The free bumper doesn't make sense

[stackshady]

So... The Apple executives hold up their phones and say we have great reception and no death grip issue, and so do 99% of our customers. If that is true, why not offer replacement iPhones for people that are having problems? It sounds like hardware to me especially since I'm smack dab in Las Vegas and shouldn't be having reception issues but get dropped calls all the time.

Will an Apple store replace my phone if I tell them I'm having reception issues?

 

[admanimal]

So... The Apple executives hold up their phone and say we have great reception and so do 99% of our customers. If that is true, why not offer replacement iPhones for people that are having problems? It sounds like hardware to me especially since I'm smack dab in Las Vegas and shouldn't be having reception issues but get dropped calls all the time.

Will an Apple store replace my phone if I tell them I'm having reception issues?

You missed the point of what they are saying. Basically, it is this:

ALL iPhone 4's have the same reception characteristics. There are no good phones vs. bad phones. Some people, depending mostly on where they live, will be more affected by the reception issue than others. They are offering free bumpers for these people (well, everybody...but the sentiment is to please these people).

Assuming that the executives really don't use cases, it isn't because they have phones that work vs. other people not...it's that they live and work in areas where the reception is apparently good enough that they don't need to worry about it.

 

[stackshady]

You missed the point of what they are saying. Basically, it is this:

ALL iPhone 4's have the same reception characteristics. There are no good phones vs. bad phones. Some people, depending mostly on where they live, will be more affected by the reception issue than others. They are offering free bumpers for these people (well, everybody...but the sentiment is to please these people).

I understand this but so many customers have perfect reception according to them. I travel a lot and get poor reception and dropped calls in every city. These are major cities and I shouldn't be having issues. If Steve jobs phone works okay in California, why does mine not?

 

[guicane]

blame AT&T

 

[Mickyfin]

The free bumpers is just a short term fix while their engineers work out how to fix it in the long term, hence offer for fre bumpers through till 30th of Sept.

 

[admanimal]

I understand this but so many customers have perfect reception according to them. I travel a lot and get poor reception and dropped calls in every city. These are major cities and I shouldn't be having issues. If Steve jobs phone works okay in California, why does mine not?

Well, I don't think anyone has perfect reception. It's just a matter of what people happen to notice and where they use their phones. It's all very subjective.

I'm sure that Apple would have loved to tell everyone that it was just a manufacturing issue and that people can exchange their phones for a perfect one that will have great reception regardless of where you are and how you hold it. It would have been a much easier story to tell and I think a much more forgivable mistake in the eyes of the general population.

 

[Phokus]

You missed the point of what they are saying. Basically, it is this:

ALL iPhone 4's have the same reception characteristics. There are no good phones vs. bad phones. Some people, depending mostly on where they live, will be more affected by the reception issue than others. They are offering free bumpers for these people (well, everybody...but the sentiment is to please these people).

Assuming that the executives really don't use cases, it isn't because they have phones that work vs. other people not...it's that they live and work in areas where the reception is apparently good enough that they don't need to worry about it.

wait, every iphone user has been telling me it's just a small minority of phones that are affected, which is it.

So does that mean 100% of iphone 4's will drop calls from several bars to none just by touching the left hand corner of the phone with a finger under certain circumstances? That's just awful.

 

[admanimal]

wait, every iphone user has been telling me it's just a small minority of phones that are affected, which is it.

So does that mean 100% of iphone 4's will drop calls from several bars to none just by touching the left hand corner of the phone with a finger under certain circumstances? That's just awful.

It's apparently a small percentage of people who are affected by the problem, but all iPhones have the potential to exhibit the issue under the right circumstances, yes, as far as most reasonable people can tell.

 

[stackshady]

It's apparently a small percentage of people who are affected by the problem, but all iPhones have the potential to exhibit the issue under the right circumstances, yes, as far as most reasonable people can tell.

So far, my circumstances are 100% of the time while others claim to be completely unable to reproduce it.

 

[eawmp1]

It's apparently a small percentage of people who are affected by the problem, but all iPhones have the potential to exhibit the issue under the right circumstances, yes, as far as most reasonable people can tell.

Only a small percentage of people ever suffer real world phone use problems.

 

[admanimal]

So far, my circumstances are 100% of the time while others claim to be completely unable to reproduce it.

I dunno...maybe there is an additional problem with your phone. It can't hurt to take it in to a genius if you can.

Only a small percentage of people ever suffer real world phone use problems.

Right, only a small percentage experience the right circumstances for problems...but all iPhone 4s have the potential to be in those circumstances.

 

[eawmp1]

Right, only a small percentage experience the right circumstances for problems...but all iPhone 4s have the potential to be in those circumstances.

And all cars, under the right set of circumstances can hydroplane. I can make my car hydroplane, but in most normal use (even on wet surfaces) most drivers have no problem with hydroplaning (as drivers hopefully adjust driving patterns to suit the conditions. So if you are in a low signal area and you start getting dropped calls you don't death grip the iPhone.

 

[bobbytallant]

Call me crazy but I am skeptical about the introduction of these 'bumpers' in the first place.

I do not recall a case getting as much attention before, prior to release, being introduced in the key note etc. - Apple clearly knew about these reception issues (really not sure how they could not have) and hoped people would just buy the bumpers and it would cover it up largely - this 'free case for all' line was their plan B to mitigate the fall out if it happened (and it has)...

All IMO of course before I get shot down

 

[eawmp1]

Call me crazy but I am skeptical about the introduction of these 'bumpers' in the first place.

I do not recall a case getting as much attention before, prior to release, being introduced in the key note etc. - Apple clearly knew about these reception issues (really not sure how they could not have) and hoped people would just buy the bumpers and it would cover it up largely - this 'free case for all' line was their plan B to mitigate the fall out if it happened (and it has)...

All IMO of course before I get shot down

I agree with you. And I agree with Jobs...had the iPhone 4 kept the same form factor as the 3GS, a large percentage of users would have bought cases on release day, mitigating many of the death grip issues. But the "I want my iPhone naked" crowd was going to have issues.

 

[Resist]

Steve Jobs explained that the iPhone 4 had more dropped calls than the iPhone 3GS. I love how he believed that the reason for this was because there were no cases available for the iPhone 4 (except Apple's).

If I recall, the iPhone 3GS didn't have better reception due to a case. Nor were there tons of reports about signal loss due to holding it a certain way. How would a case make any difference, when the iphone 3GS's antenna is internal?

I think Steve Jobs hurt his point. If the iPhone 4 needs a case not to drop calls, then what was all Apple's talk about how great their new antenna design about? Jobs made it clear they knew about the signal loss being due to how the iPhone 4 is held and is why they released their Bumper case at the release. Since Apple has never before released a case at the same time they released a new iPhone design, I knew there must have been a reason.

So we get upgrade 4.0.1, which really didn't do much for my iPhone 3G, except increase the size of the first two cell reception bars. Maybe some people confused one bar as being no bars, I don't know.

I really wanted the iPhone 4 prior to this reception thing. But now I am not so sure. I know I want some of the other features it provides. I just don't get why Apple just doesn't give the iPhone a pull out antenna, like the old Motorola's had. Maybe it's time to return to a technology that actually worked.

 

[Resist]

had the iPhone 4 kept the same form factor as the 3GS, a large percentage of users would have bought cases on release day, mitigating many of the death grip issues.

The thing is, that you can "death grip" an iPhone 3G or 3GS without a case and not lose as much of a signal as with an iPhone 4 and its more advanced antenna.

 

[M-5]

Well as they stated, the iPhone 4's Antenna system is better in that it receives a better signal in places where an iPhone 3G(S) might have a weaker or no signal at all. So in this respect, it is a better system. The downside to their system is that the "weakspot" is easier to touch and causes a dramatic decrease in reception when some people attenuate it.

Now I say "some people" because the people who are experiencing dropped calls while gripping the phone are in weak reception areas. This is why when that guy asked Jobs about replicating the signal issue with his Blackberry, Jobs stated that it only works in some areas----areas with weak reception. The Apple campus has their own AT&T towers on-site, so you probably wouldn't be able to replicate a dropped call on an iPhone 4 either.

I think that many users are angry about the fact that when they cover the band they witness their reception drop, though in REAL use, many don't encounter dropped calls.

Personally, I would rather have the iPhone 4's antenna system that achieves better reception in areas with weak coverage at the expense of having a weak spot than a phone with worse performance in those troubled areas of the network, because I can simple avoid covering that part of the antenna if it ever affects me.

That being said, when I cover the slit, I do notice the signal drop from 5/4 bars to 4/3 bars. I have yet to drop a call in real use though, and I only really drop signal when I intentionally attempt to cover this problem area to replicate the issue. It's not a problem that affects me in actual use.

 

[bluespark]

Call me crazy but I am skeptical about the introduction of these 'bumpers' in the first place.

I do not recall a case getting as much attention before, prior to release, being introduced in the key note etc. - Apple clearly knew about these reception issues (really not sure how they could not have) and hoped people would just buy the bumpers and it would cover it up largely - this 'free case for all' line was their plan B to mitigate the fall out if it happened (and it has)...

All IMO of course before I get shot down

Why would you get shot down? That's a perfectly reasonable theory. That said, it's not the only explanation. Apple also released an iPad case at that device's launch, and had done so before with certain iPod models. Although the design of the bumpers seems tailor-made to address the antenna issue, we can't rule out coincidence.

 

[eawmp1]

The thing is, that you can "death grip" an iPhone 3G or 3GS without a case and not lose as much of a signal as with an iPhone 4 and its more advanced antenna.

And does that result is actual more dropped calls in real world use? If the data presented is to be believed, not by much. Yes there may be, probably in the more galvanically conductive individuals in society, more problems in the iPhone 4 because the plastic back of the 3GS is an insulator.

 

[jarvijarv]

So far, my circumstances are 100% of the time while others claim to be completely unable to reproduce it.

Sorry stackshady, but it looks like you fall into the <1%. Take our advice, make an appointment with Genius, visit an Apple Store. Steve laid it out clearly-free bumpers, 30 day trial and if not satisfied return it for a full refund. Over 3 million iPhone 4's have been sold...I repeat over 3 million iPhone 4's have been sold. The media and the internet have blown this antenna issue sky high. Why does all this hype not translate into long lines of returns at Apple Stores and AT&T stores??
If you go thru a couple of iPhone 4 replacements and it still does not work out, well, it may be the iPhone 4 wasn't meant for you. Skip the iPhone 4 and wait for the iPhone 5. Why not go for an Android phone? They're great alternatives. Apple (Steve) admits they are NOT perfect.....it's OK to let go of Apple....they try their best to make us customers happy. Unfortunately, it's ALWAYS never enough for some....time to move on.

 

[PecanEater]

Well as they stated, the iPhone 4's Antenna system is better in that it receives a better signal in places where an iPhone 3G(S) might have a weaker or no signal at all. So in this respect, it is a better system. The downside to their system is that the "weakspot" is easier to touch and causes a dramatic decrease in reception when some people attenuate it.

Now I say "some people" because the people who are experiencing dropped calls while gripping the phone are in weak reception areas. This is why when that guy asked Jobs about replicating the signal issue with his Blackberry, Jobs stated that it only works in some areas----areas with weak reception. The Apple campus has their own AT&T towers on-site, so you probably wouldn't be able to replicate a dropped call on an iPhone 4 either.

I think that many users are angry about the fact that when they cover the band they witness their reception drop, though in REAL use, many don't encounter dropped calls.

Personally, I would rather have the iPhone 4's antenna system that achieves better reception in areas with weak coverage at the expense of having a weak spot than a phone with worse performance in those troubled areas of the network, because I can simple avoid covering that part of the antenna if it ever affects me.

That being said, when I cover the slit, I do notice the signal drop from 5/4 bars to 4/3 bars. I have yet to drop a call in real use though, and I only really drop signal when I intentionally attempt to cover this problem area to replicate the issue. It's not a problem that affects me in actual use.

Well said.

 

[Resist]

more problems in the iPhone 4 because the plastic back of the 3GS is an insulator.

I thought the stainless steel ring on the iPhone 4 had an insulating coating on it. If not, then I have to wonder what Apple was thinking. Try holding the antenna on an AM/FM radio and see what happens....the reception goes down.