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Would apple launch a new iphone in October again?
- Thread starter xdfung
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My guess is they will repackage the phone to include a bumper in the box. They need to do something, and anything more radical to the design of the phone will look like a new produce, and indeed piss of their existing customers.
Only if that new phone was a standalone for another carrier.
I could see them simply add the bumper to the box.
I still think they better think about rubberized coating on the 5.
I could see them simply add the bumper to the box.
I still think they better think about rubberized coating on the 5.
+1
That's the plan to include the bumper in the box. I'm sure it only costs $1-$2 dollars to produce. Changing the design requires a submittion to the FCC for approval and that costs much more than a bumper. And if they did release a "fixed" IP4 I'm sure there would be a class action suit if they did not replace all those currently sold.
Just like with the big price drop shortly after the original iphone first came out. Lots of pissed 1st adopters then.
Won't they add a second proximity sensor?
This does NOT seem like a "software" issue. iPhone 4 has ONE sensor. The previous iPhones had TWO. This is the way worse than the antenna problem which I imagine is solved at least in part by a case, which is now free. I think I will wait until Sept. 1 or 2 to buy. Then if they do not fix proximity sensor issues by then, I will return.
This does NOT seem like a "software" issue. iPhone 4 has ONE sensor. The previous iPhones had TWO. This is the way worse than the antenna problem which I imagine is solved at least in part by a case, which is now free. I think I will wait until Sept. 1 or 2 to buy. Then if they do not fix proximity sensor issues by then, I will return.
I certainly feel like the proximity sensor is a software problem. There are a lot of values and parameters that can be set in code. Timeout values, sensitivity thresholds. I'm pretty confident they will address this in 4.1
The reason is the front facing camera. I do think they can control the sensor with a software fix. I'm waiting for the next fix before returning.
Creating a new phone design, testing it, building the factory tooling required to mass produce it, getting suppliers tooled up and producing component parts in the required quantities, and also getting FCC approval is NOT going to happen in sixty days.
Maybe if it was a very minor change, but to do effectively a full redesign? Nope.
Yes, I'm sure the iPhone 5 is in early design stage; it'd have to be to achieve a Summer 2011 release. Could it be accelerated to make it to the market in two months? Not in any economically viable way.
Think this through -- putting that offer out with no end date would be stupid, they'd just have another media backlash when they eventually ceased giving away a free case/bumper. They had to put an end date; two months out is reasonable. And nothing says they can't extend it to Dec 31st if it looks like market condition warrant doing so as they get into September.
Maybe if it was a very minor change, but to do effectively a full redesign? Nope.
Yes, I'm sure the iPhone 5 is in early design stage; it'd have to be to achieve a Summer 2011 release. Could it be accelerated to make it to the market in two months? Not in any economically viable way.
Think this through -- putting that offer out with no end date would be stupid, they'd just have another media backlash when they eventually ceased giving away a free case/bumper. They had to put an end date; two months out is reasonable. And nothing says they can't extend it to Dec 31st if it looks like market condition warrant doing so as they get into September.
I have watched the July 16 Press Conference yesterday. Mr. Steve Jobs said there will be free bumper for every iphone 4 consumer until September 30. Does it means apple will launch a new iphone again in October
Should I buy one now
There is no new phone coming in October. But many people have been reporting that their recently exchanged iPhone is now working properly. Sounds like they may changed something in the manufacturing process and the new revisied phone is slowly trickling into the market place. The sept 30 could be the date when apple has figured to have all the phones in the system to be switched over and still leaving the end user with 30 days to decide if they want to return the phone or get a free case.
As for buying a phone now, why not. Go to the apple store and check the phone before buying it to see if it the antenna issue is something that is going to affect you in day to day use. Don't just go there and put the phone into a death grip just for the sake of it. Also if you were planning on buying a 3rd party case, then you should not have any issues with the phone.
I would even wait a week or two to allow more of the revised phones to fill the market
No after the press conference and everything else they wouldn't bring out an updated iP4 and risk a CALS that would surely follow. It's already been stated in other threads that Sept 30 was the end of the fiscal quarter. Also too big of a change and it would need FCC approval.
I see the free case bumper as a quiet the masses thing. Sept 30 give them the cut off for their fiscal books and also gives everyone two months. Apple's way of saying you should know about the antenna situation by now, if you choose to buy an iP4 you may or may not need a case so be prepared to buy one.
I doubt they would include a bumper going forward although they might. Black one with a black ip4 and a white one with the white ip4. Apple knows they could still make money on the bumper sales as people like to customize.
I see the free case bumper as a quiet the masses thing. Sept 30 give them the cut off for their fiscal books and also gives everyone two months. Apple's way of saying you should know about the antenna situation by now, if you choose to buy an iP4 you may or may not need a case so be prepared to buy one.
I doubt they would include a bumper going forward although they might. Black one with a black ip4 and a white one with the white ip4. Apple knows they could still make money on the bumper sales as people like to customize.
Why does everybody assume that Apple will change the whole design. They don't need to do that. They could just coat it with some sort of coating like everybody has been suggesting. And there will be no immediate awareness.
not the same...the issue was cost back then not functionality...and most people wern't satisfied with the lil $100 store credit Steve gave us..
I think it they were to put a coating on it that it would be made aware to the masses pretty soon. You've got bloggers, web forums, twitter and other tech websites. It would be known within a week if not a few days if they were to all of a sudden start coating it. A few years ago they probably could have got a way with that but we live in a fast moving information world
Apple's best bet at this point is to full speed ahead with the current iphone4 as is and make any changes in the next release.
I'm not sure if this whole "put a coating on it" thing is a real solution to this.
I mean, Apple demonstrated how other smartphones exhibit some signal attenuation, and this is without physically touching the antenna. Proximity seems to matter. And being right up on the antenna, even with something between you doesn't cure it 100%. I doubt some uber-thin polymer coating is going to make the dropped signal issue go away.
I could be wrong, but based on what we've seen and what's been demonstrated to us thus-far, it makes sense to me. Just some thoughts.
In any event, I'm confident that 2011 will bring about a modified body design to alleviate this. But until then, it's the old "use a case" solution or nuthin'.
I mean, Apple demonstrated how other smartphones exhibit some signal attenuation, and this is without physically touching the antenna. Proximity seems to matter. And being right up on the antenna, even with something between you doesn't cure it 100%. I doubt some uber-thin polymer coating is going to make the dropped signal issue go away.
I could be wrong, but based on what we've seen and what's been demonstrated to us thus-far, it makes sense to me. Just some thoughts.
In any event, I'm confident that 2011 will bring about a modified body design to alleviate this. But until then, it's the old "use a case" solution or nuthin'.
Apple didnt demonstrate anything related to non Apple phones, all they did was try to deflect and share the blame as a industry wide issue. Apples press conference comparison cannot be taken the seriously, it was too vague.
I dont think this is the case.....may be wrong. I think the prox sensor in the iphone 4 is in a different place than previous gen phones. I dont think that the older phones had two sensors though. I cant find anything that says that older phones had two sensors (dont know why they would need two) and the iphone 4 has only one.
Like I said though, im far from an expert and may be totally wrong.
Edit: Looks like I was at least right about being wrong. Just read about the older phone having two. Good job. My bad.
I agree, bumper in the box. That's probably the timeframe they figure it will take them to ramp up production of that 50 cent antenna fixer.