Apple's biggest regret: Pointing out where the antenna is?

[mrblack927]

Did anyone else think it was interesting that Apple says "So the heart of the problem is, smartphones have issues, and we made it easy to exploit the issue by showing people where to hold the phone to cover the antenna.".

Apparently they believe their biggest problem is putting an identifying mark in the wrong place. Last I heard, it was believed that the bridging of the two antennas with a conductive material (such as your hand) was causing interference which exacerbated the issue. But Steve made absolutely no mention of this. He seemed to imply that the entire issue was just due to the location of the antenna, and the seam was just a coincidental marker.

Interestingly, if they were to admit to the bridge being a contributing factor, then it would mean the iPhone 4 isn't "just like other smartphones" because no other smart phone has that dual-antenna separated by a thin piece of rubber design. They would have to admit that the problem is partly because of a uniquely iPhone 4 design flaw.

So what do you think, does bridging the antennas really have nothing to do with it, or are they just omitting that notion so that their theory will fit better.

 

[Apple-NoEscape]

Well considering it can be solved with scotch tape then I reckon apple pretty much lied to us.

 

[VTAb182]

What? That doesn't mean that the antenna location itself caused the problem. It means that the antenna is located in a place that is easy to bridge the gap which causes the problem.

EDIT: to OP, not NoEscape

 

[BeyondtheTech]

Couldn't they just have rotated the entire band about 90 and placed the separator next to the speaker? We all hold our phones horizontally...

 

[TheTruth316]

Apples biggest regret: releasing the iphone 4 at all - FAIL

 

[kre62]

Theres a ton of easy fixes for this that wouldn't involve a complete redesign. Rotating the band, or simply coating the antennae with a non conductive coating would do it. Instead they try to pretend like this is similar to other phones. Guess what? Its NOT similar. You can short the ip4 antennae with a staple for fux sakes.

 

[anjinha]

I can reproduce the issue with the 3GS so I'm thinking it has nothing to do with bridging the antennas on the iPhone 4.

 

[Dsr1205]

*takes out my 3GS*
*hold phone*
*diminished signal*

I guess i could call it a design flaw? No, but i still get signal ok. I actually never touched the antenna.

*grab iPhone 4*
*lose all signal*
*cant load webpage*

Design flaw? yes. Now this is a design flaw considering the antenna is where the phone was designed to be held.

Thread win!

 

[ntrigue]

I can reproduce the issue with the 3GS so I'm thinking it has nothing to do with bridging the antennas on the iPhone 4.

No.

 

[kre62]

I can reproduce the issue with the 3GS so I'm thinking it has nothing to do with bridging the antennas on the iPhone 4.

No you cant, and yes Im calling you a liar or uninformed, take your pick.

Just because the end result is similar doesn't make it the same.

The 3GS goes down when you use your hand to block the signal over the antennae, which is on the lower right hand corner.

The ip4 signal dies when ANYTHING bridges the gap on the left. You dont even have to be TOUCHING it. You can set it down and use one finger. Or a peperclip. Or a house key. Or a staple. Or a...hopefully you get the point. I can put a 3GS in a bucket of pennies and not lose one bar.

 

[BoleCailey]

What? That doesn't mean that the antenna location itself caused the problem. It means that the antenna is located in a place that is easy to bridge the gap which causes the problem.

EDIT: to OP, not NoEscape

Right. Also, this issue is being greatly exacerbated because the place that bridges the gap between antennae is clearly visible (the black band). This means that everyone who read about the reception issues tried to recreate it (including me) and so now you have a bunch of people screaming they have reception issues. Yes, I know some are having legitimate issues, but remember happy customers generally don't complain.

Oh, how many of these Apple or Steve Jobs lied threads do we really need; this is like #423. If only people would hold our politicians to this standard.

 

[BoleCailey]

No you cant, and yes Im calling you a liar or uninformed, take your pick.

Just because the end result is similar doesn't make it the same.

The 3GS goes down when you use your hand to block the signal over the antennae, which is on the lower right hand corner.

The ip4 signal dies when ANYTHING bridges the gap on the left. You dont even have to be TOUCHING it. You can set it down and use one finger. Or a peperclip. Or a house key. Or a staple. Or a...hopefully you get the point. I can put a 3GS in a bucket of pennies and not lose one bar.

Mine does not die but does go down. I was still getting 1.5 mbps in speed test while bridging the gap last night (in a good signal area). I have not been able to make it drop below 400 to 500 KBPS yet while bridging the gap and have not dropped a single call while purposefully bridging the gap.

 

[anjinha]

No you cant, and yes Im calling you a liar or uninformed, take your pick.

Just because the end result is similar doesn't make it the same.

The 3GS goes down when you use your hand to block the signal over the antennae, which is on the lower right hand corner.

The ip4 signal dies when ANYTHING bridges the gap on the left. You dont even have to be TOUCHING it. You can set it down and use one finger. Or a peperclip. Or a house key. Or a staple. Or a...hopefully you get the point. I can put a 3GS in a bucket of pennies and not lose one bar.

Hum, no. In a place with great signal I tried the death grip on an iPhone 4 (bridging the gap) and a 3GS and neither dropped even one bar.

 

[akdj]

No you cant, and yes Im calling you a liar or uninformed, take your pick.

Just because the end result is similar doesn't make it the same.

The 3GS goes down when you use your hand to block the signal over the antennae, which is on the lower right hand corner.

The ip4 signal dies when ANYTHING bridges the gap on the left. You dont even have to be TOUCHING it. You can set it down and use one finger. Or a peperclip. Or a house key. Or a staple. Or a...hopefully you get the point. I can put a 3GS in a bucket of pennies and not lose one bar.

So keep you 3GS and bring back your ip4 for "fux sake" and give it a rest! Do you really need to flex your anonymous internet muscle and call ANY one a liar? Step up the maturity level if you care to respond...or don't respond at all!

Jobs gave everyone that's disappointed an OUT! Bring it back, no questions... no penalties. If you want to try the case (bumper) first, do so...it's FREE! Otherwise...no flaws dude, it's all good. Go Droid, CrackBerry or live with a phone that can be shorted by a staple

J

 

[mrblack927]

Still, the point is Jobs never said bridging the gap had anything to do with it. He claims that it's "just because that's where the antenna is", like all other cell phones. It seems that this issue does have to do with bridging the gap, which means what? He doesn't want to admit it?

 

[Fuchal]

Still, the point is Jobs never said bridging the gap had anything to do with it. He claims that it's "just because that's where the antenna is", like all other cell phones. It seems that this issue does have to do with bridging the gap, which means what? He doesn't want to admit it?

That's why the case alleviates the issue. If it was just normal attenuation the case wouldn't help much - it would work just like all other cell phones. If they admit to antenna bridging as being the primary cause, that leaves no option but a hardware recall, and they don't want that at all.