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Aside from Signal Issue, Consumer Reports Rates iPhone 4 Highest Amongst All Smartphones

Tunnel Vision?

No doubt I'll get flamed for some of my views on this, but here goes.

Do they have such a narrow view on things ?

Whilst I sympathise with those iPhone 4 users who do genuinely have a problem with their handset.

None of the iPhone 4 users I have spoken to have the issues, even when they have being going out of their way to re-create the issues.

Seems somehow that Apple has managed to create an "intermittent" design flaw.

Surely they must have concluded these scores fully aware of the issues that some (not all) iPhone 4 users are experience, and still it manages to be ahead of the pack (with it's predecessor joint second - that speaks volumes in itself). How then can they FAIL to recommend it ?

As for the flash arguement, whilst Apple are more concerned at pursuing HTML5, and the iPhone is not capable of Flash content, given that the version of Safari seem to handle most other content far better than most other mobile browser platforms, shouldn't they be talking this up. I'm basing this judgement on having used both Android and Symbian handsets (and Windows Mobile albeit a long time ago)
 
hlfway2anywhere said:
i just can't comprehend how someone who doesn't even own an iPhone 4 can feel so passionately about it, while someone like me is holding one in my hand... using it constantly, and loving it. The problem just seems so overly blown out of proportion to me.
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anomie said:
Most people complaining do not even own an iphone4.

They read something and conclude that you cannot use the iphone for phone calls. That´s annoying!

Let me tell you: I never had any dropped call or any issue with the reception, nor did any of my friend and colleagues.
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mixel said:
Mine just works, even if I hold it wrong. Maybe I don't conduct electricity enough.
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Could not agree more.

Strange - those complaining, who do not own one, have been vehemently more critical of its calling capabilities than those who actually own one and have issues.

I've been using mine for over two weeks - no signal drop, no dropped calls, no disruption of data download while holding it firmly in left hand - call quality has been great throughout the Tri-State area.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to a timely fix/replacement/solution for those having genuine 'call' issues.
 
hmmm Apple do seem to burying their head in the sand a bit on this one and hoping it will all just go away.

Whats most annoying is that instead of the joy of everyone saying "ooooooh Is that the new Iphone !!!!", we are getting "Oh ? Is that the new iPhone ?"

As a customer I am being made to feel a bit of a berk for queuing up all those hours for what is a great handheld device and a brilliant camera but a joke of a phone.

Its not too bad when you have a good signal but being on O2 - getting a decent 3G signal is like getting blood out of a stone in south east england. (PARTICULARY ME19 !!!! O2 ARE YOU LISTENING !!!!!!)
 
askipper said:
I tried to replicate this loads of times
in the UK to no avail. I arrive on Miami this week, the phone connects to At&T and says I have full signal. I hold the phone in the corner and I see the bars go!

So, is it an AT&T/iPhone issue rather than just an iPhone issue?

My phone did NOT do this on UK on O2
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Mine does when I'm in area with poor reception.

There's loads of UK users reporting the reception issue. You can't pin the blame on AT&T for this one.
 
laprej said:
So it's hands-down the best, but they can't recommend it? Sounds about right to me.

First and foremost, it's a phone. I'll come out and say that the phone feature is probably the least important part of the device to me, but I still need a phone and not an iPod Touch. I love Apple products as much as anyone, but I'm not buying an iPhone 4 until they fix this and I doubt a software update alone will correct it.
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+1
 
A.W.E.S.O.M.-0 said:
...The Dutch/Frisian male is 6"3 on average so there are an aweful lot of people potentially affected by this problem...
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You have no idea, do you?! The average male in Netherlands is 5"11 = 182cm.
6"3 on average... man, they are not giants!!

Aside from this, Apple sold by now over 2 million iPhone 4s and some of them have a faulty proximity sensor (I know companies that are happy to achieve a 100% working product for 92% of their production capacity. Apple is far better!) and some have issues with the reception. The latter is a wrong algorithm as Apple already admitted. AnandTech did a good review and for those who did not read it, here is an excerpt:

"On iOS, 4 bars begins at around -99 to -101 dBm. Three bars sits around -103 dBm, 2 bars extends down to -107 dBm, and 1 bar is -113 dBm. To give you perspective, for a UMTS "3G" plant, -51 dBm is the best reported signal you can get - it's quite literally standing next to, or under a block away from a tower. At the other extreme, -113 dBm is the worst possible signal you can have before disconnecting entirely. With a few exceptions, signal power as low as -107 dBm is actually perfectly fine for calls and data, and below that is where trouble usually starts. However, you can see just how little dynamic range iOS 4 has for reporting signal; over 40% of the range of possible signal levels (from -99 dBm to -51 dBm) is reported as 5 bars.[...] Holding the iPhone 4 without a case, in your left hand, crossing the black strip can result in a worst case drop of 24 dBm in signal."

So, if Apple would have, lets say, averaged the bars, there should be every 12.4 dBm the next bar. Instead, the phone displays 4 bars for this range and the rest is displayed with the 5th bar! And holding the phone where the antenna is will drop the signal strength up to 24 dBm (so 2 bars if averaged as said above). Which exactly what Apple and experts say: holding a phone at the antenna will drop the signal by 1 or more bars.

PS: How can the people over at Consumer Report say they can not recommend the iPhone although it scored the highest among all the other smartphones in their own tests :confused: I guess they are just looking for attention!
 
arn said:
Sounds like 100% of iPhones are "affected", but whether it is actually a problem in your day-to-day use depends on your regional signal strength.

arn
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and here I was stunned that macrumors was saying something positive for a change.

my phone isn't "affected" I have it in a case where it would have been anyway. Anyone who thinks glass doesn't shatter, I got a bridge to sell them.

I know, no one wants to hear from people without a problem.

Carry on with the boo hoo..
 
so the report says it's the best phone out there, if you don't plan on using it as a phone. :D
 
Jimrod said:
Seriously, there are so many blind idiots on this forum (no worse than any other in that respect) - "100% of phones aren't affected because mine isn't". Really, have you tried it in an AREA where someone IS having a problem?

Subsequent responses after this post will still say "I don't get the problem so not all phones are affected", blatantly ignoring all the previous posts stating exactly why that is - I'd hate to be an innocent person on trial with those guys as the jurors as evidence probably wouldn't be recognised at all...

]
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and what kind of person are you for insisting that just because YOU have a problem, we ALL do? Seriously. We all get it. People in bad signal areas that insist on not protecting their phone with a case and insist on bridging the antenna will have a problem. check.

just stop treating those of us who are happy with our phones like we are stupid for having a case on it or not bridging the antenna.

I drive through lots of areas where my 3GS routinely would drop a call. I have yet to drop a call yet in 2 weeks of use in the same damn areas.

For me, it's a better phone. So much so I just bought one for my wife. For you, its not. You have choices too. Stop calling people who are happy with their phones idiots.
 
kdarling said:
Reminds me of the old joke about the assasination:

"Okay, but aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"
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This is at least the 3rd time this is referenced in this thread alone. Or is repeating the joke, the joke?
 
To Bad But . . .

CR's report is not good news for Apple but it does represent an opportunity. Apple should make good. First, they need to admit to themselves ( assuming that they have not already donnas so) that there is a design flaw in this latest iPhone model. Second, they should financially compensate all earl adopters and give them free bumpers.

Compensation will cost Apple tens of mill ins of dollars but, the company can afford it. What it cannot afford, and what no company with Apple's profile can afford is the negative reputation hit.
 
LordTyroxx said:
I just went through and read all the yelling that was going on in this topic and found it entertaining. People get so upset over things. :p Chill. It's not like the phone is incapable of making calls.

For me, I have a 3gs and I'm under contract at the moment. Just waiting until the dust settles on this "issue". If no solution is made, I'll still be getting an iphone4 with a bumper case i was going to buy to begin with. Ready for that bigger battery and the awesome screen :D
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you have a good attitude. it gets tiring for us that like our phones to keep being told we are idiots by people who don't even own them.

This whole antenna issue... do I wish it never existed? Of course. But I don't claim to be an antenna expert. So I don't know if coatings are the long term solution or just what is.

What I do know, is that the existing antenna system, flaws and all, works BETTER for me. I don't drop calls where my 3GS did. I can get calls where my 3GS would not. So Apple got something right. If this bridging phenomena is the price I have to pay for a phone that actually does work better as a phone for me.. then I accept it. But then again, I, like you, always have my phone in a case anyway. Shrugs.
 
Another minority issue blown out of proportion

I have an iPhone 4 - it's the best phone I've ever owned, also the first iPhone I've owned. I will never use another phone again.

My partner has an iPhone 4.

Most of my friends, including friends in the US, Germany, France have Iphone 4.

None of them have experienced the signal 'issue'. I haven't, my partner hasn't.

I've yet to speak to anyone who has experienced this issue.

I'm not saying it doesn't exist, when mass producing technology, some units will always be faulty, unfortunately.

My problem is that this 'issue' is being reported as a 'design flaw' a 'fundamental error' something which affects all iPhone 4s. It doesn't.

Every new apple product launch, the pundits look for anything they can blow out of proportion. Remember the iPad network/sleep 'issue'? Remember the 27" iMac screen 'issue'? Minority problems used as material which is blown out of proportion by Apple's rivals and an hysterical media.

Of course if you have a product with an issue it's annoying, irritating, you feel angry and let down. It doesn't mean there is a universal problem, and the coverage is frankly laughable. It's a non-issue, apple are accepting FOC returns from those who can't wait for a software fix for the minority of units affected.
 
G5isAlive said:
and what kind of person are you for insisting that just because YOU have a problem, we ALL do? Seriously. We all get it. People in bad signal areas that insist on not protecting their phone with a case and insist on bridging the antenna will have a problem. check.

just stop treating those of us who are happy with our phones like we are stupid for having a case on it or not bridging the antenna.

I drive through lots of areas where my 3GS routinely would drop a call. I have yet to drop a call yet in 2 weeks of use in the same damn areas.

For me, it's a better phone. So much so I just bought one for my wife. For you, its not. You have choices too. Stop calling people who are happy with their phones idiots.
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You don't get it - I'm not calling you an idiot for liking your phone or not having a problem with it. I'm calling the people who say "I don't have a problem, so there is no problem" idiots. There does not seem to be any physical differences in the phones, there does not seem to be a manufacturing issue - Consumer reports could not replicate the problem originally so also denied it existed, until they went to an area where it was a problem that prompted further testing.

So far it seems that ALL iP4's exhibit this problem with signal in many areas when held normally in the left hand or right hand in certain positions - that's a design fault as no-one has been able to show an iP4 working fine next to one that doesn't - I'll accept there are "good ones" and "bad ones" when it is proved there are differences. It doesn't mean everyone will experience the problem in day to day use depending on their location, cases, how they hold the phone etc but so many people keep saying "I must have a good one" when, judging on the facts presented they don't, they are just in an area where it's not a problem for them... There is definitely a problem with the phone's design (or possibly software) and the denial of many is what annoys those of us that use logic.

I'm happy you have no problems with your phone - I can use mine fine in many areas too, just not at work or home, where I have to hold the phone awkwardly for it to work as it should. I am not as forgiving of this kind of fault on Premium product as others might be, I pay the extra for it to "just work" as Apple advertise. I am holding out hope that Apple can fix it as we don't have the benefit of 30 day return in the UK as most carriers only have 7 day return policies on subsidised contract phones.

I've dealt with much of this crap myself being Brand Manager for a company which produced the world's first Wi-Fi Internet Radio and Bluetooth speaker systems, there are problems with many things like this - the difference is I attempted to resolve all the problems and didn't condescend my customers with utter disdain by telling them to "hold it differently".
 
Alot of people are being b*****s. I mean come on, it's the best phone out, hands down. Signal Issue, yeah, you shouldn't HAVE to buy a case for a phone but we all know the majority does regardless and me personally, I never held my phone in whatever way the "death grip" is. Don't need FLASH, it's a smartphone, not meant to replace a whole desktop computer. So stop with all the hate and get you an iPhone 4 or keep your 3GS or just take your 4 back if your feeling big and get you a blackberry or Droid. This is blown way out of proportion. Sheesh
 
arn said:
Sounds like 100% of iPhones are "affected", but whether it is actually a problem in your day-to-day use depends on your regional signal strength.
Click to expand...

It also depends on how exactly you hold the phone - many users won't have any problems even in areas with low signal strength. You may be unable to get a connection, hand the phone to me, and suddenly it works fine, or the other way round.
 
what about the faulty proximity sensor?! my reception is fine and i love the phone otherwise but please Apple, fix the sensor!
 
arn said:
Sounds like 100% of iPhones are "affected", but whether it is actually a problem in your day-to-day use depends on your regional signal strength.

arn
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The media hype might make it sound that way, but I've yet to meet anyone with this issue - on that evidence alone, it's far less than 100%!
 
rkswat said:
Mine works great, never had an issue. If it isn't working how you want it to stop your bitching and take it back, problem solved.
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I'm soooo glad you came in here and gave us your permission. Not sure what I would have done without it? :cool:;)
 
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