zizo79
macrumors 6502a
People love their iPhones, they want them to work perfectly and "NO" they don't want to get somethin else. The end.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
IPhone 4 recall!?!?
- Thread starter almasinfe
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
People love their iPhones, they want them to work perfectly and "NO" they don't want to get somethin else. The end.
mgamber
macrumors 6502a
LOL....boy did your dwindling group back the wrong horse. Good luck with that line! 😀
Apart from a few reports on so called tech blogs and websites I have not seen any irrefutable evidence that it is either a hardware or software problem. Hence I suggest we wait for an official response before we all go stir crazy.
Ok, All that article is doing summarising findings found on tech websites. No new information about what could be causing the issue.
I agree it could well be a hardware issue, but currently its all speculation.
Vertigo50
macrumors 65816
First of all, I think you meant irrefutable.
Second, we haven't seen any evidence? I bet you would have kept driving your Toyota death trap for months after people were crashing them, right? I mean, Toyota said nothing was wrong with them. They didn't release and "official statement" so there must not have been anything wrong.
AnandTech, Consumer Reports, antenna engineers, and many others have gone on record saying that something is fishy about the antenna, and yet because Apple hasn't said anything, you think it's unproven?
Of course Apple hasn't said anything. They're trying to sweep it under the rug. It doesn't take a genius to see that a software flaw isn't going to cause the phone to lose all signal when you place a single finger over the seam.
Bubba Satori
Suspended
There is nothing wrong with the iPhone. It's magical.
There will be a fix soon. Stay tuned. One more thing.
Leave Apple alone.
There will be a fix soon. Stay tuned. One more thing.
Leave Apple alone.
Its an interesting conundrum Apple has gotten itself into. They were trying to revolutionize the phone by putting an antenna on the outside, but by doing that they didn't realize the consequences in terms of cell signal. I don't think they deliberately put out the phone knowing about the cell signal problem, and think they were genuinely caught off guard. It was probably a lack of proper testing, maybe even using cases to test it in the wild or having a really strong signal at apple headquarters.
Now though, they have to live with that mistake, and can either keep denying its a big deal while the media and consumer pressure mounts, or address it head on. I think the signal bar software fix was a misdirect and did not really address the issue. I think their best option now is not a recall, since the logistics and cost and bad publicity of that would be huge, more so than what's occuring now. But they can still address it in other ways.
I'd recommend a slight hardware redesign of future iphones to eliminate the problem, and offering current iphone customers either a free bumper, or some sort of monetary reimbursement, maybe a $100 credit at the Apple store. While people will still complain, this solution I think will silence most current users and address the problem for future users. If Apple did this, in a month the issue will be over and people will move on. Right now though, its still simmering in the media and isn't going away.
Now though, they have to live with that mistake, and can either keep denying its a big deal while the media and consumer pressure mounts, or address it head on. I think the signal bar software fix was a misdirect and did not really address the issue. I think their best option now is not a recall, since the logistics and cost and bad publicity of that would be huge, more so than what's occuring now. But they can still address it in other ways.
I'd recommend a slight hardware redesign of future iphones to eliminate the problem, and offering current iphone customers either a free bumper, or some sort of monetary reimbursement, maybe a $100 credit at the Apple store. While people will still complain, this solution I think will silence most current users and address the problem for future users. If Apple did this, in a month the issue will be over and people will move on. Right now though, its still simmering in the media and isn't going away.
zizo79
macrumors 6502a
I don't want a free bumper because they really ugly and there is no use for them ! I just my issue to be fixed (very slow data)
Are you serious.....Why should I have to buy an accesory for something that is advertised as a WORKING PHONE.....hell it even has it in the name i"phone"
This is not a software issue... This is a physical hardware issue, if they release any software update it would only mask the problem. The only way would be if they moved the antennas.
As for me... I do get the drop bars by doing the grip of death but it hasn't bothered me yet.
The software solution will be for Apple to never show more than 1 bar of signal strength, no matter how good the coverage is. That way if a call gets dropped cuz of the grip-o-death, then it won't be a surprise because people will think "oh, i only have 1 bar...must be a coverage area issue and therefore is AT+T's fault". And if your call stays connected the whole time, even with just 1 apparent bar, then you think "wow this phone is awesome and I was able to complete my call even with only 1 bar!" Either way, Apple wins.
Julien
macrumors G4
Try reading my scenario again. I said the 3 choices (#3 is theoretical but 1 and 2 are real) are:
1) Return
2) live with it with no bumper (what I'll likely do because mine as most works)
3) Apple gives out free bumpers
What part of my scenario requires you to buy anything?
Julien
macrumors G4
...and your degree in RF engineering is from what school and please point us to the testing procedures you used to arrive at your conclusion?😱😀
Yes, SOFTWARE FIX can help: The areas with low signal is the main problem. In the areas with very strong signal, I could not even kill one bar. I think I was causing some attenuation, but because the signal was so strong it did not budge. However, when in the area of low signal, it is possible to send the phone searching for signal and hence drop the call. This tells me that Apple is right about the need to have a software fix. The Consumer Report did a controlled experiment, but they did not share how large the drop in signal was.
None of you know how the antenna signals are programmed to work with IP4 hardware and software. Here is the scenario - you hold the phone at the lower-left corner and create significant attenuation - The only way you observe that is by seeing signal bars dropping. Presently, I suspect the OS does not smooth this attenuation, sending the phone searching for some less troubled frequency. In the process you may loose your call or slow down the data speed - both are on the same antenna (I presume). Now with an appropriate software fix, this attenuation can be processed such that phone does not react to it in such a dramatic fashion - result - call continues, data flows - nothing is lost, just few bars
So unless after Apple release the promised patch and it will fail to partially solve the issue (I agree with Apple that every phone has some attenuation) I suggest staying away from mass hysteria. People who return the phones are just dumb, IMO, just look at Consumer Report - it the BEST smart-phone around in every category.
Mask the problem - so what? What exactly the average consumer wants - no or few dropped calls and appropriate data speed? If that is sustained who cares where antenna is?
wesk702
macrumors 68000
Bingo. It's their mistake. Unfortunately, a very expensive mistake. Plus giving out free bumpers is not a solution. I wouldn't be surprised if they're already far along in the process for laying down the plans on the new phone. The sheer popularity of this phone is a double-edged sword when it comes to recall time.
Actually most of the people hired at PA companies are EE and CS. That's from what my friend told me. You can bet that RMAs have been sent to the semiconductor company to see what can be done or if it's feasible to even try to fix the issue. No matter how small the issue is these phones are sent in. Every PA company wants a zero return metric. That's the goal they set forth when designing anything. The market is small so companies fight fiercely to gain market share.
whsbuss
macrumors 601
OK let me open your eyes as to why this is a hardware issue. First, Consumer Reports did clearly show in their tests that the signal degraded -20db which coupled with a weaker signal to start with can drop calls/data connectivity.
Your assumption that a software fix can somehow "smooth out" this signal display and affect the signal reception is flawed. When the two different antenna bands (wifi/BT, 3G) are bridged by human contact, metal, etc. what actually happens is the impedance of each antenna is changed/de-tuned causing the received/transmitted signal to lose its optimal radation pattern the antennas were designed for (a.k.a antenna deloading). Because cellular technology uses low level signals to reduce human RF exposure, cell phone antennas are designed to provide an optimal impedance so the maximum amount of signal can be transferred between the RF front-end electronics and the radiating antenna.
Software can control many, many things. But it cannot change the laws of physics or that of RF emissions.
zizo79
macrumors 6502a
Do you think that because it is a hardware issue that some us have slow data ?or is it network related ? TIA
caligurl
macrumors 68040
So I thought I'd chime in since I do this sort of stuff professionally. While you're correct that you're detuning the antenna, you should realize that your hand is doing that no matter WHERE on the antenna you're gripping.
A more realistic cause would be that bridging the gap presents a sudden RF mismatch which sends the firmware into fits. It is realistic to believe that the total signal dropout occurs because the iPhone software is TELLING it to dropout while looking for a different channel with less attenuation.
I agree with you that software can't change the laws of physics, but I also agree with iphonetester in that the relationship between hardware and software is being blurred and software CAN have a huge effect on RF performance.
Overall I'm optimistic but skeptical about whether a future software fix is forthcoming or even possible. We have no facts about the detailed design. The only thing we know is that something in the hardware/software system is giving us signal dropouts.