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Other Mobile Phones with Similar Signal Loss Issues
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No justification needed. My phone has been working fine. No signal issues that have effected operation at all.
People, this is a wonderful engineering trade-off (and I've done some RF engineering at a major electronics company). A phone's antenna gain is affected both by how near it is to the counterpose and the users hand. (The counterpose is usually a mix of the circuit board and other antennas.) On most phones, this antenna position is an ugly compromise, partially inside, very near the circuit board which also interferes with the signal. Or the phone is bigger to make room for the case to get the antenna farther away from your hand. On those other phones, you can do very little about this non-optimal antenna location.
On the iPhone 4, the antenna is as far from the counterpose as possible for the given battery size. (You can't go any farther than the outside edge of the largest dimension of a rectangle without one of those ugly stick up antennas that really old cell phones used to have.) This is optimal engineering.
Of course, this also puts the antenna as close as possible to your hand. But now, you, as a user can do something about it.
You can be in an area with a cell signal so powerful that you get 5 bars even with the antenna partially shorted, loaded and covered (which is why some people report not seeing the problem).
You can hold the phone with your hand far away from the antenna and the antenna insulation gap.
Or you, instead of Apple, can choose to make the phone bigger by adding a bumper or other case which moves your hand farther from the antenna. If you have a strong enough signal, all it might take is a strip of clear insulation, maybe something like screen protector material for the bottom left edges of the phone.
You choose.
On the iPhone 4, the antenna is as far from the counterpose as possible for the given battery size. (You can't go any farther than the outside edge of the largest dimension of a rectangle without one of those ugly stick up antennas that really old cell phones used to have.) This is optimal engineering.
Of course, this also puts the antenna as close as possible to your hand. But now, you, as a user can do something about it.
You can be in an area with a cell signal so powerful that you get 5 bars even with the antenna partially shorted, loaded and covered (which is why some people report not seeing the problem).
You can hold the phone with your hand far away from the antenna and the antenna insulation gap.
Or you, instead of Apple, can choose to make the phone bigger by adding a bumper or other case which moves your hand farther from the antenna. If you have a strong enough signal, all it might take is a strip of clear insulation, maybe something like screen protector material for the bottom left edges of the phone.
You choose.
Obviously the severity of signal loss seems to be different for everyone. I simply cannot hold my phone with my left hand or I will drop a call or lose signal completely. I lose bars instantly if I barely bridge the gap between the bottom and top. I wouldn't complain or care if I lost a bar or two (as was the case on my other iPhones) but I never lost complete service just by holding them.
thanks, for once, daring fireball
john gruber is a reasonable man per his latest post! anyone read daring fireball?
http://daringfireball.net/
john gruber is a reasonable man per his latest post! anyone read daring fireball?
http://daringfireball.net/
Does this mean that you're pregnant, and she isn't?
Nice. Seriously. Made me smile.
Well mine goes from 5 bars to No service, I guess I should learn to hold my phone with just my finger tips
http://iphonehold.tumblr.com/
Ha. Yup. Holding my phone like any of those people would result in complete loss of service. Where are the pictures of people holding it like we are supposed to?
I'm out of pocket $200, my monthly service price is the same as it was with my 3GS. To me that means I picked up an iPhone 4 and spent $200 to get in my grubby mitts.
I have no idea. I can't even reproduce this issue with my iPhone 4, so I guess I'm no authority. I've had my phone all day and no matter how I hold it I can't make the amount of bars change, short of changing location in town. I guess I just got an immune phone.
Yeah, I guess it works differently for different ppl. Especially if you're left handed and hold with your palm instead of fingers. Personally, Ive always held my phones with my fingers so I don't end up with a palm and phone soaked with sweat. Especially here in AZ... haha
The truly professional thing would have been not to respond at all-- like every other CEO. Would that have been better?
A better response would have been to issue an emailed addendum to the user manual that's tells you not to hold it that way
No, the signal loss is probably about the same. The people who don't see the problem are probably standing where the signal is so strong that they register 5 bars even with a severe signal loss.
Actually, I naturally do and have for all my iphones... with my index finger propping the rear of the phone (near apple logo) up to my ear. It's just how I do it. I haven't had one problem and, in my case, i'm not making any unnatural compromises. Do that many people use a kung fu grip on their phones?
doesnt seem to happen on my iPhone 4 tried putting the hand on the left and nothing idk. plus anyways ppl are making a huge deal. if that person hadnt pointed that out no one wouldve noticed
Um no. I noticed on Wednesday before anyone pointed it out. It's easy to notice when your signal drops to nothing and you completely lose your connection every time you pick up your dang phone.
That's been my experience so far. At the office, signal is good, not great, and I can produce the effect every time. It won't do it at home, where I have excellent signal - I can see the tower from my dining room window...
Think so? You should see some of the stuff he tweets.
I'm left handed and have been able to duplicate this behavior twice but when holding the phone naturally in my left hand for calls or apps have not seen it happen.
The two times I made it occur I was not holding the phone in a way that I would ever use it. It took numerous attempts before I was able to make it happen at all.
iPhone 4 speed test
I did a quick table vs. palm speed test, and it's absolutely terrible. There's no way you can spin this as expected behavior from a phone.
I did a quick table vs. palm speed test, and it's absolutely terrible. There's no way you can spin this as expected behavior from a phone.