iPhone 4 Antenna Issue - If we fuel it, they will come. Cha-ching.

[murdercitydevil]

tl/dr

 

[samcraig]

If you look at it objectively:

- Company A make a product line which is the most popular
- Company B, C, D, E and F make less popular products within the same category
- A problem is discovered in company As product, this problem also occurs in company B, C, D, E and Fs products.

...

You're either NOT looking this objectively or you aren't getting what others are telling you. Other phones have the issue. But the iPhone has a GREATER issue.

Is it fair that Apple's iPhone gets so much media coverage before the launch vs other phones? Why aren't there any David Letterman Top 10s about people waiting in line for an Android Phone? Where are all the news stories about Samsung's NEXT BIG THING.

Point is - when there's that much media coverage of anything - it can also lead to the same when things go wrong. It's called equilibrium.

Is it fair? I don't know. Ask Motorola (before this) if they like turning on the tv every day and seeing Apple in the news when their press releases aren't given the time of day. Is it fair that both companies make great phones but Apple gets all the GOOD press?

Is it fair to condemn the media but excuse Apple itself from dragging in other phone manufacturers into their PR nightmare?

Listen - I understand where you're coming from. Believe me I do. Working in PR myself and also having worked in the publishing industry for many years I get it.

All that being said - Apple was Apple's worst enemy. And the media picked up on the flaws in their statements and press conference and exploited it.

You can preach all you want about whether or not news orgs have really simply become infotainment. But that's an entirely different discussion and for a different message board/forum area.

 

[dagomike]

I see no direct coloration made between "Attenuation" or "Retuning" - it's not even mentioned. It's simply stated as "touch sensitivity" - seeing a reduction in signal strength using a half grip and full grip.. Both types of grips have been illustrated to same the same signal reduction in most mobile devices.

If I put an attenuator on an antenna, it will lower the signal power by a specified dB. If I pull out a hacksaw and cut off a length of antenna, that's a different situation all together. (Or add on a length inappropriate for the wavelength and/or introducing interference.)

The former can be observed on all phones, but the later only on phones essentially with an external antenna.

 

[Geckotek]

I wanted some time to read the article you posted, so back after loading up on some steak and creamy pepper sauced cooked by the wife. Trust me, when you're married to a vegetarian, steak is like winning the lottery and losing your virginity all over again.

I see no direct coloration made between "Attenuation" or "Retuning" - it's not even mentioned. It's simply stated as "touch sensitivity" - seeing a reduction in signal strength using a half grip and full grip.. Both types of grips have been illustrated to same the same signal reduction in most mobile devices.

Then you have the results of an iPhone 4 with a bumper - this only illustrates that RF travel better through plastic than they do directly through your hand. Leaving a slight gap to lessen the affects of the attenuation. I can see the point you're trying to make but i also see other mobile phones experiencing the same issues just the same.

Granted, i'm no expert on mobile antenna technology. Then again, even the expert in the article admites the flaws in his testing process. So until i see something concrete and tested in a controlled environment, i still feel this is a discussion best left until that time. Since i myself work in QA, i can tell you that a test environment is the first and most important part of performing V&V on anything.

I've been quite clear that most mobile devices experience the problem, i was simply using the Samsung Galaxy S as an example since it seems todays hot topic. Once again, feel free to pop onto youtube to see for yourself.



So because a company is large, popular and receives a great deal of press coverage. It gives journalists license to abandon the ethics of a profession which have taken a serious battering in recent years, i don't think so. Either you just don't care that by in large our news coverage is being ripped to shreds by profit motivated journalism, or you're just blind to it.

If you look at it objectively:

- Company A make a product line which is the most popular
- Company B, C, D, E and F make less popular products within the same category
- A problem is discovered in company As product, this problem also occurs in company B, C, D, E and Fs products.

At this point, journalistic integrity takes a dive. Choosing to saturate their coverage on one company, knowing it will exacerbate the situation and lead to increased traffic. Rather than performing a comparison, giving their readership and honest and impartial look at the problem across the marketplace. God knows we've seen enough iPhone 4 vs HTC Evo vs Samsung Galaxy S face offs regarding reviews, didn't think it was important to also extend the same type of approach to this situation? No - because that might just of killed a story which escalated into a full on media event.. Which is no doubt, far more profitable. Or if not purely for profit, their own entertainment by exploiting their position of power and giving only a bias view of the events to make a dent in a company they would personally like to take a stab at.

The news has always been about finding out the truth, then exposing it. Even if that truth wasn't as sensational as it perhaps could be, it was still the truth and it had to be balanced so it didn't leave room for bias.

That sort of thinking seems to have been lost.. Even more disturbing, you don't seem to be as annoyed about that as i am. Especially when you consider what journalists used to stand for, or stood against when trying to expose a truly important story.

First of all, look at the measurements measured by Antennasys. They are looking at actual DB ratings and data throughput. Look at the data you are looking at on YouTube. Useless signal bars.

You are not comparing apples to apples. When you say "MOST" phones, you need to quantify. Show me a list of phones that experience a 20DB drop in signal when touching them. I guarantee you won't be able to (at least not a list that includes "MOST" phones....perhaps 2-3 more at best.)

The news organizations have done their job. They have reported on a real issue that exists and is worse in the iPhone 4 than any other phone in the market. If you didn't get the numbers you liked in the Antennasys article, read the Anandtech article. There is a MUCH larger signal loss when touching the side of an iPhone 4. If ANY other phone has this great of a signal drop, it does NOT nullify the fact that there is a defect in the phone design. period.

 

[samcraig]

If ANY other phone has this great of a signal drop, it does NOT nullify the fact that there is a defect in the phone design. period.

This fact alone (and something I've been writing since this exploded) is KEY.

 

[asleep]

...The news organizations have done their job. They have reported on a real issue that exists and is worse in the iPhone 4 than any other phone in the market ... there is a defect in the phone design. period.

You da man, G-tek.

Well stated throughout.

 

[Brazzan]

If you look at it objectively:

- Company A make a product line which is the most popular
- Company B, C, D, E and F make less popular products within the same category
- A problem is discovered in company As product, this problem also occurs in company B, C, D, E and Fs products.

But the same problem does not occur in company B,C, D, E and F's products. They have a superficially similar problem with a much lesser impact. It has a different cause and is an order of magnitude less severe.

Of course Apple know that most of their customers and most journalists are non-technical and so can be taken in by this "they're all the same" spin, but it simply isn't true.

It's not the websites that are lacking integrity here, it's Apple's PR machine. They are intentionally misrepresenting the facts.

 

[joekun]

Your general news has been tarnished, people like Fox News and others are more “Media Outlets” peddling stories of importance in relation to how much revenue they can generated rather than their relevance.

Hmm, so they report about the news that people are interested rather than talking points from the Democrat Party? Sounds like a good thing to me.

I didn't follow any of the outlets you referred to regarding the iPhone 4, but it seems to me that people (like me) wanted to know what was going on with their phone while they still have time to get out of their contract. I dropped 3 calls in a row the other day, an issue I never had with my 3G, and the way that I naturally hold the phone causes a lot of signal loss. Seems like a legitimate story. Just go stick your head in the sand by watch CNN or MSNBC and enjoy your phone.

 

[bluenoise]

Apple just wants it both ways. It wants countless million of free advertising/marketing for its announcements, but to wants be ignored when they screw up.

There is no fiasco. Apple built a system of hype via secrecy and limited access for covering and reading about the company. That knife cuts both ways and Apple needs to stop crying about it. Maybe next time it should just issue a press statement instead of putting on a media event.

^ There it is.

 

[ddavid]

Although that’s not really the issue in my opinion, it’s that if you use the iPhone in a manner which means your hand covers the left side of the phone you can cause attenutation (Affecting left handed people most, by simply holding it how they normally would). This is something which can be replicated with most mobile phones, as this is the limitation of the technology available.

Actually, most right handed people that I know use their left to hold their phone. This keeps their right hand available...

 

[JonathanK81]

Actually, most right handed people that I know use their left to hold their phone. This keeps their right hand available...

That's how I am. I am right-handed, but keep the phone in my left hand/ear because sometimes I need to jot down notes or phone numbers.

 

[mavis]

Once again, your problem is that you are not telling the whole story.

Does the iPhone 4 have detuning issues? Yes
Do most other phones exhibit the same behaviour? No (although it seems the Galaxy S may)

Shhh. I don't think the OP wants to hear this.

 

[duction]

im replacing mine in thrus,,, if its still **** i shall be getting a refund of £630 prolly buy the new Sony NEX-5 camera .

 

[scaredpoet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BolQ9o_-Q68

There clearly is.

Ouch. What's worse: people complain about the iOS 4.0.1 bars? Well, with the Galaxy S, you still have 5 bars. They just aren't as white as when you actually have signal...