OMG! Antenna Issue

[roland.g]

I don't know if anyone knows this, but if you hold your iPhone 4 and cover the black strips near the bottom, you lose your signal.

/end sarcasm./

So I took my bumper off, which I bought for protection, to test my defective iPhone 4. And in the name of all divine fecal matter, my signal went away. Took almost a minute. I was thankful when it got down to one bar, so I could move my hand out of the uncomfortable position I had to hold it in to replicate the problem. Don't know how people hold their phones, but no natural position results in reproducing this. When I hold my phone like I normally do, no problem. So, yeah, it's pretty much a non-issue. But whatever, people will look for any reason to complain, haters any reason to jump on the wagon and grab a tuba, and cheapskates any reason to try to get something for free.

Put my bumper on and went back to life as normal.

 

[BobHail]

You have a defected iPhone 4! Congratulations! There are many people with fully working iPhones 4s...

...So what are you gonna do about it?

 

[iGuardian]

no natural position results in reproducing this. When I hold my phone like I normally do, no problem. So, yeah, it's pretty much a non-issue. But whatever, people will look for any reason to complain, haters any reason to jump on the wagon and grab a tuba, and cheapskates any reason to try to get something for free.

Wow, really? A lot of people hold their phone in their left hand, letting the phone rest in the fleshy part of their palm. That's not an unnatural position.

Having to buy a $30 piece of plastic to make your $200 phone work is unreasonable. It makes sense that it should be free, as the phone should work on its own without any other assistance.

You're simply trolling. Stop.

 

[roland.g]

Wow, really? A lot of people hold their phone in their left hand, letting the phone rest in the fleshy part of their palm. That's not an unnatural position.

Having to buy a $30 piece of plastic to make your $200 phone work is unreasonable. It makes sense that it should be free, as the phone should work on its own without any other assistance.

You're simply trolling. Stop.

I'm left handed and hold it exactly how you described and could not replicate the issue unless I put my fingers from my right hand over it. So be careful who you call a troll.

 

[eezing]

You have a defected iPhone 4! Congratulations! There are many people with fully working iPhones 4s...

...So what are you gonna do about it?

All iPhone 4's do it, it's a design flaw. I tried 3 in the store, they all did it. Mine does it, and my buddy's does too.

But like the OP said, you have to try and do it as in most cases it doesn't naturally happen.

 

[-aggie-]

I'm left handed and hold it exactly how you described and could not replicate the issue unless I put my fingers from my right hand over it. So be careful who you call a troll.

There are plenty of people who do hold it like you say (naturally in the left palm) and then lose reception.

 

[iGuardian]

...people will look for any reason to complain, haters any reason to jump on the wagon and grab a tuba, and cheapskates any reason to try to get something for free...

Saying that "people will look for any reason to complain" when they are complaining of not being able to make phone calls when holding their phone in a natural manner is unreasonable. Fine, you may not have been able to reproduce that problem naturally, but it is undeniable that many others can.

Also, saying that "cheapskates [find] any reason to try to get something for free" when referring to people who don't fancy the idea of buying a $30 bumper to make their already costly phone work is also unreasonable.

Say what you will, those statements are anything but tactful.

 

[Sinfire]

Shouldn't youhave some kind of a case on your $200 phone to help protect it if it ever drops on the ground ?

Wow, really? A lot of people hold their phone in their left hand, letting the phone rest in the fleshy part of their palm. That's not an unnatural position.

Having to buy a $30 piece of plastic to make your $200 phone work is unreasonable. It makes sense that it should be free, as the phone should work on its own without any other assistance.

You're simply trolling. Stop.

 

[iGuardian]

Shouldn't youhave some kind of a case on your $200 phone to help protect it if it ever drops on the ground ?

Not if said case only covers the antenna, and has a sole purpose of allowing you to make calls.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Shouldn't youhave some kind of a case on your $200 phone to help protect it if it ever drops on the ground ?

You mean $600 phone. Just because we paid AT&T $200 doesn't mean its $200. It has been subsidized.

That is like saying you won a car that was worth $30,000, but since you paid nothing for it, it is a $0 car.

 

[swoods93631]

OMG! Another reception issue thread!

Really?

 

[kernkraft]

You have a defected iPhone 4! Congratulations! There are many people with fully working iPhones 4s...

...So what are you gonna do about it?

They all share the same design fault. What many people don't realise is that it often takes a few seconds for the call to drop.

Hopefully, one day the penny will drop in Cupertino too. This launch is a disgrace and it can actually have severe consequences on Apple Inc.

 

[roland.g]

Saying that "people will look for any reason to complain" when they are complaining of not being able to make phone calls when holding their phone in a natural manner is unreasonable. Fine, you may not have been able to reproduce that problem naturally, but it is undeniable that many others can.

Also, saying that "cheapskates [find] any reason to try to get something for free" when referring to people who don't fancy the idea of buying a $30 bumper to make their already costly phone work is also unreasonable.

Say what you will, those statements are anything but tactful.

You are obviously a bit naive to make some of those statements, also really haven't spent much time around here. Wake up to the world you live in. While it may be a bit of an issue in certain very specific circumstances for some people in some places, doesn't mean that people haven't run wild with accusations and entitlements that aren't really justified. There are plenty of people who never had the issue and would never have had it or noticed it till the publicity of it showed them that they could and now they are demanding free accessories. If you don't think that is the case, you are sorely mistaken. The unfortunate situation is not the iPhone 4. More often than not, it is the iPhone 4 owner. Companies should take care of problems, and consumer satisfaction which Apple is one of the highest rated in the world, which for tech says something truly significant. However, the opportunist of the sub-30 age groups tends to lend a general trend to less than ethical consumer tactics in the marketplace taking advantage of a company's obligation to its customer base.

 

[MarkMissoula]

All iPhone 4's do it, it's a design flaw. I tried 3 in the store, they all did it. Mine does it, and my buddy's does too.

But like the OP said, you have to try and do it as in most cases it doesn't naturally happen.

So because you've seen 5 that do it you can testify for the other 1.7M.

 

[iGuardian]

You are obviously a bit naive to make some of those statements, also really haven't spent much time around here. Wake up to the world you live in. While it may be a bit of an issue in certain very specific circumstances for some people in some places, doesn't mean that people haven't run wild with accusations and entitlements that aren't really justified. There are plenty of people who never had the issue and would never have had it or noticed it till the publicity of it showed them that they could and now they are demanding free accessories. If you don't think that is the case, you are sorely mistaken. The unfortunate situation is not the iPhone 4. More often than not, it is the iPhone 4 owner. Companies should take care of problems, and consumer satisfaction which Apple is one of the highest rated in the world, which for tech says something truly significant. However, the opportunist of the sub-30 age groups tends to lend a general trend to less than ethical consumer tactics in the marketplace taking advantage of a company's obligation to its customer base.

Well, first off, you haven't really addressed any of my points, and instead have attacked points which I haven't made.

I am not objecting to your points as much as the way you made them. Which were tactless.

 

[MarkMissoula]

They all share the same design fault. What many people don't realise is that it often takes a few seconds for the call to drop.

Hopefully, one day the penny will drop in Cupertino too. This launch is a disgrace and it can actually have severe consequences on Apple Inc.

Good god! Give it a rest.
Like SJ said-Non issue.

 

[trssho]

All iPhone 4's do it, it's a design flaw. I tried 3 in the store, they all did it. Mine does it, and my buddy's does too.

But like the OP said, you have to try and do it as in most cases it doesn't naturally happen.

BS it doesn't happen naturally! Show me how a right handed person holds an iPhone in portrait mode any way but the "wrong" way, to surf the net, or use an app. Let me google the million pics on the www showing people holding it in the way you say is unnatural.

 

[soundmanJP]

While I appreciate some people are excited enough about a new product to line up to buy it, without ever having touching or seeing the device for themselves, I am not able to do that.

Both for financial reasons and for my own satisfaction I research my purchases quite well before going ahead, which in almost all cases means trying a demo.

Sadly I am now unable to buy this great looking new phone that I was really looking forward too, I truly believed it could increase my productivity and connectivity, while providing device convergence saving me carrying around an iPod, Camera and phone. (and finally having a phone that could sync with my contacts correctly would be nice for a start)

While at Japan's iPhone carrier, Softbank, I saw this issue reception issue within the first few minutes, and this isn't using some samurai death grip.. this is simply holding it the same way I have used my iPod touch for last few years. (exactly like Steve himself was using it and in almost all the Apple promotional material)

Im not sure why people are so reluctant to see there seems be a real issue here, to which "Don't hold it that way" or "buy a Bumper" don't seem suitable answers for a brand new device which is a hand held cell phone as its primary function.

We are not talking about a small amount of signal degradation here but a complete loss of network connectivity simply by holding the phone in a very natural manner IMHO, yes over the years I have had many Cell phones and some more than others seem to have reactions to being "touch" but not from showing a reasonable signal to nothing in 20 seconds.

As Steve himself wisely said people vote with their wallets, I for one will be keeping my wallet closed until this matter is addressed in a satisfactory way.

Its a fantastic looking device that finally got to specification level to convince me part with the cash, but believe me when I say, Im disappointed I can't get this model in its current state.

While the silence from Apple on this is almost deafening Im sure they are trying to do something about it, as it just hoping this goes away seems, even from a PR point of view, seems extremely short sighted.

I personally wish them the best of luck to get this turned around ASAP.

 

[wovel]

I don't know if anyone knows this, but if you hold your iPhone 4 and cover the black strips near the bottom, you lose your signal.

/end sarcasm./

So I took my bumper off, which I bought for protection, to test my defective iPhone 4. And in the name of all divine fecal matter, my signal went away. Took almost a minute. I was thankful when it got down to one bar, so I could move my hand out of the uncomfortable position I had to hold it in to replicate the problem. Don't know how people hold their phones, but no natural position results in reproducing this. When I hold my phone like I normally do, no problem. So, yeah, it's pretty much a non-issue. But whatever, people will look for any reason to complain, haters any reason to jump on the wagon and grab a tuba, and cheapskates any reason to try to get something for free.

Put my bumper on and went back to life as normal.

Well no one held it that way naturally. Gizmodo posted a video showing how to do it and then countless people worked at it and made their own videos so they could be Internet famous. Then they all go to all the forums and complains about how if they hold the phone in a way they would never actually hold it, it does not work good!

 

[samcraig]

newsflash (this just in)

Not everyone or every phone is alike. Nor is every use case. Some people will experience an issue - others will not.

One experience doesn't negate the other nor does it confirm it for everyone else.

People need to stop saying all phones have the issue. Or that no phone has the issue.

Stop pointing fingers and either get your own problem resolved or wait for a solution. Or if you're one of the people with NO issues.. move on...