Reality Check: the iPhone 4 launch in perspective

[modul8tr]

Daniel makes several great points here.

I would add to this that Apple has reached a stratospheric level of success, where they will find themselves beat down and second guessed (by the bloggers) for just about anything they do.

As the commentary points out, competing products have launched with flaws/issues, but those flaws aren't reported as widely, or at all.

When you're the most famous phone in the world, your flaws - large, minor, or simply perceived - become front page news.


http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2010/07/01/reality-check-the-iphone-4-launch-in-perspective/

 

[lorenwade]

Thank you! The first thread I've been pleased to read since launch day.

 

[BobHail]

Hmm... let me see. "iPhone 4 launch in perspective": FAIL!

 

[xmarcuswildx]

Excellent read.

 

[saving107]

it was a long article, but worth the read. thanks for sharing.

I liked this part,

What’s the acceptable failure/return rate among consumer devices? Something like 3-5%. For the 1.7 million iPhone 4 units that shipped in the first three days, that means we should see about 51,000 that don’t work. What about the rest of the industry?

 

[br0adband]

The only reality that article provides (in my opinion after reading it) is that the writer loves to attack most everything except Apple. If the article is titled "The iPhone 4 Launch In Perspective" then it should be about Apple, about the iPhone 4, perhaps some info about AT&T the pre-order/order situation, and not one damned thing else.

He turned it into a bash fest against Verizon, Palm Microsoft, Google, HTC, and whoever else happened to cross his path.

And this guy gets paid... probably quite well, too.

And worst of all: not one mention of the antenna and reception issues which are probably 90% of the complaints - the yellow spots? A mere handful of people reporting from many places while the antenna and reception issues are the big enchilada and he didn't even broach it.

Oh, forgive me, he did:

And you can attenuate the antenna’s signal with your hands (just not as seriously as the Nexus One).

Sorry, but Anand's testing, my results and experience, and that of thousands of other folks say "Nope, the iPhone 4 is far worse than the Nexus One at signal attenuation when held in the hand normally."

See that, the "Holding Naturally" column? The Nexus One comes in at 10.7 dB (not -10.7 dB, they're talking about attenuation which is measured in positive numbers which means how much signal is being lost - lower numbers = less loss, higher numbers = greater loss) and the iPhone 4 comes in at 19.8, practically double in terms of raw numbers - much, much worse.

I mean really, take this gem:

The only real complaint users can find is that it obeys the laws of physics, making it susceptible to breaking if you drop it without a protective cover.

"Hey folks, this guy says get a protective cover of any kind and it'll prevent your iPhone 4 from breaking. Yep, that's exactly what he says."

Bleh... this article does nothing but bash every company listed except Apple.

"That's my opinion, and I'm stickin' to it..."

 

[jrbdmb]

Good article overall - but he is mistaken with regards to the antenna issue. As documented in the Anantech article, signal attenuation in the iPhone 4 without a case is much worse than for the Nexus One.

But I do agree that Apple and AT&T having trouble meeting unprecedented demand does not equal Fail.

 

[modul8tr]

It's important to remember that we're now only entering *day 7* of the iPhone 4 antenna "crisis". However, if your were to judge by the pandemonium on the internet, you'd think it was months.


With a launch this complicated and huge, I'd imagine Apple would need to gather info and make sure they understand exactly what's happening, before they make a move. After all, they're under INTENSE scrutiny, always.

 

[Igantius]

Thanks for posting.

...
And this guy gets paid... probably quite well, too.

Well, it is his site.

 

[modul8tr]

Br0adband

He's been doing quite a bit of writing over on Appleinsider recently. A few of those were about the antenna.

The point of this article was, as the title says, a reality check. Competing products have launched with issues that have gone largely unnoticed (in comparison to this) by the tech press. Every launch for any product will have issues of some kind. We're only 7 days into this and no one knows what exactly is going on with the antenna. The Anandtech article, while insightful, will not be the final word on this situation.

 

[jrbdmb]

Br0adband

He's been doing quite a bit of writing over on Appleinsider recently. A few of those were about the antenna.

The point of this article was, as the title says, a reality check. Competing products have launched with issues that have gone largely unnoticed (in comparison to this) by the tech press. Every launch for any product will have issues of some kind. We're only 7 days into this and no one knows what exactly is going on with the antenna. The Anandtech article, while insightful, will not be the final word on this situation.

I'd say that most of the anger directed at Apple right now is not due to the antenna issue itself but to its official response, which is an emphatic "there is no issue." Perhaps a "we're looking into it right now" would have been more appropriate. "There is no antenna issue" seems unnecessarily antagonistic, esp. from Apple.

 

[br0adband]

Br0adband

He's been doing quite a bit of writing over on Appleinsider recently. A few of those were about the antenna.

The point of this article was, as the title says, a reality check. Competing products have launched with issues that have gone largely unnoticed (in comparison to this) by the tech press. Every launch for any product will have issues of some kind. We're only 7 days into this and no one knows what exactly is going on with the antenna. The Anandtech article, while insightful, will not be the final word on this situation.

I got that, really, I do. But since he's already demonstrated flaws in the data he's reported, that kinda blows the whole thing outta the water, more or less.

And if I had to say so, I'd hazard to guess the guy wrote the entire article using resources online, without much hands-on experience with an iPhone 4 himself. I sure didn't get the impression he's familiar with 'em myself. Just seems like one big mish-mash of various blog postings, wire reports, statistics, and not much else.

Could be just me, I admit that I'm biased because the iPhone 4 sitting beside me is flat out defective and if I was the only one with the issues I have I wouldn't have much ground to stand on (as explained in the "Occam's razor" thread I created) but, I'm not, and more people are reporting the same problems over and over again minute by minute.

As the poster above stated, it's really about Apple and Steve Jobs sitting on that high mountain looking down on the peons once again thinking they know, say, do, and are better than everyone else. "Just avoid holding it in that way"? "There is no reception issue."?!?!?!?

Seriously, as a consumer, buying or using Apple products, aren't any of you flat out insulted by such inane egotistical self-righteous and highly self-aggrandizing statements?

Or is the Kool-Aid really that powerful?

Geez...

 

[modul8tr]

Daniel just finished an extensive review of iPhone 4 on Appleinsider. He knows the phone.


Apple's response so far IMO is not arrogant, though depending on how you already view them, I understand why someone might see it that way.


Put yourself in their shoes. They may very know that there's no issue as much as there is a possible trade off to using this new antenna design. IMO I think they should have included a small sheet in the packaging, explaining how these antennas work and how you might want to avoid holding it in a certain way *if* you have issues. Other phones have done this.

They also have far more data than we do about how many are afflicted.

Btw I'm sorry you're having issues with your phone and hope they'll be sorted.

It's still early in the game.

 

[br0adband]

And so all the Apple marketing materials, and Steve Jobs himself, all shown holding the phone in that certain way we're supposedly now being told is the wrong way... right.

Other cell phones - and I've owned dozens upon dozens of cell phones since the mid-1980s (I'm old, sue me, just don't make it a CALS) and not one of them nor either of the two phones I presently own right now, sitting here on the desktop beside the iPhone 4 - a Motorola and an LG, both using the same AT&T 3G service off the same cell site right across the street, on top of an AT&T central office no less - exhibit such dramatic signal attenuation when I hold them in my hand, either hand, to any noticeable degree, and most especially not to the degree where total loss of service is a potential just by touching them.

I understand where you're coming from, really I do.

And if I wanted to, I could apply for one of the open Antenna Engineer positions Apple posted last Wednesday when all this brouhaha began. I might not have the actual specific degrees they're looking for, but I could sure as hell get the job based on hands-on experience with building and supporting microwave radio communications equipment since the very early 1980s.

First rule of microwave antenna design: don't touch the antenna, ever.

Do you recall Steve Jobs' comment in the past when asked about Apple potentially making a tablet device and he said: "If you see a stylus or a task manager, they blew it" ?

That's easily transposed over to the antenna design on the iPhone 4:

"If it needs a case or a coating, they blew it."

And there ain't a microwave antenna engineer on the planet that will say otherwise if he/she knows what they're actually talking about.

 

[samcraig]

Br0adband

He's been doing quite a bit of writing over on Appleinsider recently. A few of those were about the antenna.

The point of this article was, as the title says, a reality check. Competing products have launched with issues that have gone largely unnoticed (in comparison to this) by the tech press. Every launch for any product will have issues of some kind. We're only 7 days into this and no one knows what exactly is going on with the antenna. The Anandtech article, while insightful, will not be the final word on this situation.

Makers of the other phones don't position their products as other worldly, the best and innovative to the same degree as Apple. That's why Apple gets ripped a new one. And those justifiably or not on the attack aren't attacking Apple as much as they are attacking Jobs. Jobs' ego and the amazing amount of marketing that comes out of Apple (which by the way is great marketing) sets the company up as the "standard." And if you set the bar to your level with everyone being below it (ie - we weren't the first to do this - but we're the best) then when your product doesn't live up to the hype (realistically or not) - it's going to come under scrutiny.

THAT'S WHY.

 

[Zerase]

Very good read.

 

[Mjmar]

Daniel just finished an extensive review of iPhone 4 on Appleinsider. He knows the phone.


Apple's response so far IMO is not arrogant, though depending on how you already view them, I understand why someone might see it that way.


Put yourself in their shoes. They may very know that there's no issue as much as there is a possible trade off to using this new antenna design. IMO I think they should have included a small sheet in the packaging, explaining how these antennas work and how you might want to avoid holding it in a certain way *if* you have issues. Other phones have done this.

They also have far more data than we do about how many are afflicted.

Btw I'm sorry you're having issues with your phone and hope they'll be sorted.

It's still early in the game.

In the rf section of the small print sheet they do say to avoid holding the bottom left hand corner and the top by the headphone jack.

 

[br0adband]

In the rf section of the small print sheet they do say to avoid holding the bottom left hand corner and the top by the headphone jack.

"Don't touch the antenna, ever."

 

[dagomike]

This happens with every Apple launch. The issues always come pouring in.

That doesn't mean the iPhone 4 issues should be whitewashed, however. The signal is a major issue and shouldn't be confused with the nerds looking for a perfect snowflake in a mass consumer device.

I suspect Apple was a little too ambitious with the iPhone 4 where the company has typically been conservative with revisions. They're feeling the heat from Android and may have really stubbed their toe here.

I'll just add though that aside from the antenna problem, it's an awesome device.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Regarding the launch, I think the CF was by design and worked as intended. It was a brilliant manipulation.

1) Apple pre-ordered 600K phones then shut it down. They sold another 1.1m phones on launch day. Clearly Apple had plenty of phones to keep the pre-ordering up and running.

2) Given the upgrade acceleration ATT offered, its only common sense that this would be the biggest launch ever. You have all the 2G + 3G owners that did not upgrade to the 3GS plus a huge chunk of 3GS owners who previously were not eligible, but now were. Apple knew this, ATT knew this. Why did they not lease extra servers for the event unless they wanted a CF b/c it would make news (smooth running events do not make news). Then they prematurely cut off the pre-ordering to get the mile long campouts they got. More free publicity.

The kicker here is that as the CF nightmare and hatred toward ATT/Apple because of it fades away in consumers minds, the legend of snaked lines will live on and keeps the iPhone 4 as King of Desired Smartphones. People show off their iPhone 4's like it's a Medal of Honor, something earned from hours of screen refreshing or waiting in line. The pre-ordering was no CF, it was deviously clever marketing.

 

[samcraig]

Regarding the launch, I think the CF was by design and worked as intended. It was a brilliant manipulation.

1) Apple pre-ordered 600K phones then shut it down. They sold another 1.1m phones on launch day. Clearly Apple had plenty of phones to keep the pre-ordering up and running.

2) Given the upgrade acceleration ATT offered, its only common sense that this would be the biggest launch ever. You have all the 2G + 3G owners that did not upgrade to the 3GS plus a huge chunk of 3GS owners who previously were not eligible, but now were. Apple knew this, ATT knew this. Why did they not lease extra servers for the event unless they wanted a CF b/c it would make news (smooth running events do not make news). Then they prematurely cut off the pre-ordering to get the mile long campouts they got. More free publicity.

The kicker here is that as the CF nightmare and hatred toward ATT/Apple because of it fades away in consumers minds, the legend of snaked lines will live on and keeps the iPhone 4 as King of Desired Smartphones. People show off their iPhone 4's like it's a Medal of Honor, something earned from hours of screen refreshing or waiting in line. The pre-ordering was no CF, it was deviously clever marketing.

It wasn't by design. The same was argued with new coke/coke classic to drive up sales and crush pepsi.

When asked about the grievous error the company made, the CEO said "The truth is - we're not that dumb and we're not that smart."

 

[buc]

Seriously, as a consumer, buying or using Apple products, aren't any of you flat out insulted by such inane egotistical self-righteous and highly self-aggrandizing statements?

Or is the Kool-Aid really that powerful?

Geez...

Well, speaking just for me, i guess those statements don't bother me not because i'm a kool-aid drinker but because i really have no issues with the phone. I must not hold it in the "death grip" because not only have I not suffered signal loss, i'm getting better reception than i ever got on my 3G. So couple that with all other other things the I4 does right (camera/facetime/screen etc.) and this amazing device actually exceeded my already high expectations for it. And any time a consumer is this happy about a major purchase, it stands to reason they'd be pretty happy with the company that made it.

I can understand, if i were in your shoes and couldn't make a call, that i'd be pretty upset with those comments. But when i'm not in the least bit affected by any of these issues it's hard to be mad at a company that put this thing in my hands.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

It wasn't by design. The same was argued with new coke/coke classic to drive up sales and crush pepsi.

When asked about the grievous error the company made, the CEO said "The truth is - we're not that dumb and we're not that smart."

A little overblown comparo, don't you think? New Coke was a true marketing blunder spread out over an entire summer. It nearly destroyed the Coke brand b/c (speaking as an Atlantan aka die hard Coke drinker) no one wanted a Coke that tasted like Pepsi.

In contrast, the pre-ordering fiasco never put the Apple brand at risk. In fact ATT got the blame. The whole ordeal was foreseeable as low risk, high reward for Apple, unlike New Coke. Also I know and have worked w/ Coke guys. They aren't that smart. Some are even self-destructive. Apple guys OTOH are very cunning and clever.

 

[samcraig]

Apple guys OTOH are very cunning and clever.

But of course, you're not biased LOL

 

[RebootD]

While I understand why the article was posted I don't think anyone is going to doubt consumer's 'need' for a new iPhone (The numbers speak for themselves) and there will always be hardware issues to deal with BUT it's Apple/Steve's responses to these inevitable issues that irks many the wrong way.

For example the HTC EVO didn't exactly have the best hardware right out of the box. Take the screen lifting issue for one. People complained about it, posted on blogs and it got attention. HTC could have said "It's not a big deal" ala Steve but instead wrote a notice that they are looking into their manufacturing process and working on an OTA fix for other problems. (read here)

Did they fix everything? Time will tell but at least they came out and admitted to the issue, promised to look into and actually provided an update (that went horribly wrong sadly ha).

But anyway congrats to Steve, Apple and all of the 1.59m iPhone users who don't hate their new device. All I ask for is for Steve to hire a PR person to speak for him so he doesn't continually come off as an indifferent jacka** in these random correspondences.