To be fair, Apple doesn’t claim it’s a software problem—they acknowledge it’s a real problem (and that other phones have it—but they gloss over the fact that the iPhone has it worse than most).
Apple claims that the software is hiding information ABOUT the problem. To wit: the software problem can sometimes hide when you’re in a weak signal area—and that’s when the problem crops up. As a result, you may think you’ve lose a STRONG signal, when really you’ve lost a weak signal. (Worth fixing, but it’s not the actual problem.)
CR tells me nothing new here—I already knew
two things about the iPhone 4 in weak-signal areas:
1. It can get BETTER signal than previous iPhones (and various other phones too). AND it can make do with less signal and still hold onto a call or data connection. (See Anandtech’s test among others: driving through an area where a 3G was useless, the 4 never dropped a call all day.)
2. The better signal can then be worsened by touching that black stripe.
Does #2 outweigh #1? The only answer is “sometimes.” In other cases (like Anandtech—and of course people who use cases), the new antenna design will prove to worthwhile despite this issue. Three steps forward, one step back, as Daring Fireball described it.
It’s a better antenna AND a worse one. Try it out, and note the return policy (as you would with ANY phone).
My order is definitely not cancelled
(Besides, AT&T is decent in my city.)
