Apple posts five new job listings for antenna engineers
Apple posted five new job listings for antenna engineers June 23, the day before iPhone 4 launched.
The listings, including three positions for an "Antenna Engineer - iPad/iPhone" and two for an "iPhone OTA Wireless Systems Engineer," join nine other open positions related to antenna design and testing for iOS devices, with the oldest dating back to last summer.
The most recent postings were highlighted in a blog post by Engadget, which said that Apple began hiring "the same day that we started seeing widespread reporting of the left-handed reception issues."
In addition to the nine antenna-related positions, Apple lists at least 388 open positions related to the iPhone, from Acoustics Engineers to Camera Design Engineers to a Cellular Systems Architect to Cellular Protocol Software Engineers to Embedded Display Driver Engineers to iOS Battery Life Engineers to Analog Sensor Design Engineers, and Bluetooth and WiFi Engineers.
The company is not acknowledging any problem with the iPhone 4 antenna design, and instead noting to customers calling AppleCare that "gripping almost any mobile phone in certain areas will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world."
Independent testing by Anandtech found that iPhone 4 does suffer the highest signal drop when holding the phone without a case, compared to the iPhone 3GS and Nexus One, but also noted that the iPhone 4 antenna system is "reception is absolutely definitely improved," over the iPhone 3GS.
A parallel test by Richard Gaywood reported a drop in data throughput when the phone was held without a cover in a way that appeared to allow skin contact to interfere with antenna performance. "This is a factor that doesn't apply to other modern cell phones, because other modern cell phones don't have electrically active components in contact with their bare skin," he wrote.
An iPhone user demonstrated in a Vimeo video that cupping the phone to cause its signal bar to reach zero did not have a discernible effect on the actual quality of the call, suggesting that phone's software may be excessively sensitive in reporting signal drop.
iPhone 4 Reception "Issue" Has No Real Effect on Calls from P S on Vimeo.
The listings, including three positions for an "Antenna Engineer - iPad/iPhone" and two for an "iPhone OTA Wireless Systems Engineer," join nine other open positions related to antenna design and testing for iOS devices, with the oldest dating back to last summer.
The most recent postings were highlighted in a blog post by Engadget, which said that Apple began hiring "the same day that we started seeing widespread reporting of the left-handed reception issues."
In addition to the nine antenna-related positions, Apple lists at least 388 open positions related to the iPhone, from Acoustics Engineers to Camera Design Engineers to a Cellular Systems Architect to Cellular Protocol Software Engineers to Embedded Display Driver Engineers to iOS Battery Life Engineers to Analog Sensor Design Engineers, and Bluetooth and WiFi Engineers.
The company is not acknowledging any problem with the iPhone 4 antenna design, and instead noting to customers calling AppleCare that "gripping almost any mobile phone in certain areas will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world."
Independent testing by Anandtech found that iPhone 4 does suffer the highest signal drop when holding the phone without a case, compared to the iPhone 3GS and Nexus One, but also noted that the iPhone 4 antenna system is "reception is absolutely definitely improved," over the iPhone 3GS.
A parallel test by Richard Gaywood reported a drop in data throughput when the phone was held without a cover in a way that appeared to allow skin contact to interfere with antenna performance. "This is a factor that doesn't apply to other modern cell phones, because other modern cell phones don't have electrically active components in contact with their bare skin," he wrote.
An iPhone user demonstrated in a Vimeo video that cupping the phone to cause its signal bar to reach zero did not have a discernible effect on the actual quality of the call, suggesting that phone's software may be excessively sensitive in reporting signal drop.
iPhone 4 Reception "Issue" Has No Real Effect on Calls from P S on Vimeo.
Comments
The most recent postings were highlighted in a blog post by Engadget
is "highlighted" code-word for "we had no idea until another site broke the news"?
If only Steve Jobs had the humility to tell everyone he made a mistake instead of saying "you're holding it wrong" or "there is no problem".
Apple listed jobs for display and battery engineers so that means the display is shitty and the battery sucks, right?¡
Heck, he must have fired the entire iPhone team based on this article. It's just Steve and Jony left now.
Apple listed jobs for display and battery engineers so that means the display is shitty and the battery sucks, right?¡
Heh...
And those jobs posted for engineers at Siemens, Philips, GE and the like means that their engineering sucks too
Didn't you know companies only hire when they've had rabid bloggers complaining about a minority hardware issue?
It wouldn't be surprising if half of those job openings were in the final stages of candidate interviewing or have already been filled (i.e., the posting is a mere formality). Note: there are a bunch of Palm engineers looking for a change of scenery.
It's just business as usual.
Hiring antenna peeps? For what? Hmmm....
To bend coat hangers.
Apple listed jobs for display and battery engineers so that means the display is shitty and the battery sucks, right?¡
The hiring announcement has nothing to do with the thousands of reports of antenna malfunctions. Why? Because there is no antenna problem, period.
Everyone who is complaining about dropping signal is fabricating a story and using CGI effects.
Again for everyone else who has "problems" with their antennae: YOU ARE MAKING IT UP.
So they are hiring antenna engineers. So what? Apple is growing by leaps & bounds with their iOS products and they are constantly on the edge of innovation. They will certainly need more headcount to continue their R&D. The way corporations do their staffing, it just does not make any sense (except to you whiners) that Apple suddenly realized a goof after-the-fact and decided to suddenly increase their engineering department to do damage control. Makes no sense at all.
I'll bet you're all the same critics that complain why Apple doesn't hire more people when you felt they were ignoring OSX and shuffling people to work on iOS. This is exactly what they are doing. Just goes to show that you'll always have something to complain about.
My iPhone4 works great. Never a dropped call. Call-quality is leaps-and-bounds better compared to my 2g phone, and this is from San Francisco. That 5-bar fiasco seems more related (imho) to software algorithms than an actual (i.e. "real") problem.
Compared to the other handset makers, I'll place my trust that Apple will have a solution for this and snap you guys shut.
The hiring announcement has nothing to do with the thousands of reports of antenna malfunctions. Why? Because there is no antenna problem, period.
Everyone who is complaining about dropping signal is fabricating a story and using CGI effects.
Again for everyone else who has "problems" with their antennae: YOU ARE MAKING IT UP.
You are succumbing to paranoia and hysteria, which is what almost all conspiracy theorists suffer from. And Bush ordered the World Trade Center to be blown up, right?
The hiring announcement has nothing to do with the thousands of reports of antenna malfunctions. Why? Because there is no antenna problem, period.
Everyone who is complaining about dropping signal is fabricating a story and using CGI effects.
Again for everyone else who has "problems" with their antennae: YOU ARE MAKING IT UP.
There is more than enough evidence to support an issue with a subset of iPhone 4s being shipped. To say otherwise a week after they've arrived is shortsighted. Do you honestly think it's in any way likely all those people and reviewers also experiencing this issue have made CGI videos?
I'm pretty sure that different people can have very different effects on antennas (due to big differences in skin surface conductivity, fat layers etc.)
For instance, in my case (me being an alien), if I even walk near a radio antenna — it detunes!
Anyway, I tried this out on my iPhone 3G - trying to grip/squeeze the bottom part of it as tightly as possible, and yes — I managed to reduce the bars from 5 to 1! (although it went back up to five again while I was holding it
But generally I try to hold my phone like a normal human, ie. thumb one edge, index finger on the back and the remaining two (or three) fingers on the other edge.
http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=11158
There is more than enough evidence to support an issue with a subset of iPhone 4s being shipped. To say otherwise a week after they've arrived is shortsighted. Do you honestly think it's in any way likely all those people and reviewers also experiencing this issue have made CGI videos?
Sol, I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic...
Sol, I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic...
I'm pretty sure you read my mind.