Consumer Reports Still Not Recommending iPhone 4

[diamond.g]

This is how i handle it, with my left hand:

Fingertips, NOT palm. No way I can touch that spot if I don't want to.
BTW, people could handle it in a different way, I know (I'm speaking about honest customer, not the trolls all over the forum), so the choice is quite simple: could you change the way you hold it? Ok, easy to do and you will have a great smartphone.
Couldn't you ? Ok, bring it back to the store and choose another smartphone. But be advised: if you hold it with the palm, you are going to see attenuation with almost every smartphone out there.

That doesn't look comfortable for internet surfing. It would work for phone calls though. I am at work right now so I can't take a picture of how I hold it for internet surfing.

 

[bruinsrme]

I haven't read Consumer Reports in years; they are no longer relevant. Car dealers laugh at their recommendations on car prices. I certainly would not follow their recommendations about whether to buy an iPhone....maybe a toaster or a blender.

Hmmm having recently purchased a new car CR was the most comprehensive pricing guide available. The car dealers laugh at those reports because they are unrealistic. Unrealistic that a car dealer will actually be willing to sell you a vehicle at that price.
CR prices are well within 1% of what Edmunds, KBB, and other sites provide, CR just provides a far more detailed report on all the options in each model and a more detailed pricing of accessories.
Of course the dealer will laugh at you and tell you that they can't sell you a car at that price, why because they won't make money. Ask them for the best price based on the CR numbers and I guarantee you it will be $1200 to $1500 higher.

 

[diamond.g]

I certainly would not follow their recommendations about whether to buy an iPhone....maybe a toaster or a blender.

There are only two blenders that people should buy. Either a Blentec blender or a Vitamix blender. You don't need CR for that (every other blender is pretty much garbage).

 

[BobVB]

This is how i handle it, with my left hand:

Fingertips, NOT palm.

What sane person holds an expensive item like that like they were a princess or a friggin' mutant ninja turtle? Not steve jobs, not the people in Apple ads. Why would any phone be designed to specifically be able to not be held like every other phone before it - phone's center of gravity at the center of the grip?

Ok, bring it back to the store and choose another smartphone. But be advised: if you hold it with the palm, you are going to see attenuation with almost every smartphone out there.

No they don't - the 'dropped bar' dog and pony show that Apple has put out has nothing to do with the iP4's problem, but Job's knows that and presumptively so do you. That's why we aren't seeing decibel drops reported, that's why they didn't compare it to the phone it was sold as an upgrade to, the iPhone 3GS.

The problem is it drops calls when held normally, not that it 'drops bars'. CR got a 24 dBm drop which means merely touching the phone in one spot makes the usable signal power drop to 1/250th of what it was before that single touch. This is not the typical mass attenuation caused by putting it in a fleshy Faraday cage but the external antenna being rendered useless by a mere touch. Its a design flaw that they could have fixed merely by making bridging of the two antenna's impossible by coating them with just about anything - they didn't because their flawed testing procedures missed detecting the flaw until it was too late.

Now they are giving away plastic bumpers that aren't sold for increased reception or as phone protection but merely as 'decorative statements' that render Apple's own accessories unusable.

The complaints are legitimate, the solutions proposed are lame, and no one should have to hold their phone like they were a cartoon character just to get it to work reliably. CR is right in their assessment and their recommendations. I'm recommending people should get a 3GS and wait for the iPhone 5.

 

[Johns12]

The issue is dropped calls not lower bars. Most here should know that and arguing that other smartphones have this problem is not correct. I own and Iphone 4 (on my second one) and love the phone, but this and the proximity sensor are problems. Not for everyone (can we make this clear, not everyone has a problem) but for some. Holding the phone any way other than what is comfortable for YOU should not be a solution.

Also, those saying the phone is no good, fail, unable to hold a signal, etc, have had too much coffee and are being overly dramatic. Maybe they should audition for community theater.

 

[cmaier]

And yet millions of people don't care what what Consumer Reports said and continue buying the phone like there's no tomorrow.

They haven't sold more than a million since the CR debacle.

 

[Max(IT)]

That doesn't look comfortable for internet surfing. It would work for phone calls though. I am at work right now so I can't take a picture of how I hold it for internet surfing.

Actually for web surfing I use it in landscape mode. And again, avoid touching that particular spot is not a problem at all.

What sane person holds an expensive item like that like they were a princess or a friggin' mutant ninja turtle? Not steve jobs, not the people in Apple ads. Why would any phone be designed to specifically be able to not be held like every other phone before it - phone's center of gravity at the center of the grip?

omg, save me that bs about the phone's centre of gravity
It a 100 gr device ...
I am a sane person, and I'm holding ANY PHONE with fingertips. There is NO written rules about how to hold a phone, and I can show you hundred of pictures of people holding a phone with fingertips.
EVERY FRIGGIN' Phone Has an antenna in the rear low sector, due to FCC regulations, so if you grip it in that silly way you are going to experience attenuation. Deal with it.

No they don't - the 'dropped bar' dog and pony show that Apple has put out has nothing to do with the iP4's problem, but Job's knows that and presumptively so do you. That's why we aren't seeing decibel drops reported, that's why they didn't compare it to the phone it was sold as an upgrade to, the iPhone 3GS.

the fact is that iPhone 4 could phone where iPhone 3GS couldn't, due to its more sensible antenna.
Who cares about decibels when the iPhone 4 can handle call at a lower signal level ?

The problem is it drops calls when held normally, not that it 'drops bars'. CR got a 24 dBm drop which means merely touching the phone in one spot makes the usable signal power drop to 1/250th of what it was before that single touch. This is not the typical mass attenuation caused by putting it in a fleshy Faraday cage but the external antenna being rendered useless by a mere touch. Its a design flaw that they could have fixed merely by making bridging of the two antenna's impossible by coating them with just about anything - they didn't because their flawed testing procedures missed detecting the flaw until it was too late.

Now they are giving away plastic bumpers that aren't sold for increased reception or as phone protection but merely as 'decorative statements' that render Apple's own accessories unusable.

The complaints are legitimate, the solutions proposed are lame, and no one should have to hold their phone like they were a cartoon character just to get it to work reliably. CR is right in their assessment and their recommendations. I'm recommending people should get a 3GS and wait for the iPhone 5.

no,no, and no again.
iPhone 4 DOESN'T drop calls if you hold it in a normal way.
It MAY drops calls if you are using a crappy network AND if you are in a low signal area AND you are covering the antenna with your hand.
You bashers are continuously describing iPhone 4 as if it is a phone that can't handle a call.
That's a lie !!!!

They haven't sold more than a million since the CR debacle.

And do you have any evidence of what you are saying or is just your wish ?

 

[gehrbox]

They haven't sold more than a million since the CR debacle.

And your source for this information is...?

 

[cmaier]

And your source for this information is...?

Common sense. At the press conference they said they had sold over 3 million, in the entire time since launch. Do you think they sold yet another million in the week since then? That would be extraordinary.

 

[iUser4Lyfe]

Common sense. At the press conference they said they had sold over 3 million, in the entire time since launch. Do you think they sold yet another million in the week since then? That would be extraordinary.

Damn, I was kinda hoping you had actual facts to back up your assertions. But really all you did was show you don't know what "Common sense" means..

 

[cmaier]

Damn, I was kinda hoping you had actual facts to back up your assertions. But really all you did was show you don't know what "Common sense" means..

It took them a month to sell 3 million, but you think they sold more than a million the next week?

 

[gehrbox]

It took them a month to sell 3 million, but you think they sold more than a million the next week?

Apples said over 3M, it's likely the data was not fresh from that morning. Take into account they have sold every phone they can make, are increasing the number of markets receiving the phones and generally as production ramps up it's efficiency improves.

Common sense would dictate not to put an antenna in a place that directly contacts your hand. Does not seem to be universally applied, even by scientists.

 

[iUser4Lyfe]

It took them a month to sell 3 million, but you think they sold more than a million the next week?

I think if they haven't it's because they can't make them fast enough. Do you not understand EVERY iPhone 4 that has been made has been sold?

 

[cmaier]

I think if they haven't it's because they can't make them fast enough. Do you not understand EVERY iPhone 4 that has been made has been sold?

That isn't the point. Someone said they'd sold millions since the CR debacle. My point is that is not true. It's a factual inaccuracy.

 

[meatballs]

Fingertips, NOT palm. No way I can touch that spot if I don't want to.
BTW, people could handle it in a different way, I know (I'm speaking about honest customer, not the trolls all over the forum), so the choice is quite simple: could you change the way you hold it? Ok, easy to do and you will have a great smartphone.
Couldn't you ? Ok, bring it back to the store and choose another smartphone. But be advised: if you hold it with the palm, you are going to see attenuation with almost every smartphone out there.

You shouldn't have to hold your phone like a petri dish. Also, confusing bridging the antennas (iP4) with attenuation (other phones) makes you look uninformed.

Next week there will be others millions of people don't even know what Consumer Report is, in the new 17 countries Apple is going to release iPhone 4.

That doesn't matter, "Antenna gate" became world news over night because of CRs non-recommendation.

 

[charlituna]

No they don't - the 'dropped bar' dog and pony show that Apple has put out has nothing to do with the iP4's problem,

of course not. The point if the 'dog and pony show' as you call it is to show that this is not a unique issue to the iphone 4 as has been implied by some venues. It happens to all phones, particularly smart phones.

The catch in this 'issue' is that the bars don't equal reception quality. I can walk across my room and the bars jump up and down. I'm driving down the street and the bars are all over the place. I can have my phone sitting on the counter and a semi rolls by and the bars drop. But my calls don't drop or fail. Probably because I'm in an area with great ATT service.

My cousin on the other hand, lives in freaking San Fran. A well known crap spot. He has 5 bars all the time but the towers are overloaded that his calls drop a lot. Like 3-4 times a day. doesn't matter if he's on an iphone, a blackberry or even an idiot Nokia. He is giving up and switching to T-Mobile so his calls will go through. When ATT gets it together he'll consider going back and get the iphone 4.

And this is how it has been for a lot of folks. only a fraction of those with the bar dropping 'defect' are actually unable to make calls. And they are pretty much all in crap ATT zones.

But as Jobs said, there is a perception that the bars equal reception quality and thus a lot of folks think they have an issue that needs fixing and the solution they have been convinced is a case. So it's cheaper and easier to just give them a case and be done with it. So they are. For the few that really have ****** reception, they were reminded that they can return the phone in 30 days with no penalties such as an open box fee or ETF. And in between the lines is the recommendation that they do.

CR is right in their assessment and their recommendations.

Hell yeah they were right. As they said 'in areas with weak reception'. Or to put it another way 'if ATT is **** in your area don't buy an iphone 4 cause it will still be **** in your area (in fact don't be on ATT)'. It's a valid and logical recommendation

 

[-aggie-]

You shouldn't have to hold your phone like a petri dish. Also, confusing bridging the antennas (iP4) with attenuation (other phones) makes you look uninformed.



That doesn't matter, "Antenna gate" became world news over night because of CRs non-recommendation.

I hold my phone in my palm, and in places with only 1-2 bars my signal doesn't drop ever. This is really not a problem for most people.

 

[mrochester]

That isn't the point. Someone said they'd sold millions since the CR debacle. My point is that is not true. It's a factual inaccuracy.

That's a hoot since you're assertions are based on 'common sense'. Maybe you'd like to show us the accurate facts then?

 

[Max(IT)]

You shouldn't have to hold your phone like a petri dish. Also, confusing bridging the antennas (iP4) with attenuation (other phones) makes you look uninformed.

Keep speaking about "bridging" just because someone told you here, doesn't make you smarter.
You are not "bridging" anything with you hand (unless it is completely wet). You are just attenuating the signal ...

Please, people, stop speaking about things you don't understand.

 

[BobVB]

of course not. The point if the 'dog and pony show' as you call it is to show that this is not a unique issue to the iphone 4 as has been implied by some venues. It happens to all phones, particularly smart phones.

No they have not shown a single video where a single touch with a finger tip causes a 20+ dBm drop like the iPhone 4 does, that common mass attenuation and single finger touching are in anyway similar is the 'Big Lie' that Jobs is telling to mask the truth.

his calls drop a lot. Like 3-4 times a day. doesn't matter if he's on an iphone, a blackberry or even an idiot Nokia. He is giving up and switching to T-Mobile so his calls will go through. When ATT gets it together he'll consider going back and get the iphone 4.

Which has nothing to do with the legitimate complaint of people that had 3GS in the exact same locations and never had a problem until the iPhone 4.

And they are pretty much all in crap ATT zones.

more of the 'Big Lie' - with 4.0 I was dropping 5 bar calls, with 4.01 I'm dropping 4 bar calls. If anything less than 5 bars is 'crap' then that's a phone problem. I didn't see any videos to figure out there was something wrong with the phone, the non-techies that called me to ask why their new 1 day old phone was dropping calls didn't need to either. If this is an industry problem let's see the apple videos with the 3GS dropping bars with a single touch, eh?

they were reminded that they can return the phone in 30 days with no penalties such as an open box fee or ETF.

which wasn't true for anyone who didn't get their phone from Apple, and doesn't absolve them from the responsibility of producing a quality product anyway. Again a phone that squanders over 250 fold of the signal power with a single touch in a normal holding spot (which is what a 24 dBm drop like CU got is) especially when that could have been avoided by just coating the stainless is a design flaw, plain and simple. Lying to try and cover it up is wrong, also plain and simple.

 

[BobVB]

You are not "bridging" anything with you hand (unless it is completely wet). You are just attenuating the signal...

a single finger doesn't have the mass to do it, if it was attenuation then a bumper case wouldn't significantly change it.

Please, people, stop speaking about things you don't understand.

people have been saying the same to you for days but you're still misrepresenting the situation. Until Apple shows a single finger touch on any of these other phones causing a 20+ dBm signal strength drop it's just more of the 'Big Lie' Jobs is selling and the fools are buying.

 

[CQd44]

I'm surprised people are still confusing bridging antennas with attenuation.

Making people conform to a phone is silly. What next? Design a car you have to drive differently and if you try to drive it like any other car it suddenly brakes?

 

[Max(IT)]

a single finger doesn't have the mass to do it, if it was attenuation then a bumper case wouldn't significantly change it.


people have been saying the same to you for days but you're still misrepresenting the situation. Until Apple shows a single finger touch on any of these other phones causing a 20+ dBm signal strength drop it's just more of the 'Big Lie' Jobs is selling and the fools are buying.

I'm surprised people are still confusing bridging antennas with attenuation.

Making people conform to a phone is silly. What next? Design a car you have to drive differently and if you try to drive it like any other car it suddenly brakes?

and again: you are not bridging anything with an hand (or a finger).
Your hand is not made of steel ...
You are detuning/attenuating the antenna, like you do in any other phone.

and again: yes, you lost 20 dB on the iphone, because the antenna is external, BUT you have an antenna much more sensible than any other, so sensible that it can manage to make a call at -121 dB, when any other phone just report "no signal". It's a trade off.

and again: stop speaking about things you don't understand, repeating something read on a forum


BTW, this is what happen when you use a decent 3G network instead than a crap one (note that the signal strenght is medium to poor, but you can drop no more than 1-2 bars touching the antenna).
World doesn't end in the USA ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EfawQj-Rto&feature=youtube_gdata

 

[-aggie-]

a single finger doesn't have the mass to do it, if it was attenuation then a bumper case wouldn't significantly change it.


people have been saying the same to you for days but you're still misrepresenting the situation. Until Apple shows a single finger touch on any of these other phones causing a 20+ dBm signal strength drop it's just more of the 'Big Lie' Jobs is selling and the fools are buying.

Where are the lines of all these unhappy people returning their iPhone 4’s that don’t work because they’re touching a certain spot or holding it the wrong way?

 

[marksman]

And yet millions of people don't care what what Consumer Reports said and continue buying the phone like there's no tomorrow.

Seriously. I wanted to get another one and Apple Online is telling me at least 3 weeks until I can get one. WTH.

This on top of the fact that lots of people are holding off to get a white one. The demand for this phone is amazing, given the claims some people make about it.