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Consumer Reports 'Can't Recommend' iPhone 4 Due to Signal Issues

OK - my own experiences; I make no claim that they apply to anybody but me.

I'm in the UK on O2 and have historically had good signal on my 3G nearly everywhere I went. No dropped calls (apart from the obvious cases such as going into tunnels).

Then iOS 4 came out. My 3G started randomly jumping from 5 bars to 0, full 3G connectivity to GRPS only, whilst standing in the same place. It looked like the phone was randomly switching towers, but it's hard to be certain of that. When I once had strong signal throughout my house, I now have to stand near a window to get it. The same problem occurred with the iPhone 4. To me, this looks like a problem with iOS4, possibly the "jump to the least busy tower, rather than the nearest" change mentioned earlier in the thread. This is a big issue, as it causes both my 3G and my 4 to drop calls repeatedly and lose data connection. However, since it seems to be related to iOS 4, I presume it can be fixed in software.

I've also experienced the "death grip" problem on the iPhone 4 only. I noticed this before it was publicised, because it was so obvious. A bumper fixes this problem, but not the one I described in the previous paragraph.

My suspicion is that 90% of the problems are caused by the tower-switching, with 10% caused by the new antenna. If that conclusion is correct, there's a fair chance it could be fixed with a reversion to the previous tower-selection algorithm. However, that would require the agreement of Apple's carrier partners (such as AT&T). It would probably take longer to get this than change the software, which is why there may be a delay in announcing the fix.

If there's one thing that's more embarrassing than fouling up a new antenna design, it's being found to have deliberately degraded your phone's performance in collusion with the carrier.
 
They hired four antenna engineers the day iPhones began arriving in stores and homes.

Open your eyes!

I don't give a **** if you can't duplicate; it exists, it's real and Apple is handling things poorly.
 
ntrigue said:
They hired four antenna engineers the day iPhones began arriving in stores and homes.

Open your eyes!

I don't give a **** if you can't duplicate; it exists, it's real and Apple is handling things poorly.
Click to expand...


Man, I really do hate when people say "Open your eyes". It's become such a conspiracy theory slogan. As in, "Open your eyes, evidence of the existence of rogue space alien assassins is all around you," or else, "Open your eyes, the second shooter was Big Foot riding atop the Loch Ness Monster," etc.

I am of course only quibbling with your diction. Of course it's a real problem and of course Apple is handling it poorly. They handled it poorly by not recognizing it (or trying to sneak it past us) in the first place, and they've handled it poorly at every step of the way since then. But all these people saying that they aren't much affected (myself included) aren't denying there's a problem. No one's denying it. They're just reporting their own experience with it, which helps put things in better context (i.e. not everyone is affected). Claiming that not everyone is affected is not the same as claiming that no one is affected, after all.
 
ntrigue said:
They hired four antenna engineers the day iPhones began arriving in stores and homes.

Open your eyes!

I don't give a **** if you can't duplicate; it exists, it's real and Apple is handling things poorly.
Click to expand...

you do realize that those job listing where listed wayyyyy before the iphone 4 came out right?
 
TroyBoy30 said:
you do realize that those job listing where listed wayyyyy before the iphone 4 came out right?
Click to expand...

That's what I thought too until it was pointed out to me that they've been working on the iP4 for probably the last two years and given that Apple should have good product testing, a hiring like this, in light of recent developments, is significant regardless iP4 of release date.
 
Someone should find a phone that doesn't have the issue and a phone that has the issue and take them apart to see if there is a physical difference.
 
Hue and Cry

I pooh-poohed the design of the iphone 4 from the outset. I hate the bumpers and have always used my phones naked (not sure if that causes impotence...or creates impedance). I was dropping calls left and right with the previous generation phone but have yet to drop a call in the weeks since getting the new one. I am happily disappointed I cannot join hue and cry against the new iphone since mine actually works.
 
ntrigue said:
They hired four antenna engineers the day iPhones began arriving in stores and homes.

Open your eyes!

I don't give a **** if you can't duplicate; it exists, it's real and Apple is handling things poorly.
Click to expand...

and do you really think a multinational company like Apple could base its hiring policy on the hysteria of a couple of geeks on a forum ?

bobob said:
Be sure to cast your vote in the Apple fanboy or an Apple h8tr? poll over in the Apple, Industry and Internet Discussion subforum!
Click to expand...

very interesting poll, if only people could be honest enough to vote ;)
 
Yes I recommend!!!!

Mi iPhone 4 NO tiene ningún problema de señal ya lo tape por todos lados y no pierdo nunca la señal, entonces? que dicen a eso? Para mi que es pura mala publicidad y envidia!!!!! Es un producto muy recomendable!!!!! el mejor que he tenido!!
 
SiliconTlaco said:
Mi iPhone 4 NO tiene ningún problema de señal ya lo tape por todos lados y no pierdo nunca la señal, entonces? que dicen a eso? Para mi que es pura mala publicidad y envidia!!!!! Es un producto muy recomendable!!!!! el mejor que he tenido!!
Click to expand...

Totalmente de acuerdo contigo
 
Inexpensive?

pufferfish89 said:
Folks, this product can be purchased in the clear form and will preserve the look of the Iphone 4.

Perhaps Apple can offer this product to customers or have the apple store put it on.

http://fusionofideas.com/stealtharmor-iphone4.html

What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

it is NOT inexpensive. $45. They are even crazier than apple charging $30 plus shipping and taxes for their rubber bumper..
I'll wait for my free bumper. it'll be soon.


No thank you.
 
supercaliber said:
If it walks like a slothful, Utopian-dreaming, gravy-training, union-loving socialist it probably is a slothful, Utopian-dreaming, gravy-training, union-loving socialist.
Click to expand...

What is this, an antonym game? Jobs is the capitalist, who's the socialist? Anyone who opposes him or calls him on what he is?

Conservatives can be so kneejerk stupid sometimes. While fanbois, all the time. Put the two together, and it's the end of civilization.

:apple:
 
I'm not having any issues with reception other than the obvious drop in service but no loss in calls. Any phone has a drop in reception due to covering of a specific part of the antenna.
 
The thing which has annoyed me the most is apple's attitude to this, because to be honest not many reviews etc are saying the phone is unusable just that it has an annoying fault which can lead to the odd dropped call.

However apple's response has been awful, just a blanket denial with the odd bit of 'hold your phone properly', 'the fault lies with you' etc yet then out of no where they are all 'the fault is the way we calculate signal', so blanket denial to a slight admission some sort of issue one way or another.

I must admit i thought it was very odd that they were pushing cases at launch, they didn't care about the last 3 iphones being in a case, and to be honest they are cases that seem kinda useless - strengthened or not if i bought a case id want the screen looking after.

So to be honest im starting to feel apple is getting too big for its boots and i think the backlash is more down to apple seeming to not care rather than the problem actually being a really big one.

(This is based on UK signal which as a whole is pretty darn good)
 
entwife said:
The thing which has annoyed me the most is apple's attitude to this, because to be honest not many reviews etc are saying the phone is unusable just that it has an annoying fault which can lead to the odd dropped call.

However apple's response has been awful, just a blanket denial with the odd bit of 'hold your phone properly', 'the fault lies with you' etc yet then out of no where they are all 'the fault is the way we calculate signal', so blanket denial to a slight admission some sort of issue one way or another.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Apple has really flubbed this one.

Their initial response should have been something along the lines of "We've used an innovative new design to give you the best reception of any phone to date. However, you may need to slightly adjust your typical usage to accommodate this new design and fully reap its benefits."

It should not be hard to convince people to rotate the phone in their hand by 2mm to prevent blocking reception. But saying "you're holding it wrong" is not the way to do it.
 
Imagine if there was something really wrong with the iPhone 4...

The vultures probably would have exploded in delight!
 
pufferfish89 said:
Folks, this product can be purchased in the clear form and will preserve the look of the Iphone 4.

Perhaps Apple can offer this product to customers or have the apple store put it on.

http://fusionofideas.com/stealtharmor-iphone4.html

What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

I think it's unnecessary. Apple really needs to redesign the phone.

bobob said:
Imagine if there was something really wrong with the iPhone 4...

The vultures probably would have exploded in delight!
Click to expand...

I know right! If there was something really wrong with the phone, like a reception or antenna problem, the these threads would have posts into the 1000's
 
My quick iPhone 4 signal problem story:

I work for a wireless carrier in the US...NOT ATT. I was helping an elderly gentleman today and his daughter who was in her mid-40's answered a call on her iPhone 4. I asked if I could see it to see how nice the screen was as I hadn't seen one in person. She handed it over. I asked if she had experienced the signal drop issue and she had no idea there was a signal issue. I put the phone in my left hand, and closed my hand around it, just to see what would happen. Sure enough, the phone stayed with full signal for about 10 seconds, then dropped all the way down to 1 bar. "NO WAY!" she said. This attracted a couple of my dorky, techy co-workers' attention (most of us owning Mac hardware). Within about 5 minutes we had several employees and a couple of customers who had heard of the problem all clustered around as I'd open my hand and get full service, close it and drop to nothing.

Not a slam on Apple at all, just thought it was extremely interesting that I've read this thread all the way through and had never even touched an iPhone 4 until today. The lady wasn't at all disappointed because she uses a bluetooth headset and never holds her phone anyway. I explained the whole "a case will fix it" and she laughed because she had just ordered a pink case online.

Most of us who witnessed the problem are avid Apple fans...all of us have MBP's, and iPod Touch's...however I'm the only one with an iPad so far (yea, that's me gloating haha). We were discussing it over lunch and figured it was bound to happen at some point that Apple would have a design mis-step. We were torn as to how it should be handled. Recall? Free case? Hold it different? The funny thing is, the way I held it to get it to lose signal was the same way in which I hold my candybar Android device, so if I owned the iPhone 4, I'd be doomed.

My final personal verdict was that if my carrier had the iPhone, then I would still buy one and patiently await a fix...the same as I did (until today, I hope) with my iPad's WIFI connection. I have enough faith in Apple that they will make it right. Anyway, found this interesting and wanted to share.
 
LagunaSol said:
Indeed. Apple has really flubbed this one.
Click to expand...

I definitely have modified my opinion of "LagunaSol" for the better based on this post. It's interesting that even the hardcore Apple defenders are pointing out that the Iphone 4 is a PR disaster.

Apple is messing up bigtime - at least on the PR front - and anyone who doesn't think that that is so is in danger of Kool-Aid overdose.
 
Consumer reports is owned by microsoft they are trying to bring apple down,it's a conspiracy,they are trying to frame apple...who cares about what consumer reports says !!!!
 
partyBoy said:
Consumer reports is owned by microsoft they are trying to bring apple down,it's a conspiracy,they are trying to frame apple...who cares about what consumer reports says !!!!
Click to expand...

This wouldn't be surprising - were the highest ratings given, then, to keep suspicion levels down?

If a free case fixes the problem, then the tests should be re-taken and consideration for 'Recommendation' ought to be re-evaluated.

Renwood said:
Band-aids are not solutions. They're band-aids.
meh.gif
Click to expand...

If it's a band-aid you prefer, at least go with a stylish one:

5sLh
 
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