To Buy, Or Not To Buy?

[krayziekray]

My local network store has finally got afew iPhone 4's in stock and I want to buy the iPhone 4. However, with this recent malarkey of iPhone 4 reception loss, I'm really double minded. I have spoken to afew friends who purchased the i4 on launch day and most of them say they don't have the reception issue.

I don't understand how it is being interpreted as a "design flaw" yet they claim they don't have the problem (surely if it is a design flaw, all users should experience this problem, no?).

So I guess what I'm asking is how many of you (preferably in the UK) have encountered this problem, and how many have not noticed this?

Thanks.

 

[jlmitnick]

It is a design flaw that is in all iPhone 4's. In previous iPhones, and most phones today the antenna is shielded inside the phone away from a conductive surface like a human hand. In the iPhone 4 they decided to make the frame of the device the antenna and then also put connector spot at possibly the worst place for the way a majority of people hold their cell phone.

Your friends don't experience the problem either because their signal strength is so strong that even with touching the spot that the bars don't drop/calls aren't lost, or they are holding the phone such that their hand doesn't touch the spot.

In sum, if your friends don't have the problem, it's probably because you live in a strong signal strength area and so the issue won't affect you, so go ahead and get one if you want it!

 

[cocky jeremy]

I don't get the big deal with this. It should be a short thought process.

1) Do you want an iPhone 4?
2) Is there a refund if you have problems?

Ok.. buy it. If it the reception sucks, take it back.

 

[F123D]

If your friends have the phone and reception in the area is good, give it a go. You've got nothing to lose with apples current return policy.

 

[mgamber]

Per the phone, if you put it in a decent case, you shouldn't have any problems. Once I put mine in a case it was pretty solid and I live in an area where the 3G and 3GS weren't able to hold a call more than a few minutes. The phone has a couple other problems but I wasn't personally affected by them and they sound like software problems, not hardware like the antenna.

Per Apple, they say whatever they want to suit their needs. Their Macbook Pro had problems with the video subsystem dying prematurely and while they were telling people that there was no problem they were replacing the motherboards of affected MBP units for free. Which was quite a few and still counting.

Buy a phone for what it is, not what it could be if...