Jobs says Signal Strength a "non issue"

[samcraig]

Oh - and to the posters that suggest that just because we don't like THIS particular issue means we don't like or want our phones are mistaken. Where have I posted that this is a deal breaker for me (personally)? Or that I was outraged? Or anything of that ilk?

I'm not ranting. Not raving. And neither are MANY people.

There are a lot of things I don't like about the iPhone 4 and also the 3GS. But I can and have learned to live with the shortcomings. The good outweighs the bad.

To suggest that just because people don't like or even HATE one aspect of the phone warrants people to "throw the baby out with the bathwater" is a silly retort to try and shut people up about making legitimate complaints or observations.

 

[sneezingdog]

By law you have 3 days to return any phone you bought by signing a contract, in which time your contract can be made null and void.

where did you get your law degree?

 

[koios]

could someone with an iphone 4 test out what happens if you bridge the seam in the steel band with a conducting material like a paper clip? i really would like to see that!
maybe you wouldn't be able to receive calls with the iphone plus conducting chewing gum wrap in your pocket ;-)

 

[psingh01]

Lmao

 

[Kevlar]

"Non issue"? You have to be kidding me, you are not to hold the phone like steve does in his presentations? Jesus ***** christ this is retarded, why wouldn't apple just coat the parts of the antenna near each other with some kind of non-conductive material......

This seems like a easily avoidable mistake by apple. I am not sure what they are thinking right now. Kinda choked cause I rest the bottom corner of the 3G in my palm again my thumb while using it just like Jobs does at his presentations...

 

[Mugambo]

well i will leave you guys to cry a river over this. just remember...please bring back the iphones tomorrow. so everyone else can get one.


just a few things to actually consider and not just wail.

1) if you actually take a look at how the majority of people hold the phone, the lower left corner is the best place on the phone to put this little divider. with every other part, you are more likely to come in contact using your fingers. try it out. (dont forget to surf the net, play games, etc...your plam is not on the lower left corner).
2) service and reception is actually improved for the iPhone 4.0 due to the new design. try it out.


tons of people have the new phone and run into no issue.

its just the 10-30 of you on here (out of how many sold) that are saying the same thing over and over again.

the issue will go away.


from the New York Times Article:

Even Brian Lam, Gizmodo’s editorial director, saw an upside to the iPhone 4, antenna problems and all.

“We are paying attention to the antenna issue because it could be a big deal,” he said. But Mr. Lam said that for years, he had not been able to use his older iPhones to make calls from his apartment. That changed on Thursday, after he bought an iPhone 4. “I have made three hours of calls today,” he sa

And this generous poster will refund your restocking fees or cancellation fees.

 

[clydefrog12]

To those think that some of us are whining instead of taking action by either returning the phone or just "dealing" with the issue. Let me say this.

I did take action. I emailed the CEO and I also spoke to Tech Support. And it wasn't to whine, bitch, complain or get free stuff. It was to alert them of an issue I was having.

I appreciate you doing those things. I tried the tech support people as well but they are not the decision makers (they simply logged my case). The fact of the matter is that apple has something like 20 Billion dollars in cash (last i checked) and they could reissue fixed phones to every single person who already has one at a cost of less than 400 Million dollars (assuming 50 percent margin on phones). Steve has decided not to do that.

Apple has made a shift from a niche company that caters to people who demand excellence to a big company like Microsoft or Google that caters to the masses. It is our responsibility as consumers to give proper feedback. In this case, if you are appalled at the respnose by Steve, the corrective action is to return the phone. This will affect apple in a big way and will be reflected in their market value and PR image.

 

[ramuman]

Oh come on man, I just watched this and it's not a big deal. Steve does say that but he's joking then he DOES sign it for him and tells him to take care!

Back on the iPhone 4, this was going to be my first iPhone purchase, but I didn't get my preorder in! Now I'm glad, going to wait this out and maybe even order a white one.

I'm pretty sure he wasn't joking. He rolls his eyes, then the guy says something else after the guilt comment and then Jobs finally relents.

 

[JeffDM]

dont know how you guys hold your phone but this is my natural hand position when i'm making a phone call. i don't see these reception issues.


Your death vice grips are not a natural way of holding the phone while on a call

That doesn't look natural to me, that looks awkward. Did you learn how to hold a phone at a baseball pitcher's mound?

 

[Anuba]

You know they will just update the software to mask the issue, what once was one bar will be shown as 4 and boom! fixed. It will be like all the other models just masking problems.

Well, I was only kidding really. There's no masking this one since the phone actually loses signal completely. If it kept switching between 5 bars and no signal, with nothing inbetween, it would be even worse than now.

Oh well, call me Mr. Opposite but I'm going against the stream and buying this phone, since A) I was getting a bumper anyway, and B) I realized that I personally don't hold my 3G in any way that would screw up the reception were it an iPhone 4. I guess the proper thing to do at a time like this would be to join the boycott bandwagon, but... I need a new goddamn phone, the battery on my 3G is nearly dead and after installing iOS4 the phone is depressingly sluggish.

 

[Tadros]

Go watch the 6 minute iPhone 4 promo video direct from Apple. At around the 3:00 mark, you'll see a person using the phone an a manner that will cause this issue.

Thank you! Thats what I've been saying. In mostly all iPhone ads, they hold the phone exactly how Steve says NOT to hold the phone. So wtf? They obviously knew a majority of people held the phone this way if they even held it that way in their own ads! Why was the antenna not placed at the TOP of the phone? If you're playing a game and holding the phone on the sides, you don't need service anyway.

 

[gstylez]

Patient: Doctor, it hurts when I do this...

Doctor: Then stop doing it...

That's exactly what Doctors say. That's why I don't go to them anymore. Steve Jobs response is classic. Got my new iPhone 4 and I will stop doing it. Not that I had a problem in the first place.

 

[purell]

The **** on this guy. Telling us to not use the phone like he is doing in his presentation. WOW Arrogant much.

 

[kjs862]

For some reason I still don't believe Steve wrote this response. Please let it now be true!

 

[Khryz]

What are the chances of a Recall?

 

[jayducharme]

Even with all the whining about the reception, over a million iPhones sold in one day is not too shabby! People read this crap all morning and still gladly waited in line.

I'm sort of hoping that with all the media hype over this issue, tomorrow the Apple store will be deserted and I can walk in and take my pick of the iPhones in stock.

Yeah, right....

 

[Nicklaus]

Whaaa??? I just touched it at the seem on left side if you are looking at the screen, it drops but why doesn't it do it if I bridge the line on the top with my finger. If its about shorting it out why doesn't "connecting" the two antenna at the top make the signal go away?

 

[Kinspiracy]

Great post. What I don't understand is why anyone would keep any product that is not working properly. If you're happy with your new iPhone 4, keep it. If you're experiencing problems, return it and sit on the sidelines for a few weeks to see if any of this gets resolved.

You can't be this dense. If people didn't react in this manner, there would be no need for tech support to exist. There would just be Returns Support. People with major tech related issues require tech support. An issue such as "my iPhone is dropping every single call I make" requires tech support. If unresolved, then they can move on. Enough with the fanboy garbage. Please.

 

[kjs862]

What are the chances of a Recall?

Man I was thinking this could happen, but I don't know...

 

[2contagious]

Is it just me or does this issue happen more in the US than in the UK? Seems like 90% of the cases I have read about so far have been on AT&T in the US.

Slightly different batches?

 

[JeffDM]

well i will leave you guys to cry a river over this. just remember...please bring back the iphones tomorrow. so everyone else can get one.

It doesn't work that way, and you should know better than that. Returned used phones aren't going to be turned around and resold as new. They'll clean them up and use them as warranty replacements.

1) if you actually take a look at how the majority of people hold the phone, the lower left corner is the best place on the phone to put this little divider. with every other part, you are more likely to come in contact using your fingers. try it out. (dont forget to surf the net, play games, etc...your plam is not on the lower left corner).

Fingers don't accidentally bridge that gap, even in landscape mode? Really? When a piece of clear tape across the gap fixes the issue, it shows me that it was either a poorly considered design or there was a mistake in assembly.

2) service and reception is actually improved for the iPhone 4.0 due to the new design. try it out.

The WiFi fiasco at WWDC shows this isn't completely true. The 3GS was loading the page when the 4 didn't see any signal at all. Mind you, that was Wifi, but maybe the reception really isn't improved.

 

[VSMacOne]

You have to admit this feels a little bit like Apple is just shoving this down our throats. Yes I know we all have a choice NOT to buy the iPhone, but still, this whole issue is like a bad dream. I would've never thought that Apple would be the company to give his customers such a kick in the nuts. Not even a "sorry for your inconvenience" or such. It IS an inconvenience when you have to constantly THINK about how to hold or NOT hold your phone/email device/media player/camera/movie editor/gaming device. It's not normal... I feel robbed.
However, the phone is doing a MUCH better job with reception (besides this anetnna issue), because in my office I used to drop calls and completely lose reception on my 3GS, but not with the i4. So I guess that's good..

 

[Zander-Fragile]

samcraig: I'm sorry you've been subjected to the abuse of the apologists in this 'community.' I notice that there are very few people here from beyond 2009; these sort of events make that unsurprising.

To all of you who insulted those who posted similar discoveries yesterday and have now gone silent; You are a bunch of cowards.

 

[mediaboy]

"There is no right or wrong way of holding it, I don't have to change myself to fit the product, it fits me." - Jonathan Ive on iPad video.

It's too bad that mantra didn't make its way into the iPhone 4.

 

[Woodstock Lax]

wait it out

Theres no way apple can get away with just making the bars look like you have service because people are gonna get all over that and make the situation even worse. I am most deffinatly going to be getting an iphone because i got stuck with a droid phone when my 3g broke, and it blows, Im just going to be waiting for this to be fixed.