PR Experts Suggest iPhone 4 Recall 'Inevitable' as Antenna Issue Snowballs

[3282868]

This is a technology website, one which has a strong hint of leaning towards apple products and chat. Within the very small environment perspective is not required, perhaps more a sense of context. To be discussing the ip4 problems in here and making it sound a disaster is absolutely fine. You are within a tech web site, discussing a consumer tech disaster if you like.

If we were on the front page of the NYT discussing this as being more important than the oil disaster then fine, your point would hold a better position

True, but keep in mind, Apple is also a pro-active electronics company that has made strides in eco-waste. Apple has demonstrated that going green doesn't mean going red. Our comments were more to address how much time people have spent on here, which is great, yet so much more could be done with those who fervently post vitriol. I can express a valid point, and it is still on topic.

You might be interested in the similar oil spills that have been going on in Nigeria for 50 years ( http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread584525/pg1 ) - caused mainly by US companies (if that matters) and never mentioned on CNN... We, as a species tend to only focus on our own problems, things on our own doorstep - there is a natural detachment to the plight of others 000's of miles away which we rightly should take more interest in - but it doesn't stop us being bothered about our phones...

Absolutely. What bothers me especially after seeing so much of the gulf disaster upfront is that BP and the US government are turning reporters/media away from the real damage. I've seen images from close friends who work for National Geographic that were able to get close to the spill, and if the general public saw what is really going on people would be SICKENED. My friends and I literally cried while we were cleaning up some of the beaches just after witnessing so much of it, and BP refuses to permanently cap it as they want to keep the oil. That is the truth.

We have so much technology that has advanced tremendously over the years, yet oil companies, far and wide, keep us hooked as to keep their multi-billion dollar industry going strong. Hydrogen is a very real alternative with only drinkable water/water vapor as a byproduct. Then Sen Clinton was able to push GM to produce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for the army in upstate NY, and they are expanding on it further. Honda and Toyota have had hydrogen vehicles running in California with great results. It saddens me a bit that most people are concerned with pop culture and iPhones and such, or spending their money on entertainment that does not benefit us in any way. In the end, we are to blame, and only us.

Back on point, this doesn't mean we ignore other issues, and I believe the iPhone demonstrates that people can band together to fight a large company to cater to their customers. Whether it's an electronics company or oil company, this does give me a little hope that with the right direction, we can make things happen.

 

[Jimrod]

Unless it's bullet-proof plexi-glass. I'd hardly believe that it is durable. Then again. I'd hardly believe ANY cell phone is durable to drops. I don't care if it's one of those plastic Boost Mobiles, a Blackberry, or anything. The idea is, there's a big risk, to the phone, if you drop them without protection. You're carrying sophisticated electronics in a tiny case. That's vulnerable stuff right there. It's much easier to make something big a tank. A SEGA Saturn was seen as a Tank, by all standard for consoles, yet there was a very real possibility that it would break if it drops a couple of feet or so. More rare than the others, but very possible. Nothing is really safe without a case.

I really hope people don't believe otherwise.

Must admit mine's fallen a couple of feet, without a case, about half a dozen times and not a mark on it (well I lie, there is the tiniest scratch in the rear in the corner about 1.5mm across but it's barely even visible) - it has a habit of sliding off fabric surfaces like no other phone I've had, the thing is made of teflon.

 

[IndustrialSpace]

Apple has consequently been taking criticism for not coming clean about the issue or tackling these reports of demonstrable signal laws head-on. In fact, Apple has been going so far as to delete threads in its support forums pointing to the Consumer Reports article rather than allowing an open discussion of the topic or addressing the claims. Meanwhile, some observers hope that Apple's seemingly extended timeframe for pushing out the promised software update to address the signal strength display issue could indicate that the company is quietly working on more substantial software changes to address the issue in some way if at all possible.

This is VERY disturbing. China-style censorship.

"1984." ...Jobs is RIGHT.

Clearly, Apple is highly concerned about containing this issue. This alone, lends great credibility to the fact that Apple is trying to whitewash this.

What a farce.

 

[pondosinatra]

"Apple....the Toyota of the computing world"

 

[KnightWRX]

you musta missed the part where I said if someone can answer my question i might get a video! you can't even answer a simple question yet you want me to prove my question?

No one can answer your question because it has not been documented in a way it does what you say it does.

Again, do as Anand did, and document what it is you see. Then we'll discuss it.

 

[RHatton]

People really are making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be. Half of the people cracking iPhone 4 jokes and complaining don't even own one. I've had my phone since the first batch of pre-orders with not one dropped call. Same goes for everyone else I know with one. If you live in a bad area, the issue is accentuated. If it actually is a software issue, wait and see if Apple's fix works. If not, then you can raise hell and complain.

As for the issue being a hardware issue, I think a company full of well educated engineers knows more about the design of the phone and the issues that exist than some nut bag on an internet forum that claims he has the solution to everything because he read the wikipedia page about capacitance. Could it be hardware? Certainly. Wait and see what happens before making any assumptions.

 

[Jimrod]

Absolutely. What bothers me especially after seeing so much of the gulf disaster upfront is that BP and the US government are turning reporters/media away from the real damage. I've seen images from close friends who work for National Geographic that were able to get close to the spill, and if the general public saw what is really going on people would be SICKENED. My friends and I literally cried while we were cleaning up some of the beaches just after witnessing so much of it, and BP refuses to permanently cap it as they want to keep the oil. That is the truth.

We have so much technology that has advanced tremendously over the years, yet oil companies, far and wide, keep us hooked as to keep their multi-billion dollar industry going strong. Hydrogen is a very real alternative with only drinkable water/water vapor as a byproduct. Then Sen Clinton was able to push GM to produce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for the army in upstate NY, and they are expanding on it further. Honda and Toyota have had hydrogen vehicles running in California with great results. It saddens me a bit that most people are concerned with pop culture and iPhones and such, or spending their money on entertainment that does not benefit us in any way. In the end, we are to blame, and only us.

Back on point, this doesn't mean we ignore other issues, and I believe the iPhone demonstrates that people can band together to fight a large company to cater to their customers. Whether it's an electronics company or oil company, this does give me a little hope that with the right direction, we can make things happen.

I know exactly where you're coming from but you've witnessed the fallout from the oilspill first-hand - it makes a big difference and really brings the point home. Humans are a funny bunch, we like to think we're bothered about things and care greatly but we don't really unless it affects us directly (no, stay with me here).

My friend put it best when, on a drunken night out meeting my new long-term girlfriend he started on about 9/11 (always a tricky subject to bring up when in new company so I started to cringe a little) and said how we don't really care! The rest of us strongly disagreed of course (we are in the UK but it's not like the event was missed over here) but he went on regardless - "No, we think we care but we go about our lives the same way, we discuss it at work, with friends, but at the end of the day our lives aren't greatly affected by it - we're not flying over to Afghanistan looking for Osama or anything, but you know what? Yesterday I woke up and my fence had blown over - now that really p####d me off! You have to go out, pay for the materials, spend an afternoon fixing it etc... It's a pain in the a##."

It's a brave point to make but I have a feeling he was pretty right in most people's cases. It's like when people say they're offended - so what? It doesn't mean anything, you go about your day but it doesn't change anything. Now my bloody iPhone - that has made me spend hours on forums...

 

[ModestForumName]

I guess Dell buyers have no principles

they can tell their iPhone horror stories to Dell's automated customer service machines. too bad the machines don't have the voice of James Earl Jones, they would be much more tolerable

 

[TroyBoy30]

No one can answer your question because it has not been documented in a way it does what you say it does.

Again, do as Anand did, and document what it is you see. Then we'll discuss it.

so you cin a video of it something makes the results i describe in text easier to answer? got it!

 

[cmChimera]

You don't have to be sarcastic, nobody's throwing their phones "in molten lava". People drop it as millions do accidentally; and the bloody thing breaks easier than any other handset. Whoever claimed anything positive about this particular type of glass, should have kept their mouths shut, their design team busy and the marketing team not going mad.

I work at a device support center for AT&T. Trust me, any and every phone has a high chance of breaking when dropped. HTC Aria came in yesterday for a cracked screen. Why was it cracked? Because it was dropped. It amazes me that iPhone owners feel like their product should be exempt from that.


Also, to the notion that you pay more for the iPhone and therefore you deserve better? You don't. Most competing handsets are sold at similar if not identical prices. You're paying the same amount for a 16gb iPhone as you are for an Evo 4g.

 

[fingerandthumb]

Bill Gates speaks out

 

[KnightWRX]

It amazes me that iPhone owners feel like their product should be exempt from that.

Yeah, I wonder where they got that silly idea from :

Engineered Glass

All the breakthrough technology in iPhone 4 is situated between two glossy panels of aluminosilicate glass — the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains. Chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, the glass is ultradurable and more scratch resistant than ever. It’s also recyclable.

http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/design/

 

[AttilaTheHun]

I work at a device support center for AT&T. Trust me, any and every phone has a high chance of breaking when dropped. HTC Aria came in yesterday for a cracked screen. Why was it cracked? Because it was dropped. It amazes me that iPhone owners feel like their product should be exempt from that.


Also, to the notion that you pay more for the iPhone and therefore you deserve better? You don't. Most competing handsets are sold at similar if not identical prices. You're paying the same amount for a 16gb iPhone as you are for an Evo 4g.

The problem with the iphone 4 (i didn't have signal problem with my 3GS) is that it broken befor it left Apple.

 

[cmChimera]

Yeah, I wonder where they got that silly idea from :



http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/design/

Where in that statement does it say anything like, "don't put a case on this" or "will not break ever"? Let me know when you find it.

The problem with the iphone 4 (i didn't have signal problem with my 3GS) is that it broken befor it left Apple.

Talking about cracked screens. But as an answer, no it's not.

 

[stevensr123]

Where in that statement does it say anything like, "don't put a case on this" or "will not break ever"? Let me know when you find it.

The fact is apple was making a big deal over the strength of this glass, yet it seems to easy to break.

On the other hand my iPhone 2g never once broke , even when I dropped it on a treadmill which caused a large dent and just a small( but deep) scratch on the glass. If that happened on the 3G ( which has broke over 3 times by the smallest of drops) and this iPhone 4 they would fall apart.

 

[3282868]

I know exactly where you're coming from but you've witnessed the fallout from the oilspill first-hand - it makes a big difference and really brings the point home. Humans are a funny bunch, we like to think we're bothered about things and care greatly but we don't really unless it affects us directly (no, stay with me here).

My friend put it best when, on a drunken night out meeting my new long-term girlfriend he started on about 9/11 (always a tricky subject to bring up when in new company so I started to cringe a little) and said how we don't really care! The rest of us strongly disagreed of course (we are in the UK but it's not like the event was missed over here) but he went on regardless - "No, we think we care but we go about our lives the same way, we discuss it at work, with friends, but at the end of the day our lives aren't greatly affected by it - we're not flying over to Afghanistan looking for Osama or anything, but you know what? Yesterday I woke up and my fence had blown over - now that really p####d me off! You have to go out, pay for the materials, spend an afternoon fixing it etc... It's a pain in the a##."

It's a brave point to make but I have a feeling he was pretty right in most people's cases. It's like when people say they're offended - so what? It doesn't mean anything, you go about your day but it doesn't change anything. Now my bloody iPhone - that has made me spend hours on forums...

Excellent point. I may preach well, but in the past I rarely practiced. After 9/11 and other personal catastrophes, life has taken on new meaning. Objectivity is rare these days, as is selflessness. It is difficult in our busy, commercialized 9-5 days to take the time in reading up on politics, voting with full knowledge, removing yourself from your environment to volunteer and see another side to life we do not see. Read "The Story of Stuff", an excellent book on North American/first world capitalism and the impact of our "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. So much of what we consume, electronics and e-waste being a HUGE issue, if thrown away and shipped off to third world nations. This brings illness to the populace but we don't see it. Unless we challenge ourselves and work COLLECTIVELY, making a change for the better is a difficult process. A decade later, it seems many of us have forgotten how unified we became after 9/11. There was compassion and love never witnessed before, that was overshadowed by a war and bad foreign policy that quickly transformed understanding and compassion to international hatred towards the U.S.

IPhones, iPods, fences, material things, they all distract us from what really matters: each other. So often comments on this board are so nasty, and towards people they don't know personally. While the iPhone debacle needs to be addressed and more company's need to take responsibility for their actions, it's a tear in a salty sea.

 

[shambo]

Oh, and ONE MORE THING....

Trying to use the Toyota PR crap as a link to the iPhone issues is just bad taste. NO ONE will die or even get a scratch because of this "issue".

Really? Even a person trying to make an emergency call to any authorities?

Wow you're a genius. This phone is FAIL. Get used to it fanboi.

 

[robeddie]

I agree that this is the wrong strategy. Back in the early '90's, Johnson and Johnson realized that they had produced a batch of Tylenol that could have been poisonous...not enough to kill you, but enough to make whoever took it very very ill. Their CEO immediately did a complete shelf pull of all Tylenol across the US. Period. .

Not to get off point, but I'm not sure if you've got your info wrong or you're talking about a different recall. But the big Tylenal recall was from the early 80's. From Wikipedia:

On September 29, 1982, a "Tylenol scare" began when the first of seven individuals died in metropolitan Chicago, after ingesting Extra Strength Tylenol that had been deliberately contaminated with cyanide. Within a week, the company pulled 31 million bottles of tablets back from retailers, making it one of the first major recalls in American history.[5]

The crime was never solved and Tylenol sales temporarily collapsed, but the brand was rebuilt and recovered in a few years. At the request of later Chairman, Joseph Chiesa, new product consultant Calle & Company rescued the brand with the invention of the first inherently tamper-proof [enrobed] capsule, Tylenol Gelcaps, recapturing the 92% of capsule segment sales lost after the cyanide incident. The scare led to the introduction of tamper-evident packaging and "gelcaps" across the over-the-counter drug (OTC) and prescription drug industry.[5]

 

[Jimrod]

Excellent point. I may preach well, but in the past I rarely practiced. After 9/11 and other personal catastrophes, life has taken on new meaning. Objectivity is rare these days, as is selflessness. It is difficult in our busy, commercialized 9-5 days to take the time in reading up on politics, voting with full knowledge, removing yourself from your environment to volunteer and see another side to life we do not see. Read "The Story of Stuff", an excellent book on North American/first world capitalism and the impact of our "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. So much of what we consume, electronics and e-waste being a HUGE issue, if thrown away and shipped off to third world nations. This brings illness to the populace but we don't see it. Unless we challenge ourselves and work COLLECTIVELY, making a change for the better is a difficult process. A decade later, it seems many of us have forgotten how unified we became after 9/11. There was compassion and love never witnessed before, that was overshadowed by a war and bad foreign policy that quickly transformed understanding and compassion to international hatred towards the U.S.

IPhones, iPods, fences, material things, they all distract us from what really matters: each other. So often comments on this board are so nasty, and towards people they don't know personally. While the iPhone debacle needs to be addressed and more company's need to take responsibility for their actions, it's a tear in a salty sea.

Bang on

 

[RHatton]

Really? Even a person trying to make an emergency call to any authorities?

Wow you're a genius. This phone is FAIL. Get used to it fanboi.

If you hold the phone like a chimp while you are making an emergency call, it's your own fault...

Do you own an iPhone 4?

 

[mnemonix]

OK, let's get something straight....

This has absolutely nothing to do with frickin' software.

Do you realise how ignorant you sound with such certainty?

if(signalStrength < 4)
{
dropCall();
}

If this *should* have read if (signalStrength < 0) but, you know, a programmer made a mistake (surely not?!?!), then touching the antennae & causing a signal strength drop from 4 to say 3, which would still be perfectly fine for the call, would cause the call to be dropped... BY THE SOFTWARE.

The problem is clearly not quite this simple, but if you don't have the inteligence to figure out such a cause could indeed be the case, please stop misleading everyone with your stupidity.

All devices with antennaes are subject to signal strength fluctuation from holding, moving, changing orientation, anything in fact, whether you can make electrical contact with it or not, the fact that the signal drops when you touch the phone is normal to a greater or lesser extent. It still MAY not be the cause of the issues.

 

[RHatton]

Do you realise how ignorant you sound with such certainty?

if(signalStrength < 4)
{
dropCall();
}

If this *should* have read if (signalStrength < 0) but, you know, a programmer made a mistake (surely not?!?!), then touching the antennae & causing a signal strength drop from 4 to say 3, which would still be perfectly fine for the call, would cause the call to be dropped... BY THE SOFTWARE.

The problem is clearly not quite this simple, but if you don't have the inteligence to figure out such a cause could indeed be the case, please stop misleading everyone with your stupidity.

All devices with antennaes are subject to signal strength fluctuation from holding, moving, changing orientation, anything in fact, whether you can make electrical contact with it or not, the fact that the signal drops when you touch the phone is normal to a greater or lesser extent. It still MAY not be the cause of the issues.

Thank you, seriously. Trying to help people grasp this concept has been a task. Everyone thinks they have it all figured out. Wait for the software fix, then make judgement.

 

[wovel]

This is VERY disturbing. China-style censorship.

"1984." ...Jobs is RIGHT.

Clearly, Apple is highly concerned about containing this issue. This alone, lends great credibility to the fact that Apple is trying to whitewash this.

What a farce.

Moderting their support forums by removing articles that are completely off-topic is disturbing censorship? There are nearly 100 threads now discussing reception issues... Discussing these articles have nothing at all to do with providing tech support.

Several of the deleted threads related to the actual factual information that consumer reports rates the iPhone 4 as the number 1 smartphone in spite of the reception issue.

 

[robeddie]

This is a technology website, one which has a strong hint of leaning towards apple products and chat. Within the very small environment perspective is not required, perhaps more a sense of context. To be discussing the ip4 problems in here and making it sound a disaster is absolutely fine. You are within a tech web site, discussing a consumer tech disaster if you like.

If we were on the front page of the NYT discussing this as being more important than the oil disaster then fine, your point would hold a better position

A fricken' Men to that!

It's like if I went to a website for Whole Foods and I posted a comment bitching about how I got a box of half rotten strawberries, this same guy would post back saying 'you shouldn't complain, there are children starving in India who would be grateful for those strawberries, get some perspective'.

In this context, we are bitching about the iphone. Frankly, this guy has no idea if, after I'm done posting, my break is over and I'm back to cleaning oil off the beach.

 

[3282868]

Thought

Have any tests been conducted to compare a positive or negative correlation dropped calls and signal strength? Meaning, if the bars drop to 1-2 from this issue, have there been any actual signal loss and/or increased dropped calls? Bars do not necessarily equate to loss of signal, and in fact generally have little to do with the ability to make or receive calls.

A fricken' Men to that!

It's like if I went to a website for Whole Foods and I posted a comment bitching about how I got a box of half rotten strawberries, this same guy would post back saying 'you shouldn't complain, there are children starving in India who would be grateful for those strawberries, get some perspective'.

In this context, we are bitching about the iphone. Frankly, this guy has no idea if, after I'm done posting, my break is over and I'm back to cleaning oil off the beach.

True. I do not know, however as many have pointed out, it's a phone, and some people need perspective. This doesn't mean intelligent discourse is unnecessary, it means that those who spend an excessive amount of time (and some of which is heated) on this subject could better spend their time on more important things. Take offense all you want, it is a truly valid point (and not just here, but in many aspects of life in general).

Back on true point, any response to my question above?