Why "weak spot" at corner instead of on top??

[Luba]

Just saw press conference video and it seems the other smartphones in the video also had the weak spot on the lower left corner. If all the makers know of a weak spot why have it at a location where a user's hand will most likely touch it? It would be better to have the "weak spot" on top of the phone. Any engineers here, or anybody know why Apple (and others) put the "weak spot" on the lower left corner?

 

[gibbz]

Just saw press conference video and it seems the other smartphones in the video also had the weak spot on the lower left corner. If all the makers know of a weak spot why have it at a location where a user's hand will most likely touch it? It would be better to have the "weak spot" on top of the phone. Any engineers here, or anybody know why Apple (and others) put the "weak spot" on the lower left corner?

The FCC doesn't want antennas located at top by users' heads due to radiation concerns.

 

[Luba]

Ah, ok . . . makes sense.

The FCC doesn't want antennas located at top by users' heads due to radiation concerns.

 

[jamaggic]

just poor design

when you think about it, all cell phones had pull up type antennas near your head for almost two decades, I don't think FCC had any input into the antenna placement, after all; from the bottom of the phone to the top is only a few inches and the radiation is going all the way to some distant cell tower. The issue seems to be the seam on the lower left corner, as the entire stainless steel rim is the antenna, your palm apparently "arcs" over the seam disrupting the signal as simply a piece of tape over the seam apparently improves if not resolves the problem. Just designing the seam to the top right corner, where it's usually not handled would have minimized the problem. Poor attention to detail on apple's part. I also think that the free bumper is a simpleton's response as the stylish design was the eye catcher of the ip4.

 

[waw74]

when you think about it, all cell phones had pull up type antennas near your head for almost two decades, I don't think FCC had any input into the antenna placement,

and for years cocaine was legal.

check out this article

The FCC puts strict limits on the amount of energy from a handheld device that may be absorbed by the body. We call this Specific Absorbtion Rate, or SAR. In the olden days, when I walked ten miles to school in three feet of snow, uphill in both directions, cell phones had pull-up antennas. This allowed the designer to use a half-wave antenna variant, and put the point of maximum radiation somewhat away from the user's cranium. Of course, most people did not think it was necessary and kept the antenna stowed. Motorola's flip phone acutally had a second helical antenna that was switched into place when this was the case. But, more importantly, SAR rules were not yet in effect.

the entire stainless steel rim is the antenna, ....
Just designing the seam to the top right corner, where it's usually not handled would have minimized the problem. Poor attention to detail on apple's part.

The whole ring is not one antenna, it's actually broken into 3 parts, the bottom, the left with about 1/4 of the top, and the right with about 3/4 of the top.

the bottom is not an antenna, the other 2 parts are 2 separate antennas, and are specific lengths to help with the signals they carry, so the seams are not just there to look pretty. which is why it causes problems, by connecting those 2 parts, you are changing the length of the antenna.