Some early iPhone 4 shipments have defective screens, missing bars

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  • Reply 161 of 192
    elkrispelkrisp Posts: 3member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpotOn View Post


    Apple has been choosing bargain basement PC parts for quite some time now, the shame is people are paying for quality and not getting it anymore.



    With all the security issues lately, Safari, WebKit, iOS numbering over 100 exploits in the last two patches alone, AT&T security issues, etc. The App Store lockdown, the closed machines, Flash-less, crippled iPads etc.



    I'm not seeing a good enough reason to pay thousands for a laptop from Apple when a Ubuntu Linux laptop would cost a few hundred and provide excellent security for all my netbook needs.



    The new Ubuntu release is excellent, any Mac user could use it fast. Tons of free software, Flash and Firefox is a great browser.






    You're citing lack of Flash and Firefox as a reason for not buying an MacBook?



    Not only is that ridiculous, but you're kind of off topic for this thread, aren't you?



    From the reports of users with the yellow screen, it does sound like the glue/adhesive could be the culprit. That's good news.



    As for the antenna issue... I'd be curious to know how many units this affects. My guess is only a couple of production runs. But that's a guess.
  • Reply 162 of 192
    guinnessguinness Posts: 473member
    Interesting info from engadget.



    http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/s...d-left-handed/







    Quote:

    One iPhone 4 demonstrated the issue everytime it was held in our left hand (as a right-handed person is apt to do) so that our palm was essentially bridging the two antennas. You can see that in the video after the break. Bridging the two with a finger tip, however, didn't cause any issues with the reported reception. If we had to guess, we'd say that our conductive skin was acting to detune the antenna -- in fact, we've already managed to slowly kill two calls that way so it's not just an issue with the software erroneously reporting an incorrect signal strength. That said, we had no issues when Apple's $29 rubber bumper accessory (given to us free for standing in line) was attached, creating a buffer between our palm and the antennas. See the video evidence after the break including Insanely Great Mac's version which got us to worrying in the first place.



    ...

    Quote:

    P.P.S. Since some of you are asking, our review unit showed none of these issues.



  • Reply 163 of 192
    Yikes.... This guy dropped it on accident today and busted the whole back. Sounds like they might have to give away those ugly bumpers for free to keep their warranty allocation forecast close to actual.



    http://gizmodo.com/5571658/first-iph...-one+foot-drop
  • Reply 164 of 192
    huntercrhuntercr Posts: 140member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by john galt View Post


    A fundamental design flaw is possible, but extremely unlikely.



    I have no idea what stainless steel alloy is used in the 4, but stainless is not a very good conductor. Its resistivity is about ten times that of copper, and your body's resistivity is a lot more than that. So I wouldn't be too concerned about one's ability to attenuate the signal by holding the phone, or bridging the two antennas with one's fingers.



    In general, SS is a good material for an antenna. Bear in mind cell phones utilize very very little radiated power, so your ability to attenuate that is limited.



    I wondered about attenuation effects as soon as I saw the WWDC presentation, but I'd seriously doubt Apple's engineers didn't give that a great deal of thought as well.





    I dunno guys... this video in particular looks pretty conclusive ( and very disappointing to me, since I'm left handed )
  • Reply 165 of 192
    piotpiot Posts: 1,346member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    More "PROOF". Without rag it drops, with rag and no antenna-link it doesn't drop. This may be the stupidest thing Apple have even done. And what's worse, they done it on the coolest phone EVR! I hang my head in shame.



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1KFgiwm-Q0



    Ireland that's a great video showing how the bars drop.... but it doesn't show how it affects making a phone call.
  • Reply 166 of 192
    guinnessguinness Posts: 473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by piot View Post


    Ireland that's a great video showing how the bars drop.... but it doesn't show how it affects making a phone call.



    This one will:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03PQyWp0mWE
  • Reply 167 of 192
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by huntercr View Post


    I dunno guys... this video in particular looks pretty conclusive ( and very disappointing to me, since I'm left handed )



    I am as well...



    Generally I don't palm the phone, so I wouldn't hit the spot referenced by the Engadget photo.
  • Reply 168 of 192
    gescomgescom Posts: 69member
    Defective screens? Missing Bars?



    Hey people - It's a feature !!!

    It just works !
  • Reply 169 of 192
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpotOn View Post


    Apple has been choosing bargain basement PC parts for quite some time now, the shame is people are paying for quality and not getting it anymore.



    Which bargain basement parts are you referring to?



    The Mini's solid aluminum case? Maybe the proprietary motherboards? Or the Gorilla Glass in the iPHone?



    It's really sad that you think you can just throw around crap like 'bargain basement parts' and expect people to believe you.



    Besides, if Apple is using bargain basement parts, how do they consistently end up with the highest reliability in the industry?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by daving313 View Post


    Yikes.... This guy dropped it on accident today and busted the whole back. Sounds like they might have to give away those ugly bumpers for free to keep their warranty allocation forecast close to actual.



    http://gizmodo.com/5571658/first-iph...-one+foot-drop



    Hint: if it says Gizmodo, don't go there. They're willing to commit criminal activity for a story, what's a little exaggeration?
  • Reply 170 of 192
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by guinness View Post


    This one will:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03PQyWp0mWE



    Post hoc, ergo proper hoc. Where are the control tests? Where is the proof that it's from holding the corner and not from a signal issue from the tower, interference from another radio, etc.?



    I have measured this every which way and it does not happen with my phone (nor with a friend's phone as of this morning) and yet it's a prolific design flaw affecting all devices? That simply isn't true.
  • Reply 171 of 192
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aplnub View Post




    Originally Posted by austingaijin

    Apple is using a bonding agent called Organofunctional Silane Z-6011 to bond the layers of glass. Apparently, Apple (or more likely Foxconn) is shipping these products so quickly that the evaporation process is not complete. However, after one or two days of use, especially with the screen on, will complete the evaporation process and the yellow "blotches" will disappear.




    How do I know? I was involved in pitching Z-6011 to Apple.





    We need more of post like this. Great job!







    That was steve jobs.
  • Reply 172 of 192
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SinisterJoe View Post


    Anyone who rushes out and buys a product on Day One has to expect some issues. My guess is for the first big initial production run QA standards are lowered a bit just to get the units out the door. Anyone who has to rush out and get it Day One does the QA testing. The alternative is slower production which means the 95% (or whatever) of people who get their devices have to wait longer for no good reason. Over time QA can be ramped up as inventory builds and there's no longer the time constraints of building 1-2 million iPhone 4s in a couple of months.



    Wow! You have that figured out exactly wrong. Any company producing the first run of a new product has QA people all over it. This is especially true for a high-visibility, high-volume consumer device-- where first impression is everything.



    This is especially, especially true for a new Apple product!



    .
  • Reply 173 of 192
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Oh hey look, it's Step 28 in the always relevant Apple Product Cycle:



    Quote:

    A minor, rarely occurring flaw in the device begins to be discussed in the Apple support forums. Whiny, artistic types post lengthy diatribes about how this terrible design flaw has made the device unusable and scarred them emotionally. Electronic petitions are created demanding that Apple replace the devices for free, plus pay for counseling to help traumatized users overcome their emotional distress.



    It's amazing how closely every rollout adheres to that list, which is what, six or seven years old now? Can't imagine why anyone would be surprised that this time would be different.
  • Reply 174 of 192
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Also, our very own austingaijin gets cited as a source at Engadget!





    Quote:

    We're starting to hear a few reports of the dreaded yellow spots disappearing from the iPhone 4's display after a day or so of use. Interestingly, someone posting on the AppleInsider forums seems to know why:



    Apple is using a bonding agent called Organofunctional Silane Z-6011 to bond the layers of glass. Apparently, Apple (or more likely Foxconn) is shipping these products so quickly that the evaporation process is not complete. However, after one or two days of use, especially with the screen on, will complete the evaporation process and the yellow "blotches" will disappear. How do I know? I was involved in pitching Z-6011 to Apple.



    If this can be trusted, it's very good news for those afflicted -- though hopefully Apple will keep to its usually painless replacement policy for defective phones either way. We are still seeing some mentions of the spots sticking around, fading in and out based on the heat of the phone, but we'll give it another day or two to really see how much of a problem is going to be. Let us know how yours fares.



  • Reply 175 of 192
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by H2P View Post


    From what I understand, there is NO SIGNAL problem... That this is an issue with way the bars are being represented on the screen. You can safely make a call. Apple is said to have incorporated band switching technology into iPhone 4.



    Now the yellow screen is Much more of an issue.



    There is a video where the call is be dropped a few seconds after he touches the iPhone 4. Again this is post hoc, ergo propter hoc but it does show more than just a misrepresentation of bars. It does not mean it's a design flaw that will result in a recall, a production issue. It could be a carrier issue, signal interference issue from 3rd-party RF, a driver issue, or OS/iPhone app issue.
  • Reply 176 of 192
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I just watch a video that proves there is a defect with all iPhone 4s. All the guy did was walk into a Farraday cage and the signal dropped. WTF Apple¡



    LOL!



    Yeah, and you can't make calls while getting an MRI... I'm taking mine back, today!



    .
  • Reply 177 of 192
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    Oh hey look, it's Step 28 in the always relevant Apple Product Cycle:



    Quote:

    A minor, rarely occurring flaw in the device begins to be discussed in the Apple support forums. Whiny, artistic types post lengthy diatribes about how this terrible design flaw has made the device unusable and scarred them emotionally. Electronic petitions are created demanding that Apple replace the devices for free, plus pay for counseling to help traumatized users overcome their emotional distress.



    It's amazing how closely every rollout adheres to that list, which is what, six or seven years old now? Can't imagine why anyone would be surprised that this time would be different.



    Awesome!
  • Reply 178 of 192
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    Oh hey look, it's Step 28 in the always relevant Apple Product Cycle:







    It's amazing how closely every rollout adheres to that list, which is what, six or seven years old now? Can't imagine why anyone would be surprised that this time would be different.



    I can't wait for the step about Maria Bartiromo?



    .
  • Reply 179 of 192
    trumptmantrumptman Posts: 16,464member
    I've located the issue with the screens and the yellowish tint. It apparently involves not believing the iPhone 4 is "magical" enough. Solumnly crossing your heart while pledging to believe the iPhone 4 is indeed magical will remedy the problem.



    Now clap your hands three times and repeat, I believe in the iPhone 4, I believe in the iPhone 4, I believe in the iPhone 4.
  • Reply 180 of 192
    kennebgkennebg Posts: 2member
    So I called AT&T about the yellowish splotches in the bottom corners of my new iPhone 4. They say they will gadly replace it but I have to pay full price for the new one before they will ship it. Then when they get the defective one back they will credit the discounted price back to me and then I will have to wait up to two months to get the credit on the new one to reflect the discounted price. Is AT&T ony drugs or something? If they are going to sell the product they should stand behind it!!!!
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