This is happening with my iPhone 4. I can replicate it with very little contact between the two antennas.
Design flaw? I think it's certainly possible. After all these things were field-tested in 3G-shaped disguise cases which would prevent this kind of physical contact.
Limited to certain handsets? Not sure. When I first read about this issue I tried it in my office and couldn't replicate it. I thought I was safe. But my office building has a 3G repeater - when I went out into the world and tried it, the signal went right away.
It'll be remedied one way or another. Dunno why but I have a feeling this can be addressed in a software update.
A commenter at the Gizmondo story about this said he spoke to Apple, that they are sending him a replacement phone, and the problem stems from some units failing to get a "protective coating."
Hopefully it's true. It really doesn't mean much if Apple doesn't have a official press release about this.
... However this does not excuse Apple from shipping with what appears to be a fairly major flaw. If there is indeed a coating missing then they should, at some point, arrange for users to swapout their handsets. ...
Well, if it is just a "protective coating" issue, it is not a "major flaw", it's a manufacturing issue. And, given Apple's history, I think it's pretty certain that they will take care of everyone. There might however, be a glut of refurbs hitting the market, which could be a bonus for some people.
I tend to leave my wifi turned off unless I am at home, mainly to save battery. In any case, if you disable your wifi do you get the same results? I wonder if having both wifi and the 3g radio functioning at the same time has any bearing on this.
Yeah, unfortunately he tested this and at least he didn't get different results with wi-fi off. Oh well, I'll turn my Hypothesis Machine back to full speed.
A commenter at the Gizmondo story about this said he spoke to Apple, that they are sending him a replacement phone, and the problem stems from some units failing to get a "protective coating."
That makes far more sense than all the crap people are postulating... that Apple did this on purpose to sell bumper cases (please) or equally ridiculous... that Apple would screw up something this obvious. There's no chance Apple engineers wouldn't have foreseen this issue and come up with a workaround. Even if they are that dumb... it would not have be caught in testing. And of course Apple did testing with "naked" phones. There's no way that all of the testing was only done with phones in cases.
Well, if it is just a "protective coating" issue, it is not a "major flaw", it's a manufacturing issue. And, given Apple's history, I think it's pretty certain that they will take care of everyone. There might however, be a glut of refurbs hitting the market, which could be a bonus for some people.
Same results with my 3GS after I read about this last night.
Exactly... after you read about it.
For me - this bar issue has been going on forever. With my 3GS I sit in the exact same spot at home when I use the phone for web etc, and my 3G or WiFi bars float up and down. This has been going on since day one ( a year now).
Granted, I cannot 'induce' it.
I'm just saying.... your milage may vary. Future results may not reflect past performance.
A commenter at the Gizmondo story about this said he spoke to Apple, that they are sending him a replacement phone, and the problem stems from some units failing to get a "protective coating."
I have thought long and hard about this and I have made my decision. Like many of my decisions, it will be ridiculed by companies that develop resource hogging video applications and phone platforms that are more suited for porn distribution. I have decided that Apple is going to be a right hand company going forward. It is unfortunate that you can not please everyone. However, we must choose our markets and 11% left handed population is not enough for us to focus on.
We need to be able to control the way the phone is used so that we can provide the best user experience possible. By ensuring the new iphone 4 is held with your right hand it allows us to control how application developers deploy their menus and action clicks. Especially the pinch to zoom capability. We have found pinching and zooming with the right hand vs the left hand to make the user experience less intuitive.
We understand that some members of the press who have a habit of stealing phones before they are released have tried to paint this as a problem. We assure you that we intended it to be this way, a right handed phone only.
Stevie Jobs
Note: This is a parody...in case you were too stupid to tell or too anal and got upset anyways.
I will confirm that I have the dying signal issue. Just putting your finger on the bottom left where that black line is, will start it. After a few seconds the bars start to disappear and continue to drop every couple seconds. Yesterday my calls were dropping like crazy and network kept going to searching.
It's not the end of the world and is easy to avoid for calling once you are aware of it.,I don't think it really matters if you are left or right handed, it's in a position that you may touch regardless. The worst part is that if you are playing a game, it's in the spot where you'd put your thumb. So you pretty much need to hold it by the glass if you are playing a network game, or want your phone to still be able to receive calls.
i just talked to an apple rep and he said wow i didnt realize till now i just tried on an iphone 4 we have here then said hmm ill get a senior advisor the senior advisor said that they have been making reports to the engineering dept all morning and i would get a call back from them on what they r gonna do to resolve this
I was going to get my iPhone today but something tells me this is going to be an issue. I really want it but I think I'm gonna have to wait to see what happens.
It seems Apple didn't think too much about skin-to-metal from the issues I've been reading/hearing about so far.
Apple should have made something like a clearcoat on the metal, so the metal would still be seen (for visual design) and the skin would not come in contact with it. That should be problem solved. Another idea would have been to build in a clear bumper which also protects from drops as well.
I have thought long and hard about this and I have made my decision. Like many of my decisions, it will be ridiculed by companies that develop resource hogging video applications and phone platforms that are more suited for porn distribution. I have decided that Apple is going to be a right hand company going forward. It is unfortunate that you can not please everyone. However, we must choose our markets and 11% left handed population is not enough for us to focus on.
Haha!
Seriously though, if you hold it in your right hand while making a call with your pinky on that black slot it still drops calls - these are the latest videos popping up. So for right hand people on a call it will effect them, and when pecking with your right hand and hold with your left it will effect them: visa versa for lefties. But depending on the particular user, where the hand naturally rests may be ok or not. I see it actually affect more right handed users, as making calls is only a small % of iPhone usage. While web browsing most right handed people hold the phone in their left palm.
Comments
This is happening with my iPhone 4. I can replicate it with very little contact between the two antennas.
Design flaw? I think it's certainly possible. After all these things were field-tested in 3G-shaped disguise cases which would prevent this kind of physical contact.
Limited to certain handsets? Not sure. When I first read about this issue I tried it in my office and couldn't replicate it. I thought I was safe. But my office building has a 3G repeater - when I went out into the world and tried it, the signal went right away.
It'll be remedied one way or another. Dunno why but I have a feeling this can be addressed in a software update.
That's worrying.
A commenter at the Gizmondo story about this said he spoke to Apple, that they are sending him a replacement phone, and the problem stems from some units failing to get a "protective coating."
Hopefully it's true. It really doesn't mean much if Apple doesn't have a official press release about this.
Defending Apple is fine.
Attacking other posters is the behavior I find objectionable.
Defending Apple when there's a clear issue is not fine. Not sure who was "attacked" btw.
... However this does not excuse Apple from shipping with what appears to be a fairly major flaw. If there is indeed a coating missing then they should, at some point, arrange for users to swapout their handsets. ...
Well, if it is just a "protective coating" issue, it is not a "major flaw", it's a manufacturing issue. And, given Apple's history, I think it's pretty certain that they will take care of everyone. There might however, be a glut of refurbs hitting the market, which could be a bonus for some people.
Really? Time to lay off the coffee.
I want to buy one, I want to use it as a phone. I will be paying €600. Coffee? I don't think so.
I tend to leave my wifi turned off unless I am at home, mainly to save battery. In any case, if you disable your wifi do you get the same results? I wonder if having both wifi and the 3g radio functioning at the same time has any bearing on this.
That's interesting.
That's interesting.
Yeah, unfortunately he tested this and at least he didn't get different results with wi-fi off. Oh well, I'll turn my Hypothesis Machine back to full speed.
A commenter at the Gizmondo story about this said he spoke to Apple, that they are sending him a replacement phone, and the problem stems from some units failing to get a "protective coating."
That makes far more sense than all the crap people are postulating... that Apple did this on purpose to sell bumper cases (please) or equally ridiculous... that Apple would screw up something this obvious. There's no chance Apple engineers wouldn't have foreseen this issue and come up with a workaround. Even if they are that dumb... it would not have be caught in testing. And of course Apple did testing with "naked" phones. There's no way that all of the testing was only done with phones in cases.
Well, if it is just a "protective coating" issue, it is not a "major flaw", it's a manufacturing issue. And, given Apple's history, I think it's pretty certain that they will take care of everyone. There might however, be a glut of refurbs hitting the market, which could be a bonus for some people.
Ooooooooo... excellent point
Same results with my 3GS after I read about this last night.
Exactly... after you read about it.
For me - this bar issue has been going on forever. With my 3GS I sit in the exact same spot at home when I use the phone for web etc, and my 3G or WiFi bars float up and down. This has been going on since day one ( a year now).
Granted, I cannot 'induce' it.
I'm just saying.... your milage may vary. Future results may not reflect past performance.
A commenter at the Gizmondo story about this said he spoke to Apple, that they are sending him a replacement phone, and the problem stems from some units failing to get a "protective coating."
(have a link for this?)
Hope springs eternal,
Mandricard
AppleOutsider
We need to be able to control the way the phone is used so that we can provide the best user experience possible. By ensuring the new iphone 4 is held with your right hand it allows us to control how application developers deploy their menus and action clicks. Especially the pinch to zoom capability. We have found pinching and zooming with the right hand vs the left hand to make the user experience less intuitive.
We understand that some members of the press who have a habit of stealing phones before they are released have tried to paint this as a problem. We assure you that we intended it to be this way, a right handed phone only.
Stevie Jobs
Note: This is a parody...in case you were too stupid to tell or too anal and got upset anyways.
It's not the end of the world and is easy to avoid for calling once you are aware of it.,I don't think it really matters if you are left or right handed, it's in a position that you may touch regardless. The worst part is that if you are playing a game, it's in the spot where you'd put your thumb. So you pretty much need to hold it by the glass if you are playing a network game, or want your phone to still be able to receive calls.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/s...d-left-handed/
Gizmodo has it (last video):
http://gizmodo.com/5571171/iphone-4-...yline=true&s=i
Now the big blogs have iPhone to retest for this specific issue, they all have it. Coincidence? Don't think so.
Har!
But seriously, things that crazy are not true in the vast majority of cases.
Indeed, things that crazy almost never happen.
That's why it's so crazy. Har.
It seems Apple didn't think too much about skin-to-metal from the issues I've been reading/hearing about so far.
Apple should have made something like a clearcoat on the metal, so the metal would still be seen (for visual design) and the skin would not come in contact with it. That should be problem solved. Another idea would have been to build in a clear bumper which also protects from drops as well.
I have thought long and hard about this and I have made my decision. Like many of my decisions, it will be ridiculed by companies that develop resource hogging video applications and phone platforms that are more suited for porn distribution. I have decided that Apple is going to be a right hand company going forward. It is unfortunate that you can not please everyone. However, we must choose our markets and 11% left handed population is not enough for us to focus on.
Haha!
Seriously though, if you hold it in your right hand while making a call with your pinky on that black slot it still drops calls - these are the latest videos popping up. So for right hand people on a call it will effect them, and when pecking with your right hand and hold with your left it will effect them: visa versa for lefties. But depending on the particular user, where the hand naturally rests may be ok or not. I see it actually affect more right handed users, as making calls is only a small % of iPhone usage. While web browsing most right handed people hold the phone in their left palm.