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Can't duplicate signal crash w/ death grip on Apple Store phones

protekt0r

protekt0r

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 25, 2008
139
0
Albuquerque, NM
Didn't see a thread like this, so I'm posting it. Sorry if someone beat me to the punch and this is the umptenth thread.

Anyways, on launch day I was able to crash signal via the deathgrip method on ALL of Apple's iPhone 4 demos. Today I returned to the store out of curiosity and attemted to crash the very same phones I played with on launch day. Guess what? I couldn't get a single iPhone 4 to crash signal using the deathgrip method. They didn't even lose a single bar of strength. I checked the firmware in the phones and they were all running 4.0 (I did not, however, check serial numbers).

Clearly Apple has replaced the original iPhone 4 demos with new ones... and these new ones aren't crashing signal. I looked at the antennas and they are identical in texture and color to mine (which i got on launch day).
 
Ummm, clearly those phones are running in "demo" mode which means they show max bars at all times.
 
i was at my local apple store yesterday and was able to do the "death grip" to 2 out of 3 phones. Which leads me to believe that this antenna issue only effects certain phones.
 
protekt0r said:
Clearly Apple has replaced the original iPhone 4 demos with new ones... and these new ones aren't crashing signal.
Click to expand...

Or the cell network was less stressed today than it was on the phone's launch day and was able to provide a better signal to the phones...or one of a hundred other factors that affect cell reception could be different.

willski said:
i was at my local apple store yesterday and was able to do the "death grip" to 2 out of 3 phones. Which leads me to believe that this antenna issue only effects certain phones.
Click to expand...

Unless you tried each phone in the exact same location in the store, there is no way to say for sure that the one working phone wasn't just getting better reception. Radio waves traveling through the structure of a building can do funny things. Even just the cleanliness of the phones can affect the issue.
 
dgstan said:
Ummm, clearly those phones are running in "demo" mode which means they show max bars at all times.
Click to expand...

I didn't know that was possible, either.

And funnily enough, I tried this at my local Apple Store (Roseville Galleria, Roseville, CA), in which no signal degradation occurred. What is interesting to note about this store is that the moment you step into it, the iPhone's signal drops to 1 bar of EDGE, regardless of what version of iPhone you have. My 3G dropped, my SO's 3GS dropped, and my co-worker's Original dropped. The Rep's reasoning for that is from all of the metal that is in the walls and ceiling in the store. The moment you step out of it, you're back to at least 3 bars of 3G.

That's why you'll notice that the iPhone and iPad are at the very front of the store, so they can receive a signal. The further back into the store you go, the less signal the phone gets.

Besides. I've never seen a phone in 'demo' mode actually not be able to make a phone call.. nor I not be able to call said 'demo' phone (which I can, and did).

BL.
 
dgstan said:
Ummm, clearly those phones are running in "demo" mode which means they show max bars at all times.
Click to expand...

:confused: Source??
I've made bars drop to 4 at an Apple Store (not a big deal, but it disproves your point). I have heard someone say that their local Apple Store gets pretty low signal with the iPhones (low bars).
 
Hi all,

Been lurking since the first gen iPhone... just feel compelled to respond to this thread for some reason.

Anyhow, I was at the Apple Store a few weeks ago deciding if I should just take the plunge. I held the phone the way I normally do when browsing,doing emails, text etc just to see if it affected the signals. I can't say for sure, but this is the closest Apple Store to cupertino's headquarters and I would assume if they "update the hardware" it would be done here first.


I was able to get ahold of 4-5 of the phones on the same table. Interestingly enough, like someone else mentioned, they always put the iPhones in the front of the store. On some of the phones, I got a drop of 3 bars... others only dropped two bars. I recorded one with my 3GS on the spot and sent it to youtube (while death gripping my 3gs hehe). Here are the results:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqfVGA932nU

This doesn't prove anything of course..... All it shows is "some" signal drop is evident when held with the left hand at certain locations(which was a deal breaker for me because I type with my right).

Of course I'm eagerly awaiting tomorrow's announcements.
 
I noticed the iPhones at my local store, if you don't touch the screen for a while, they automatically start showing a demo on the screen on "how to's" with the phone..

Also checked all the serial numbers of the phones and most were week 22's and a couple 21's. Found one that was week 27. All had full bars, no reception issues.
 
Not true. I was able to replicate the problem on all display units at my local Apple Store.
 
dgstan said:
Ummm, clearly those phones are running in "demo" mode which means they show max bars at all times.
Click to expand...

You're talking out of your ass. There is no "demo mode". I've recreated signal drop in one Apple store and then not recreated it in another. Clearly OP's Apple store is in a strong signal area and that's why it cannot reproduced there.
 
BklynKid said:
You're talking out of your ass. There is no "demo mode". I've recreated signal drop in one Apple store and then not recreated it in another. Clearly OP's Apple store is in a strong signal area and that's why it cannot reproduced there.
Click to expand...

You guys need to re-read my thread. On launch day I was able to reproduce the signal drop/crash on the VERY SAME phones I tested yesterday.

All of Apple's stores have microcells and thus strong signal. Furthermore, I can still signal crash my <own> phone in the Apple store. So logically, if I can signal crash my own phone then I should be able to crash Apple's demo units, right? Well not if Apple replaced them with units that aren't defective.

One of two things have happened: Apple has replaced these phones OR they're running an unknown firmware that fixes the issue.

admanimal said:
Or the cell network was less stressed today than it was on the phone's launch day and was able to provide a better signal to the phones...or one of a hundred other factors that affect cell reception could be different.



Unless you tried each phone in the exact same location in the store, there is no way to say for sure that the one working phone wasn't just getting better reception. Radio waves traveling through the structure of a building can do funny things. Even just the cleanliness of the phones can affect the issue.
Click to expand...

this is definitely possible... it does not, however, explain why I was able to signal crash my own iPhone 4 in their store yesterday. bottom line: i death gripped all their demo units and none lost signal (not even a single bar!). i death gripped mine and it lost 4 bars.

willski said:
i was at my local apple store yesterday and was able to do the "death grip" to 2 out of 3 phones. Which leads me to believe that this antenna issue only effects certain phones.
Click to expand...

exactly. it's that or they haven't replaced the phones in your store yet...
 
I did this at my local Apple Store a couple days ago, and I tried it on 3 different phones, and I could reproduce the bar drop on all of them. Even holding in my right hand with my pinky resting lightly across the gap.
 
The bars won't drop unless you turn off wifi. (hmm apple misleading customers?) I have reproduced this on 100% of iPhones in two apple stores and one att
 
I went to an AT&T store on 33rd street near Penn Station in NYC. They had their demo phones on wi-fi. They were super fast. I turned off the wi-fi, put them on 3G, and couldn't get on the internet and couldn't get Youtube to work. I thought to myself, how embarrassing, data doesn't work in their own stores. I can really understand Consumer Reports not recommending the iPhone 4. This Press Conference today, will go a long way in helping me make the decision to upgrade to iPhone 4, or keep my iPhone 3G as an iPod Touch, and using a different company for my cell phone needs.
 
Both of my iPhone 4's drop at home to the "searching" stage. No signal AT ALL. When I went into the Oak Brook, IL Apple store with a Genius appointment to get a replacement, I had full bars, and could not replicate the issue in the store. As soon as I made my way to the parking lot, the bars would drop again. Something tells me some of the stores are boosting their signal somehow. I COMPLETELY believe the death grip is determined by location.

iphoneZ said:
The bars won't drop unless you turn off wifi. (hmm apple misleading customers?) I have reproduced this on 100% of iPhones in two apple stores and one att
Click to expand...

Not true. I always have WiFi on here at home, and I can replicate the dropping bars any time I grab the phone in the death grip.
 
iphoneZ said:
The bars won't drop unless you turn off wifi. (hmm apple misleading customers?) I have reproduced this on 100% of iPhones in two apple stores and one att
Click to expand...

dude i'm dropping calls left and right @ home with wifi turned on and off. everytime i drop a call it's because my finger is bridging those damn antennas. it's hard to be aware of it when you've been on a call for more than 15 min.... your hand slips, gets tired, etc.

on principle I refuse to pay for a case. I should be able to use this phone w/o a case... and if I can't it's apple's responsibility to provide me with a FREE solution. (i.e., a free case)
 
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