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Returning iPhone 4 and ReBuying iPhone 3GS

Fernandez21 said:
Op, don't let the whiners get to you, they just have their panties in a bunch because they can't stand negative stuff being said about apple, just ignore them and move on.

One thing I do agree with them though, are you sure you want to use your upgrade and resign your contract for lasts year model?
Click to expand...

I gave the best advice...to get on Verizon and ditch AT&T.

But obviously this is not an option for this person, "for reasons not important here", which basically means, he/she can't live without an iPhone...and it is more important than "the important people in his/her life"
 
appleg33k said:
what is your problem? actually the iPhone 4 does not do everything exactly as advertised. where the heck have you been... the commercials show people holding the phone with their LEFT hand and everything functioning normally, which is CLEARLY not the case in real life use. i agree that other phones also attenuate the signal when holding it a certain way, but those certain ways of holding it are not in the way of normal use and normal holding, whereas with the iPhone 4, it is. like i said before, dumping at&t and going to verizon is out of the question right now. i'm sorry if this is coming off as whining, but that is really not my intention. i came to "cry" on these forums for genuine advise/opinions. i thought that was the purpose of these forums..
Click to expand...

Listen, some of us may sound a bit harsh in our replies, but we are still giving you some good advice.

But guess what, you come up with a reason or excuse that you cannot do this or that.

Like I said, the problem is YOU.
 
Yes, a $300.00 phone that doesn't work is trivial

It is amazing how so many people just allow companies to trample all over them, and yet they not only accept it but go out of their way to defend them. Simply amazing.

Apple makes some of the neatest, highest tech, future engineered products of any company, and the Iphone 4 is at the top of this list. It is simply an amazing piece of technology, well built, extremely easy to use, and hundreds of thousands of Apps make it even better. The Iphone 4, however, is flawed.

There is no question, it is not speculation, that the Iphone 4 antenna design is flawed. It is a basic fundamental electrical engineering failure. And, there is absolutely no possibility that Apple engineers did not know this long ago.

Any EE with even slight experience knows that humans touching antennas directly will degrade their signals both in strength and in quality. This is a simple hard fact. Shorting 2 different antennas together through the human hand, is a much worse issue and something that can only be done on a Iphone 4. This is also a simple hard fact.

Now, to the question of what to do. First, there is no, nor will there ever be a software "fix" for this issue. You cannot fix a hardware flaw in software. Yet another simple hard fact. So if you are waiting on this software fix from Apple, expecting it to correct this antenna reception issue, you are going to be waiting a long time.

The only "fix" is to put something that is non-conductive between your hand, or any body part such as the face, and the antennas on the Iphone 4. Although this will not completely fix this issue, it will make the Iphone 4 more like every other phone regarding how much degradation occurs when your hand gets close to the antenna. Apple is correct when they say that all phones will have signal loss when held in a certain way, i.e. by placing your hand close to the antenna.

It is likely, due to the Iphone 4's antenna design otherwise, you will get a better signal with it as compared to the previous Iphones. But, you must use some kind of case, and one that is not metal.

With an appropriate case, the Iphone 4 is a remarkable phone and in my opinion, when looking only at it's functionallity and ease of use, a great phone to have. In fact, it is one of the best phones on the market today.

However, if one looks at how Apple has handled this issue, and also considers ethics and what is right and what is wrong, something to few people do today, the answer may be different. Lets look at some hard facts.

1) When held in the normal way the Iphone 4 will have it's antennas touching the human hand and also possibly the face, and this WILL interfere with both the signal strength and quality.

2) A non-metallic case will greatly alleviate this issue, and maybe even improve the signal beyond that of the previous Iphones.

3) At launch time there was one and only one "case" available for the Iphone 4. This case is made (or at least sold) by Apple, and costs $30.00. It ONLY covers the antennas on the phone, thus providing a "fix" (likely one of the best fixes you are going to get) for this reception issue.

4) Apple has claimed there is no hardware issue with the Iphone 4, something that has and can be shown to be false.

5) Apple has said they will provide a software fix claiming they have had the bars calibration wrong since the very first Iphone. The bar calibration has absolutely nothing to do with the real signal strength or quality, that is, changing the bars is not going to improve the real signal strength, prevent dropped calls, or prevent data downloads from stopping or running very slow.

Conclusion: Apple knew there is an issue with the antennas being on the outside of the Iphone 4 a very long time ago. They designed the phone this way in order to make it thinner, and to allow Jobs to claim it to be the thinnest smart phone in the world. Their plan was to make this rubber to go around the antennas, they call a bumper, and decided that not only will customers pay for this fix, but why not make some money in the process. So, this bumper was extremely marked up (it contains about $5.00 worth of rubber), pushed hard to every one who bought a Iphone 4 (remember there was no other way to protect this expensive phone), and made money in the process.

The bumper did two (2) things for Apple - 1) removed many, many, many complaints of dropped calls and data transfers stopping because so many people bought, and immediately installed, these bumpers, and 2) made tens or more likely hundreds of millions of dollars on this bumper alone.

Apple knew there would still be complaints and that this would become an issue. So, they came up with this claim of utter surprise that the bars have been wrong since the first Iphone. They admit to a huge mistake, but one in software which can be "fixed", not in hardware which cannot. They then modify these bars to fix them, after they have already fixed them in one of the 3.x OS updates, and the fix is going to show fewer bars for everybody, even if you are in the best 3G location AT&T has. The complaint now will be - I cannot get full bars no matter where I am. I am in a very strong 3G area, and only get 3 bars. Apples response, the bars although not perfect, are now showing you a much more accurate indication of your real signal strength. If you feel you should have a stronger signal, you should talk to AT&T's customer service.

Finally, should you keep the Iphone 4 because it is great (once you install a case), despite the obvious deceit on the part of Apple, or should ethics, should morals, should right mean something and you return the Iphone 4 on simply principal alone? One should always - follow the money to get to the truth, then act on that truth based on their own personal morals. The answer is for you to make.

Note: I should point out that in addition to the antenna issue it is certainly possible that there is also a software issue, and/or a software update that can improve the signal issue. Part of Apple's software update may do just that. However, this does not take away from or change the fact that the antenna design on the Iphone 4 is flawed, a hardware design error.

Omegaman
 
Omegaman69 said:
It is amazing how so many people just allow companies to trample all over them, and yet they not only accept it but go out of their way to defend them. Simply amazing.

Apple makes some of the neatest, highest tech, future engineered products of any company, and the Iphone 4 is at the top of this list. It is simply an amazing peace of technology, well built, extremely easy to use, and hundreds of thousands of Apps make it even better. The Iphone 4, however, is flawed.

There is no question, it is not speculation, that the Iphone 4 antenna design is flawed. It is a basic fundamental electrical engineering failure. And, there is absolutely no possibility that Apple engineers did not know this long ago.

Any EE with even slight experience knows that humans touching antennas directly will degrade their signals both in strength and in quality. This is a simple hard fact. Shorting 2 different antennas together through the human hand, is a much worse issue and something that can only be done on a Iphone 4. This is also a simple hard fact.

Now, to the question of what to do. First, there is no, nor will there ever be a software "fix" for this issue. You cannot fix a hardware flaw in software. Yet another simple hard fact. So if you are waiting on this software fix from Apple, expecting it to correct this antenna reception issue, you are going to be waiting a long time.

The only "fix" is to put something that is non-conductive between your hand, or any body part such as the face, and the antennas on the Iphone 4. Although this will not completely fix this issue, it will make the Iphone 4 more like every other phone regarding how much degradation occurs when your hand gets close to the antenna. Apple is correct when they say that all phones will have signal loss when held in a certain way, i.e. by placing your hand close to the antenna.

It is likely, due to the Iphone 4's antenna design otherwise, you will get a better signal with it as compared to the previous Iphones. But, you must use some kind of case, and one that is not metal.

With an appropriate case, the Iphone 4 is a remarkable phone and in my opinion, when looking only at it's functionallity and ease of use, a great phone to have. In fact, it is one of the best phones on the market today.

However, if one looks at how Apple has handled this issue, and also considers ethics and what is right and what is wrong, something to few people do today, the answer may be different. Lets look at some hard facts.

1) When held in the normal way the Iphone 4 will have it's antennas touching the human hand and also possibly the face, and this WILL interfere with both the signal strength and quality.

2) A non-metallic case will greatly alleviate this issue, and even improve the signal beyond that of the previous Iphones.

3) At launch time there was one and only one "case" available for the Iphone 4. This case is made (or at least sold) by Apple, and costs $30.00. It ONLY covers the antennas on the phone, thus providing a "fix" (likely the best fix you are going to get) for this reception issue.

4) Apple has claimed there is no hardware issue with the Iphone 4, something that has and can be shown to be false.

5) Apple has said they will provide a software fix claiming they have had the bars calibration wrong since the very first Iphone. The bar calibration has absolutely nothing to do with the real signal strength or quality, that is, changing the bars is not going to improve the real signal strength.

Conclusion: Apple knew there is an issue with the antennas being on the outside of the Iphone 4 a very long time ago. They designed the phone this way in order to make it thinner, and to allow Jobs to claim it to be the thinnest smart phone in the world. Their plan was to make this rubber to go around the antennas, they call a bumper, and decided that not only will customers pay for this fix, but why not make some money in the process. So, this bumper was extremely marked up (it contains about $5.00 worth of rubber), pushed hard to every one who bought a Iphone 4 (remember there was no other way to protect this expensive phone), and made money in the process.

The bumper did two (2) things for Apple - 1) removed many, many, many complaints of dropped calls and data transfers stopping because so many people bought, and immediately installed, these bumpers, and 2) made tens or more likely hundreds of millions of dollars on this bumpers alone.

Apple knew there would still be complaints and that this would become an issue. So, they came up with this claim of utter surprise that the bars have been wrong since the first Iphone. They admit to a huge mistake, but one in software which can be "fixed", not in hardware which cannot. They then modify these bars to fix them, after they have already fixed them in one of the 3.x OS updates, and the fix is going to show fewer bars for everybody, even if you are in the best 3G location AT&T has. The complaint now will be - I cannot get full bars no matter where I am. I am in a very strong 3G area, and only get 3 bars. Apples response, the bars although not perfect, are now showing you a much more accurate indication of your real signal strength. If you feel you should have a stronger signal, you should talk to AT&T's customer service.

Finally, should you keep the Iphone 4 because it a great (once you install a case), despite the obvious deceit on the part of Apple, or should you go with your morals and not support such a company? The answer is for you to make.

Omegaman
Click to expand...

Thank you for taking your time in writing all of that. I really enjoyed reading it. It was very informative. My question for you now is, how true is your statement saying that if I put a case/bumper on the iPhone 4, that it's signal strength/reception will be even better than previous iPhones? I've always experienced dropped calls, even with older iPhones. The reason I'm considering returning is because the iPhone is ALREADY prone to dropping calls (because of AT&T or whatever reason) and now this antenna issue just adds on top of that. So, will using a bumper really give better reception that previous iPhones?
 
Go get the 3GS. I thank myself everyday for not upgrading to the iPhone 4. I love my jailbroken 3GS running 3.1.2
 
appleg33k said:
i'm not whining or complaining by any means. i just wanted the opinion of other users. this is SOMEWHAT of a big life decision because i communicate with all the important people in my life via my phone. so i just want the the most reliable one. verizon is currently not an option for reasons that are not important here. honestly, i don't know what to do, which is why i am asking the opinion/advise of others.
Click to expand...

No, no it's really not ... don't be so melodramatic.

As fantastic looking and aesthetically designed as it is, it's a tool, a piece of equipment. If it doesn't work as (you feel) advertised, then exercise your right at a consumer and return it. Why people thinking or returning iPhone 4's feel the need to post their little stories is beyond me. You say you wanted the opinions of others, but when returning something YOU worked for and that YOU paid for, there is no need for the opinions of others.

YOU are unhappy with the iPhone 4, so return it. End of story.
 
Omegaman69 said:
It is amazing how so many people just allow companies to trample all over them, and yet they not only accept it but go out of their way to defend them. Simply amazing.

Apple makes some of the neatest, highest tech, future engineered products of any company, and the Iphone 4 is at the top of this list. It is simply an amazing peace of technology, well built, extremely easy to use, and hundreds of thousands of Apps make it even better. The Iphone 4, however, is flawed.

There is no question, it is not speculation, that the Iphone 4 antenna design is flawed. It is a basic fundamental electrical engineering failure. And, there is absolutely no possibility that Apple engineers did not know this long ago.

Any EE with even slight experience knows that humans touching antennas directly will degrade their signals both in strength and in quality. This is a simple hard fact. Shorting 2 different antennas together through the human hand, is a much worse issue and something that can only be done on a Iphone 4. This is also a simple hard fact.

Now, to the question of what to do. First, there is no, nor will there ever be a software "fix" for this issue. You cannot fix a hardware flaw in software. Yet another simple hard fact. So if you are waiting on this software fix from Apple, expecting it to correct this antenna reception issue, you are going to be waiting a long time.

The only "fix" is to put something that is non-conductive between your hand, or any body part such as the face, and the antennas on the Iphone 4. Although this will not completely fix this issue, it will make the Iphone 4 more like every other phone regarding how much degradation occurs when your hand gets close to the antenna. Apple is correct when they say that all phones will have signal loss when held in a certain way, i.e. by placing your hand close to the antenna.

It is likely, due to the Iphone 4's antenna design otherwise, you will get a better signal with it as compared to the previous Iphones. But, you must use some kind of case, and one that is not metal.

With an appropriate case, the Iphone 4 is a remarkable phone and in my opinion, when looking only at it's functionallity and ease of use, a great phone to have. In fact, it is one of the best phones on the market today.

However, if one looks at how Apple has handled this issue, and also considers ethics and what is right and what is wrong, something to few people do today, the answer may be different. Lets look at some hard facts.

1) When held in the normal way the Iphone 4 will have it's antennas touching the human hand and also possibly the face, and this WILL interfere with both the signal strength and quality.

2) A non-metallic case will greatly alleviate this issue, and maybe even improve the signal beyond that of the previous Iphones.

3) At launch time there was one and only one "case" available for the Iphone 4. This case is made (or at least sold) by Apple, and costs $30.00. It ONLY covers the antennas on the phone, thus providing a "fix" (likely the best fix you are going to get) for this reception issue.

4) Apple has claimed there is no hardware issue with the Iphone 4, something that has and can be shown to be false.

5) Apple has said they will provide a software fix claiming they have had the bars calibration wrong since the very first Iphone. The bar calibration has absolutely nothing to do with the real signal strength or quality, that is, changing the bars is not going to improve the real signal strength.

Conclusion: Apple knew there is an issue with the antennas being on the outside of the Iphone 4 a very long time ago. They designed the phone this way in order to make it thinner, and to allow Jobs to claim it to be the thinnest smart phone in the world. Their plan was to make this rubber to go around the antennas, they call a bumper, and decided that not only will customers pay for this fix, but why not make some money in the process. So, this bumper was extremely marked up (it contains about $5.00 worth of rubber), pushed hard to every one who bought a Iphone 4 (remember there was no other way to protect this expensive phone), and made money in the process.

The bumper did two (2) things for Apple - 1) removed many, many, many complaints of dropped calls and data transfers stopping because so many people bought, and immediately installed, these bumpers, and 2) made tens or more likely hundreds of millions of dollars on this bumpers alone.

Apple knew there would still be complaints and that this would become an issue. So, they came up with this claim of utter surprise that the bars have been wrong since the first Iphone. They admit to a huge mistake, but one in software which can be "fixed", not in hardware which cannot. They then modify these bars to fix them, after they have already fixed them in one of the 3.x OS updates, and the fix is going to show fewer bars for everybody, even if you are in the best 3G location AT&T has. The complaint now will be - I cannot get full bars no matter where I am. I am in a very strong 3G area, and only get 3 bars. Apples response, the bars although not perfect, are now showing you a much more accurate indication of your real signal strength. If you feel you should have a stronger signal, you should talk to AT&T's customer service.

Finally, should you keep the Iphone 4 because it a great (once you install a case), despite the obvious deceit on the part of Apple, or should you go with your morals and not support such a company? The answer is for you to make.

Omegaman
Click to expand...


Well said brotha, I actually agree with you 100%.
It's no coincidence that Apple came out with their very first iPhone case with the iPhone 4 launch.

This isn't about defending Apple, this is about some poor, ignorant, indecisive person who can't return his/her iPhone. I told the OP to ditch the iPhone and AT&T and get onto Verizon, but guess what, he/she won't. If phone calls were my number one priority I would switch to Verizon in a heart beat, but I can deal with it.

Maybe you can slap some sense into the OP.
Obviously, he/she is very INDECISIVE and will come up with every excuse in the book to NOT listen to the advice of others.

Get a case - "Yuk, so ugly..." whaa whaa
Get Verizon - "No iPhone.." whaa whaa
Hold it different - "Not as advertised.." whaa whaa
Buy the 3GS on Craigslist - "I hate refurbished..." whaa whaa
So, just return it - "Oh but...but...i think...but..." whaa whaa


To the OP, either accept this fact, or just return your damn phone and be done with it. Since you won't buy a case, won't switch to Verizon, can't accept holding it differently, etc etc.....bla bla bla

We gave advice, but clearly it is not what you want to hear.
What you want to hear is that you can keep your iPhone 4 because Apple is going to fix it. Nope, sorry the iPhone 4's "death grip" phenomena is here to stay. Either deal with it or JUST RETURN THE DAMN PHONE.
 
WeegieMac said:
No, no it's really not ... don't be so melodramatic.

As fantastic looking and aesthetically designed as it is, it's a tool, a piece of equipment. If it doesn't work as (you feel) advertised, then exercise your right at a consumer and return it. Why people thinking or returning iPhone 4's feel the need to post their little stories is beyond me. You say you wanted the opinions of others, but when returning something YOU worked for and that YOU paid for, there is no need for the opinions of others.

YOU are unhappy with the iPhone 4, so return it. End of story.
Click to expand...


Exactly.

I will tell you why the OP had to come onto the forums and post that he/she is "thinking about returning the iPhone 4." The OP wants a reason NOT to return it.

People reading this thread may think that we are the Apple fanboys that will defend Apple to the end. Nope, that's not true.

The OP is the Apple fanboy who wants to keep his/her iPhone 4 so badly, but frustrated with the "death grip" phenomena.

If you can't even come up with a reason not to ditch AT&T's ******-ass network and get on Verizon, when your #1 priority is making phone calls to "important people in your life", then you got serious issues. The OP won't even consider a case for it because being a true Apple lover and fanboy, he/she will not cover up the iPhone's beauty in its original state.
 
appleg33k said:
Thank you for taking your time in writing all of that. I really enjoyed reading it. It was very informative. My question for you now is, how true is your statement saying that if I put a case/bumper on the iPhone 4, that it's signal strength/reception will be even better than previous iPhones? I've always experienced dropped calls, even with older iPhones. The reason I'm considering returning is because the iPhone is ALREADY prone to dropping calls (because of AT&T or whatever reason) and now this antenna issue just adds on top of that. So, will using a bumper really give better reception that previous iPhones?
Click to expand...

Response: I cannot promise you that installing a case will greatly improve your reception. There are many variables that affect your reception and how well a phone can hang on to a signal. You may be in an area that has little signal, and if so a case may only improve your issue a little, or may not improve it at all because if there is no signal to work with, there will be no improvement. The case is not an amplifier.

My suggestion is for you to do some testing first to see what improvement you might get. For example, if in the area you are having the problems you make a call than lay the phone down on say a wooden table, and see if you still have the issues with dropped calls. If you do, a case is not going to resolve your issues. But, if you then do not have dropped calls, or other issues, there is a good chance a case will help considerably.

You might want to try and test in different areas, both holding the phone and not holding the phone, to see how much difference this makes. It is possible that in addition to this antenna issue there is also a software issue, which Apple may fix in the upcoming OS update. It is difficult to tell for sure. It is also possible you have a phone that has some other problem, and maybe you should take it to Apple if you can and see what they may be able to do.

That is the best advice I can give. With enough of the right testing, you should be able to determine if and how much a case will help with your issue. Good luck.

Note: I would like to add that the antenna design of the Iphone 4, excepting the issue with human hands touching it, appears to me to be a better design than previous Iphones. There are many reports of others that state the signal is better on the Iphone 4 than on the Iphone 3GS. I can believe that could very likely be the case. Again, you should test in the area where you are having problems, and in an area where there is known good 3G service, with and without touching the phone to determine if this is also true in your case, or if possibly that particular phone has some other issue. If you still have issues when you are not touching the phone, and it is not very close to metal, then your issue is something else, possibly to be fixed in Apple's update, or possibly just a defective phone.

Omegaman
 
OP needs to stop using OCD as an excuse for everything. It's the BS disease of this decade. Ever since that tool Howie Mandel made a big deal everybody is coming out of the woodwork claiming to have OCD. The real problem these people have is they're *****'s. I'd be embarassed to tell someone I had OCD, but these *****'s use it as an excuse for everything.
 
I'll add my $.02.
I've had my iP4 for 3 days and am about ready to send it back for a refund. Fortunately, I still have my 3gs. With all the problems that were going on after the release I decided to keep it just in case. I ordered my iP4 June 16, it wasn't suppose to ship until July 14th. I was about to cancel my order before it shipped, but they actually did a good thing (normally) and shipped it 10 days early.

Problems with the phone:
1) Just laying the phone in my hand will decrease the antenna. Yes, the death grip reduces it faster. When on a call I normally hold it with a few fingers, so this isn't a BIG deal for me. I could live with it.
2) Proximity sensor sucks bad. When on almost every call the screen will flicker on/off, ending in putting the call in mute, speakerphone or facetime while on a call. This I CANNOT live with.

This phone is a huge step up from the 3gs, which I've had since release day last year. The speed and display alone are worth the upgrade. But, I bought and need a phone!
 
Omegaman69 said:
It is amazing how so many people just allow companies to trample all over them, and yet they not only accept it but go out of their way to defend them. Simply amazing....

Apple knew there would still be complaints and that this would become an issue. So, they came up with this claim of utter surprise that the bars have been wrong since the first Iphone. They admit to a huge mistake, but one in software which can be "fixed", not in hardware which cannot. They then modify these bars to fix them, after they have already fixed them in one of the 3.x OS updates, and the fix is going to show fewer bars for everybody, even if you are in the best 3G location AT&T has. The complaint now will be - I cannot get full bars no matter where I am. I am in a very strong 3G area, and only get 3 bars. Apples response, the bars although not perfect, are now showing you a much more accurate indication of your real signal strength. If you feel you should have a stronger signal, you should talk to AT&T's customer service.

Finally, should you keep the Iphone 4 because it is great (once you install a case), despite the obvious deceit on the part of Apple, or should ethics, should morals, should right mean something and you return the Iphone 4 on simply principal alone? One should always - follow the money to get to the truth, then act on that truth based on their own personal morals. The answer is for you to make.

Note: I should point out that in addition to the antenna issue it is certainly possible that there is also a software issue, and/or a software update that can improve the signal issue. Part of Apple's software update may do just that. However, this does not take away from or change the fact that the antenna design on the Iphone 4 is flawed, a hardware design error.

Omegaman
Click to expand...

Brilliant post Omegaman. When they bring out the software update people will complain about signal strength in even the best areas, and Apple will roll out the phone to Verizon! Lucky for me I live in the UK with plenty of choice of carrier, and the default carrier (O2) is very good.
 
The only thin brilliant about anyone taking time to write about returning a phone is....we'll nothing.
 
Do what makes you happy. If you're not happy with the iPhone 4, get the 3GS. You don't need anyone else to validate what you're doing.

I myself chose to buy a 3GS (was coming from a Blackberry Bold). I found that the 3GS did everything I needed it to do so I picked one up. Down the road, I may end up deciding to get an iPhone 4, but for now the 3GS is working fine for me. Do what works best for you - you are the one who has to use the phone.
 
If the iPhone 4 does not meet your standards and you are unhappy with it, then return it. To do otherwise would be foolish.
 
Lenxal said:
You can always sell it on craigslist and buy a 3gs on craigslist and make like a 300-400 dollars profit
Click to expand...

No. Early Termination = $325.

iPhone 3GS on Craigslist = $350
iPhone 4 on Craigslist = $600
 
Omegaman69 said:
It is amazing how so many people just allow companies to trample all over them, and yet they not only accept it but go out of their way to defend them. Simply amazing.

Apple makes some of the neatest, highest tech, future engineered products of any company, and the Iphone 4 is at the top of this list. It is simply an amazing piece of technology, well built, extremely easy to use, and hundreds of thousands of Apps make it even better. The Iphone 4, however, is flawed.

There is no question, it is not speculation, that the Iphone 4 antenna design is flawed. It is a basic fundamental electrical engineering failure. And, there is absolutely no possibility that Apple engineers did not know this long ago.

Any EE with even slight experience knows that humans touching antennas directly will degrade their signals both in strength and in quality. This is a simple hard fact. Shorting 2 different antennas together through the human hand, is a much worse issue and something that can only be done on a Iphone 4. This is also a simple hard fact.

Now, to the question of what to do. First, there is no, nor will there ever be a software "fix" for this issue. You cannot fix a hardware flaw in software. Yet another simple hard fact. So if you are waiting on this software fix from Apple, expecting it to correct this antenna reception issue, you are going to be waiting a long time.

The only "fix" is to put something that is non-conductive between your hand, or any body part such as the face, and the antennas on the Iphone 4. Although this will not completely fix this issue, it will make the Iphone 4 more like every other phone regarding how much degradation occurs when your hand gets close to the antenna. Apple is correct when they say that all phones will have signal loss when held in a certain way, i.e. by placing your hand close to the antenna.

It is likely, due to the Iphone 4's antenna design otherwise, you will get a better signal with it as compared to the previous Iphones. But, you must use some kind of case, and one that is not metal.

With an appropriate case, the Iphone 4 is a remarkable phone and in my opinion, when looking only at it's functionallity and ease of use, a great phone to have. In fact, it is one of the best phones on the market today.

However, if one looks at how Apple has handled this issue, and also considers ethics and what is right and what is wrong, something to few people do today, the answer may be different. Lets look at some hard facts.

1) When held in the normal way the Iphone 4 will have it's antennas touching the human hand and also possibly the face, and this WILL interfere with both the signal strength and quality.

2) A non-metallic case will greatly alleviate this issue, and maybe even improve the signal beyond that of the previous Iphones.

3) At launch time there was one and only one "case" available for the Iphone 4. This case is made (or at least sold) by Apple, and costs $30.00. It ONLY covers the antennas on the phone, thus providing a "fix" (likely one of the best fixes you are going to get) for this reception issue.

4) Apple has claimed there is no hardware issue with the Iphone 4, something that has and can be shown to be false.

5) Apple has said they will provide a software fix claiming they have had the bars calibration wrong since the very first Iphone. The bar calibration has absolutely nothing to do with the real signal strength or quality, that is, changing the bars is not going to improve the real signal strength, prevent dropped calls, or prevent data downloads from stopping or running very slow.

Conclusion: Apple knew there is an issue with the antennas being on the outside of the Iphone 4 a very long time ago. They designed the phone this way in order to make it thinner, and to allow Jobs to claim it to be the thinnest smart phone in the world. Their plan was to make this rubber to go around the antennas, they call a bumper, and decided that not only will customers pay for this fix, but why not make some money in the process. So, this bumper was extremely marked up (it contains about $5.00 worth of rubber), pushed hard to every one who bought a Iphone 4 (remember there was no other way to protect this expensive phone), and made money in the process.

The bumper did two (2) things for Apple - 1) removed many, many, many complaints of dropped calls and data transfers stopping because so many people bought, and immediately installed, these bumpers, and 2) made tens or more likely hundreds of millions of dollars on this bumper alone.

Apple knew there would still be complaints and that this would become an issue. So, they came up with this claim of utter surprise that the bars have been wrong since the first Iphone. They admit to a huge mistake, but one in software which can be "fixed", not in hardware which cannot. They then modify these bars to fix them, after they have already fixed them in one of the 3.x OS updates, and the fix is going to show fewer bars for everybody, even if you are in the best 3G location AT&T has. The complaint now will be - I cannot get full bars no matter where I am. I am in a very strong 3G area, and only get 3 bars. Apples response, the bars although not perfect, are now showing you a much more accurate indication of your real signal strength. If you feel you should have a stronger signal, you should talk to AT&T's customer service.

Finally, should you keep the Iphone 4 because it is great (once you install a case), despite the obvious deceit on the part of Apple, or should ethics, should morals, should right mean something and you return the Iphone 4 on simply principal alone? One should always - follow the money to get to the truth, then act on that truth based on their own personal morals. The answer is for you to make.

Note: I should point out that in addition to the antenna issue it is certainly possible that there is also a software issue, and/or a software update that can improve the signal issue. Part of Apple's software update may do just that. However, this does not take away from or change the fact that the antenna design on the Iphone 4 is flawed, a hardware design error.

Omegaman
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Couldn't agree more. Well said.
 
I've been on MacRumors for ages and I'm doing the same thing. Is that 'fishy'?
 
AppleRules said:
OP needs to stop using OCD as an excuse for everything. It's the BS disease of this decade. Ever since that tool Howie Mandel made a big deal everybody is coming out of the woodwork claiming to have OCD. The real problem these people have is they're *****'s. I'd be embarassed to tell someone I had OCD, but these *****'s use it as an excuse for everything.
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I think ADD has a leg up on OCD.
 
When all is said and done more is said than done.
I bet the OP doesn't trade in his iPhone 4 and this whole thread was an exercise in self loathing mixed with vanity.
 
appleg33k said:
Thank you for taking your time in writing all of that. I really enjoyed reading it. It was very informative. My question for you now is, how true is your statement saying that if I put a case/bumper on the iPhone 4, that it's signal strength/reception will be even better than previous iPhones? I've always experienced dropped calls, even with older iPhones. The reason I'm considering returning is because the iPhone is ALREADY prone to dropping calls (because of AT&T or whatever reason) and now this antenna issue just adds on top of that. So, will using a bumper really give better reception that previous iPhones?
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Here's the deal. You came in at a time when apple really F'ed up on there phones and they play the game of ME KNOW NO. This is how apple works, they basically admit they phone has problems, and yet some people yell "DUUUURRRR MY PHONE WORKS SO EVERYONES WORKS. APPLE IS DEH GREAT." :rolleyes: Most people acknowledge this by now and will either

A) keep it and acknowledge the problems yet feel apple did no wrong
B) keep it with problems and keep whining about it,
C) keep it due to getting a really good phone and enjoy there phone or exchange for a good one
D) return it.

I say just do what makes you feel happy.

I am in the same boat as you currently. I have taken back one already for a NO SIM error and now I have the proximity problem and the yellow photo problem and have to wait for a new one to come in :mad:. It pisses me off to know end I keep getting crappy phones and was always happy with my 3GS as well. You shouldn't have to spend 200 - 300 bucks and a 2 year commitment and worry if the problem will ever be fixed or to spend more of your money on a case to make it work. I'm more pissed about how it happened then admitting the problem and trying to correct it.

I can tell you the actual problem WILL NOT go away. All you can hope for is the updates hides the signal issue. You could return it, get a 3GS, and if you really want all the new features then keep your eye out for the new ipod which seems to have all the features of the iphone 4. You shouldn't have to feel bad about asking opinion on an opinion board. Some people have no lives and need an outlet to release.
 
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