jobs said signal bars aren't accurate, so when you have 0 bars, you could have 3.

 

[The Samurai]

Its marketing.

Competitors are taking advantage as they continually point the finger at Apple and how unique this feature is to the iPhone 4.

All Apple is doing is saying, hold on - all smartphones are affected. Competitors need to be put in their place, from time to time. This is that time.

 

[falconeight]

All these people and reviewers crying about the iphone 4 antenna problem are the ones to fault for this nonsense.

 

[Swift]

So if you hold a phone like a retard/grip it tightly (very unnatural) it loses a few bars, and keeps the call. Place a metal object to bridge the lower left side of an iPhone 4, or touch it lightly with your finger, or even holding iPhone 4 normaly drops the call, and displays "Searching"

Can someone explain how those are the same?

I dispute your account of what happens. Could it? Yes, if you're in a very low signal area to start with.

What the Apple team didn't count on was the little parlor trick with the bars becoming viral. Well, if it had occurred to anyone before the iPhone 4, it would have been clear what kind of engineering problems are involved.

 

[wovel]

Wow. You could use a break, bud.

Apple's being childish. Simple as that. They made a conscious decision to divert X amount of money from who-knows-what to making videos about how other phones have problems. The issue was over when they solved it with free bumpers, they should have just left it at that.

I am trying to find all your other posts pointing out the childish behavior of others making videos and have been unable to find them. Do you happen to have any links?

 

[aliensporebomb]

Nope!

I've seen you post that before - I'm glad it works well for you. Maybe AT&T had a repeater in the building, which happens a lot. Or you are next door to a cell tower. My point is, many places are not this fortunate - like my home town of St. Petersburg, Florida - which isn't exactly po-dink-ville.

Nope. That building is strictly owned and operated by us and there are NO cellular repeaters anywhere near that facility.

The server/telco room would be too small for it anyway.

 

[SiskoKid]

"Death grip", whats this? I thought the iPhone suffered from the "pinky touch of death".

In all seriousness I agree with the findings of the videos but I pretty sure none of those phones would lose 4+ bars while being touched with one finger.

No, all phones just lose 4+ bars when held normally. Not sure who can hold their phone with one finger and why that point matters. Please explain why it matters.

 

[SeattleMoose]

I Would Rather .... Than Buy A Droid Phone

Fill in the blank. Here let me get you started with an example "sell my Mac and buy a Windoze machine rather"

 

[Rodimus Prime]

All apple is doing is making it self look worse.
The iPhone 4 can be knock out with just the pinky touching one point.

The other phones are requiring a death grip.
if you are lefted handed you are SOL on the iPhone.

Apple needs to understand the problem of having a single point of failure on their phones and own up to it. Instead they are just trying to deflect.

Also proves that Apple and telling the truth do not belong on the same page much less same sentence. Apple is proving that will lie instead of owning up.

No, all phones just lose 4+ bars when held normally. Not sure who can hold their phone with one finger and why that point matters. Please explain why it matters.

If you are going to argue that then you really have ZERO clue what you are talking about and just repeating apple BS.

The problem is the death grip is only cause by holding your phone unnaturally. The pinky touch of death can happen when holding the phone normally. You pinky just has to touch that small spot and boom phone call ended.

 

[marcfogel]

Could be. Sometimes when my IP4 is sitting on my desk and I notice that it already only has two bars or so of strength, I hold the phone as tight as I can in my left hand and still don't lose any signal. I've been trying to replicate this issue for weeks, doing exactly what's in all the youtube videos about the antenna issue, and haven't had any success. The ironic thing is that all the people who tell me I'm just being fanboyish and ignoring a problem THEY KNOW I have don't own iphone 4s...

On the flip side I have a Bold 9700 as well because my company only uses BES for email, and I actually can get it to drop a few bars when I hold it the same way as the apple demo video.

But I'm obviously lying because my real-life personal experiences actually support Apple. So clearly I'm just living in that reality-distortion field. Because that's a much more rational explanation than real-life experience.

I had my Bold 9650 drop bars when holding it tight and completely wrapped but the dBm change was negligible

 

[Swift]

"Death grip", whats this? I thought the iPhone suffered from the "pinky touch of death".

In all seriousness I agree with the findings of the videos but I pretty sure none of those phones would lose 4+ bars while being touched with one finger.

Well, you thought. Have you ever experienced it, or are you repeating what you read on blogs?

Even in a weak area, it's taken me some deliberate pressure to lose the bars. But I couldn't lose the call. What happens? Well, last night I had about a 20 minute phone call. About ten minutes in, I realized I was holding it up near the top, not on the bottom at all. Did I just subconsciously take measures? Or have I always held it that way? I don't know. Anyway, no call drop, and it was cross-country long distance.

 

[wovel]

I dispute your account of what happens. Could it? Yes, if you're in a very low signal area to start with.

What the Apple team didn't count on was the little parlor trick with the bars becoming viral. Well, if it had occurred to anyone before the iPhone 4, it would have been clear what kind of engineering problems are involved.

My blackberry can not make any calls when the bars disappear by holding my hand lightly around the bottom of my phone. This was the way most comfortable for me to hold that ugly plastic box, I simply moved my hand a little.

Never occurred to me it was a problem till now.

 

[samcraig]

Apple is trying to tell people like you the simple facts by demonstration. Chill out.

Facts? LOL

I'm actually very impressed. Apple need to do that because all the children in the news media needed to see this. And they need to grow up and stop blowing this out of proportion. iPhone 4 has NO Antenna issues. Get over it.

Apple admitted an Antenna issue. They are giving out bumpers to help their PR. Apple says the issue is no better and no worse than other phones. That doesn't mean the issue doesn't exist. Or perhaps you don't understand the phrase "phones aren't perfect". Apple wants people to believe it's an "acceptable" defect.

I think the Droid X has bigger issues to worry bout than the attena looks like there screens are all messed up.

The issues with the droid screens are finite. And they didn't take 22 days to release a statement about it. They are exchanging the phones.


--

Apple is getting the people who can't think for themselves to believe that since every other kid is doing it, what they are doing isn't wrong. The fact is - no one cares what other phones are doing. We have iPhones that we want to work the way they should.

It's an attempt at misdirector. Take focus off Apple and everything will be magical. It's transparent to anyone who can step away from the situation for 5 seconds and look at it objectively.

Apparently not everyone here can do that. Pity.

 

[rsocal]

No, but the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 were in the same location at the same time. One dropped a call the other one didn't both were held the same way.

Wow, you win!

 

[mysticalos]

You guys misread apple. Apple is not the one who made a big deal of things. Had any other product but iphone been on you tube first no issue would have been made of it. Being THE iphone people pointed fingers at apple. Apple is merely saying "don't point the finger at the fat kid at fat camp, we're all fat". They are not saying "it's ok to be fat, cause everyone here is fat", they are saying "we're all at fat camp trying to lose some weight, stop pointing at only one kid"

Forgive the metaphor. But it was best way i could come up with to describe the difference.

Just replace fat with attenna and fat camp with attenna research/dev/etc.

 

[dogie678]

Apple got the idea from me.

 

[Trojita]

I haven't heard anyone with a Droid X having this problem. I even tested it out myself and still had 5 bars.

 

[.Andy]

Competitors are taking advantage as they continually point the finger at Apple and how unique this feature is to the iPhone 4.

When are competitors continually doing this ?

 

[4nNtt]

What is Apple trying to show? The iPhone 4 has the same bad signal issues other phones have? This is not a typical Apple move -- they usually showcase the positives of their own products.

Don't get me wrong; I love my iPhone 4. I just want Apple to move on and keep highlighting the positives.

-Aaron-

I don't see that. The iPhone doesn't have signal degradation when "cupped", just when pressed in that particular spot. I think the iPhone 4 comes out looking better then these phones. I can only seem to make my iPhone 4 degrade signal if I touch the cracks on both sides of the phone simultaneously. Something that is a lot less likely to happen then cupping your hand around the phone. They are also trying to show that these other phones only try to make you think they have better reception by making their bars go down artificially slowly.

 

[faroZ06]

Good one.

Did you miss the entire Mac vs. PC series of ads?

Wow, even I forgot about those ads for a sec. I used to watch every ad that came out because they're kinda funny.

I used to have a Windows 98 computer which constantly did exactly what the ads talked about. So did the XP computers I used.

 

[HLdan]

Apple is playing dirty pool a little bit. I am disimpressed.

You should be DISimpressed for making up such a word that doesn't exist. I'm UNimpressed.

 

[DMann]

Its marketing.

Competitors are taking advantage as they continually point the finger at Apple and how unique this feature is to the iPhone 4.

All Apple is doing is saying, hold on - all smartphones are affected. Competitors need to be put in their place, from time to time. This is that time.

That sums it up.

When are competitors continually doing this ?

When Google posts ads such as this:

'Hold the phone any way you like.'

It's quite sensible to respond.