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

[rhanley]

Its your actions that make you a child boy.

Go back and read how this started -- You're the one that turned immature and made this personal.

The worst thing I said was that you had the audacity to bring up and compare this to the oil spill. Sorry if that offended you, but I think you can agree that was a bit silly.

It was your choice to write back attacking me with bad grammar.

 

[mrxmoonlight]

It IS just a phone.
It CAN be returned if it is faulty.
You DON'T have to stand in line for days to own this toy.
What is wrong with the world?
Complainers, GET A REAL LIFE!
If you so need to be negative or champion a cause surely you can find a better way to vent your angst.
This is nothing short of pathetic

I'm 100% with you on this one!
A its like a bunch of kids trowing a fit.

 

[BobHail]

Apple´s motto: Why do damage control, when it´s much more fun to poor gasoline into the fire.

 

[ldkaplan]

Then go to a message board for a language you can write in.

Or, better yet -- Don't come on a board and personally insult somebody with a garbled mess of English and not expect to be called out on it.

There's plenty else to call this guy out on.

My preference was to add him to my ignore list. I'm not sure how many more it can hold.

 

[Shin3r]

. It's about expecting the phone to function normally, as in not constantly dropping calls, as in data traffic not grinding to a halt when you hold the phone like Steve and all the actors in Apple's commercials do.

Well, according to a million other posts, "function normally" means constantly dropping calls because AT&T sucks so much. I can hold the phone in my hand the way the actors do it and still make a call. I know, it's not all about me, I get it, but the reaction by people is just outrageous and typically always is. It's fun to watch people act like children.

By the way, did you know that the food you see in many commercials is made of plastic and never looks that way when you get it.

 

[Slip Jigs]

Same story but the wife has a 3GS in a location with -112 dBm of signal.

WIFE: Darn, I can't get a cell phone call though. Hopefully some passing motorist will help deliver the baby here by the side of the road.

PASSING MOTORIST with an iPhone 4: Sure, I'll try and help. But look, my phone gets a signal here if I hold the phone up a bit higher. "911 dispatch, please send someone quick".

Later:

NEW BABY: waaaahhhhhhh!!!!!

HUSBAND: I'm sure glad that passing motorist had an iPhone 4 that he knew how to use properly.

LOL.

And it all got recorded in HD video and is now on Youtubes.

 

[bdub786]

Buying a case does NOT fix this problem. The call drops are increased regardless because you don't design an obscure shaped antenna on the outside of an electronic device. I only use the phone on speaker while it sits on my wooden desk and it still drops the call 5 times in what should be a half hour conversation. I've had an iPhone 3G since its launch and did the same thing and had calls drop MAYBE once a week, not 5 times a day as is the case with the iPhone 4.

 

[MH01]

I want to know the percent of phones that actually have this problem. I would bet the 5% of phones actually have an antenna issue that is triggered from just touching the phone, as an FYI (every iPhone has had this problem, it just more noticeable because one person made more stink about it) I would bet 35% have the problem when you purposely hold it in a certain way to make it happen. The other 60% of people have no problems and I include myself in this category. I have found that my phone does not have the problem, my girl friends phone, everyone i work with (about 250 ppl) and all the phones at the apple store don't have this problem. So im a bit confused as to why so many people care when it hardly affects any phones. Out of the 250 ppl that i work with only 5 phones where able to loose signal if you pressed hard enough on the SIM slot or cover the whole antenna up.

What, you personally tested 250 IP4s in the exact manner where you work??? And everyone of those 250 has an iphone 4. The only way we are going to believe that, is if you say you work for Apple. Nice try.

 

[AbjectEvolution]

Does your wife have and normally use a case on her 3G? If so, problem solved.

Well yeah she will want a good sturdy case because she drops her phone all the time. However a case isn't going to fix the proximity sensor issue.

 

[Shin3r]

take it back then!
Mine don't have this problem
so im not bitter like you

Exactly, like I said, it's all about self entitlement. but no matter how much you say it, they just don't get it. Companies work by making money. If you take that away, trust me, they'll make changes. This is not a life or death situation, at least it wouldn't be if they would just return the damn thing and get a phone that works for them.

 

[WeegieMac]

yes but I am more fascinated by the 'whys' that the 'whats'. Is that how you hold all your hand-held electronic devices? If so, why? and if different, why?

Again, seriously, holding a phone by the edges with my fingertips would never occur to me but it is obvious that many do just that (I always thought ti was more an actor holding a prop thing on TV since I don't see many doing that in real life).

So I am curious if you can figure out why you do? I know why I use mine my way - I enter a number just like I would a calculator and then lift the device to my ear... what do you do differently that results in a totally different holding technique?

No 'name calling' just can't see how fingertip holding even develops...

I don't hold ALL my devices like that, it's how I hold a phone and hold it comfortably. Each to their own. And it's not a "fingertip" hold to the point where you are only touching it with the bare minimum contact possible.

Below is three angles of how I hold my iPhone, 3G before it and now the iPhone 4. Notice on the third shot, the black "line" is visible, albeit just. That's not me "accommodating" on Jobs part, that's how I hold an iPhone comfortably.

 

[savar]

In the grand scheme of things Jobs is right. It is just a phone and not worth getting worked up over. It's not like oil contaminating the gulf or anything. Even so, I think there is a real problem (whether or not it is widespread is another issue) and I think it should be addressed promptly.

For most people, its hard not to get worked up over money.

Money represents time, and for most of us, that's time away from our family/friends and often doing things that don't make our lives more satisfying.

So I can see why folks are upset. You buy the latest/greatest expecting to have everything you had in your previous phone, plus a few new cutting-edge features. But if the new phone lacks some of what the previous phone offered (good reception), it's easy to get pissed.

 

[grant.nytn]

Anyone that holds their phone in their left hand will have this problem.

Ummm, no. No issues with mine whatsoever although you've obviously held every iPhone 4 made.

 

[TallGuy1970]

Bad reception for new user...

Still not impressed with AT&T and iPhone. The non-phone functions of the iPhone are incredible, but the phone functions are sporadic at best. I have seen the "call failed" message at least four times and during two of my calls I have lost audio altogether. While the call did not drop, I couldn't hear the other person for at least 5 seconds and had to ask them to repeat themselves.

On edit: just bought the phone two days ago.

 

[chris975d]

Buying a case does NOT fix this problem. The call drops are increased regardless because you don't design an obscure shaped antenna on the outside of an electronic device. I only use the phone on speaker while it sits on my wooden desk and it still drops the call 5 times in what should be a half hour conversation. I've had an iPhone 3G since its launch and did the same thing and had calls drop MAYBE once a week, not 5 times a day as is the case with the iPhone 4.

Sound like you definitely need to return/exchange this device, as it has an issue that's not even what is being talked about here. Yours is just not getting usable reception at all, with or without holding it in hand and shorting the two antennas together (which is what all of this fuss is over). You must have gotten a truly defective unit, above and beyond what the normal issue is (which happens...all manufacturing runs have occasional defects). Or either you're exaggerating, but I'm giving you the benefit of a doubt.

 

[marksman]

lol not worth it??? give me back my money not worth it.

Unfortunately jobs is the one laughing with beds made out of cash.

Return the phone and you will.

Sitting around saying your phone doesn't work but refusing to return it just makes you look dumb.

 

[capn7]

What a dbag.

 

[BobVB]

I don't hold ALL my devices like that, it's how I hold a phone and hold it comfortably. Each to their own. And it's not a "fingertip" hold to the point where you are only touching it with the bare minimum contact possible.

Ah pictures are worth.. well you know.

From firewood's reply I wonder if I do it because being thin its just not an issue for me to raise my arm from 'calculator usage' position to my ear - I don't even have to change the orientation of my arm and forearm, I just rotate at the shoulder forward quite naturally, the slightest rotation of the hand radially and my phone is at my ear tilted on the bottom towards my mouth.

I can see now thinking about it that someone with wider shoulders or a more 'hearty' girth might find that uncomfortable to impossible.

As to balancing it way up with just a finger in the back like that, I would never be comfortable doing that before my nerve damage in my hands let alone afterwards.

Thanks for the replies and pictures - just goes to show that people hold phones in all sorts of way and my contention obviously would be that it should 'just work' no matter which one they use. Designing it otherwise was a bad decision on their part.

 

[murdercitydevil]

well this is why i hate apple. love their products, but hate the company and hate SJ. All SJ would need to do to redeem himself is just admit that YES there is a problem, at least for CERTAIN people, in CERTAIN situations, YES THERE IS AN ISSUE, WE ARE WORKING ON IT. Even if they know they can't fix it and smell a disastrous recall coming, at the very least tell us that they are aware of it and are doing something to remedy it. Whoever said about Apple never doing the most obvious thing, I'm starting to realize you're right. Any dumbass can see what Apple's obvious next move should be, yet they ignore it and continue denying everything.

As for the signal issue, I can easily make it happen on my phone, so yes I know it's real. That said, it basically never happens to me. I hold the phone right handed and I've only had 2 dropped calls since I got it, both of which may have been the other person's phones for all I know. However, just because i'm not a victim of the antenna issue doesn't mean I don't care about it. The fact that it's there, the fact that the phone IS in some way flawed, and the fact that I know I can make the problem manifest itself very easily, is still a major negative point about the phone. It cheapens it, in a way. It's like driving a car that you know for a fact will stall if you grip the steering wheel in a strange way, and even though the car is perfect and you never have any problems with it, you still know the problem is there, and that the car is flawed. It makes it less attractive as a product that you spent your hard earned money on.

 

[macfan881]

honestly, i hold my phone normally but no death grip and it works fine. whoever is complaining about reception must be a perfectionist and require 4 bars at all times or scratched their phone already and is trying to weasel their way to getting a brand new one. shut the hell up and enjoy your iphone 4.

+1

 

[phpmaven]

Anyone that holds their phone in their left hand will have this problem.

complete nonsense!

 

[pdjudd]

All SJ would need to do to redeem himself is just admit that YES there is a problem, at least for CERTAIN people, in CERTAIN situations, YES THERE IS AN ISSUE, WE ARE WORKING ON IT.

And that statement will open them up to huge amounts of liabilities when they are faced with issues that they should not be held accountable. No company worth it's salt is going to issue a statement that their product is defective unless they can frame it in a way that doesn't make them liable for every complaint no matter how petty. That type of statement allows Apple no control and basically is throwing open the bard doors so wide that closing them becomes difficult.

Any statement made will be very detailed and will only be issued when Apple can frame the issues properly and when they can have a time line. Just saying "there is a problem and we are working on it" is not going to help anyone and just makes things worse from an investment side of things.

ETA: Right now Apple's pre-existing return policies can cover anyone who has a defective product. Apple has not made any official corporate statements that disallow defective returns.

 

[archipellago]

Steve Jobs is awesome. With each email response, his legend grows.

It's just a phone. One that works for me 100% of the time. Awesome.

He's not awesome or a legend...

the big success stories for Apple have always been someone elses ideas.

 

[node808]

The perils of being an early adopter.

lol @ everyone believing these e-mails even occurred without any proof but some snippets on BGR.

ya'll some gullible peeps

Doesnt matter if they are real or not. The problem is real and affects most if not all iPhone 4's. I have personally seen the problem replicated on multiple iPhone 4's. What I have witnessed is when the lower left side is touched, the signal strength begins to slowly decrease, then it drops to edge and then finally loses service altogether. This is a very serious problem for Apple and you cant tell me that they did not know about this problem. I think they found out a little too late and just decided to roll out the new phone hoping that no one would notice.

Yet another overrated and overpriced apple product.

 

[rhanley]

I think a lot of people will return their phone (me included), but we are waiting for an official statement so we know whether there is anything Apple can do, or for them to say, "We know it's an issue, you can hold your phone differently, get a case, or return it for a full refund".

I don't want to return the phone only to find that there is somehow a software fix that addresses this issue and makes it less of an issue.

Apple is saying, "there is no issue, but we're working on it"?? Of course people having the issue are going to wait it out to see what happens before having to go through the hassle of returning the phone.

Is this Apple's tactic until the 30 day return window closes, then they'll say our only options are to deal with it, hold it differently, or get a case?