Don't get me wrong here, but most, if not all, normally buy a case. So, why does it matter if the reception does decline, when you are getting a case. The case will prevent your skin from bridging the gap, right? When I heard about this, I tried my phone. It won't drop bars. So, I am relieved, but I did not like the lack of a case. So, I bought the Belkin grip vue case. I don't have to worry about my phone get scratched.
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Jobs says Signal Strength a "non issue"
- Thread starter samcraig
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Well, I am not using the bumper. I got a separate case. I am not sure, if the bumper would keep moisture in. It may not be the best case.
as i said before, i didnt mean to make it sound like everyone will have the problem. sorry for the confusion. looks like half the people will have the problem. just depends on what band you are using.
are you being serious or trying to be funny?
the antenna location was changed for the IPhone 4. yes. and yes you can now block the antenna with one finger. is there something else that needs further explaining? this doenst impact my reasoning that it is software related one bit. the antenna was moved and can be covered by one finger. wonderful.
the problem is the software is not telling the antenna to power up as interference is applied (thumb, finger, etc). doesnt matter that the antenna is located differently from 3GS or if a finger can pinpoint the exact location.
its a software problem............
http://timesnewsworld.com/07751/ios...dress-the-signal-reception-issue-of-iphone-4/
http://timesnewsworld.com/07751/ios...dress-the-signal-reception-issue-of-iphone-4/
Sorry, but that says (and I quote):
Is there some official notice on Apple.com about this so-called official announcement? If not, this is just like every other news article:
Pure speculation at this point.
No official word from Apple has yet been released, no press release, no statements, no videos, no emails, nothing from Apple itself.
It would do you and many others well to understand this and the non-official nature of the non-official article making non-official claims. When and if something appears on Apple.com about this so-called fix then it's believable.
Until then it's speculation and best left alone.
There are two issues at work here that a lot of people are getting confused.
1) any cellphone will experience a degradation of signal when you wrap your hands around it, this is why 3G and 3GS users can seemingly replicate the problem
2) what's going on with the iPhone 4 is not just simple signal degradation due to wrapping your hands around the phone, it's introducing interference into the cellular antenna from the other antenna when your hand or finger bridge the gap between the two. This is a design issue and causes a much more severe signal degradation than what's caused on a normal cellphone by wrapping your hands around it
What people are experiencing on the iPhone 4 and previous iPhone models may look the same, but they're two totally different issues one much more severe and easily caused than the other. The iPhone 4 issue is not a software issue no matter what apple says. They may release an update that masks the issue by simply increasing the amount of bars the phone displays for a given db level but it's not going go be a real "fix".
Also, want to know why some people have the problem and others claim not to? It's because the distribution of db levels amongst the signal strength bars is not even. For example, let's suppose you rate signal strength on a scale of 1-100. 5 bars represents a signal strength of 60-100, 4 bars is 40-60, 3 bars is 30-40, 2 is 20-30, 1 is 10-20 and anything below 10 is no signal. Now suppose shorting the antenna drops the signal strength by 40 points. If you're in an area where your strength is 100 to begin with you're going to see no change in bars even though you're hurting your signal, whereas if you're in an area where your signal is a 49 to begin with you're going to see it drop from 4 bars to no service. Every iPhone 4 has this design flaw, some people just don't realize what they're doing to their signal by holding the phone with their left hand because of how good their signal is to begin with.
1) any cellphone will experience a degradation of signal when you wrap your hands around it, this is why 3G and 3GS users can seemingly replicate the problem
2) what's going on with the iPhone 4 is not just simple signal degradation due to wrapping your hands around the phone, it's introducing interference into the cellular antenna from the other antenna when your hand or finger bridge the gap between the two. This is a design issue and causes a much more severe signal degradation than what's caused on a normal cellphone by wrapping your hands around it
What people are experiencing on the iPhone 4 and previous iPhone models may look the same, but they're two totally different issues one much more severe and easily caused than the other. The iPhone 4 issue is not a software issue no matter what apple says. They may release an update that masks the issue by simply increasing the amount of bars the phone displays for a given db level but it's not going go be a real "fix".
Also, want to know why some people have the problem and others claim not to? It's because the distribution of db levels amongst the signal strength bars is not even. For example, let's suppose you rate signal strength on a scale of 1-100. 5 bars represents a signal strength of 60-100, 4 bars is 40-60, 3 bars is 30-40, 2 is 20-30, 1 is 10-20 and anything below 10 is no signal. Now suppose shorting the antenna drops the signal strength by 40 points. If you're in an area where your strength is 100 to begin with you're going to see no change in bars even though you're hurting your signal, whereas if you're in an area where your signal is a 49 to begin with you're going to see it drop from 4 bars to no service. Every iPhone 4 has this design flaw, some people just don't realize what they're doing to their signal by holding the phone with their left hand because of how good their signal is to begin with.
I've got other cell phones that I can put inside metal boxes that don't exhibit the kind of degradation my iPhone 4 does when it's in my hand, and if I do bridge that gap between the antenna bands, forget it, "It's dead, Jim."
While a lot of people are "new" to this and more by the minute, there are a lot of us that have been on this issue since Wednesday so... as the post linked in my sig demonstrates, I'm line-of-sight with a cell tower only a few hundred feet away with zero obstructions and I can KILL the service with a fingertip and lessen it fairly drastically (5 bars to 2) with the normal left hand hold I use when I'm operating the iPhone 4 with my right index finger.
So while more and more people are discovering this issue, a great many of us are in situations where we can test it and reproduce it 100% of the time even in spite of being in an area that is about as strong as you can get in terms of signal strength without actually tapping into the antenna array with a piece of coax.
Defective by design...
While a lot of people are "new" to this and more by the minute, there are a lot of us that have been on this issue since Wednesday so... as the post linked in my sig demonstrates, I'm line-of-sight with a cell tower only a few hundred feet away with zero obstructions and I can KILL the service with a fingertip and lessen it fairly drastically (5 bars to 2) with the normal left hand hold I use when I'm operating the iPhone 4 with my right index finger.
So while more and more people are discovering this issue, a great many of us are in situations where we can test it and reproduce it 100% of the time even in spite of being in an area that is about as strong as you can get in terms of signal strength without actually tapping into the antenna array with a piece of coax.
Defective by design...
I was actually considering to go get one today, since I figured all the hysteria might have died down and Im tired of my crappy 3G.
Did you get it yet? If so, what's you're experience?
Because there's two issues:
a) signal degradation (the "normal type") because of proximity to the antenna - no actual contact being made with skin-on-metal, but the very presence of your skin/hand is enough to attenuate (read: block) some of the signal not only being received by the phone but also the signal being transmitted. This happens more so with cell phones because they operate in microwave frequency ranges and microwaves have a natural tendency to be "caught" by living tissue more readily than other types of material like rubber, etc. That stuff passes it without issues, but human skin/bone/muscle, it wicks the energy away and absorbs it so you "lose" some of the signal coming in and going out.
b) signal degradation (the "skin-on-metal type") is worse because it's a direct contact issue. Microwave energy firing off the resonator (aka the antenna) into the air is one thing, but direct physical contact with that antenna is an electrical connection, just as readily as sticking your finger in a light socket is - only it's millions of times less effective since the energy being sent along the antenna into the skin is millions of times smaller.
Regardless, there are two big issues at hand (no pun intended):
- the iPhone 4 seems to be attenuating the signal more so than other phones because of the direct contact with the metal antenna band (the right side antenna is actually the cellular antenna, it's about 50% larger/longer) - this is what the so-called "fix" may address by altering the power levels based on the frequency bands your cellular provider may be using in your area, and...
- the direct skin contact on that seam on the lower left side becomes an electrical bridge between the cellular antenna and the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna and could be a potential short which is killing the cellular circuit on a great many iPhones
I personally have both issues, and I can cause my phone to "die" for 3G use with a fingertip on that seam, that's all it takes is a fingertip and I lose service completely in less than a minute, and I live right next to an AT&T cell site only a few hundred feet away.
It's a real issue, happening to real people, and more all the time. Just because not every single iPhone owner is reporting it or noticing it with their particular iPhones doesn't mean it's not happening to a great many of us.
The bumper prevents the skin-on-metal contact, but it also creates a "bumper" zone of about 1/8" or so that helps lessen the effect of the attenuation. My belief is that this whole situation is well known by Apple (much to other people telling me I'm insane) and that bumper was created specifically to prevent the skin-on-metal contact period, which it does. But people using the bumper are still having 3G problems as many videos and reports have stated, hence the bumper isn't a "fix" but a temporary workaround for a much more serious issue that needs to really be fixed.
That's about it.
The antenna can not be blocked by a single finger.
First of all, two-thirds of the external casing is part of the UTMS/GSM antenna - it's too large to cover the antenna with a fingertip.
Secondly, antennas radiate in all directions. So, even if the finger absorbs all the radiation directed towards it, it will still radiate in every other direction.
Why don't you try replicating the signal loss by simply hovering your finger over the seam without actually touching it. Nothing will happen, but your finger will be covering just as much of the signal as when it rests on the casing.
By the way, have you tried to replicate the signal loss on the 3GS with a single finger touch? It won't happen.
If attenuation is the issue, why doesn't it behave the same when smothered in the palms of one's hands, in large buildings, or in other places that block cell signals?
Reception issue
Just got back from exchanging my iPhone at local Apple store because of a cluster of dead pixels in middle of screen, and replacement has same reception problem.
Guy at Apple store would not give me a free bumper coz they had not heard anything from above about it yet,
Just got back from exchanging my iPhone at local Apple store because of a cluster of dead pixels in middle of screen, and replacement has same reception problem.
Guy at Apple store would not give me a free bumper coz they had not heard anything from above about it yet,
I wonder how many iPhone4's around the world total were affected by this faulty connection issue.
anyone know?
anyone know?
The problem it seems it was rushed out the door. Reading about Mr Job's personality, he is probably surrounded by yes people and worshipers.Not good when no one will say you are wrong. I was excited about getting the new one. I will wait with os4 on my iphone 3gs its like having a new phone. Also I love my iphone, its an amazing internet device but its a crappy phone. My nokia before it never dropped a call and it was on the same att network . Now that I own the iphone, the ipad and the macbook . Ive come to the realization,the problem with apple is they create amazing designs then make it just good enough but not the best. Like a $1000 laptop with only 2 gig of ram, everything has just enough features but its still alittle behind the curve so they can sell you another one real soon.
