Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AppleCare Training Document on iPhone 4 Signal Issues Revealed
- Thread starter MassiveAttack
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yea I called left a message. No one returned my call in 48 hours!
This is over. Apple wins. We loose or choose to loose if we keep the device.*
There will be little mention going forward in the main stream media as they are scared to death of being black balled by the company and Jobs. The bloggers on the other hand will write and report on this conspiracy for the next 50 years like the die hard Kennedy single bullet zealots. Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory now they have one the bumper!
Good lord! Wall of text crits you for 27000. Paragraphs man, paragraphs... nobodies gonna try to read that.
Update:
At my buddy's office today (50+ miles away from his house where neither of us could recreate the issue yesterday), he tells me that he had no problem recreating the issue several times and that he didn't have to grip the phone hard at all - just a light touch to the magic spot.
So I agree that it seems that those who think they don't have the problem are probably just not testing it on the right combination of signal strength, tower frequency, etc (whatever that combination is).
That's unfortunate, as my buddy was pretty excited yesterday thinking that he got a "good one".
I'm giving this to Friday in the hopes that they'll finally admit to there being a legitimate issue and bring out a roadmap toward fixing the issue. After that, I'm returning my phone, canceling my AT&T contract (reception issues have always been horrible in my area, but the iPhone itself was able to keep me on the line with them), and moving to a Nexus One on T-Mobile.
Disappointing, all around. I really like the iPhone 4, but it is utterly failing me in one of its key components, being a ****ing PHONE.
Disappointing, all around. I really like the iPhone 4, but it is utterly failing me in one of its key components, being a ****ing PHONE.
A coating would be too thin a dielectric. The thickness of, say, something like a bumper would be far more helpful.
The antenna at the bottom of the phone is NOT the issue. Most phones today have the antenna at the bottom. The issue is that Apple decided to put the antenna on the outside of the phone. And if that wasn't enough, there is a place where people naturally hold the phone that will short out (actually detune) the two antennas. And all it takes is a single finger tip touch on this spot. And when this happens, many times the phone will soon drop connection, lose voice quality, and/or drastically slow down data speeds. All from a single finger tip touch in this spot. This is the issue. And it's unique to only the iPhone 4.
So far on my iPhone, I've dropped 2 calls, total, and I got it on launch day. This is actually fewer than my 3GS dropped, and both were in spots known to be particularly bad in DC - at the zoo, by the elephants, and coming over the 395 bridge from Alexandria/Arlington, where I have NEVER been able to successfully make or keep a call.
I don't hold it in such a way that it bridges the antenna, right or left hand (I use both), but I'll get a case that I LIKE (not the bumpers, ugh), when I finally find one. In the meantime, I ordered a skinobi skin to guard against scratches and such, not that I'm really all that worried.
One product that would be really nice is a sticky rubber grip that covers JUST the stainless steel bezel/antenna. It could be textured and made of rubber or silicone, fastened in place with a mild adhesive. Even a thin layer would solve this problem, and be sortof the "ultimate" minimalist case.
I don't hold it in such a way that it bridges the antenna, right or left hand (I use both), but I'll get a case that I LIKE (not the bumpers, ugh), when I finally find one. In the meantime, I ordered a skinobi skin to guard against scratches and such, not that I'm really all that worried.
One product that would be really nice is a sticky rubber grip that covers JUST the stainless steel bezel/antenna. It could be textured and made of rubber or silicone, fastened in place with a mild adhesive. Even a thin layer would solve this problem, and be sortof the "ultimate" minimalist case.
same here, now I got few drop call today, called for support and said bumper could resolve the issue but no free one can given out. Told me to order online but it is out of stock. So WTF apple want me to do? She told me to hold it the top part.
http://photos-451.friendster.com/e1/photos/15/48/18428451/1_246234319l.jpg
I've been a Mac user and big Apple fan for a long time — almost 20 years. I've lost count of the number of Macs I've purchased in that time, but we currently own 8 Macs, a bunch of cinema displays, 2 iPhones and 2 iPods. (Waiting for second generation iPads before going there.) I've long sung the praises of Apple and in the last few years seen more friends persuaded to switch to Mac.
I just wanted to get that out of the way, lest anyone label me a troll or worse — a ‘Fandroid’. I'm not. I love the iPhone and iOS. I've seen nothing better on the market.
But come on guys… Why are some people still defending Apple over this? Why are there over 50 people voting 'positive' on this article? When is enough enough?? There is no shortage of evidence about this problem. Apple have had ample time to make an announcement about this. They have NOT promised a fix, despite some of the desperately hopeful interpretations of Steve's cryptic comments.
Apple fanboys and iPhone 4 early adopters everywhere: If you still believe in Apple, then you need to send them a clear reminder that we hold Apple to a higher standard than this. They are disrespecting you, the customer, by telling you to hold it differently. If you don't hold them to a higher standard, you are disrespecting them too. By doing nothing, you are essentially saying, ‘Apple is a mediocre electronics company that can put out products with serious design flaws and that is okay by me’.
We need to remind Apple that we expect more from them, and the only way we can do that is if enough people return their phones as defective. If Apple doesn't operate by moral principles — if it's all about the profit and loss sheet — then that's where they need to feel it. Simple as that.
I just wanted to get that out of the way, lest anyone label me a troll or worse — a ‘Fandroid’. I'm not. I love the iPhone and iOS. I've seen nothing better on the market.
But come on guys… Why are some people still defending Apple over this? Why are there over 50 people voting 'positive' on this article? When is enough enough?? There is no shortage of evidence about this problem. Apple have had ample time to make an announcement about this. They have NOT promised a fix, despite some of the desperately hopeful interpretations of Steve's cryptic comments.
Apple fanboys and iPhone 4 early adopters everywhere: If you still believe in Apple, then you need to send them a clear reminder that we hold Apple to a higher standard than this. They are disrespecting you, the customer, by telling you to hold it differently. If you don't hold them to a higher standard, you are disrespecting them too. By doing nothing, you are essentially saying, ‘Apple is a mediocre electronics company that can put out products with serious design flaws and that is okay by me’.
We need to remind Apple that we expect more from them, and the only way we can do that is if enough people return their phones as defective. If Apple doesn't operate by moral principles — if it's all about the profit and loss sheet — then that's where they need to feel it. Simple as that.
so true. 1.7m of them in 3 days.
if apple don't fix this they deserve to get sued, as much as i hate class-action litigation; there is so much damning evidence lawyers will have a field day in court. jobs can hit in his high-chair and explain how to hold it the 'right' way.
"this changes everything." -yeah, apple you getting sued. has anyone even noticed most of apple's recent major rollouts has been a cluster-f**k of issues. like they are taking a page from MS, send the product out half-ass, service pack it later, some people are tired of this charade..
Um, actually, way back in the day they put antennas on the top.
They are not allowed to anymore. By law, t he antenna has to be far awya from the face. Hence, the antenna on the bottom.
Because the i4 is a newer design with an antenna that is in a better location for getting a signal through in even worse case RF conditions than possible with a 3G or 3GS, while also making the new phone look a lot better (thinner) to many customers, and stuffing it with a larger battery (which may not have been possible with an internal antenna).
Some people will like this trade-off, some won't.
Note that the i4 is so small that even with a thin cover, it's total volume might still be less than that of an original iPhone (2G).
It does seem rather unfortunate for Apple... that they have created this beautiful phone... nicely made... amazing in every way... except many are struggling to make calls. Oh dear. Where did it all go wrong 
Between Jobs' email insisting that there's no problem and this memo, I think we're seeing what Apple does in response.
just spoke with level 2 apple care and they gave me the exact bs...
the guy even went as far as saying that it was by design that the reception stops when the lower left corner is touched. I had to have him repeat that cuz i was like wtf are you joking?
i had the whole conversation recorded too and when i said hey can you say that again ... you just said it's by design that the phone completely stops transmitting data/voice when the black bar is touched..
he got all panicky and start saying hey you need to talk to our legal department.. let me transfer you.. you better not record this.. and that conversations between apple care and customers are property of apple..
lol omg.. let me know if anyone wants the phone recording.. terrible attitude by the way.. no apologies or acknowledgement of problem.. kept telling me that i need to hold it differently and not touch the black bar..
If you are telling the truth, no need to ask. Just post the thing on YouTube. Something like that would go off the charts.
what signal issue? still can't duplicate it on my phone. I tried so long I finally gave up disgusted mine didn't do it!
So the solution to your problem seems obvious. Take your phone to the Apple Store. Demonstrate your 90% call fail rate. Demand another phone. Test that phone at the store. If it too suffers a 90% call fail rate, get your money back.
And perhaps some people's new iPhones, despite your drama, are working just fine? (No "Apple God" or "bubble" necessary.)
Steve Jobs, the modern day Howard Hughes, with undying devotion to form over function, focusing on pointless detail at the cost of essential functioning, borderline paranoid security and secrecy. He wanted a particular design, no questions asked, rolled the dice with a failed antenna, even had the balls to call it improved, and its blowing up in his face and i hope it costs Apple dearly to correct it and make it right, or face damaging public scrutiny.
Brilliant ! I agree completely.
Apparently Apples goal is to see how many people they can stick it to.
Very disappointing. Its sad that Apple is not admitting to there being a problem. It's no secret that the iphone 4 has reception issues, I've heard all over. I had a bad experience with Apple Care recently, and now this =/. In my mind I'm beginning to think that Apple Care isn't very great. I don't know why we pay premium for this crap. Apple is basically lying to the public saying "There are no issues".
As great as the iphone 4 design is, i guess they really didn't think about the possible reception issues, considering how the wifi and antenna is built on the sides of the phone.
As great as the iphone 4 design is, i guess they really didn't think about the possible reception issues, considering how the wifi and antenna is built on the sides of the phone.
You can watch the bars start to drop and quickly switch hands before the call drops.
Maybe that's why you've had so many dropped calls before?
Most people just blamed AT&T.
With my 3GS, I found that if I had 0 bars in my hand, but put the phone down, I could sometimes still make reliable phone calls.