Norway's largest paper: iPhone 4 Antennagate is a US problem - Page 2

Originally Posted by Mr Underhill

Just what i have been saying all along.



Very advanced nation Norway. As are all our Scandinavian brethren.

With the exception of Ireland no single country contributed a larger percentage of its population to the United States than Norway.

Marilyn Monroe one of the more famous names which springs to mind.

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

After testing Apple's iPhone 4 against competing HTC and Nokia models in a remote area on the edge of Norwegian carrier Telenor's mobile coverage, the county's largest paper has concluded that its antenna design is "just as good and bad as competitors," rather than suffering any defect.

A report by Oslo's Verdens Gang, the country's largest online and printed newspaper, forwarded to AppleInsider by reader Torje Øivand Olsen, noted that the brouhaha surrounding "alleged antenna problems" of iPhone 4 was not evident in its own testing conducted in a remote part of the country.

The paper compared iPhone 4 against the HTC Wildfire, Nokia E71, and Apple's previous iPhone 3GS. It stated that all of the phones reacted similarly when gripped tightly (losing signal bars due to attenuation), but that all of the phones were able to sustain a conversation.

Both Nokia and HTC have responded to Antennagate with bold claims that signal drops experienced when a phone is held in a particular way are a problem unique to Apple, while at the same time warning users not to hold their own Nokia or HTC phones in such a way as to cause signal attenuation.

Worse in call quality, better in data service

VG reported that the sound quality on the two iPhone models was not as good, but that all the calls 'went smoothly.' However, when using the phones' data service to pull up a web page, the reporters said only the iPhone 4 'was close to having a stable connection,' successfully pulling up a page while the other models reported no service.



The paper suggested poor mobile networks may be the cause of the US reports of iPhone 4 antenna problems. It cited Amobil, a Norwegian mobile phone news site, as having 'tested the iPhone 4 thoroughly, without finding any evidence that it is improperly constructed. All modern mobile phones have integrated antennas, and it is normal that they are affected by how the phone is held,' VG said.

Amobil writer Finn Jarle Kvalheim added, 'Consumer Reports goes far in asserting that the problems do not have anything to with the mobile network. But it is a fact that mobile networks in Norway are much more robust than AT&T's network in the US.'

Olsen, who helped translate the story for AppleInsider, adds "I have myself tested the iPhone 4 and tried to replicate the signal loss close to one of Norway's major towns without being able to get even one less bar."

Apple will launch the new iPhone 4 in Norway tomorrow, along with Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Originally Posted by DaHarder

This little 'proclamation' is all good and well, but given that it clearly states that, "Apple will launch the new iPhone 4 in Norway tomorrow", I find the timing rather interesting (to say the least).

Suggestion: Wait and see actual user/consumer reactions to the device before placing too much credence on publications that might possibly have an 'agenda' -

Originally Posted by lkrupp

Looks like the latest crusade to take Apple down is suffering from credibility issues. I guess all they have left is the "proximity sensor" issue now. Or will that turn out to be a "proximitygate" too.

Instead of "silly Norwegians" maybe it should be "silly Apple hating trolls".

Originally Posted by infobhan

Could this have something to do with different frequencies being used by the carriers in different countries? Maybe the effects of detuning from antenna bridging are greater with some frequencies compared to others?

Originally Posted by icyfog

The Norwegian paper confirms what I already knew from experience in regards to the iPhone 4.
Many consumers and pundits complain that the new iPhone doesn't handle calls very well, and the paper confirms that too. They say "the primary reason you have a phone is to make calls." Well not me. Calls are ancillary to me, I'd rather communicate via e-mails, check the web, take photos, etc.
So besides integrating with iTunes and my Mac so smoothly, the iPhone 4 is for me.

Originally Posted by 0yvind

I just saw the article in my home town newspaper in Norway, and there are a couple of points to mention: The place they tested it is a remote woodland area outside of Oslo, with barely any reception. The bars fell from 2 to 0 when holding the phones in a tight "death grip". Then they took the phones in a boat out on a lake, and there they tested the data reception, where only the iP4 could get any signal.
What a surprise (for me) to see that page rendered in an article by the number one tech writer Eran Dilger, whose articles are the first ones I look for...
Tonight, one minute after 12, they start selling the phone here, so the queues should start lining up. Only it's a heavy rain here tonight, one of the worst so far this summer...

> Silly Norwegians. What do they know? Apple probably paid-off that paper.
Yeah, right. Apple would be more successful buying an article in the Washington Post. Actually the Norwegian papers are usually quite Android-friendly. But the 'droids haven't caught on so much here - Nokia is what everybody has (before they go and buy a iPhone of course).

Originally Posted by JimDreamworx

Indeed! In Canada and in Europe, the iPhone 4 has no issues.

In the USA, it drops. And since it was received in Canada without carrier lock, using local SIMs and the thing still drops. It's the network.

Might it have anything to do with it being designed more so for the HSDPA networks?
(I'm just asking, as I have no idea how the iPhone was designed...)

Originally Posted by 8CoreWhore

Don't forget the natives.

Originally Posted by RPT

I am a Norwegian living in US, using an iPhone 3G (will get a 4 tomorrow!). An early experience with cellphones in US was dropped calls. Happened frequently when I moved here at the HTC I then had, happens on my wife's Ericsson and happens on my current 3G. Neither of these phones drops calls when used in Norway.

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

After testing Apple's iPhone 4 against competing HTC and Nokia models in a remote area on the edge of Norwegian carrier Telenor's mobile coverage, the county's largest paper has concluded that its antenna design is "just as good and bad as competitors," rather than suffering any defect.

A report by Oslo's Verdens Gang, the country's largest online and printed newspaper, forwarded to AppleInsider by reader Torje Øivand Olsen, noted that the brouhaha surrounding "alleged antenna problems" of iPhone 4 was not evident in its own testing conducted in a remote part of the country.

The paper compared iPhone 4 against the HTC Wildfire, Nokia E71, and Apple's previous iPhone 3GS. It stated that all of the phones reacted similarly when gripped tightly (losing signal bars due to attenuation), but that all of the phones were able to sustain a conversation.

Both Nokia and HTC have responded to Antennagate with bold claims that signal drops experienced when a phone is held in a particular way are a problem unique to Apple, while at the same time warning users not to hold their own Nokia or HTC phones in such a way as to cause signal attenuation.

Worse in call quality, better in data service

VG reported that the sound quality on the two iPhone models was not as good, but that all the calls 'went smoothly.' However, when using the phones' data service to pull up a web page, the reporters said only the iPhone 4 'was close to having a stable connection,' successfully pulling up a page while the other models reported no service.



The paper suggested poor mobile networks may be the cause of the US reports of iPhone 4 antenna problems. It cited Amobil, a Norwegian mobile phone news site, as having 'tested the iPhone 4 thoroughly, without finding any evidence that it is improperly constructed. All modern mobile phones have integrated antennas, and it is normal that they are affected by how the phone is held,' VG said.

Amobil writer Finn Jarle Kvalheim added, 'Consumer Reports goes far in asserting that the problems do not have anything to with the mobile network. But it is a fact that mobile networks in Norway are much more robust than AT&T's network in the US.'

Olsen, who helped translate the story for AppleInsider, adds "I have myself tested the iPhone 4 and tried to replicate the signal loss close to one of Norway's major towns without being able to get even one less bar."

Apple will launch the new iPhone 4 in Norway tomorrow, along with Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Originally Posted by OC4Theo

I love my iPhone since I got the first one in 2007. But I hate AT&T for keeping us hostage.

It is a known fact that US mobile carriers are always behind in everything. Internet is slow in US compared to other countries. If it was not for Apple, there will be no company in US to compete with Asians and Europeans in Mobile phone technology.

Americans are deceived into believing we are the best. The fact is that we are not. Only in America are mobile phone users charged at both ends of a phone call. In other countries, the originator of a call gets charged.

Americans are suckers to the media, which are just propaganda vehicle for corporations and the ruling elite. Yes, Norwegians are smarter. They are smart enough to provide free education and free healthcare. These alone say it all.

America is only best at war and destruction.

Originally Posted by sincere

?......for the death and destruction part I wish we would let european countries do more and pick up more of the tab when it comes to protecting the area and for supporting other nations in and at war so we wouldnt be stuck holding most of the bill...Europe is still ungrateful to this day...Yes you say we are only good at death and destruction?

Originally Posted by dyp

I've seen and experienced the problem here in the United States. So the issue is real. We all agree AT&T sucks and Jobs admitted to the problem.

Originally Posted by OC4Theo

I love my iPhone since I got the first one in 2007. But I hate AT&T for keeping us hostage.

It is a known fact that US mobile carriers are always behind in everything. Internet is slow in US compared to other countries. If it was not for Apple, there will be no company in US to compete with Asians and Europeans in Mobile phone technology.

Americans are deceived into believing we are the best. The fact is that we are not. Only in America are mobile phone users charged at both ends of a phone call. In other countries, the originator of a call gets charged.

Americans are suckers to the media, which are just propaganda vehicle for corporations and the ruling elite. Yes, Norwegians are smarter. They are smart enough to provide free education and free healthcare. These alone say it all.

America is only best at war and destruction.

Originally Posted by MacTel

[The Norwegian] roadways are amazing with some automobile tunnels through mountains that are over 23km long.

Originally Posted by shadash

That's the point. Its not that America's network sucks. Its that AT&T sucks. The evidence that Apple needs to move to other carriers in addition to AT&T keeps piling up.

Originally Posted by DaHarder

This little 'proclamation' is all good and well, but given that it clearly states that, "Apple will launch the new iPhone 4 in Norway tomorrow", I find the timing rather interesting (to say the least).

Suggestion: Wait and see actual user/consumer reactions to the device before placing too much credence on publications that might possibly have an 'agenda' -

Originally Posted by LewysBlackmore

shadash, it's all the carriers in the US suck - not just ATT, as witnessed by the mixed coverage reporting for all. The FCC washed their hands of any real control over development (unlike Europe, where they actually got together and tried to agree on something (well the French disagreed on principle at first, but they were coaxed into it) - which resulted in a carrier system where the carriers actually have a level playing field on which to compete, unlike the US where not only do they use different carrier technologies (GSM/CDMA) but they also use different frequency assignments (ATT/TMobile on GSM, Sprint/Nextel/Verizon on CDMA). The FCC refused to establish any reasonable standards and allowed everyone to build networks that were mutually incompatible.

Originally Posted by LewysBlackmore

shadash, it's all the carriers in the US suck - not just ATT, as witnessed by the mixed coverage reporting for all. The FCC washed their hands of any real control over development (unlike Europe, where they actually got together and tried to agree on something (well the French disagreed on principle at first, but they were coaxed into it) - which resulted in a carrier system where the carriers actually have a level playing field on which to compete, unlike the US where not only do they use different carrier technologies (GSM/CDMA) but they also use different frequency assignments (ATT/TMobile on GSM, Sprint/Nextel/Verizon on CDMA). The FCC refused to establish any reasonable standards and allowed everyone to build networks that were mutually incompatible.

Originally Posted by samab

All European regulators have embraced the US-style technology neutral spectrum auction in the last 3-4 years. Right now, European regulators are deciding how to take back the 900 GSM spectrum and then auction it out again on technology neutral basis.

Originally Posted by samab

Level playing for carriers to gouge you --- that's the European system. Norway had the most outrageous iphone plan in 2008 --- the result of having 2 national carriers. France made all kinds of simlocking laws and killed the iphone exclusive --- the only problem is that all 3 French carriers were nailed for price fixing several years ago. Sure you can have the iphone on any carrier in France --- but all 3 carriers are going to screw you.

Originally Posted by chaicka

A side note: Singapore is ranked among the cheapest Data Plan in a recent report/article that I came across.

Originally Posted by chaicka

Just to share some information with regards to 'Antennagate'.

In Singapore, iPhone 4 launched over midnight (00:00hrs) of 30th July. Singapore, together with Hong Kong are the 2nd country to launch in this 2nd round, after Australia (New Zealand launch delayed).

Over the past 3 days, thousands of iPhone 4 have been snapped up throughout Singapore via its 3 telcos - SingTel, M1 and StarHub.

In the most popular forum within the nation, there are very few reports of facing 'antennagate' issue while most are reporting either not a single drop of signal bars, or drop of 1-2 bars. Overall, most reported that even when dropped to a single signal bar, phone calls do not get drop and 3G data still functional.

In short, the situation in Singapore seems to mirror what's reported in Norway as well as Australia. iPhone 4's antennagate issue is almost non-existence or of insignificant concern as what the US media has hyped so much about.

That leads most to think - is it a telco problem all along and Apple (Steve Jobs) is just doing its largest business partner a flavor by covering it up or blurring the vision that it's AT&T network (Cell Infra) that's screwing US consumers?