Consumer Reports Still Not Recommending iPhone 4

[toolhouse]

Cancel Your Consumer Reports Subscriptions

I am appalled at the way Consumer Reports handled the iPhone 4 recommendation. First they recommended. Then they very publicly pulled their recommendation even though only a small number of users had noticeable antenna issues. Then they very publicly reaffirmed their refusal to recommend even after the extensive information Apple provided at their press conference. All this after their own tests rate the iPhone 4 the best smartphone. I can no longer trust their recommendations, and I don't like the political way that they handled this issue.

I just canceled my Consumer Reports subscription that I had for years!

Please join me!

 

[SiskoKid]

Nope none of those phones matter. Only the iPhone 4 has these issues. The iPhone 4 is by far the highest profile and most popular device in the world, therefore these problems are unique to the iPhone and not others.

So what you're trying to say is...that Consumer Reports is an attention whore that no one cares about but they used this as an opportunity to be relevant for a few days?

I see what you did there

 

[rhanley]

Consumer Reports explained their stance and I think it's fair. They tout all of the amazing things the phone does, but if they know there is an issue (which there is), then they can't fully recommend it -- Why is everyone so upset about this?

It's like Consumer Reports insulted your girlfriend. We're talking about a GD company here and their product. I am amazed at how people can take offense to this.

This argument is ridiculous on both sides - I feel like we have a bunch of Conservatives and Liberals in here arguing over politics.

I returned my phone and I will go elsewhere. Am I happy about it? Hell no, but Apple gave me my options, and I chose the best option for me -- I'd rather send a statement to Apple that I'm not happy.

If you're insulted by their recommendations, return your phone so they know. They can skew lots of numbers to make this seem insignificant, but if people return their phone, then it sends a statement.

If you are angry at Consumer Reports (and the tons of other sites that have blasted Apple for this), grow up! It's a GD phone -- If you are so attached that any negative publicity gets your blood boiling, I feel sorry for you.

 

[persona1138]

Nope none of those phones matter. Only the iPhone 4 has these issues. The iPhone 4 is by far the highest profile and most popular device in the world, therefore these problems are unique to the iPhone and not others.

Haha, nice.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

Yeah I wonder why they chose Sep 30? Why not until a permanent solution is made available? If iP4 owners are going to be stuck with this flaw they should extend that bumper deadline to when the next iphone comes out.

Yes, and the next iPhone revision w/ hardware fix. is coming on September 30! Can nobody read between the lines?

 

[Millah]

So what you're trying to say is...that Consumer Reports is an attention whore that no one cares about but they used this as an opportunity to be relevant for a few days?

I see what you did there

You're a clever one

 

[CupertinoBob]

Consumer Reports sound like a right set of idiots. Who really believes these people anyway?

My recent experience with CR. We were in need of replacing our 15 year old washer and dryer. So I decided to subscribe to CR for a year to get the best information possible. CR had a complete list of all the major brands. I would look at their top rated unit, then I would read all the reviews by CR readers that were posted right there on CR webpage. Almost all of CR top rated units were hammered by the actual purchasers. Really hammered. It seems none of the top rated CR were preferred by real people. Go there, read for yourself. If they don't know washers they sure as heck do not know cell phones. I would put Steve's 18 PHDs and 100 million dollar lab up against CR's "scientists" any day. I did not renew my subscription BTW

 

[songa]

everything jobs said was true today, all phones im sure suffer from this phenomenon. however, i think the point is how EASILY it is reproduced on the iphone 4, and how drastic the consequences can be, especially on at&t's already questionable network. yes this has happened to my 3gs too, as well as my friends BB, but nothing that makes it start searching for signal and completely lose service altogether. this makes the iphone 4 unusable in some situations, which is why i can understand CR's non-recommendation. thats fine, its not a huge problem for me, im just sayin, both sides make sense. i think apple probably knows this, but also knows that admitting it full out is not worth the risk, when they think they can sway popular opinion through their presentation they gave today. who knows, but either way, not a huge deal imo. the iphone 4 is still the sexiest phone out there today, and probably always will be for future models. at least we know they learned a lesson from this whole fiasco.

 

[SiskoKid]

Consumer Reports explained their stance and I think it's fair. They tout all of the amazing things the phone does, but if they know there is an issue (which there is), then they can't fully recommend it -- Why is everyone so upset about this?

It's like Consumer Reports insulted your girlfriend. We're talking about a GD company here and their product. I am amazed at how people can take offense to this.

This argument is ridiculous on both sides - I feel like we have a bunch of Conservatives and Liberals in here arguing over politics.

I returned my phone and I will go elsewhere. Am I happy about it? Hell no, but Apple gave me my options, and I chose the best option for me -- I'd rather send a statement to Apple that I'm not happy.

If you're insulted by their recommendations, return your phone so they know. They can skew lots of numbers to make this seem insignificant, but if people return their phone, then it sends a statement.

If you are angry at Consumer Reports (and the tons of other sites that have blasted Apple for this), grow up! It's a GD phone -- If you are so attached that any negative publicity gets your blood boiling, I feel sorry for you.

It's NOT fair. Their raison d'etre IS to be fair and give people a balanced and realistic view of the products they look at in order to inform the CONSUMER.

This is them trying to use this issue to be relevant for a few days. If they want to be fair, they should revisit all the other phones like they did with the iPhone and take back other recommendations:
Funny enough I don't see them taking back recommendations on these phones. Frankly I don't think they've even tested 'em!


* Samsung I9000 Galaxy S: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LROTHrTR92k

* HTC Evo Signal Attenuation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pj2YBYTbag

* Samsung Galaxy 1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

* Samsung Galaxy 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPCQdYtPihg

* Droid Incredible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaDE941PzQk

* Droid Incredible (With Network Extender in Room): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpEQH9_A5jw&feature=related

* Nexus One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIA_lMwqJA

* Nexus One vs. iPhone (start at 1:29): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvMoV4_C4aA

* Nexus One: http://posterous.com/getfile/files.p...n_-_iPhone.m4v

* Nexus One (after Google's update to correct): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2g5J4qPp54

* Nexus One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deCkjeHYT-g

* Android G1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CDaxhjUs9M

* "Major signal degradation when Nexus One is picked up" (N1 Thread on On this Problem): http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=34ae2c179184c33e&hl=en

 

[314631]

I dont think apple really cares about CR. They aim their products at young people anyway.

Apple reacted the way they have today because there is a MUCH bigger market out there selling to ordinary consumers, many of whom don't even own a smartphone yet. Apple is in a war with RIM, Google, Nokia and Microsoft to maintain and grow market share. The market they need to reach is much more likely to be swayed by negative coverage in CR and the media than anyone on MacRumors.com.

Apple has certainly scored plenty of own goals this past couple of weeks. They have tried to undo some of the damage today, but I am not convinced they have done anything like enough.

Steve Jobs ranting on the media for not blindly trusting Apple was not something I was expecting to hear.

 

[persona1138]

everything jobs said was true today, all phones im sure suffer from this phenomenon. however, i think the point is how EASILY it is reproduced on the iphone 4, and how drastic the consequences can be, especially on at&t's already questionable network. yes this has happened to my 3gs too, as well as my friends BB, but nothing that makes it start searching for signal and completely lose service altogether. this makes the iphone 4 unusable in some situations, which is why i can understand CR's non-recommendation. thats fine, its not a huge problem for me, im just sayin, both sides make sense. i think apple probably knows this, but also knows that admitting it full out is not worth the risk, when they think they can sway popular opinion through their presentation they gave today. who knows, but either way, not a huge deal imo. the iphone 4 is still the sexiest phone out there today, and probably always will be for future models. at least we know they learned a lesson from this whole fiasco.

I haven't had the complete "death grip" reception dropout myself, but this is about the most level-headed response to the whole thing I've read here so far.

 

[SiskoKid]

everything jobs said was true today, all phones im sure suffer from this phenomenon. however, i think the point is how EASILY it is reproduced on the iphone 4, and how drastic the consequences can be, especially on at&t's already questionable network. yes this has happened to my 3gs too, as well as my friends BB, but nothing that makes it start searching for signal and completely lose service altogether. this makes the iphone 4 unusable in some situations, which is why i can understand CR's non-recommendation. thats fine, its not a huge problem for me, im just sayin, both sides make sense. i think apple probably knows this, but also knows that admitting it full out is not worth the risk, when they think they can sway popular opinion through their presentation they gave today. who knows, but either way, not a huge deal imo. the iphone 4 is still the sexiest phone out there today, and probably always will be for future models. at least we know they learned a lesson from this whole fiasco.

It's just as easily reproduced on other phones. And, yes, other phone drop signal completely. There are links above that show this.

Apple didn't have to admit anything today but the truth, and they did that. You obviously don't care either way, which is fine, but I just think it's important to spread true information.

 

[fredoviola]

it's fantastic for someone to stand up to Apple for once to actually point out flaws.

Too often when reviewers be smitten by the design of Apple products and forgot what is really important sometimes.

GOOD FOR YOU! Consumer Report,

I'm a Mac user for a long time now and I can remember a time when all things Mac were made fun of by everyone. It's just lately their innovations have... well, revolutionized the music industry for one. So, yes, they do get a lot of well-deserved praise.

 

[rhanley]

azzurri4life -- I'll trust my own testing over both -- It's an issue and Apple can't convince me otherwise. I have seen it over and over and over again in my own house, with my own phone.

Apple bragging about their testing facilities doesn't mean there testing is better than real-world testing.. I'll take real-world any day!

But it looks like them bragging about their facilities made some people feel good -- "Oh, maybe my phone doesn't really have an issue -- Look at how amazing and futuristic the room looks that Apple tests in! That must mean it is better than my own testing"

Get real!

 

[dwarnecke11]

Gee, thanks Consumer Reports.

Thanks to you, my mom has joined the iPhone 4 witch hunt. No AT&T/iPhone 4 for me to replace my ancient BlackBerry Curve.

I asked her, "So, are you having any problems with your iPad?"

"Not at all, it's terrific.", she replied.

And I said, "If Consumer Reports said that they couldn't recommend the iPad, would you return it?"

"Well, of course!" She said.

I **** you not.

 

[mtwilford]

go figure, I never listen to consumer reports anyway......grandma's and 50+ yr olds do.

Ya and maybe you should grow up and take advise from some folks who have lived through these situations.

 

[Robert M.]

You apparently are not in a "weak reception area", you did remember that they said that the problem occurs primarily in this scenario, right?

I'm surprised (though maybe I shouldn't be) that no one has said anything about Apple's "numbers" as in the number of people actually reporting an issue. Now, I myself have run into this problem, and I haven't complained to Apple (since it was pretty obvious that they were fully aware of the problem and adding my voice wasn't going to make things happen any faster), so the number of folks affected is going to be well beyond the .55% that they mention. But assuming the number stays relatively low, why would they go to any more extreme measures than what they've currently done? And as they've mentioned, the return rate for the phones is extremely low (though I suspect that there will be a bump as many folks who were on the fence about returning were waiting to see what Apple was going to do, and now that they know, will go ahead and return theirs). So from a business standpoint, I can fully understand why they've taken this approach.

Yeah my service area is great, but I can make my phone drop bars and calls if I take my bumper off haha! I was just saying it's not a real problem for me because I use a "case" with my phone anyway. Still, it's crazy that the people that don't want them, need them in order to not drop calls/bars.

And yes, those numbers are nonsense! Not everyone with a problem is going to contact Apple Care. I've only gotten my hands on two other iPhone 4's besides mines and they all had the same issue. I think all of them have this issue, so Apple's claims mean nothing to me...

But like I said, it's not enough to make me dump this awesome phone!

 

[cmaier]

Not sure what folks expected.

 

[ctrobins]

Dear Consumer Reports;

Is the 'death grip' test something that Consumer Reports performs on ALL mobile phones tested? And ONLY the iPhone 4 failed?

It seems from my perspective that this test was developed and executed solely on the iPhone 4 based on comments made on the web and in the media.

I would like to maintain my opinion that Consumer Reports is an unbiased publication and remains neutral in it's methods and operations. Maintaining a common set of tests and evaluation methodologies that apply to all like-for-like products.

Please re-affirm that the 'death grip' test will be applied to ALL mobile phones in the future as opposed to being a test that only the iPhone 4 must be subjected to.

Thank you
- CTRobins

 

[Horus]

Nope none of those phones matter. Only the iPhone 4 has these issues. The iPhone 4 is by far the highest profile and most popular device in the world, therefore these problems are unique to the iPhone and not others.

I agree with you, they don't test those handsets because no one would care. People would say "The Nexus what?".

 

[rhanley]

It's NOT fair. Their raison d'etre IS to be fair and give people a balanced and realistic view of the products they look at in order to inform the CONSUMER.

This is them trying to use this issue to be relevant for a few days. If they want to be fair, they should revisit all the other phones like they did with the iPhone and take back other recommendations:
Funny enough I don't see them taking back recommendations on these phones. Frankly I don't think they've even tested 'em!

My Iphone 2G/3G never had issues with dropped calls and choppy reception at my house, no matter how I held them. The iphone4 does.

That's all the proof I need.

And I'm pretty sure the issue is not as bad on those other phones as it is on the iphone 4. If you really believe it is because Apple says so, then I don't think we'll ever agree. So, let's agree to disagree.

You probably don't have this issue, so I can understand your perspective, but I did have the issue and it was bad enough for me to return it. Consumer Reports not recommending it makes perfect sense to me.

People can read their full review and make their own decision.

 

[John Dillinger]

Wow talk about spinning!!

That's all good. meanwhile HONEYMOON's OVER for Google.

CNET: Google's earnings lighter than expected

Google missed analysts' expectations for earnings per share by 7 cents.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-20010717-265.html?tag=topTechContentWrap;editorPicks

First off what the hell does this CR Non-recommendation have to do with Google???? CR is not Google fyi.

MAN OH MAN are you trying to put a seriously negative spin on on actually positive report!

Oh yes of course the end for Google is nigh:

"Google's second-quarter revenue was up 24 percent compared to last year, but the company missed analysts' targets for earnings."

"Google took in $5.1 billion during the quarter, which ended June 30. That compares to around $4 billion during last year's second quarter"

"Analysts evaluate company earnings by excluding certain expenses, like stock-option costs, and by those metrics Google's net income was $2.08 billion, up from $1.71 billion last year."

"That translates to earnings per share of $6.45 when you exclude those special items, and the financial community was looking for $6.52. Google shares fell nearly 4 percent in after-hours trading."

"The earnings miss overshadowed what in many ways was a solid quarter for Google. More people clicked on ads in the second quarter than they did last year...
Revenue from ads on Google's own sites increased 23 percent compared to last year, and revenue from ads on sites that use Google's AdSense technology were also up 23 percent."

Yes 4% fall. Honeymoon over

 

[persona1138]

Ya and maybe you should grow up and take advise from some folks who have lived through these situations.

This isn't to knock the value of experience... But anyone who's over 20 years old has had enough experience to judge cellphone issues and trends. Cellphones haven't been around that long. Frankly, it took my folks until the original iPhone to buy a cellphone at all... (Which, honestly, was the smart call because in my opinion all cellphones stunk until the original iPhone. I hated them.)

Anyway... In short, "life experience" doesn't really matter when it comes to this particular technology. In most things, yes... In this situation, not really.

 

[heavy2healthy]

Apple is the best tech company ever. You should be ashamed to have anything negative to say about Apple. Steve Jobs and crew have basically invented the personal computer. What have you done in your life, he knows better than you, just buy Apple products, enjoy and shut up.

Woz built the personal computer. lol Consumer reports is the most unbiased source for reviews in the world because they take no ad dollars. So when they loved the iphone they are great when they say there is a problem they are biased.sounds like sour grapes to me.

 

[moonnavigator]

Consumer Reports 5 star rating for Blackberry Bold 9700

Its fine for them to not recommend iPhone4, but by not being consistent across the phones they test just proves that they add little value to the purchase decision process.