Steve Jobs Again Speaks Out on iPhone 4 Antenna Issue via Email

[rhanley]

Im with steve on this and yes i have iphone 4
and i care about my kids more than my shiny iphone
Its just a phone you people need to get over it.
if you don't like the product return it and get a different phone and shut up already.

Everyday thousands of gallons of oil are going into the ocean and people care more about there iphones then they do that and what about the suicides of the worker making these phones? where the did worlds priorities go? oh yeah to hell.

You're with Steve making immature replies? Kudos to you!

We are on a Apple message board and you have the audacity to compare this to the oil spill?? Just because there are a lot of bad things happening in the world, doesn't mean I should just accept a true issue or feel bad about being upset.

To take your stance, if you're not happy with the oil spill, don't buy products from BP, it's as simple as that. Don't go on message boards complaining and asking the president to fix it - that doesn't resolve anything!

<Please note, sarcasm was used in this response>

 

[thetonyclifton]

My signal is terrible and can disappear from holding the phone naturally...but I have had no dropped calls so far.

Having said that it is such a wide spread issue that apple need to do something about it.

I am most concerned about Jobs' attitude, he is coming across as short, annoying, defensive bordering on aggressive - he is really disappointing me as a consumer - considering he is such a large part of the apple brand he is treading a very thin line.....he needs better PR advice - yes he is getting alot of press but NOT all press is good press, that is just balls!

Yes it is only a phone, but it is a purchased product and should meet the high standards the company has previously set itself.

 

[voicegy]

Oh holy frikken Jesus, after having numerous poor quality calls today despite "5 bars" of signal I now call the girlfriend up only to find out I can't hear her - the reason? My ear touched the "mute" button - I've heard people saying the proximity sensor is crap and now I experience it for myself... That seals it, phone goes back next week - HTC Desire it is. My 3G did everything I wanted it to, this phone has unfortunately been crap as a phone though great with the "toys", Steve got his priorities wrong.

Possible explanation, not sure if it is relevant to your particular issue, but perhaps worth posting:

From a reader at MacInTouch:

"I had a problem with the proximity sensor not recognizing my face so the screen stayed on during calls resulting in my ear hitting the mute or speaker buttons. It turned out that I had not installed a fresh copy of iOS4 for my phone, rather I had installed the backup iOS4 from my old 3G. Doing a new restore from factory default settings followed by a restore of the 3G selected with control click in iTunes solved the problem."

 

[mrxmoonlight]

You could buy one of the many $0.01 rubber / plastic bumper style cases being sold on eBay

*Sigh* why are people so cheap?? if you can't afford things maybe you shouldn't buy them.

 

[IndustrialSpace]

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

How can Steve Jobs say NOT TO HOLD IT LIKE THIS when he CLEARLY does so HIMSELF???????

And when you hold it like they do in the adverts

How can Steve Jobs say NOT TO HOLD IT LIKE THIS when he CLEARLY does so HIMSELF???????

 

[WeegieMac]

How can Steve Jobs say NOT TO HOLD IT LIKE THIS when he CLEARLY does so HIMSELF???????

And when you hold it like they do in the adverts

How can Steve Jobs say NOT TO HOLD IT LIKE THIS when he CLEARLY does so HIMSELF???????

While I agree with people pointing this out, I must add that during WWDC's keynote, the iPhone 4 Jobs was using was connected to the WiFi network ... so the cellular signal was irrelevant.

 

[BobVB]

Whats-his-name, who replied initially, if you've replied again I won't have read it and I'm not going back through previous pages to read another dig.

No dig the first time and as you know you can easily read the reply by clicking on my name.

Boils down to - can you recall why you hold a cellphone in your fingertips? and the followup - is that how you hold other handheld electronics, gps, calculators, etc. If not why not? If so can you recall why you do?

 

[cmaier]

While I agree with people pointing this out, I must add that during WWDC's keynote, the iPhone 4 Jobs was using was connected to the WiFi network ... so the cellular signal was irrelevant.

Unless he was expecting an incoming call or SMS

 

[BobVB]

While I agree with people pointing this out, I must add that during WWDC's keynote, the iPhone 4 Jobs was using was connected to the WiFi network ... so the cellular signal was irrelevant.

yeah but no one is honestly saying that we are supposed to have different ways we hold the phone by what connection we are using are they? I mean talk about expecting people to 'bend over backwards for the man'.

 

[BobHail]

Oh, I understand the fact that people are upset about the issue, and I wasn't trying to make it seem like I was singling you out in any way (I'm sorry if it seemed that way). I was just addressing that point in general. I know people like this phone, and want it to work correctly. It just amazes me how worked up people can get over it, acting like it's their only option. There are several. For me, I decided that using the iPhone 4 with a case is fine, even though without a case mine has the same issue. But with a case, it works fine, and I always use a case with my phones anyway. I'm not going to use a glass $700 phone unprotected. I made that choice to work around the signal issue, since it's something I would have done anyway (using a case, that is). If I was a person that loathed cases, I would have taken the phone back like several of my friends have done, at least until the issue is resolved. And none of them (3 people in total) were hit with the restocking fee.

I feel sorry for you.

 

[mrxmoonlight]

You're with Steve making immature replies? Kudos to you!

We are on a Apple message board and you have the audacity to compare this to the oil spill?? Just because there are a lot of bad things happening in the world, doesn't mean I should just accept a true issue or feel bad about being upset.

To take your stance, if you're not happy with the oil spill, don't buy products from BP, it's as simple as that. Don't go on message boards complaining and asking the president to fix it - that doesn't resolve anything!

<Please note, sarcasm was used in this response>

My point is that you have your priorities all screwed up
Its steve is not being immature at all
YOU ARE.
There are things in life more important than toys.
There are bigger things in the world going on that stupid reception issues

 

[firewood]

How can Steve Jobs say NOT TO HOLD IT LIKE THIS when he CLEARLY does so HIMSELF???????

Because you CAN hold it that way and make calls if you have more than around -89 dBm of signal.

 

[voicegy]

San Diego represent!!!

Like, totally representing, dude. Surfs up, and so is the network.

 

[chris975d]

I feel sorry for you.

And why is that?

 

[hackum]

A color, of course!

'Screwing ocher' is probably some kind of kinky bedroom thing.

Might explain why Apple and AT&T have been so buddy-buddy all this time.

2 girls 1 iPhone

 

[WeegieMac]

Unless he was expecting an incoming call or SMS

Exactly. If you look at every single photo there, none of them involve taking a call.

Jobs is seen showing off multi-tasking, and the promo shots show the playing of apps and FaceTime, again no reliance on the cellular network.

If you think about it, it's actually more a case of clever (read: sneaky) marketing. You see the phone performing, and as a consumer you're happy.

We're too busy being shown the "other" features that we never question the basic concept of making/receiving a call.

 

[rwilliams]

I like how Steve Jobs talks about his products as "magic" and "revolutionary" at keynotes, but when discussing a problem says, "It's just a phone." Can't have it both ways, Steve.

That's why I wish Jobs would tone down the Apple Hyperbole Machine. Some people are foolish enough to believe terms like "magical" and "revolutionary", and then when something doesn't work as advertised, they go off the deep end. The rational amongst us will either return the device, or wait and see how Apple fixes this. The emotional ones act like this is a personal slight.

 

[fox10078]

The ridiculousness of some of you is mind boggling.

 

[Anuba]

It just amazes me how worked up people can get over it, acting like it's their only option. There are several. For me, I decided that using the iPhone 4 with a case is fine, even though without a case mine has the same issue.

They are upset because they have to pay for a case (or train themselves to hold phones differently) to circumvent what is arguably a design flaw. It's a matter of principle, not an inability to adapt.

It was only a few months ago that Jony Ive's sales pitch for the iPad was "yew dunnafta fi' the produck', i' fi's yew" (translation: "You don't have to fit the product, it fits you"). And then only a few months later they release a product that completely flies in the face of that design philosophy – you have to adapt to the product to a degree that no other cellphone asks of you.

 

[BobVB]

The ridiculousness of some of you is mind boggling.

Yeah like someone pointed out, some would defend Steve burning a kitten

 

[WeegieMac]

No dig the first time and as you know you can easily read the reply by clicking on my name.

Boils down to - can you recall why you hold a cellphone in your fingertips? and the followup - is that how you hold other handheld electronics, gps, calculators, etc. If not why not? If so can you recall why you do?

As I said, Bob ... I'm not here to get involved in name throwing.

I didn't see the need for the term "Princess" just because I said I didn't hold the phone on the lower section and deep inside the palm of my hand. Everyone is different, and I posted a basic response because I was on the train home from work. My full and proper response is above, which you've no doubt read.

It so happens that the way I comfortably hold an iPhone 4 leaves the black "line" on the botom left uncovered ... albeit just and no more.

 

[cubanrsx24]

THEN TAKE YOUR iPhone 4 Back and quit your bi*thing! Seriously what is the point of giving us your life story! If you don't like your iPhone go return your phone and buy a Droid or a Blackberry. Or wait patiently ( you might not know what this word means) to see what they are going to do with the issue that some individuals are having! For the time being, go buy a damn case for the phone so you don't break your phone and it solves two birds with one stone!

I have lost all respect for this man and his company as of today. I love my Macbook, I love my iPad, I've loved many past iPods, and I love my iP4... this is ******** though.

He is not only insulting customers he is taking us all for granted. My iP4 will be returned on the last day of my return window.

Take his email account away!

EDIT: I can't believe some of you still think this is a software issue. I can stand directly under an ATT tower or beside a Microcell and lightly touch the side of my phone (with a bumper on) and lose 4 bars. Sometimes I can even make it drop calls if it's resting in my palm. This is not software - a hand shorts out the damn antenna and it's time you defenders of Jobs know this.

 

[marksman]

I haven't seen any youtube videos of anyone doing any proper testing of this issue, so I am on the side they should all be flogged.

This entire hysteria was started by one guy who posted an extremely flawed youtube video that proved or showed nothing.

 

[rhanley]

My point is that you have your priorities all screwed up
Its steve is not being immature at all
YOU ARE.
There are things in life more important than toys.
There are bigger things in the world going on that stupid reception issues

Then why are you here? Take your own advice, get over it, and let us be. May I suggest spending your time learning to write in a more digestible manner?

 

[Shin3r]

Are we really pissed that a piece of hardware may not always get good reception? What has this hysteria come to where we expect that wireless things should work perfectly for us all the time?

While the dust has been settling, we have learned, from independent experts no less, that the signal will drop in poorer signal areas!! SHOCKING

We've also learned, from these same experts and more, that other phones drop signal too when held with the death grip if not just held normally. GASP!! I checked it myself with the moto droid!!

Meanwhile, my signal drops too and yet have had no problems other than the NORMAL dropped calls which I get in the same areas I always have. In the usual strong areas, my signal doesn't drop at all.

But I live less than a mile from a tower that I can see!! You mean the same tower that your overpopulated area connects to at the same time? SHOCKING

While there may be a problem with the way the software reads signals, Apple will eventually address if they think they can improve the situation for users.

Ultimately most of you are overreacting because you want perfection and you believe that you deserve it, and you believe that you are entitled to it.

Get over yourselves. If the phone doesn't work for you, then return the stupid thing and get a different phone. Ultimately, no one cares about your self inflated sense of ego that throws all logic out the window and demands that the sun rise when YOU want it to.

Okay, I'm waiting for it, give it to me.