The next iPhone
Jul 16, 2010 | 8:01 am
#273
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Jul 16, 2010 | 3:10 pm
#275
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Originally Posted by anrkitec
"Apple to hold iPhone 4 press conference this Friday"
It should be interesting - to say the least - to see which way Apple plays this.
[A] There is no problem, you are holding it wrong, all cell phones do it, you want a bumper - that will be $30 please.
[b] Its all AT&T's fault, blame them, claim your free "goodwill" bumber and stop bothering us.
[C] We are so sorry, we screwed up, we will extend the return window to 6-months out and no restocking fee, please don't hold this one against us.
or
[D] Introducing the new iPhone 5 [$50 exchange credit for iPhone 4 owners].
It should be interesting - to say the least - to see which way Apple plays this.
[A] There is no problem, you are holding it wrong, all cell phones do it, you want a bumper - that will be $30 please.
[b] Its all AT&T's fault, blame them, claim your free "goodwill" bumber and stop bothering us.
[C] We are so sorry, we screwed up, we will extend the return window to 6-months out and no restocking fee, please don't hold this one against us.
or
[D] Introducing the new iPhone 5 [$50 exchange credit for iPhone 4 owners].
All cell phones have this problem [our PowerPoint slides prove it] now take your free case, shut up, and leave us alone.
Jul 16, 2010 | 8:31 pm
#277
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FWIW, I just sent this email to Steve Jobs:
Steve, I think your response today is a big copout. This question from the conference addresses the core, and Bob's answer totally didn't address the technical issues behind it:
The difference is that the iPhone's external antennas are subject to grounding with just a light touch. It has NOTHING to do with signal attenuation due to radio waves going through skin/fat/muscle/bones. Apple contradicts itself: you say the problem is covering the antennas, but then you also say that a bumper fixes the problem. If the problem were what you said it was, the problem would still exist if you were to cover the phone in that corner with your hand even with a bumper, since the radio waves would still pass through your hand. The only real solution is a redesigned exterior that hides the external antennas under a non-conductive surface--or at least doesn't allow you to ground out the main cell antenna with another antenna.
This move does nothing to help Apple's suffering reception and only makes them appear even less honest. The only thing that will fix both the problem and Apple's public standing is a hardware redesign and a substantive fix for existing users.
And expecting users to uglify their phones with bulbous bumpers to solve the problem is just insulting. I bought the iPhone 4 for its sleek design. This problem can be fixed without substantially changing the shape and look of the phone--Apple just doesn't want to take the financial hit it really deserves to. And I'm saying this as a huge Apple fan--I don't want to see Apple hurt, but releasing a faulty product [forgiveable if handled right] and then giving me patently false technical explanations [handled wrong] is an insult and a slap in the face.
10:43AM Ryan from gdgt: You showed people almost covering the entire phone in their hand, but on the iPhone 4 it can happen with just a touch. Can you explain that difference?
Bob: When you touch the phone, you put yourself between the signal and your phone, so when you touch that spot you can attenuate the signal, and if you grip it with your whole hand, you can attenuate it even more. We don't build phones with an antenna on top...
Bob: When you touch the phone, you put yourself between the signal and your phone, so when you touch that spot you can attenuate the signal, and if you grip it with your whole hand, you can attenuate it even more. We don't build phones with an antenna on top...
The difference is that the iPhone's external antennas are subject to grounding with just a light touch. It has NOTHING to do with signal attenuation due to radio waves going through skin/fat/muscle/bones. Apple contradicts itself: you say the problem is covering the antennas, but then you also say that a bumper fixes the problem. If the problem were what you said it was, the problem would still exist if you were to cover the phone in that corner with your hand even with a bumper, since the radio waves would still pass through your hand. The only real solution is a redesigned exterior that hides the external antennas under a non-conductive surface--or at least doesn't allow you to ground out the main cell antenna with another antenna.
This move does nothing to help Apple's suffering reception and only makes them appear even less honest. The only thing that will fix both the problem and Apple's public standing is a hardware redesign and a substantive fix for existing users.
And expecting users to uglify their phones with bulbous bumpers to solve the problem is just insulting. I bought the iPhone 4 for its sleek design. This problem can be fixed without substantially changing the shape and look of the phone--Apple just doesn't want to take the financial hit it really deserves to. And I'm saying this as a huge Apple fan--I don't want to see Apple hurt, but releasing a faulty product [forgiveable if handled right] and then giving me patently false technical explanations [handled wrong] is an insult and a slap in the face.
Jul 16, 2010 | 8:48 pm
#278
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Why aren't you returning the phone?
They're not going to spend millions or billions to redesign and recall it at this point.
It's not a car, it's an imperfect phone.
They laid out the options, which includes a full return if you don't like using a case.
Do you want to keep the phone so you can express your discontent about the options they offered?
They're not going to spend millions or billions to redesign and recall it at this point.
It's not a car, it's an imperfect phone.
They laid out the options, which includes a full return if you don't like using a case.
Do you want to keep the phone so you can express your discontent about the options they offered?
Jul 16, 2010 | 9:01 pm
#279
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Why aren't you returning the phone?
They're not going to spend millions or billions to redesign and recall it at this point.
It's not a car, it's an imperfect phone.
They laid out the options, which includes a full return if you don't like using a case.
Do you want to keep the phone so you can express your discontent about the options they offered?
They're not going to spend millions or billions to redesign and recall it at this point.
It's not a car, it's an imperfect phone.
They laid out the options, which includes a full return if you don't like using a case.
Do you want to keep the phone so you can express your discontent about the options they offered?
Jul 17, 2010 | 12:40 am
#281
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http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/0...-an-apple-lab/
Also, Engadget's take on that same tour ...
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/i...ng-facilities/
The tour was led by Ruben Caballero, the senior Apple engineer and wireless expert who briefly gained notoriety on Thursday when it was reported by several news organizations that he had tried to warn Mr. Jobs about the antenna problem. (Apple has repeatedly denied the claim, and when I asked Mr. Caballero about the incident he said ...
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/i...ng-facilities/
Last edited by LIH Prem; Jul 17, 2010 at 12:57 am
Jul 17, 2010 | 5:10 am
#282
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Wow. I guess this issue isn't going to go away. Now there are lawsuits.
The dust-up comes weeks after Apple and AT&T (NYSE:T) were both sued in federal court by iPhone 4 customers who claim the companies knowingly sold them a defective product. The separate suits, filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland and in San Francisco, claim the two companies violated their warranty policies. The Maryland suit alleges the companies committed a host of other offenses, including general negligence, fraud, deceptive trade practices and misrepresentation.
Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill!
I'm no fanboi and I am typing this on my beloved Thinkpad X300, but I am very happy with my iPhone 4. No issues here.
The dust-up comes weeks after Apple and AT&T (NYSE:T) were both sued in federal court by iPhone 4 customers who claim the companies knowingly sold them a defective product. The separate suits, filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland and in San Francisco, claim the two companies violated their warranty policies. The Maryland suit alleges the companies committed a host of other offenses, including general negligence, fraud, deceptive trade practices and misrepresentation.
Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill!
I'm no fanboi and I am typing this on my beloved Thinkpad X300, but I am very happy with my iPhone 4. No issues here.
Jul 17, 2010 | 5:13 am
#283
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Not in Europe, I cannot. I can grip it tight with left or right hand and not see any bars change, nor have any problems with calls or 3G. Tested in 4 different countries already.
Obviously the operator coverage is much more dense here and we use different frequencies. Whether my hardware is different is unknown.
Obviously the operator coverage is much more dense here and we use different frequencies. Whether my hardware is different is unknown.
Jul 17, 2010 | 5:44 am
#284
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Apple is really pushing hard for people to love the badly designed iPhone 4 enough to keep it.
If one got the phone from the first batch, it was delivered around 23/24th June - 30 days is end of next week. That is just one week after Apple acknowledged the problem in the first place, and there's not much details what the cases will be like.
I like the iPhone 4 a lot -- but being a leftie I also suffer from the antenna issues, touching the antenna drops the data rate from 5+ Mbit/s to something much slower. Touching the "bad spot" and it goes all the way from 3G to GSM. The proximity sensor issue has also put the caller on mute & speakerphone, enabled the keypad etc. Otherwise just perfect.
I got the bumber but it's too bulky, doesn't even fit my old 3GS Sena ultrasim case which is otherwise loose for the iPhone4. If I knew that Apple will be able to fix the proximity sensor issues by software and someone would come up with a thin layer for the antenna, I could happily keep the phone.
Returning the phone isn't quite fair option as Apple won't cover all my costs.
It's also clear that later this autumn Apple will start shipping revised iPhone 4 that has the antenna fixed. They just cannot say it out aloud.
If one got the phone from the first batch, it was delivered around 23/24th June - 30 days is end of next week. That is just one week after Apple acknowledged the problem in the first place, and there's not much details what the cases will be like.
I like the iPhone 4 a lot -- but being a leftie I also suffer from the antenna issues, touching the antenna drops the data rate from 5+ Mbit/s to something much slower. Touching the "bad spot" and it goes all the way from 3G to GSM. The proximity sensor issue has also put the caller on mute & speakerphone, enabled the keypad etc. Otherwise just perfect.
I got the bumber but it's too bulky, doesn't even fit my old 3GS Sena ultrasim case which is otherwise loose for the iPhone4. If I knew that Apple will be able to fix the proximity sensor issues by software and someone would come up with a thin layer for the antenna, I could happily keep the phone.
Returning the phone isn't quite fair option as Apple won't cover all my costs.
It's also clear that later this autumn Apple will start shipping revised iPhone 4 that has the antenna fixed. They just cannot say it out aloud.
Jul 17, 2010 | 8:09 am
#285
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I'm guessing it is simply the denser coverage. The anandtech article showed a measurable signal drop but one that probably wouldn't even be noticed in areas of real strong coverage. Like Europe or Asia 
Originally Posted by stimpy
Not in Europe, I cannot. I can grip it tight with left or right hand and not see any bars change, nor have any problems with calls or 3G. Tested in 4 different countries already.
Obviously the operator coverage is much more dense here and we use different frequencies. Whether my hardware is different is unknown.
Obviously the operator coverage is much more dense here and we use different frequencies. Whether my hardware is different is unknown.