All of my cables and other accessories that plug into the dock port are still working, with the exception of the cable that came with my Griffin car charger. The problem with that charger is that its dock plug is too thick to make it through the associated slit in the bumper that I have around the phone. So it doesn't make a clean connection. Perhaps you are having the same issue, i.e. a problem with the bumper, not the phone?
Thompson
My Griffin car charger stopped working as well. I thought it was clicking into place securely though as the iPhone 4 would chime that it was connected. It just wouldn't charge after that. I'll have to check it again though. Hopefully it is just the connector head and not something with the plug hardware.
It IS interesting, though, that the loudest complainers on this topic are people who don't even own the phone - and the same people who have been whining about everything Apple does for years. That suggests that they're whining simply because that's what they do. If it wasn't the antenna issue, they'd complain about something else.
Unfortunately, you are right.
I personally have been adding and posting the worse ones to my ignore list and certainly, AI helps make it easier and more pleasant to read especially on my iPhone once the trash is covered up. I would gladly add more. If you or any other members have their own list, it would certainly make it easier.
Very few people here are tolerant to any apple criticism.. including real, honest and factual criticism.
I got a iPhone 4 32GB and I have suffered 10+ dropped calls at my home and I did not drop that many in 2 years of 3GS (well, before you yell, both my wife and I had 3GS since early days of it, so 1yr + 1yr = 2yrs). I love 4 in all other aspects, but guys, dropped calls and RF problems are real!!
Actually I'd say there are more people around here that are tolerant than not. It's just those that aren't tolerant then to shout a lot and spout a lot of crap. I feel your pain dude, let's hold Apple's feet to the fire on this one.
And you, Dave Barnes, are practicing your "Marketing Tactics" in the hopes that you will find some gullible people who will decide not to buy iPhone 4 after finding your statement in a Google search. First tactic: claiming that, not you, but your wife, has the new iPhone. That shows so much objectivity. Second, presenting such a suave description of the reception problem; surely a sophisticated guy like you wouldn't get upset about it, but maybe someone else ought to. Great technique for trying to cultivate doubt and panic.
Feel free to collect your Android check, but give your audience maybe just a tiny bit more credit than your "tactics" would admit. After all, there are millions of "Apple Fanboys" who are getting tired of the label.
The word "paranoid" comes to mind. You need help mate.
ATT has just complicated the problem with their poor connectivity.
The issue has very little to do with AT&T. People have the same issue in all the countries the iPhone came out it. Where have you been the last two days?
Are you really that much against getting a bumper, which serves to also protect the phone in case of a drop? (The bumper even does come up a bit above the edge, making it likely that the rubber will hit the ground first if you drop it on a flat surface.)
I have verified that the bumper prevents this signal issue.
Thompson
Of all the cases I've used with my various iDevices, the black Bumper for the iPhone 4 is the best design match of all that I've owned. While it wraps snugly around the stainless steel band (concealing the "industrial look" of the new iPhone design), the Bumper's own polished surfaces exactly match the glass front and back of the iPhone 4 itself. This, to me, creates a very unified "extension" of the iPhone 4's fit and finish rather than detracting from its aesthetics. Adding to that last point, the Bumper adds no significant bulk to the iPhone 4 at all?less, in fact, than what the InCase two-piece shell adds to my 3G?and is much thinner than I'd imagined it would be, or even appears when not installed on the iPhone 4. That it also offers a solution for the signal loss/attenuation problem some people are reporting is a plus as well (which isn't to say that the attenuation problem isn't an issue that needs to be addressed by Apple).
I bought a Bumper with my iPhone 4 (intended to do from the start, but became convinced was the smart move when I read about the reception/attenuation problems I might run into without it). I'm not experiencing any signal loss/attenuation issues with my iPhone 4 at all. Echoing the article, the fit and finish are spires above Apple's previous iPhone offerings and lightyears ahead of the competition. Function may be lagging behind form for some, but the Bumper is an excellent bridge for the time being.
I believe there is general agreement that some percentage of iPhone 4 users are experiencing problems with the 3G antenna.
I think it is too early to tell if the problem can be resolved with a software/firmware fix.
Let's say that it is a design defect that can only be resolved by changing the hardware-- say, move the separators on both sides down to the bottom of the phone where it would be difficult to hold the phone in such a way to short the antenna, (This could be done internally by deadening the bottom antenna areas that extend up from the bottom on each side)
Let's say that Apple revises the design and comes out with rev 1 hardware, say, by Aug 1.
At that time, lets assume there will be 1.5 million defective rev 0 iPhone 4s sold and delivered.
The important question is: What does Apple do?
I'll tell you what have done. They have told us to: "just don't hold it in that way". Or buy one of the many cases available.
If you are gullible enough then they have done the right thing for you, their customer. If you are being honest with yourself, they have just fucked up a product royally, and blamed you the customer for holding the product wrong. They have just kicked in the balls after taking your money. To accept that it stupid. And it doesn't even serve to make Apple a better company. All it serves them with is the knowledge if they fuck up with something as stupid as putting a mobile phone antenna right where you hold the phone normally their customers will sit there and take it like a bunch of idiot zombies.
Question: If it is firmware fixable, why didn't Steve just say that?
Because the only info I have that it is software fixable is a very shady story on Apple Insider.
The flames will be coming I assure you but it won't be from me. The iPhone , in terms of hardware, is flawless. The antenna MAY BE something else.
You cannot mention design until we see a solution to the problem. Right now it seems like this is an issue with at least 50% of all iPhones. I presume Apple has an answer but you never know. If it is a recall then it will be a massive one.
I'd be very surprised to see a recall... unless this is a manufacturing defect. I suspect we'll see a software update tomorrow.
It IS interesting, though, that the loudest complainers on this topic are people who don't even own the phone.
That comment is total bollocks, all the videos on YouTube with people complaining are people who own the phone, and plenty of people here who got the issue on their newly purchased phone are complaining.
Steve Jobs thinks those who have the problem are holding it wrong, he said so. And he's rightly being called for talking out his ass.
You don't need to own the phone to complain, Steve gave us all enough reason for that. I like everything else about the iPhone 4. Stop spreading FUD. People who don't own the phone are also complaining because they wanted the phone, but now they can't get it because there is a legit issue, and Apple aren't as of yet even publicly admitting it. They are telling us to buy cases? Give me a fucking break. Apple used to care about design, now when they have an issue as big as this they want their customers to cover it up for them? It's so bad it's difficult to believe.
I'd be very surprised to see a recall... unless this is a manufacturing defect. I suspect we'll see a software update tomorrow.
A lot of people are expecting a software fix Monday or Tuesday, frankly something tells me we won't be seeing it. After all Steve said: "just don't hold it in that way" or "buy a case". He never mentioned it's just a software bug, expect a fix very soon, and until then just avoid holding it in that way. That would have been something you'd expect if a software fix was coming. He didn't say that because it's probably not a software issue.
It's worth knowing that this issue was predicted by a antenna scientist two weeks before the iPhone came out.
Vis-a-vis the antenna issue: I haven't experienced dropped calls or decreased data speed (using Speedtest or bringing up web pages) with any grip I've tried (though perhaps my hands aren't sweaty enough). I've already made and received calls in places where I couldn't get service with my 3G phone, and I have yet to have a call fail in my house (where probably 30-50% of my 3G phone calls would fail).
Besides the display, which continues to amaze me, I'd have to say the biggest pleasant surprise is that 3G service on my new phone feels as fast as WiFi service on my old (3G) phone--not upgrading to the 3GS last year is the reason, of course, but I'm sure appreciating the MAJOR speed increase for all functions.
This has been my experience as well. Upgrading from the iPhone 3G has been a real treat in every respect!
Quote:
Originally Posted by AkamaiGuy
This phone is WAY easier to drop, though, than my 3G, so I'll be ponying up either for a bumper or -- hopefully -- a knockoff since $30 is an excessive price, I think, for a rubber ring that probably costs $5 including packaging. It'll be a damn shame to hide the stainless steel design though.
Because of the change in shape, the feeling in the hand is a bit less familiar and takes some getting used to. I wouldn't go so far as to say the iPhone 4 is "WAY easier to drop" though. I've always been very careful with my iPhones and have instinctively been even more so with this new one. Like the article states, it seems so much nicer than the previous models (possibly because the stainless steel band and FRONT AND BACK GLASS SURFACES are higher quality than the plastic casing of the iPhone 3G and 3GS); I'm more mindful about protecting it.
A lot of people here keep knocking the price of the Bumper as exorbitant, but I disagree. I find the price to be no more excessive than the prices for other cases, and the Bumper's build quality is easily just as good (or better) than many other options out there. I don't know if you've seen the Bumper up close, but it isn't just an ugly piece of rubber stretched around the edge of the phone. It features some aesthetic design cues that elevate its own fit and finish to a level "worthy" of the iPhone 4's sophistication. Third-party cases will appear soon enough, I'm sure, so you'll be able to find something if Apple's Bumper doesn't do it for you. But I can't imagine them costing much less than $30, not the quality ones anyway.
Of all the cases I've used with my various iDevices, the black Bumper for the iPhone 4 is the best design match of all that I've owned. While it wraps snugly around the stainless steel band (concealing the "industrial look" of the new iPhone design), the Bumper's own polished surfaces exactly match the glass front and back of the iPhone 4 itself. This, to me, creates a very unified "extension" of the iPhone 4's fit and finish rather than detracting from its aesthetics. Adding to that last point, the Bumper adds no significant bulk to the iPhone 4 at all?less, in fact, than what the InCase two-piece shell adds to my 3G?and is much thinner than I'd imagined it would be, or even appears when not installed on the iPhone 4. That it also offers a solution for the signal loss/attenuation problem some people are reporting is a plus as well (which isn't to say that the attenuation problem isn't an issue that needs to be addressed by Apple).
I bought a Bumper with my iPhone 4 (intended to do from the start, but became convinced was the smart move when I read about the reception/attenuation problems I might run into without it). I'm not experiencing any signal loss/attenuation issues with my iPhone 4 at all. Echoing the article, the fit and finish are spires above Apple's previous iPhone offerings and lightyears ahead of the competition. Function may be lagging behind form for some, but the Bumper is an excellent bridge for the time being.
nicely written fluff piece. dude, try including some content and actually describing your experience. was there anything you liked (look, feel, weight in the hand).
was there anything you disliked (it can't play all the music files itunes can handle, people bitch and moan about the antenna... although I haven't had any trouble, some of them have yellow spots on the screen, the glass on the back is different from the gorilla glass on the front and is likely to pick up scratches, it doesn't make a very good margharita, etc.).
I've got one, I really like it, but there are some real issues with this handset too -- give us the straight dope! no, the antenna thing is not a big deal; yes the voice recognition software kinda blows compared to android.
oh, and comparing it to every other phone out there, it looks and feels amazing.
You do realise that this is the first of a set of reviews, this one just covers Hardware Fit and Finish.
Well I guess I'm dumb, I'm getting one as soon as they launch in Australia despite all the whining.
I'll probably get a case or see f it fits in one of the many 3G cases I already have.
I can't wait to play some of the games I have which suffer performance issues on my 3G.
Oh, and by the way I have been observing the way I use my iPhone and I don't hold it so I am touching the bottom left corner I hold it mainly using my fingertips with the back of the phone supported on my palm.
but in this case, the BMW won't stay running for no more than 20 to 30 seconds before the engine dies while the Taurus keeps running right along...
I'm sorry, but how many BMW's are on the road today? And how many Taurus's are on the road? I see none in California, or very rarely. I used to own a Taurus... it was a piece of junk, it gave new meaning to "breaking my wallet". On the other hand, my friends had had BMW's that have been reliable as a Honda.
How convenient. I wonder it that's because it covers up a flaw on the iPhone's design. Don't answer.
I was addressing the visual aesthetics of the iPhone 4/Bumper pairing, not the function of the phone. And I think that was quite clear. In other words, my response was *gasp* on topic!
Comments
All of my cables and other accessories that plug into the dock port are still working, with the exception of the cable that came with my Griffin car charger. The problem with that charger is that its dock plug is too thick to make it through the associated slit in the bumper that I have around the phone. So it doesn't make a clean connection. Perhaps you are having the same issue, i.e. a problem with the bumper, not the phone?
Thompson
My Griffin car charger stopped working as well. I thought it was clicking into place securely though as the iPhone 4 would chime that it was connected. It just wouldn't charge after that. I'll have to check it again though. Hopefully it is just the connector head and not something with the plug hardware.
It IS interesting, though, that the loudest complainers on this topic are people who don't even own the phone - and the same people who have been whining about everything Apple does for years. That suggests that they're whining simply because that's what they do. If it wasn't the antenna issue, they'd complain about something else.
Unfortunately, you are right.
I personally have been adding and posting the worse ones to my ignore list and certainly, AI helps make it easier and more pleasant to read especially on my iPhone once the trash is covered up. I would gladly add more. If you or any other members have their own list, it would certainly make it easier.
Very few people here are tolerant to any apple criticism.. including real, honest and factual criticism.
I got a iPhone 4 32GB and I have suffered 10+ dropped calls at my home and I did not drop that many in 2 years of 3GS (well, before you yell, both my wife and I had 3GS since early days of it, so 1yr + 1yr = 2yrs). I love 4 in all other aspects, but guys, dropped calls and RF problems are real!!
Actually I'd say there are more people around here that are tolerant than not. It's just those that aren't tolerant then to shout a lot and spout a lot of crap. I feel your pain dude, let's hold Apple's feet to the fire on this one.
www.marketingtactics.com
And you, Dave Barnes, are practicing your "Marketing Tactics" in the hopes that you will find some gullible people who will decide not to buy iPhone 4 after finding your statement in a Google search. First tactic: claiming that, not you, but your wife, has the new iPhone. That shows so much objectivity. Second, presenting such a suave description of the reception problem; surely a sophisticated guy like you wouldn't get upset about it, but maybe someone else ought to. Great technique for trying to cultivate doubt and panic.
Feel free to collect your Android check, but give your audience maybe just a tiny bit more credit than your "tactics" would admit. After all, there are millions of "Apple Fanboys" who are getting tired of the label.
The word "paranoid" comes to mind. You need help mate.
Not the one that shows signal strength though.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Apple has raised the bar, it's just up to us to lower them by holding our iPhone 4's in a regular manner.
ATT has just complicated the problem with their poor connectivity.
The issue has very little to do with AT&T. People have the same issue in all the countries the iPhone came out it. Where have you been the last two days?
Are you really that much against getting a bumper, which serves to also protect the phone in case of a drop? (The bumper even does come up a bit above the edge, making it likely that the rubber will hit the ground first if you drop it on a flat surface.)
I have verified that the bumper prevents this signal issue.
Thompson
Of all the cases I've used with my various iDevices, the black Bumper for the iPhone 4 is the best design match of all that I've owned. While it wraps snugly around the stainless steel band (concealing the "industrial look" of the new iPhone design), the Bumper's own polished surfaces exactly match the glass front and back of the iPhone 4 itself. This, to me, creates a very unified "extension" of the iPhone 4's fit and finish rather than detracting from its aesthetics. Adding to that last point, the Bumper adds no significant bulk to the iPhone 4 at all?less, in fact, than what the InCase two-piece shell adds to my 3G?and is much thinner than I'd imagined it would be, or even appears when not installed on the iPhone 4. That it also offers a solution for the signal loss/attenuation problem some people are reporting is a plus as well (which isn't to say that the attenuation problem isn't an issue that needs to be addressed by Apple).
I bought a Bumper with my iPhone 4 (intended to do from the start, but became convinced was the smart move when I read about the reception/attenuation problems I might run into without it). I'm not experiencing any signal loss/attenuation issues with my iPhone 4 at all. Echoing the article, the fit and finish are spires above Apple's previous iPhone offerings and lightyears ahead of the competition. Function may be lagging behind form for some, but the Bumper is an excellent bridge for the time being.
I believe there is general agreement that some percentage of iPhone 4 users are experiencing problems with the 3G antenna.
I think it is too early to tell if the problem can be resolved with a software/firmware fix.
Let's say that it is a design defect that can only be resolved by changing the hardware-- say, move the separators on both sides down to the bottom of the phone where it would be difficult to hold the phone in such a way to short the antenna, (This could be done internally by deadening the bottom antenna areas that extend up from the bottom on each side)
Let's say that Apple revises the design and comes out with rev 1 hardware, say, by Aug 1.
At that time, lets assume there will be 1.5 million defective rev 0 iPhone 4s sold and delivered.
The important question is: What does Apple do?
I'll tell you what have done. They have told us to: "just don't hold it in that way". Or buy one of the many cases available.
If you are gullible enough then they have done the right thing for you, their customer. If you are being honest with yourself, they have just fucked up a product royally, and blamed you the customer for holding the product wrong. They have just kicked in the balls after taking your money. To accept that it stupid. And it doesn't even serve to make Apple a better company. All it serves them with is the knowledge if they fuck up with something as stupid as putting a mobile phone antenna right where you hold the phone normally their customers will sit there and take it like a bunch of idiot zombies.
Question: If it is firmware fixable, why didn't Steve just say that?
Because the only info I have that it is software fixable is a very shady story on Apple Insider.
The flames will be coming I assure you but it won't be from me. The iPhone , in terms of hardware, is flawless. The antenna MAY BE something else.
You cannot mention design until we see a solution to the problem. Right now it seems like this is an issue with at least 50% of all iPhones. I presume Apple has an answer but you never know. If it is a recall then it will be a massive one.
I'd be very surprised to see a recall... unless this is a manufacturing defect. I suspect we'll see a software update tomorrow.
It IS interesting, though, that the loudest complainers on this topic are people who don't even own the phone.
That comment is total bollocks, all the videos on YouTube with people complaining are people who own the phone, and plenty of people here who got the issue on their newly purchased phone are complaining.
Steve Jobs thinks those who have the problem are holding it wrong, he said so. And he's rightly being called for talking out his ass.
You don't need to own the phone to complain, Steve gave us all enough reason for that. I like everything else about the iPhone 4. Stop spreading FUD. People who don't own the phone are also complaining because they wanted the phone, but now they can't get it because there is a legit issue, and Apple aren't as of yet even publicly admitting it. They are telling us to buy cases? Give me a fucking break. Apple used to care about design, now when they have an issue as big as this they want their customers to cover it up for them? It's so bad it's difficult to believe.
Of all the cases I've used with my various iDevices, the black Bumper for the iPhone 4 is the best design match of all that I've owned.
How convenient. I wonder it that's because it covers up a flaw on the iPhone's design. Don't answer.
I'd be very surprised to see a recall... unless this is a manufacturing defect. I suspect we'll see a software update tomorrow.
A lot of people are expecting a software fix Monday or Tuesday, frankly something tells me we won't be seeing it. After all Steve said: "just don't hold it in that way" or "buy a case". He never mentioned it's just a software bug, expect a fix very soon, and until then just avoid holding it in that way. That would have been something you'd expect if a software fix was coming. He didn't say that because it's probably not a software issue.
It's worth knowing that this issue was predicted by a antenna scientist two weeks before the iPhone came out.
Chiming in with my experience:
Vis-a-vis the antenna issue: I haven't experienced dropped calls or decreased data speed (using Speedtest or bringing up web pages) with any grip I've tried (though perhaps my hands aren't sweaty enough). I've already made and received calls in places where I couldn't get service with my 3G phone, and I have yet to have a call fail in my house (where probably 30-50% of my 3G phone calls would fail).
Besides the display, which continues to amaze me, I'd have to say the biggest pleasant surprise is that 3G service on my new phone feels as fast as WiFi service on my old (3G) phone--not upgrading to the 3GS last year is the reason, of course, but I'm sure appreciating the MAJOR speed increase for all functions.
This has been my experience as well. Upgrading from the iPhone 3G has been a real treat in every respect!
This phone is WAY easier to drop, though, than my 3G, so I'll be ponying up either for a bumper or -- hopefully -- a knockoff since $30 is an excessive price, I think, for a rubber ring that probably costs $5 including packaging. It'll be a damn shame to hide the stainless steel design though.
Because of the change in shape, the feeling in the hand is a bit less familiar and takes some getting used to. I wouldn't go so far as to say the iPhone 4 is "WAY easier to drop" though. I've always been very careful with my iPhones and have instinctively been even more so with this new one. Like the article states, it seems so much nicer than the previous models (possibly because the stainless steel band and FRONT AND BACK GLASS SURFACES are higher quality than the plastic casing of the iPhone 3G and 3GS); I'm more mindful about protecting it.
A lot of people here keep knocking the price of the Bumper as exorbitant, but I disagree. I find the price to be no more excessive than the prices for other cases, and the Bumper's build quality is easily just as good (or better) than many other options out there. I don't know if you've seen the Bumper up close, but it isn't just an ugly piece of rubber stretched around the edge of the phone. It features some aesthetic design cues that elevate its own fit and finish to a level "worthy" of the iPhone 4's sophistication. Third-party cases will appear soon enough, I'm sure, so you'll be able to find something if Apple's Bumper doesn't do it for you. But I can't imagine them costing much less than $30, not the quality ones anyway.
Of all the cases I've used with my various iDevices, the black Bumper for the iPhone 4 is the best design match of all that I've owned. While it wraps snugly around the stainless steel band (concealing the "industrial look" of the new iPhone design), the Bumper's own polished surfaces exactly match the glass front and back of the iPhone 4 itself. This, to me, creates a very unified "extension" of the iPhone 4's fit and finish rather than detracting from its aesthetics. Adding to that last point, the Bumper adds no significant bulk to the iPhone 4 at all?less, in fact, than what the InCase two-piece shell adds to my 3G?and is much thinner than I'd imagined it would be, or even appears when not installed on the iPhone 4. That it also offers a solution for the signal loss/attenuation problem some people are reporting is a plus as well (which isn't to say that the attenuation problem isn't an issue that needs to be addressed by Apple).
I bought a Bumper with my iPhone 4 (intended to do from the start, but became convinced was the smart move when I read about the reception/attenuation problems I might run into without it). I'm not experiencing any signal loss/attenuation issues with my iPhone 4 at all. Echoing the article, the fit and finish are spires above Apple's previous iPhone offerings and lightyears ahead of the competition. Function may be lagging behind form for some, but the Bumper is an excellent bridge for the time being.
Wow, that Kool Aid sure tastes great, huh?
Steve just admitted it's fixable with a software update.
nicely written fluff piece. dude, try including some content and actually describing your experience. was there anything you liked (look, feel, weight in the hand).
was there anything you disliked (it can't play all the music files itunes can handle, people bitch and moan about the antenna... although I haven't had any trouble, some of them have yellow spots on the screen, the glass on the back is different from the gorilla glass on the front and is likely to pick up scratches, it doesn't make a very good margharita, etc.).
I've got one, I really like it, but there are some real issues with this handset too -- give us the straight dope! no, the antenna thing is not a big deal; yes the voice recognition software kinda blows compared to android.
oh, and comparing it to every other phone out there, it looks and feels amazing.
You do realise that this is the first of a set of reviews, this one just covers Hardware Fit and Finish.
The details you want will be in later reviews.
http://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/27/...ue-stay-tuned/
Steve just admitted it's fixable with a software update.
We'll see. If it is then great, but I'm not holding my breath.
I'll probably get a case or see f it fits in one of the many 3G cases I already have.
I can't wait to play some of the games I have which suffer performance issues on my 3G.
Oh, and by the way I have been observing the way I use my iPhone and I don't hold it so I am touching the bottom left corner I hold it mainly using my fingertips with the back of the phone supported on my palm.
Don't kid yourself...blah, blah, blah.
but in this case, the BMW won't stay running for no more than 20 to 30 seconds before the engine dies while the Taurus keeps running right along...
I'm sorry, but how many BMW's are on the road today? And how many Taurus's are on the road? I see none in California, or very rarely. I used to own a Taurus... it was a piece of junk, it gave new meaning to "breaking my wallet". On the other hand, my friends had had BMW's that have been reliable as a Honda.
How convenient. I wonder it that's because it covers up a flaw on the iPhone's design. Don't answer.
I was addressing the visual aesthetics of the iPhone 4/Bumper pairing, not the function of the phone. And I think that was quite clear. In other words, my response was *gasp* on topic!