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Coverage of Apple's iPhone 4 Press Conference

I don't understand why this has so many positives. Steve basically said; it's a problem, we've invested loads in antenna tech but couldn't build a good one, everyone has this problem, it's not a problem, have some free cases.

He claims all smartphones have this problem. My 3GS didn't, my current phone (bought instead of an iPhone 4), every smartphone I've had access to in the past week haven't displayed this problem. The only phone that did was some ancient 2003ish Nokia which I traded in for a Siemens. Until this is fixed I'll be advising others to stay clear of it, needless to say everyone who has asked me if it's a good buy are shocked to hear this problem and Apples reluctance to fix it.

Ah Apple. They sure know how to smile and please a crowd by offering no real solution.
 
Gidiyup said:
Its pretty simple. If you want to send a message to Apple, then don't buy the phone or return the one you have.
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Give it up. Even if all the people complaining here returned the iPhones and demanded a full refund... the percentage of returns would still be well below that of the 3GS (which previously ranked higher in statistical consumer satisfaction than any other smartphone).

And the waiting list is still huge... demand greatly exceeds supply.

Apple has heard the message, and it's a small one. (But even then, they'll throw in a free case.)
 
Anuba said:
Yeah, that part was lame. There can be two antenna issues (attenuation by obstruction and bridging by conduction). All phones have the first problem, the iPhone 4 included, but the iPhone 4 is unique in also having the second problem. Steve knew that and he knew that issue #2 is what everyone expected them to address, but again they chose to diffuse the issue and refer to problem #1.

The conference wasn't altogether bad, it's good that they're offering free bumpers/cases and it was great that they showed images of their testing facility. That should put to rest the theory put forth by some clowns that "they missed it 'cos they only tested it with fake 3GS cases on!". I have no doubt that they take these issues and their reputation seriously. But we really could've done without the "look, other phones do it too!" part, he knows that we know that he knows that there's more to it than that.
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But as you pointed out he did play the public for fools by trying to mix up two separate problems. People who care about their reputation normally do not do this. I can not believe that he himself does not understand the difference between the two issues.
 
Geek rage is so much fun

Unless one likes the feelings of useless anger, one has to admit that the press conference was the for two audiences - customers and Apple shareholders - went off exactly as these types of briefings do:

Admission that some users are experiencing problems
the problems aren't widespread
they have a way of resolving (somewhat) the problem
they are working on a long-term resolution
if customers are dissatisfied, they may ask for a refund

With the exception of people who were expecting either a tearful mea culpa or for him to commit seppuku in front of the cameras, what else could he have done?
 
just to get this straight. So the Iphone4 that was quote: "so beautifully designed and unlike any other phone you have ever seen" is now going to need an ugly rubber bumper just to make the thing work LMAO.

Yet some Apple fan-boys claim this to be no biggie, and find steve jobs proposal of free bumpers for everyone a really smart, nice and good solution to the problem. wow Apple really has turned some of you guys into straight suckers.

Steve jobs....you gotta give it to the guy, he really pimps his ho's with a sturdy hand
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2; en-gb; Nexus One Build/FRF91) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

I think my final thoughts on the whole drama is that there is nothing else to complain about.

Apple have clearly laid their cards on the table and have given a few solutions on how to resolve the issues you are having (if any).

I don't kknow what else people want Apple to do.

I know this isn't the best outoutcome for everyone but the vast majority of iPhone owners should be happy.
 
lilj4425 said:
Why wouldn't you like a case on your phone if it protects it from getting destroyed if dropped on the ground?
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Who's clumsy enough to go around dropping their phone?

Just seems like stupidity not to have a case on a cell phone.
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You realize no one on the state at the news conference Q&A uses a case on theirs, right?
 
Dagless said:
He claims all smartphones have this problem. My 3GS didn't...
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All smartphones have a problem, not the exactly identical problem. All different antennas behave differently. The 3GS antenna (and those of other smartphones) will work better in some situations, but worse in others.

You i4 works worse than your 3GS in some places; my i4 works better than my 3GS in others. Big deal. For all you know, there are more people in places like me than places like you. Net win for the design.

Just return your i4 and get a 3GS if you really think that the 3GS is a better phone for you.
 
Consultant said:
I think there would be an antenna re-design for iPhone 5
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No there won't be. They may develop better antennas but will keep the similar external antenna because they will bring more functionality to antenna such as wireless power by induction. that is charging your phone without plugging...
 
tivoboy said:
I still have this, i wonder if AT&T would re-activate it for me.

(I know it is only analogue and there is no way they would do it, but it would be fun to try when I bring in my iphone 4 for return)

I might just do that, and video it.
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Nope..

FCC says antenna can't be at top anymore...right?
 
firewood said:
If, during the past year or so, all AT&T 3GS users in San Francisco and New York City only had 1 call drop out of 100, many would have thought a miracle occurred.
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I agree - what Steve Jobs is really saying is if you were happy with the number of dropped calls on your 3GS, then you should be happy with the iPhone 4.

On the other hand, if you thought your 3GS was dropping too many calls, don't expect it to get any better with the iPhone 4.
 
bfar5 said:
Really! How could it be considered a success if it drops more calls than the previous generation? I'm wondering if this version is going down in Apple's history as its "Vista."
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You drop less than one more call out of 100 but retain signal in more places compared to 3GS. What a terrible trade-off:rolleyes:
 
BobVB said:
Who's clumsy enough to go around dropping their phone?



You realize no one on the state at the news conference Q&A uses a case on theirs, right?
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You , my friend , obviously don't work in the wireless industry, they get run over by vehicles, dropped in toilets and urinals and also dropped on ceramic tile floors in shopping malls, I always recommend a case for anyone who purchases any phone on the market...

and then don't bitch at Apple when it stops working when it hits concrete...
 
Lots of marketing talk, and the bottom line and the solution is: Get a bumper.

How accurate is the returns comparison? how do they compare the returned iPhone 4 handsets with the 3GS? is that for the same period? have they adjusted the amount ratio?
 
Bumper refunds will be online

I just called the Highland Park, TX Apple store, and they confirmed that refunds will also be done online. There will be an option to get a new bumper or to get a refund.

No refunds will be done in the store
 
lilo777 said:
But as you pointed out he did play the public for fools by trying to mix up two separate problems. People who care about their reputation normally do not do this. I can not believe that he himself does not understand the difference between the two issues.
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Like I said, he must know. The fact that they picked up a Youtube video posted just this morning shows that they're following this issue closely and in real time... it's inconceivable that they wouldn't also have gathered that the Big Question everyone wants an answer about is the bridging issue. The fact that it can be done with a finger and the fact that it's been shown to kill the signal completely even for people standing next to a microcell. They could've addressed that one question and skipped the rest. They could've come clean and said alright, we know, it's not just about run-of-the-mill attenuation, there's also one more thing... But I think that would be opening a can of worms that raises questions about their judgment and the possibility of a recall or hardware tweaks.
 
Alonzo84 said:
You drop less than one more call out of 100 but retain signal in more places compared to 3GS. What a terrible trade-off:rolleyes:
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Actually, if it is more sensitive, my guess is it actually drops less calls than the 3GS in like for like coverage areas, the place the dropped calls would occur more than likely would be in areas where the 3GS would not even have service... I dunno about you , when I need to call 911, I would take having coverage and potentially dropping a call over seeing no service popping up on the display...
 
PstLMac said:
FCC says antenna can't be at top anymore...right?
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The antenna can probably still go on top, but good luck trying to legally turn up the transmitter power to match the competition, and still have a legal SAR rating. So you end up with a great antenna on top of an even punier radio. The net result is probably not much better... and a whole lot uglier.

And then you will have all the viewer-mongering blogs post about your high SAR rating causing brain tumers, and death, and destruction, and earthquakes, etc...

How is that an improvement?
 
Steviejobz said:
This board and thread has gone to hell. People registering user names to complain about a phone they dont even own? Who has that time?
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people who get paid to do this kind of work. they are everywhere from mac rumors to cnn news editor. Last 4 weeks have been nothing but a media propaganda war against apple. 0.55% faulty phones. And look where we are...

I opened mac rumors account just to make this point.....
 
morphineseason said:
Anyone else feel like the general tone of this conference was, "NONISSUE NONISSUE NONISSUE! TAKE YOUR FREE F#%@% CASE AND STOP COMPLAINING!" Because that's all I got out of it.
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Well then I guess you missed a lot of things. They supplied facts that counteract the prevailing blogosphere hysteria, explained the issues and told you what the immediate resolution was going to be, and that they were looking at the long term solution as well. You can even get your money back no questions.

So what exactly has you pissed off?
 
Simsonic said:
I loved it so much I had to say it again...

"Facts don't lie. Only 0.55% of users call AppleCare with problems. Only 1.7% return rate, versus 6% for 3GS. Dropped calls on par with 3GS. Attenuation happens on other phones. Despite all of this, Apple still gives out free cases."
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Exactly
 
Dear Steve,

Do you really think Apple users are so stupid and will swallow that load? For a company that supposedly offers superior products that justify the premium paid saying "It's out of proportion because other phones have problems" is just plain insulting.
 
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