wait a minute, was iPhone4 tested with a bumper the whole time?

[aohus]

I find it hard to believe how Apple can overlook the antennae issue. Its a new hardware design, you would think they would thoroughly test the device before releasing it to the public? Its a rare mishap for Apple, but it got me thinking. Were the field testers using the iPhone4 with a bumper this whole time, overlooking the 'grip' issue?

I do remember the field engineer who lost the prototype iPhone4 had a bumper installed on his device, so it got me thinking

I'm currently looking into the iPhone4, its an attractive buy really, crystal clear display, multitude of apps, but voice/data dropped calls due to antenna? I'm either going android 2.2 or iPhone4. Hopefully Apple will provide a fix..

 

[ThatsMeRight]

This has been discussed many times: the answer is yes.

 

[br0adband]

The correct answer is: it's the most likely line of reasoning to explain why this "issue" with the antenna and skin-on-metal contact slipped through in the testing phases before final product assembly and production started.

Nobody knows for sure, but, as with Occam's razor once again, the simplest explanation that tends to be the correct one is they didn't hold the phone in human hands when testing it nearly enough, or at all.

That's infinitely more believable than the flipside which is Apple made a perfect product.

Evidence obviously suggests (and has proven in many cases, including my own) that the phone is far from perfect, hence the simplest explanation again tends to be the correct one.

It's borked by design...

 

[FSMBP]

Its completely possible engineers were aware of the problems (as you would expect radio engineers would be). It's just a good example of form over function at Apple.

I would bet anything though that iPhone 5 will address this issue with a slight design change.

 

[Julien]

Its completely possible engineers were aware of the problems (as you would expect radio engineers would be). It's just a good example of form over function at Apple.....

keep in mind with every complex product (not just Apple) that all development teams are competing for the same things: space, weight, control, power and relevance. All RF engineers would love to see the external antenna reappear since it would make their jobs so much easer.

 

[Vertigo50]

This has been discussed and re-discussed many times.

On This Week in Tech, they had an antenna expert who said there is virtually no way any competent engineer wouldn't know that touching your hand to the antenna could potentially be a problem. They would have tested this thoroughly.

Of course, this makes things seem WORSE for Apple, not better, as they probably knew it was a problem, and this may have even been the reason that Apple made its VERY FIRST CASE EVER that just HAPPENS to fix the antenna issue.

Shady, to say the least.

 

[darngooddesign]

I do remember the field engineer who lost the prototype iPhone4 had a bumper installed on his device, so it got me thinking

Not completely, it was disguised to look like a 3GS, so while it wasn't tested in a bumper, it was tested in a case that isolated the antenna.

Its completely possible engineers were aware of the problems (as you would expect radio engineers would be). It's just a good example of form over function at Apple...

Not completely, the 4 has proven to hold onto its signal a lot better than the 3GS** when in very low signal areas so the antenna design placed a priority on function. There was just an additional issue with that functional choice.

** When the gap isn't bridged.

...On This Week in Tech, they had an antenna expert who said there is virtually no way any competent engineer wouldn't know that touching your hand to the antenna could potentially be a problem. They would have tested this thoroughly...

Its not touching the antenna, just touching a specific place which unfortunately happens to be in a very commonly touched area.

 

[gloss]

This has been discussed and re-discussed many times.

On This Week in Tech, they had an antenna expert who said there is virtually no way any competent engineer wouldn't know that touching your hand to the antenna could potentially be a problem. They would have tested this thoroughly.

Of course, this makes things seem WORSE for Apple, not better, as they probably knew it was a problem, and this may have even been the reason that Apple made its VERY FIRST CASE EVER that just HAPPENS to fix the antenna issue.

Shady, to say the least.

Ironically, if they primarily did their testing on campus, AT&T has about thirty towers set up on and around Infinite Loop, so it's unlikely that they'd ever drop signal even with massive attenuation.

 

[TroyBoy30]

and this may have even been the reason that Apple made its VERY FIRST CASE EVER that just HAPPENS to fix the antenna issue.

Shady, to say the least.

the bumper was not the very first case ever made by apple