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Survey Claims Fewer Dropped Calls for iPhone 4 Than iPhone 3GS
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Yeah I have 2 dropped calls today. Great for those of you that don't have this problem, but for those of us that do please stop telling us how it's a non-issue.
I had no problems with my 2G or 3GS. The iP4 is horrible for me in terms of reception.
I had no problems with my 2G or 3GS. The iP4 is horrible for me in terms of reception.
Here is the problem
This report is a survey of owners and there views of their iPhone. It has a very large subjective factor. What I want to see is a survey such as we do in amateur radio, and public service when we are setting up radio repeaters and are looking for a good place to locate it the equipment and tower. When you are finished with a proper site survey you have a map of coverage for a given repeater location for a given frequency. These surveys are done with calibrated signal strength recording equipment. I want to see an actual independent survey of AT&T coverage not the "we cover 99.9999999999% of the United States" crap we see in their ad' copy. A proper map doesn't just show coverage but the recorded signal strength in a color coded map. below is a link to a map for a 70CM repeater go here:
http://www.fcarc.org/kb1bss_splat/kb1bss_440.htm
This is what a proper survey map looks like. Once you have such a map Then you can compare the the actual signal strength with how your iPhone or any other smart phone is behaving. Now if there is a problem you can look at such a map and be able to see if it is your phone or a poor signal that is causing your problem. If AT&T has such maps, and they should, they would be a such a secret they are probably stored in a hidden vault at Area 51, right next to the frozen bodies of the space aliens recovered at Roswell.
If an organization really wanted to do us a service they would do such a survey themselves. And I am really surprised one of these, so call consumer protection organizations has not done so. It isn't hard especially now because the equipment is automated. You do what amounts to war riding with a lap top loaded with the RF mapping software and is hooked into the necessary test equipment. The signal strength is recorded on a continuous basis, or sampled at designated time intervals, the more data points the better the map. The computer crunches the numbers and renders a map. Once you have such a map you can then make a sold verifiable case one way or another about the performance of any smart phone. It would not suprise me that AT&T, or any of the other providers would sue in order to suppress such maps. They would probably claim trade secrets or something. But once on the net they would instantly go viral and there would be no way to hide them.
This report is a survey of owners and there views of their iPhone. It has a very large subjective factor. What I want to see is a survey such as we do in amateur radio, and public service when we are setting up radio repeaters and are looking for a good place to locate it the equipment and tower. When you are finished with a proper site survey you have a map of coverage for a given repeater location for a given frequency. These surveys are done with calibrated signal strength recording equipment. I want to see an actual independent survey of AT&T coverage not the "we cover 99.9999999999% of the United States" crap we see in their ad' copy. A proper map doesn't just show coverage but the recorded signal strength in a color coded map. below is a link to a map for a 70CM repeater go here:
http://www.fcarc.org/kb1bss_splat/kb1bss_440.htm
This is what a proper survey map looks like. Once you have such a map Then you can compare the the actual signal strength with how your iPhone or any other smart phone is behaving. Now if there is a problem you can look at such a map and be able to see if it is your phone or a poor signal that is causing your problem. If AT&T has such maps, and they should, they would be a such a secret they are probably stored in a hidden vault at Area 51, right next to the frozen bodies of the space aliens recovered at Roswell.
If an organization really wanted to do us a service they would do such a survey themselves. And I am really surprised one of these, so call consumer protection organizations has not done so. It isn't hard especially now because the equipment is automated. You do what amounts to war riding with a lap top loaded with the RF mapping software and is hooked into the necessary test equipment. The signal strength is recorded on a continuous basis, or sampled at designated time intervals, the more data points the better the map. The computer crunches the numbers and renders a map. Once you have such a map you can then make a sold verifiable case one way or another about the performance of any smart phone. It would not suprise me that AT&T, or any of the other providers would sue in order to suppress such maps. They would probably claim trade secrets or something. But once on the net they would instantly go viral and there would be no way to hide them.
Return it? Try another? Go back to the 3GS and wait for iPhone 5 (or whatever they wind up calling it)?
I get some of those too - slightly less than 1 per day.
One thing that's a little interesting is that from what I was once told by an AT&T engineer I was talking to over the phone is that AT&T doesn't get any notification about those types of failures. The phone can't connect to the cell to place the call, so it gives up and displays "Call failed." The tower doesn't get notified, so unless the phones keep statistics on those events and report them back through some other channel (which they probably don't), they don't count.
This is such a BS report. I am on my second iphone 4, the second is worse than the first. the dropped calls are mostly when I try to answer an incomming call, the other party can't hear me for 10-15 seconds, then it either "kicks-in" and the call quality improves, or I get the scrabled noise and the call gets dropped.
Personally, I've experienced two different types of dropped calls with the iPhone4. I always use a headset and normally, my phone is in my shirt pocket... but type 1, I'm talking and click, call ended. This I'm convinced it's the Prox Sensor issue and I'm just hanging up on people as the phone bounces in my pocket. Second and less common... I hear the "Beep Beep" and see called failed.
I use the thing all the time for calls and maybe get 1-2 drops or cut off's a day. Annoying for sure, but not the end of the world either. I am looking forward to a software update. I think we'll see most of our issues get fixed in these area's.
BTW... where I live, I get about 2 bars normally... and this was the case with my 3G too.
I use the thing all the time for calls and maybe get 1-2 drops or cut off's a day. Annoying for sure, but not the end of the world either. I am looking forward to a software update. I think we'll see most of our issues get fixed in these area's.
BTW... where I live, I get about 2 bars normally... and this was the case with my 3G too.
I've had a new of what I consider "Dropped calls" because of the prox sensor issue. It took me a little while before I realized why I was dropping my calls and not even getting a call failed screen. I've changed the way I hold the phone; I hold the bottom away from my cheek. I've had zero problems with antenna, I do get better service then 3gs in the same room, and most AT&T phones in general for that matter. I wonder how many user reported dropped calls are similar.
This is such a BS report. I am on my second iphone 4, the second is worse than the first. the dropped calls are mostly when I try to answer an incomming call, the other party can't hear me for 10-15 seconds, then it either "kicks-in" and the call quality improves, or I get the scrabled noise and the call gets dropped.
This must be your local carrier... I've never had this happen to me... delayed connection???? Not in my neck of the woods.
I can't picture five out of every hundred ATT calls being dropped. I have an iP4, and I don't drop calls, ever. Without question I get better reception than local T-Mobile or Verizon customers. My thought is that it is a matter of geography. Some places T-Mobile is better, some places ATT.
Note: if you make 10 calls per day, and you generally go longer than 10 days without dropping a call, you are dropping less than one percent of your calls.
One other note: More and more people are moving away from voice chat. Most of what I use my iPhone and iPad for are data services (99% email and text. During severe weather season, It is mostly dodging hail and tornadoes.). I think that soon, most people will not care about voice service. ATT has great data service (Sprint may be faster in upgraded places but not by a lot.)
Note: if you make 10 calls per day, and you generally go longer than 10 days without dropping a call, you are dropping less than one percent of your calls.
One other note: More and more people are moving away from voice chat. Most of what I use my iPhone and iPad for are data services (99% email and text. During severe weather season, It is mostly dodging hail and tornadoes.). I think that soon, most people will not care about voice service. ATT has great data service (Sprint may be faster in upgraded places but not by a lot.)
I get the same results as johnhmeyer123, The only time I get a dropped call is when I am talking to a T-Mobil phone and they drop. I don't get a beep or a call failed, I just wonder why the other person is not talking, then the phone rings and the T-Mobil user apologies for the dropped call. This happens less often when I am talking to a Verizon phone.
I actually prefer the dropped calls. It gets me out of having to listen to my boss, parents, girlfriend, etc. ramble on for too long.
Are you legally blind? That's the only you could possibly tell me you can't tell the difference in the new display vs the old one.
WHOA!
People still make phone calls?
I honestly think the number is that low because (as usual with skewed statistics) most people just aren't making phone calls with a device that doesn't get any reception depending on how you hold it.
I can make calls fine on ip4. The main problem is some times safari gets stuck / slow.
Image, Apple is big about their images. And all the fake outrage could hurt that...
Gross exaggeration.
Reports are that a person would need better than 20/20 near vision to see any dots on the Retina display at normal viewing distances. That means that a person with 20/40 or worse near vision might not see any difference between the 3GS display and an i4 Retina display. You can legally drive during daylight in many states with 20/40 vision.
A person would need best corrected vision of 20/200 or worse (5X worse than 20/40) to be in the category of legally blind.
This really doesn't tell us much. The antenna issue would prevent an iPhone 4 from making the call in the first place, meaning that it wouldn't register as "dropped" at all.
Wow! I never thought I'd see someone trying to "put down" the Retina display on the iPhone4. It's an obvious improvement over the old screen and great clarity.
I still think it's a coverup of a problem with iphone 4. Apple wouldn't be making an iphone 5 6 months after the launch addressing the dropped call problems... just saying
I had zero dropped calls for 2 years with my iPhone 3G, upgraded to iPhone 4 and got it on release day, had over a dozen dropped calls in about 20 days. Returned iPhone 4, went back to iPhone 3g, haven't had a single dropped call since. I hate that I had to return the iPhone 4, but being able to make and receive calls again is much better than a shiny new phone considering how much AT&T charges for the ability to make calls every month.
This survey proves how awesome the iPhone 4 is. I'll still hold onto my 3GS more because of AT&T eligibility than any "antenna" issues that are circulating in these forums.
I'll skip 4 and wait for the redesign of 5 or the unofficial 5 announced in January for Verizon. Whatever.
I'll skip 4 and wait for the redesign of 5 or the unofficial 5 announced in January for Verizon. Whatever.