Consumer Reports changes stance, cannot recommend Apple's iPhone 4 - Page 4

How ironic. I can't recommend Consumer Reports!

May I ask what do you love about posting complete crap. You just like DaHarder but at least he can do something called constructive arguments USING TEXT. Not just posting big images. All I have seen with this so called Android is just some Windows like clone that is shoving itself onto everything just so it can have some market share. There is more problems with Droids than any other phone anyway, and I do hope no more phone companies jump onto this Droid bandwagon. Make you own OS! It's like the computer industry all over again. The true innovators like Palm are crushed and rubbish like Android prevails with it's cheep prices and crappy hardware.

edit:

Just look at the logo for christ sakes! It was designed at play skool... actually no it was designed by Open Source developers, THAT EXPLAINS IT.

Combined with a 2 year contract, this is a multi-thousand dollar purchase.

Well, yeah, it does raise questions about all cell phone reviews at CR. Their usual testing says it's great, then, they retest with an apparently different methodology and say it's not great. But, as someone else pointed out, exactly how have they tested all the other cell phones out there? Will they retest them all under the same conditions of the 2nd iPhone test, or was the first iPhone test non-standard? Do they have a reliable methodology or not?

Yes it is. Again, while a real problem, it isn't like you can't still use the phone.

Aside from the antenna problem (real and serious) the 4 is just so much better a device. All I am saying is to weigh the options available. Both have merit.

Apparently, thinking an issue through and thoughtfully considering all options is 'irresponsible' to you.

Whatever.

Clearly a case where function should've won over form (aesthetics). Even if Ive insisted there would be a problem, Jobs would bulldozer his final judgment over all objections. $@#*!

Well... Well... Well, This Certainly Is Interesting

OK, that's a bit of a stretch.

samab would prefer you buy a CDMA phone.

I'd guess that probably 95% of people are really happy with their new iPhone. I am. Performance-wise, in every aspect, it's the best iPhone yet.

I've known that my previous 3G had the internal antenna in the lower third of the body of the phone. It makes no sense to cup your hand around any antenna and expect optimum performance. So I hold either phone by the top and leave the bottom free. Not a big deal to learn this behavior.

When driving - I put the phone on the dash and use a headset. Antenna problem is a non-issue.

And I got a case for protection. Added benefit is now when I hold it, lets say for sending messages, I won't in contact with that problematic lower left corner.

For me this is a big non-issue.

But still Apple blew it. Any antenna design engineer should have known that letting the antenna conductor contact the hand would de-tune the antenna and absorb signal. Is this a recall situation? IMHO-no. Should Apple offer some kind of case "free" to anyone having a problem - Yes.

Of course some people will never let this go. And they will miss out on owning the best smartphone currently on the market.

Agreed...but which would you rather have, an original 4g or a redesigned 4g?

What a surprise - it's no a Toyota Camray so they don't like it

Frankly, I never look at the bars unless there's a problem and I can't make a call. So far, I've never had any problem making a call with my iPhone 4. In fact, warts and all, it works better than my iPhone 3 or any of the other phones in the household.


That is not correct. There are at least 3 unrelated problems and it would be really helpful if people would stop confusing them.

1. Error in reporting # of bars (actually, not an error, just a bad way of reporting). This can make it look like your signal is stronger than it really is, so you may lose calls even if you have a lot of bars. Will be fixed with a software fix.

2. Decrease in signal with hand covering antenna. This happens on any phone ever made. Under some tests, the drop may be worse on the iPhone under some conditions, but since the iPhone's antenna is more sensitive than other phones, the two effects may balance each other. Only becomes a problem in very weak signal areas - and can be fixed by holding your phone differently.

3. Decrease in signal from touching the two antennae. This is the same effect as any external antenna would have. Anyone over the age of 45 probably remembers fidding with TV anntennas to try to get a good signal. This problem is unique to the iPhone. It can be addressed by holding the phone differently or buying a case. The trade-off is that you get better reception than other phones due to the external antenna.

You may decide that it's not worth holding the phone differently. If so, the iPhone isn't for you. But so far, the majority of people are happy with the new iPhone.


Of course CR won't test other phones. They thrive on topics that can stir up a media frenzy. The fact that they were happy with the phone but retested it on the basis of a few complaints is troublesome in itself. That says that a few whiners who find some obscure problem with something that most people don't care about can outweigh millions of happy customers.

I'm with you. My iPhone is the best phone I've ever had.

The fighting over this issue is getting boring.
Why can't people accept that just because you don't have the problem does not mean the problem does not exist.

The Apple press release was terrible. It was obvious they were not telling the whole story.

The good thing about this CR piece is that it forces Apples hand.
They will have to respond. Shareholders will demand it.

Textbook Delusional...

Apple said it themselves on the open letter


I also think the bar calculation thingy is related to how the OS gets data from the antenna: maybe it stops receiving data when the bars drop even when there's still signal (how come so many tests show that there is almost no difference in speed between 5 and 2 bars?)


TROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLL TROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLL TROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLL TROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLL TROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLL TROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLL TROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLL TROLLTROLLTROLLTROLLTROLL

A high-tech headache.


I think he just meant to say this isn't a design flaw.


Well, duh. In my school some rooms get a really poor signal, and laying my hand in front of my iPod Touch's antenna does the same thing. IT'S NOT A DESIGN FLAW


Well that's a frickin lie

Really!? If I was actually getting five, how many would it show?

Obviously, I'd like the one that has been fixed. A full redesign probably isn't likely, just a coating during manufacturing. We still don't have a release date for Canada, so I am hoping things will settle down by then. Realistically, if they haven't made changes to their process at this point, the initial stock for Canada will be the same as the US stock.

CR's conclusions still don't make sense as RF does not behave like electrical current. A simple piece of tape shouldn't make a difference.

Besides, all that matters for me is real world performance vs. theoretical pontificating. The iPhine 4 beats the pants off of the 3Gs in actual usage - without a case. I haven't used on before and I have no intention of bulking up my phone now with useless plastic or rubber.

I have a had time believing this has nothing to do with contact because of two reasons:

1) Tape and bumpers would not help unless it was a contact issue. Consumer reports specifically stated that duct tape over the seam alleviated the problems they were experiencing.

2) The problem can be replicated by using a paper clip to bridge the seam with minimal obstruction of the antenna. Of course, this test doesn't exactly duplicate real world scenarios, but it does demonstrate an extreme of what people (and consumer reports) are complaining about.

All Essentially Irrelevant, As It Shouldn't Be Happening At All... Especially as the result of an obviously flawed design.

Just look at the results they obtained. The answer should be obvious.

Will they retest once the software is updated? This is a non issue.

But a lot of hi-tech gadget manufacturers are hyping stuff that consumers will never see a difference. Maybe a dog can hear the difference between CD and SACD, normal people can't.

I would rather spend a few hundreds dollars less on a no-name LCD HDTV and use that saving to buy myself a spyder color calibration puck. If you want the best calibrated home theater system, you are supposed to turn off all those useless enhancements.

More like 99.9%.

Buy a bumper. Update the software.

Then it will be 100%.

Suggestion: Look in the mirror, and recite these very words to the reflection you see...

i'm a wussie because the iPhone 4 get poor reception?? you are a complete moron.

I hope a number of people take Consumer Report's recommendation. That means I will have a better chance of getting my IPhone faster. I was going to buy a case anyway. The reception deception will be no problem for me.

They have ALREADY responded. The "problem" will be fixed in software.

But in the meantime, the media will be in a frenzy.

Would be nice to see an official response from Apple.

really like using Apple's products but cant see getting the new phone

Not electrical so there is no short circuiting, but it can alter the length of the antenna which I know can cause added attenuation and interference.

What isnt clear is if this can be dealt with a SW update that allows for a powerful radio transmission to counter any issues one might have, a driver update that allows the chip to understand variances better, or some other SW resolution.

All we know is that a lot of people are having an issue when they do certain thing. Note that this doesnt seem to happen with 2G and its apparently better for WiFI when you do bridge the antennas. This tells me that a SW update is still an option.

If you were completely right, why would apple even separate the two antennas? Aren't they separate and insulated from each other for a reason?

The seams are very un-Apple and I would think if you were right there would be no need for them.

Just look at some of the crap they do recommend.

To date, I haven't had a problem. I'm quite happy with iPhone 4.

Apparently not.

The real question, however, is whether CR will retract this story once the software fix is released?

Yes, both have merits if given all the caveats are listed --- but in your initial post, you never talked about these options or the seriousness of the problems. You merely said that "just buy a case". You even said that returning the phone is a trouble.

C'mon Apple. Even Scotty couldn't change the laws of physics.

I wonder if they'll do a revision 2? Do Apple even do hardware revisions? I know it's quite common for most other electronics manufacturers.

I would seem a shame to get locked in a contract if an r2 is going to turn up in a couple of months.

What does the random homophobic remark add to anything? Even if Steve Jobs was gay (I know he isn't), and even if him and Jonny Ive were a couple, what would that have to do with anything?

This isn't 1974, the mere mention of gays is neither funny, risque, nor relevant all by itself. You've done this about five times that I can recall already, please stop. It's just not funny to chime in with some cryptic, off-topic reference to anal sex on a tech blog unless you are basically twelve years old or, (as I said above), still living in 1974.

I get it, OK? Your a homophobe, or maybe just a gay-hater, that much is crystal clear. It just doesn't have any relevance to this forum or any of the discussions we have on it.

DaHarder, you're a known troll. Everything you post is "essentially irrelevant".

Totally in agreement. I've been waiting over a week now and hoping it won't actually take 3 weeks. My 3G battery is damaged and it's pretty much useless unless it is plugged in... So I'm hoping for sooner rather than later.