Apple admits iPhone 4 drops more calls per 100 than iPhone 3GS

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Apple on Friday shared a summary of dropped call data it received from wireless partner AT&T, which revealed that the iPhone 4 experiences more dropped calls than the iPhone 3GS, but at a rate less than one per 100 greater.



"It's very hard, when we look at this data, not to conclude that there is a problem," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said Friday. "But it's a problem affecting a small percentage of users."



Jobs, speaking at the iPhone 4 antenna issue press conference, posited a theory: the new shape of the iPhone 4 had inadvertently lead to issues seen by customers. He said that when the iPhone 3GS came out, it was the same shape as the iPhone 3G, so existing customers could use their old cases.



Even new customers could buy old cases, as well, which were readily available in stores, because the shape of the phone had not changed.



But with the iPhone 4, fewer customers are using cases because they are not yet widely available for the new form factor of the iPhone 4. Jobs said that's just his theory on the matter, and the company is looking further into it.



The theory falls in line with what was told to The New York Times, which reported on Thursday that the iPhone 4 antenna issue is a longstanding problem involving both hardware and software.
«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 40
    ihxoihxo Posts: 567member
    LOL and AAPL is green again.
  • Reply 2 of 40
    I wonder how many calls other smart phones drop.



    btw: i've never ever heard anyone compalin to me here in Switzerland about dropped calls. Maybe AT &T's network is just bad?
  • Reply 3 of 40
    vrkiranvrkiran Posts: 110member
    Free bumpers is the mimum they could to do deflect the bad PR.



    Atleast they admitted to the proximity sensor issue ..
  • Reply 3 of 40
    bspearsbspears Posts: 147member
    You left out the part that said it is less than one call per 100. Hardly a significant rise in dropped call rate.
  • Reply 5 of 40
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bspears View Post


    You left out the part that said it is less than one call per 100. Hardly a significant rise in dropped call rate.



    But, they did say it is an increased amount from the previous iPhone.



    I am glad they said it was a noted increase. They admitted it was a problem so all of the people on here that said anyone affected were just whiners can hush up now.



    I think apple did the right with the bumpers.
  • Reply 6 of 40
    retrogustoretrogusto Posts: 1,109member
    I bet most of the increase in dropped calls over those experienced with the 3GS can be attributed to people intentionally trying to re-create the call dropping they read about on the Internet by pressing hard on the antenna gap with their sweaty hands.
  • Reply 7 of 40
    what about this, was he faking this info for some reason?

    http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/25/t...ng-less-calls/
  • Reply 8 of 40
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Retrogusto View Post


    I bet most of the increase in dropped calls over those experienced with the 3GS can be attributed to people intentionally trying to re-create the call dropping they read about on the Internet by pressing hard on the antenna gap with their sweaty hands.



    What's hilarious is that the "less than 1 call per 100" more than the 3GS will be deemed absolutely no big deal and yet . . .



    When dropped call ratings came out a few months back and AT&T was skewered by nearly all for the results, the difference in dropped call rate between Verizon and AT&T was "less than 1 call per 100." As I recall it was 3 more per 1,000, or for the fractionally impaired less then 1/3 per 100.



    I posted the link to the info back then, I'll try to dig it up again.
  • Reply 9 of 40
    Your headline is incorrect. It does not "drop more calls per 100", it drops "less than 1 more call per 100". Also, it's more of a disclosure than an "admission".
  • Reply 10 of 40
    I've been watching people lately in how they use their phones. i don't see anybody using that full fisted death grip. Everybody seems to hold their phones in their finger tips. At least while they're talking on the phone. The full grip would mean that the butt of your palm rests on your face. Who would put up with that?
  • Reply 11 of 40
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ArtDecoDalek View Post


    Your headline is incorrect. It does not "drop more calls per 100", it drops "less than 1 more call per 100". Also, it's more of a disclosure than an "admission".



    LOL, seriously?



    3.5 calls per 100 is more than 3.0 calls per 100. "Drops more calls per 100" is perfectly valid, and the specifics are within the article. A bit too anal methinks.
  • Reply 12 of 40
    programmerprogrammer Posts: 3,457member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bspears View Post


    You left out the part that said it is less than one call per 100. Hardly a significant rise in dropped call rate.



    Not to mention that this could easily be explained because iPhone4 users are buying 4x fewer cases!
  • Reply 13 of 40
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    To add some numbers: apparently 80% of iPhone users use cases (though I also read 75% from some non-Apple source recently). Except for the iPhone 4: 20%. And cases help just about any smartphone’s version of this problem.



    Any smartphone where people are going caseless 4x as often ought to see a sizable increase in dropped calls. And yet the iPhone 4 has seen essentially no increase (less than 1%). That sure makes it sound like the 4’s antenna is indeed BETTER, and will have a really excellent dropped-call rate once case usage has time to return to normal.



    Also, I’d be interested to see how much that dropped-call rate fluctuates randomly, or seasonally. Maybe more than 1%, making this less-than-1% difference statistically meaningless? Just curious—I’m sure AT&T won’t give us graphs.



    Meanwhile, I’ve been tightly death-gripping my iPhone 4 on purpose since I got it, to try to push the limits:



    * It never drops a call



    * Quality never lessens



    * I never lose data performance—even during a call



    * I never drop from 3G down to E (not from holding it any rate)



    * But I do see big changes in the bars at certain random times/places (but with 4.01 that scary fluctyation should settle down)



    Eventually I’ll gladly take a free case But I like my phone small and naked, and it’s working great that way. I’m loving it.



    Gotta like Apple’s response “there is no problem—and here is the undeniable proof—but we’ll STILL give freebies to millions.” That makes the iPhone 4 that much better... it comes with a choice of free case! (And might do so even after September—Steve said they’re just taking until then to re-evaluate options/fixes.)
  • Reply 14 of 40
    shobizshobiz Posts: 207member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Meriana View Post


    I wonder how many calls other smart phones drop.



    btw: i've never ever heard anyone compalin to me here in Switzerland about dropped calls. Maybe AT &T's network is just bad?







    Yep, we still need to blame it on AT&T right...
  • Reply 15 of 40
    haggarhaggar Posts: 1,568member
    Apple wants people to blame AT&T for signal issues in the US. But Apple is the one refusing to make the iPhone available through other carriers in the US. Who is forcing Apple to stay exclusive with AT&T? Is AT&T holding a gun to Steve Jobs' head? As long as Apple chooses to remain exclusive with AT&T, even though other carriers are available, shouldn't Apple share the blame?
  • Reply 16 of 40
    foo2foo2 Posts: 1,077member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bspears View Post


    You left out the part that said it is less than one call per 100. Hardly a significant rise in dropped call rate.



    Whoopi Goldberg thought her one dropped call was significant.

    If enough dropped calls are observed, even a 0.1% rise is significant.
  • Reply 17 of 40
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Foo2 View Post


    Whoopi Goldberg thought her one dropped call was significant.

    If enough dropped calls are observed, even a 0.1% rise is significant.



    Of course. Every dropped call is important to someone.



    The point, though, is that Apple is limited by the laws of physics, available technology, and network limitations. Expecting 0.00000% dropped calls is completely unreasonable. All you can expect is that the number be comparable to (or, hopefully, better than) other phones on the market at the same time.
  • Reply 18 of 40
    ajvajv Posts: 1member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bspears View Post


    You left out the part that said it is less than one call per 100. Hardly a significant rise in dropped call rate.



    You sure about that? Let's assume the 3GS is already horrible with dropped calls and drops 1 in 25. If the iPhone 4 drops nearly 1 in 100 *more* than the 3GS, that would mean it drops 25% *more* calls. That's horrible! If the 3GS isn't so horrible and only drops 1 out of 100 now, that would mean iPhone 4 drops nearly *twice* the number of calls!
  • Reply 19 of 40
    svnippsvnipp Posts: 430member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Haggar View Post


    Apple wants people to blame AT&T for signal issues in the US. But Apple is the one refusing to make the iPhone available through other carriers in the US. Who is forcing Apple to stay exclusive with AT&T? Is AT&T holding a gun to Steve Jobs' head? As long as Apple chooses to remain exclusive with AT&T, even though other carriers are available, shouldn't Apple share the blame?



    Huh?!?! Is this an argument to something? How about the fact that Apple is still under exclusivity contract with ATT? That may not be your proverbial gun to the head, but it is certainly a valid reason. There are also other factors like Visual Voice Mail that requires work on the part of the carrier for a proper implementation. Plus there are not many big providers in the US who's network is compatible with the current iPhone.



    Suffice to say, it's a LOT more involved than just shipping phones to T Mobile, Sprint, Verizon or whoever to providing a second carrier in the US. That doesn't mean that it's not possible or OVERLY difficult, just that you make it seem that all Apple needs to do is start sending out phones to carrier X.
  • Reply 20 of 40
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bspears View Post


    You left out the part that said it is less than one call per 100. Hardly a significant rise in dropped call rate.



    We don't know how many calls the 3GS drops so we cannot say if this is a significant increase or not. For example, if the 3GS only drops 1 in 1000 this would be a 10 fold increase which is a significant rise.
Sign In or Register to comment.