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Is Steve Jobs right or wrong - Re. 'None Issue!' Comment on signal loss.

Does your phone drop it's signal (mine does!)

  • YES - When I Hold Normally

    Votes: 60 33.0%

  • Sometimes - Only If I Really Cover The Bottom Corners

    Votes: 42 23.1%

  • NO - Not Experienced it in normal use

    Votes: 70 38.5%

  • Don't Care - I am returning my iPhone 4 (Enough is Enough)

    Votes: 10 5.5%
  • Total voters
    182
S

Spectrum48k

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 21, 2009
21
0
OK guys before I begin, I am a huge fan of Apple. Have been since the first Mac in 1984. In the early 90's I worked for them on contract for a couple of years and always felt they had something special - even before SJ rejoined the fold and rescued the company. I've had most of their equipment and have spent, like many 10's of thousands over the years on lining the pockets of Jobs and Co. I am a fan, but not a fan boy.

If something is not fit for purpose, especially when something costs so much, I get annoyed. Further, I also feel that Apples production standards are slipping - I've had 2 high end Mac Pros die, 2 iMac 27" with screen issues (one had an eye lash behind the glass), I've had all the iphones, my last kept crashing. My iphone 4 arrived yesterday and there was a blue bit of plastic peaking out from under the glass - no problem though I cut it off with a razor.

Now I know this is starting to sound like a rant, and I guess it is. However, when I've purchased expensive boutique gear from anywhere else, the quality is exceptional and the service and support excellent. You usually, get what you pay for. However, I am seriously starting to doubt whether this is the case with Apple anymore. They recoup the cost of development easily with each launch of a product, especially the iPhone. Therefore, I would imagine that they can afford to make 100% sure that their product is 1 - exceptional in every way and 2 - fit for the purpose in hand.

I admire SJ, but his latest confirmed comment by email, is sadly very arrogant and excuse the pun, off hand. I feel somewhat cheated, that here's a guy, that claims he is giving us the best products, but when we point and say 'ah but SJ it doesn't work as you say' - his response is one that I and I am sure many others are let down by. As a result, I don't think I will be buying the next iPhone. Two very expensive phones 3GS and now the 4, having issues, that I've experienced. I've had all the iphones and I can't see how far they can go beyond 4 anyway, that will make it worth paying £600 for a phone...

OK rant over, but I am sure I am not the only one, that feels incredibly let by SJ's response, to the very people that have made Apple a behemoth!
 
He's right.

Just tried holding my phone.

What kind of chimpanzee limbed person holds their phone in the bottom left when making a call?

Hold it right handed and it’s physically impossible to block the bottom left.
If you’re left handed you have to twist your hand and risk dropping it if you’re dumb enough to hold it at the bottom.

And I have big hands.
 
AlexisV said:
He's right.

Just tried holding my phone.

What kind of chimpanzee limbed person holds their phone in the bottom left when making a call?

Hold it right handed and it’s physically impossible to block the bottom left.
If you’re left handed you have to twist your hand and risk dropping it if you’re dumb enough to hold it at the bottom.

And I have big hands.
Click to expand...

You are kidding? Even when I hold it in my right hand, my fingers brush over the "area of interest" to stablise the phone. And are you also suggesting we should only ever browse the web with the phone in our right hand? PLEASE.
 
AlexisV said:
He's right.

Just tried holding my phone.

What kind of chimpanzee limbed person holds their phone in the bottom left when making a call?

Hold it right handed and it’s physically impossible to block the bottom left.
If you’re left handed you have to twist your hand and risk dropping it if you’re dumb enough to hold it at the bottom.

And I have big hands.
Click to expand...

I get your point, but some people are experiencing issues and I for one, would rather applaud Apple. However, I still feel his response was wrong and unprofessional. He doesn't have to say, yes there are problems, no company like Apple would. He could have simply been more measured in his response and not said to hold it that way - in other words blaming the user. Those of us experiencing the problem are not gripping the phone, or trying to smother it. We're just using it, like we're used to using all phones. Some hold it differently, like you and perhaps your phone is fine, but there does appear to be an issue. Perhaps one that's being blown up a little, but an issue no less and SJ's response is not one, that will quell the irritation felt by those having spent up to £600 on a phone!
 
Igantius said:
I wouldn't say that Jobs is too measured a person... :p
Click to expand...

Quite. I love Apple's tech and I like the iPhone 4. I feel though that SJ could have responded better and this is not going to win him any favours. He could have simply said 'We are aware that some users are experiencing issues and we are looking into that. Most, however, are experiencing the full power and wonder of the iPhone 4 and the great products of Apple... wha ha ha ha haaa!' ... or something like that
 
Tom G. said:
I have mine in a case from the beginning so this to me is a non- issue.
Click to expand...

I understand. However, the phone should work, regardless, as intended, without the case. Perhaps Apple, should supply those with the problem, with a free bumper? Just a thought.

I also feel that there's more at stake here. Apple should learn from Ratners - which was a famous old school Jewelers in the UK many moons ago. The CEO basically said 'we sell crap!' and Ratners folded months later - the CEO crucified the company. Now, granted, this isn't quite as bad, but the CEO is the ambassador, the mouth piece of the company and more so in Apples case, the lead and celebrity. By turning around and saying 'none issue..... don't hold it that way.' is incredibly arrogant and insulting to those that have spent a lot of money with Apple. Further, and Apple knows this. That those that buy the iPhone, tend to buy other apple products too. The CEO has a responsibility here and SJ has most certainly dropped the ball and come across as not giving a damn! Apple reputation is at stake, don't screw it up by blaming the user. Learn from Ratner, be careful what you say, as it may bite you in the backside, more than you think!
 
Don't hold it that way is an arrogant answer?

He didn't have even to reply.

Beside that could be an annoying issue for some, having a case or a bumper helps out.

Is a non issue as other iPhones and other smart phones have signal drop by covering the antenna.

Either use a case, hold it differently or return it. Take your pick.
 
Fraaaa said:
Don't hold it that way is an arrogant answer?

He didn't have even to reply.

Beside that could be an annoying issue for some, having a case or a bumper helps out.

Is a non issue as other iPhones and other smart phones have signal drop by covering the antenna.

Either use a case, hold it differently or return it. Take your pick.
Click to expand...

I maybe interpreting your reply wrong, but here goes. Are you questioning whether it was a arrogant reply, as I and many other believe it was. Yes, he didn't have to reply, but when you do and your the CEO, you make sure you do so in a measured professional way. Not insult the user.

I don't feel it's a none issue. If it was, then holding it, whether left or right handed shouldn't make any difference. The user should, like when using any other phone, hold it how they are most comfortable. I am right handed, I don't have big hands, and yet I experience the issues that many are facing. I shouldn't have to adapt how I naturally pick something up.

Let's take this further and this has happened today. Phone rings, I pick up and seconds later call dropped. I shouldn't have to, and this is the annoying thing... caller rings back, I then have to think of holding the phone differently, so I don't get the dropped call. Now, regardless of how small a thing that may seem. When you answer a phone, you just want to pick it up, take the call and get on with things. Not think, ' ah hold on,..I have to answer the phone this way...' ..

The phone (ANY PHONE) is a tool, that should fit us, not the other way around!
 
Ya...I'm left handed and I always hold the phone in my left hand and haunt had any issues so far or have been able to repeat the issue. Is this only an issue in low reception areas? I have pretty good service usually so I'm not sure.
 
Yes when I hold it normally, but only if I have a marginal signal. If I have 5 bars, it is not affected at all.
 
Fraaaa said:
Don't hold it that way is an arrogant answer?

He didn't have even to reply.

Beside that could be an annoying issue for some, having a case or a bumper helps out.

Is a non issue as other iPhones and other smart phones have signal drop by covering the antenna.

Either use a case, hold it differently or return it. Take your pick.
Click to expand...

I'm sure many would agree that not responding would have been a whole lot better than "don't hold it that way."
 
Spectrum48k said:
OK guys before I begin, I am a huge fan of Apple. Have been since the first Mac in 1984. In the early 90's I worked for them on contract for a couple of years and always felt they had something special - even before SJ rejoined the fold and rescued the company. I've had most of their equipment and have spent, like many 10's of thousands over the years on lining the pockets of Jobs and Co. I am a fan, but not a fan boy.

OK rant over, but I am sure I am not the only one, that feels incredibly let by SJ's response, to the very people that have made Apple a behemoth!
Click to expand...

Kudos for a well written post!

I feel exactly the same way, as I too have purchased Apple computers & products since 1984. Recently I had to return three new 2010 Core i7 MacBook Pros before finally receiving one without significant quality control issues. The first one had two 3" long scratches on the palm rest, second one was DOA, third one had a faulty display panel & finally the forth one was OK. My iPhone 4 has the antenna issue & three yellow blotches on the upper left & lower right of the display. It's as though Apple no longer cares about quality control.
 
AlexisV said:
Hold it right handed and it’s physically impossible to block the bottom left.
Click to expand...
Just thought you might like to see what physically impossible looks like.

phone.jpg


For me, this phone is completely useless without a case.
 
As a purely scientific matter, he's correct. That doesn't make his response a smart one, though.

Not so long ago, cell phones had antennas above the case, either fixed in position or that would pull out. That was done to keep them away from the hand, since placing the hand on or near an antenna will degrade performance. That's true on the iPhone 4, the 3GS/3G, or any cell phone or other radio transmitter where the antenna is in close proximity to the hand.

But visible antennas weren't cool enough for the consumer public. Too geeky. We want our phones to be slick, fashionable accessories, and the laws of physics be damned.

So, the manufacturers -- and not just Apple -- complied and buried the antenna in the cell phone. The result is worse phone performance, which we consumers blame on the manufacturers and network providers because it couldn't possibly be due to unreasonable demands on our part, could it? Engineers and designers are supposed to give us what we want no matter what. Oh, and make it cheaper, too, because we don't want to pay for it.

OK, I got off on a rant of my own there. Sorry. But the real solution to this problem is to move the antenna away from the hand, and the only practical way of doing that is to have it stick up from the case. Just imagine the outcry if Apple had done that! "A design only an engineer could love" is what people would be saying.
 
Fraaaa said:
Don't hold it that way is an arrogant answer?

He didn't have even to reply.

Beside that could be an annoying issue for some, having a case or a bumper helps out.

Is a non issue as other iPhones and other smart phones have signal drop by covering the antenna.

Either use a case, hold it differently or return it. Take your pick.
Click to expand...

It is this attitude that fuels Apples power over the people, which reinforces Steve Jobs arrogant attitude. He has created this walled garden of power & control over his followers, and they follow like lemmings. Why they stop thinking for themselves & blindly worship him is quite amusing.
 
Speedracer04 said:
Ya...I'm left handed and I always hold the phone in my left hand and haunt had any issues so far or have been able to repeat the issue. Is this only an issue in low reception areas? I have pretty good service usually so I'm not sure.
Click to expand...

Holding the phone that way degrades the antenna performance. If you are getting lots of signal, the degradation may not be enough to make a difference in the capability of the phone. The amount of degradation will depend on a number of factors, including how you hold the phone, the frequency band in use, the dampness of your hands, the orientation of the phone to the cell site, etc. Radio physics is complicated.
 
I was going to get a case anyway

I saw the signal antenna issue but a case resolved my problem completely and I'm more protected from falls so it works out for me anyway. I agree that using a case invalidates the beautiful design but I prefer the protection over the opinions of other people when I'm carrying a $600-700 slab of glass. I have yet to get a dropped call since I first got this thing!
 
Just like every year after a new release, people complain and say "Enough is enough", yet you see them posting on the forum, about their iPhones for months after.
 
AlexisV said:
He's right.


What kind of chimpanzee limbed person holds their phone in the bottom left when making a call?
Click to expand...

Stop kissing Apples ass, you sound like an arrogant idiot.

phone.jpg


This is EXACTLY how I hold my phone.


Will I adjust now that I know? Yes.


Is it the most ridiculous corporate response I've heard thus far in the technology sector? Yes.


Do I want to punch Steve Jobs in the grill? Yes.
 
Ferris23 said:
Stop kissing Apples ass, you sound like an arrogant idiot.

phone.jpg


This is EXACTLY how I hold my phone.


Will I adjust now that I know? Yes.


Is it the most ridiculous corporate response I've heard thus far in the technology sector? Yes.


Do I want to punch Steve Jobs in the grill? Yes.
Click to expand...

Nice photo! You don't have to hold the 'phone like that. In fact when I hold my 'phone I hold it so that my thumb is keeping the lower right-hand corner away from the palm of my hand.

BTW. I'm sure that if your reply was devoid of it's childish rudeness, people would be more sympathetic to your point of view!
 
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