An RF engineer interviewed by Leo LaPorte and referenced on latest MacBreak weekly podcast stated categorically that this business of bridging the two antennas with skin is pure nonsense. The tape solution is useless because there is no problem there. The actual problem has to do with signal blocking, and that occurs when the hand covers enough of the antenna when signal strength is already weak. This calls into question CR's results. I generally respect their intentions, but I don't think they researched this issue fully enough before announcing results. Hope Apple challenges them.
I agree.
Consumer Reports as an organisation responds very quickly to user input. It pretty much has to given what it does. So I read this as them being forced to test by reason of hundreds of consumers who contacted them because they were angry over the first report. This report walks back the first report a bit, but it's not necessarily definitive (or even accurate based on what you say above), and it still doesn't say anything wildly different from Apple's own statements on the problem.
Essentially it just says that if you're in an area of weak signal, blocking the antenna will degrade the signal so much that it may drop. Almost word for word what Apple's statement was.
Am I the only one that actually *likes* the new antenna design? I have used a few cellphones and it always annoyed me how you could never seriously tell what the signal was and how there was seemingly no relation between the bars and the signal you are getting. It was all so vague.
I *love* the fact that iPhone 4's bars will now tell you more accurately when you have a bad signal, and I *love* the fact that I can easily see if I'm blocking the antenna or not. It's not hard to hold the phone "the proper way," in fact it's easier than any other way. I find it a bonus that now I know exactly how to hold the phone to get the best signal even when i'm in a low signal area.
Well, this debate has been raging forever and while I'm sick of hearing about it, as a professional in the industry I'm interested to see how it plays out.
I've held 3 different iPhone 4 devices in my hand and deliberately covered the "bad spot", held it tight, and made calls. I haven't been able to duplicate the problem myself.
At the same time, I've always trusted Consumer Reports testing methods, and I don't believe they're lying. I just find it odd that if it's a design problem, it can't be reproduced 100% of the time. It should be simple: touch the black strip, have a reception issue. Clearly that's not the case though, as even CR was at first unable to duplicate the problem.
So what the heck is really going on? I'm fascinated to find out. Is it a minor problem that only occurs in bad reception areas? Does it have to do with the person holding it (they could be sweating, or have particularly conductive in some way)? Or is it a glitch that affects some percentage of phones, while others are spared?
I'm also pleased as heck that my 3GS is still in pristine condition with a strong battery, and I have no use for a front-facing camera.
The problem is real, but it is not as simple as bridging the 2 points. It is a matter of covering a certain part of the antenna and somehow "blocking" the signal.
Many people have latched on to this point and said that maybe Apple should have left the antenna inside the phone but putting it inside the phone would have made the initial signal weaker to begin with, probably not much different from covering it with the "grip of death".
It is a matter of compromise. Have a weaker but consistant signal all around by having the antenna on the inside and insulated or have better reception most of the time except when you cover a certain part of the antenna? Even then, the worst reception of an external antenna may be exactly the same as the best for an internal antenna.
You make some very good points. But you should know that, in my experience (with my handset), it is not only in weak signal areas: it happens when there is a full five bars (I've now seen that in five different cities I've traveled to).
Good luck with yours!
But that's exactly what he's saying. What appears to be 5 full bars to you, could really be a 3-bar signal area, and maybe not even a stable one at that.
I've been in areas where, standing still, the signal will flucuate between 2-4 bars for no obvious reason.
Fixing the software will not fix the hardware design problem, but it will at least let you know for certain what the true signal strength is when the problem occurs. so we can make a valid determination. Remember, right now 5 bars is probably not 5 bars.
As has been noted before in the letter sent to Jobs from that PhD guy, this issue is extremely simple to fix. Simply spray a coating of some kind of plastic material over the problem area on the phone. It won't even be visible. Apple Stores will probably offer this for free in the near future. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to do it yourself though, so this isn't really a problem. Sure, the phone shouldn't have had this issue in the first place, but so long as Apple offers a free and simple fix like the one mentioned I don't have any issue with it. I'm still gonna get an iPhone 4 as soon as it goes on sale here in Norway. Calm down people. This is a problem, but the solution is either free or extremely cheap, and easy to implement.
It's been over 20 years that I wrote off Consumer Reports as a credible organization for evaluating technology and electronics. For the most part I have found their recommendations a joke and not worthy of my time. For good reason they have typically been ignored by the tech media, and it was only recently did they garner some interest among Apple owners because of their strong recommendations of Apple products.
I'd bet money that CR rated Dell Optimus computers very highly in 2003-05, the very time that Dell was blanketing the market with knowingly defective computers.
With it recently rating Mac computers so highly, I was beginning to think that Consumer Reports might actually be worth reading after all. I'm relieved they sent out this about-face on the iPhone 4, they re-affirmed my view of how bad they are.
My iPhone 4's reception is the best I've ever had in a cell phone...
It's not hard to hold the phone "the proper way," in fact it's easier than any other way. I find it a bonus that now I know exactly how to hold the phone to get the best signal even when i'm in a low signal area.
There are seemingly sufficient customers of your profile for Apple to make record profits. But we stockholders need even more.
Good for you! Tell all your friends that is NOT a bug, but instead, it is a wonderful feature!
Not an issue. Love it. The reception is much better than I had with 3G and 3Gs. If you ever get into a twilight zone of dead reception, just don't cover the gap if you are so concerned.
Not knowing exactly the entire process behind the writing, approval and posting of the letter, I will only say that it was a bit of stupidity as a PR move.
But, it's possible that at the time they wrote and posted it, they either weren't aware of, or in denial about, the issue of bridging the seam, and the letter was intended to be one of those, "This isn't really an issue and here's why," things that they considered would be of no consequence in the long-run.
We don't know the process, but we do know that Apple is very careful with the information they release. If they said that the bars display algorithm was a bug, a mistake, a surprise, then they were either being truthful and it is a bug or they were lying.
This Consumer Report video of the iPhone4 is absolute pure win!
Outstanding Pure Win!
Do you hear that Mr. Jobs? Consumer Reports cannot recommend the iPhone4.
But I guess this is a "Non Issue"
However there is still light at the end of the Tunnel former Apple boys n girls.
Its called.....
*btw..... where are those sexy White iPhone4's?
Or did they walk off the job and transform into White HTC's. Rumor has it that HTC in White has surfaced the retail floor today!
Oh yey! Something even more unreliable! That's what I need. Seriously I would buy an non Apple smartphone, but until they get rid of this android rubbish, I just won't. WebOS save us... please!
Comments
Spend your time doing something about the gulf spill. Contact your reps in congress, put your fat mouth to work for something worthwhile!
Apple extends the unemployment number by one. In other news, Design Guru, Jonathon Ives, is looking for a new gig...
Nah, Steve was probably 100% behind Jonny Ives on this one and they were both loving it. Get my drift?
Loving my iPad though, hey, Apple's not perfect, they just went one design step too far on the iPhone4.
Citation needed.
Not really, it's pretty obvious.
An RF engineer interviewed by Leo LaPorte and referenced on latest MacBreak weekly podcast stated categorically that this business of bridging the two antennas with skin is pure nonsense. The tape solution is useless because there is no problem there. The actual problem has to do with signal blocking, and that occurs when the hand covers enough of the antenna when signal strength is already weak. This calls into question CR's results. I generally respect their intentions, but I don't think they researched this issue fully enough before announcing results. Hope Apple challenges them.
I agree.
Consumer Reports as an organisation responds very quickly to user input. It pretty much has to given what it does. So I read this as them being forced to test by reason of hundreds of consumers who contacted them because they were angry over the first report. This report walks back the first report a bit, but it's not necessarily definitive (or even accurate based on what you say above), and it still doesn't say anything wildly different from Apple's own statements on the problem.
Essentially it just says that if you're in an area of weak signal, blocking the antenna will degrade the signal so much that it may drop. Almost word for word what Apple's statement was.
Am I the only one that actually *likes* the new antenna design? I have used a few cellphones and it always annoyed me how you could never seriously tell what the signal was and how there was seemingly no relation between the bars and the signal you are getting. It was all so vague.
I *love* the fact that iPhone 4's bars will now tell you more accurately when you have a bad signal, and I *love* the fact that I can easily see if I'm blocking the antenna or not. It's not hard to hold the phone "the proper way," in fact it's easier than any other way. I find it a bonus that now I know exactly how to hold the phone to get the best signal even when i'm in a low signal area.
I've held 3 different iPhone 4 devices in my hand and deliberately covered the "bad spot", held it tight, and made calls. I haven't been able to duplicate the problem myself.
At the same time, I've always trusted Consumer Reports testing methods, and I don't believe they're lying. I just find it odd that if it's a design problem, it can't be reproduced 100% of the time. It should be simple: touch the black strip, have a reception issue. Clearly that's not the case though, as even CR was at first unable to duplicate the problem.
So what the heck is really going on? I'm fascinated to find out. Is it a minor problem that only occurs in bad reception areas? Does it have to do with the person holding it (they could be sweating, or have particularly conductive in some way)? Or is it a glitch that affects some percentage of phones, while others are spared?
I'm also pleased as heck that my 3GS is still in pristine condition with a strong battery, and I have no use for a front-facing camera.
Has anyone experienced real time issues with the reception and call quality of the iPhone 4?
This is a non issue. The only "problem" is the bar display, which is going to be improved in a software update real soon now.
The problem is real, but it is not as simple as bridging the 2 points. It is a matter of covering a certain part of the antenna and somehow "blocking" the signal.
Many people have latched on to this point and said that maybe Apple should have left the antenna inside the phone but putting it inside the phone would have made the initial signal weaker to begin with, probably not much different from covering it with the "grip of death".
It is a matter of compromise. Have a weaker but consistant signal all around by having the antenna on the inside and insulated or have better reception most of the time except when you cover a certain part of the antenna? Even then, the worst reception of an external antenna may be exactly the same as the best for an internal antenna.
This is a non issue. The only "problem" is the bar display, which is going to be improved in a software update real soon now.
You make some very good points. But you should know that, in my experience (with my handset), it is not only in weak signal areas: it happens when there is a full five bars (I've now seen that in five different cities I've traveled to).
Good luck with yours!
But that's exactly what he's saying. What appears to be 5 full bars to you, could really be a 3-bar signal area, and maybe not even a stable one at that.
I've been in areas where, standing still, the signal will flucuate between 2-4 bars for no obvious reason.
Fixing the software will not fix the hardware design problem, but it will at least let you know for certain what the true signal strength is when the problem occurs. so we can make a valid determination. Remember, right now 5 bars is probably not 5 bars.
As has been noted before in the letter sent to Jobs from that PhD guy, this issue is extremely simple to fix. Simply spray a coating of some kind of plastic material over the problem area on the phone. It won't even be visible. Apple Stores will probably offer this for free in the near future. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to do it yourself though, so this isn't really a problem. Sure, the phone shouldn't have had this issue in the first place, but so long as Apple offers a free and simple fix like the one mentioned I don't have any issue with it. I'm still gonna get an iPhone 4 as soon as it goes on sale here in Norway. Calm down people. This is a problem, but the solution is either free or extremely cheap, and easy to implement.
if you enter ZAGG's weekly FREE iPad contest, they email you a discount code from 20-50% off you can use to get their iPhone 4 Full Body Maximum Coverage kit for less than their $25 list price. I ordered mine last week for 50% off. Problem solved.
Still waiting for White though.
I'd bet money that CR rated Dell Optimus computers very highly in 2003-05, the very time that Dell was blanketing the market with knowingly defective computers.
With it recently rating Mac computers so highly, I was beginning to think that Consumer Reports might actually be worth reading after all. I'm relieved they sent out this about-face on the iPhone 4, they re-affirmed my view of how bad they are.
My iPhone 4's reception is the best I've ever had in a cell phone...
For all of the people that bashed the ones of us that said there is a problem and pointed out that Consumer Reports said it was "OK", SUCK IT.
present it?
It's not hard to hold the phone "the proper way," in fact it's easier than any other way. I find it a bonus that now I know exactly how to hold the phone to get the best signal even when i'm in a low signal area.
There are seemingly sufficient customers of your profile for Apple to make record profits. But we stockholders need even more.
Good for you! Tell all your friends that is NOT a bug, but instead, it is a wonderful feature!
This Consumer Report video of the iPhone4 is absolute pure win!
Outstanding Pure Win!
Do you hear that Mr. Jobs? Consumer Reports cannot recommend the iPhone4.
But I guess this is a "Non Issue"
However there is still light at the end of the Tunnel former Apple boys n girls.
Its called.....
*btw..... where are those sexy White iPhone4's?
Or did they walk off the job and transform into White HTC's. Rumor has it that HTC in White has surfaced the retail floor today!
What? And get a spontaneously rebooting, crappy browsing, malicious-code-harboring EVO? Been there, done that.
Oh yeah - how's that 8 megapixel video treating ya?
Not.
Will Consumer Reports retest every cell phone ever made for this phenomena?
No.
You don't know. You can trust them or leave them. If you want, pay for the testing yourself. Anandtech's findings mirror what CR found.
What Apple didn't say is the problem. They didn't acknowledge the actual, iPhone 4 specific issue.
Yep, to me that's what's most disappointing, I would have thought better from Apple, won't any more.
It's been over 20 years that I wrote off Consumer Reports as a credible organization for evaluating technology and electronics.
Well, they are good if you need to buy a lawn sprinkler or a washing machine
For hi-tech - cameras, cell phone - agree, don't even bother to read them.
Not knowing exactly the entire process behind the writing, approval and posting of the letter, I will only say that it was a bit of stupidity as a PR move.
But, it's possible that at the time they wrote and posted it, they either weren't aware of, or in denial about, the issue of bridging the seam, and the letter was intended to be one of those, "This isn't really an issue and here's why," things that they considered would be of no consequence in the long-run.
We don't know the process, but we do know that Apple is very careful with the information they release. If they said that the bars display algorithm was a bug, a mistake, a surprise, then they were either being truthful and it is a bug or they were lying.
This Consumer Report video of the iPhone4 is absolute pure win!
Outstanding Pure Win!
Do you hear that Mr. Jobs? Consumer Reports cannot recommend the iPhone4.
But I guess this is a "Non Issue"
However there is still light at the end of the Tunnel former Apple boys n girls.
Its called.....
*btw..... where are those sexy White iPhone4's?
Or did they walk off the job and transform into White HTC's. Rumor has it that HTC in White has surfaced the retail floor today!
Oh yey! Something even more unreliable! That's what I need. Seriously I would buy an non Apple smartphone, but until they get rid of this android rubbish, I just won't. WebOS save us... please!