Considering all the anonymity, and the lack of any actual explanation, the NYT could well be making this non-story up... In the excitement about tomorrow's press-conference, no one is going to remember this for even 24 hours...
Seriously, this is a great case study in human behavior.
Seriously, the obsession, the passion, compulsion, addiction, fanaticism for Apple products is getting out of control and it's a global outbreak folks.
Seriously, the media needs to deal with this responsibly.
Point is people have invested rage and emotion in this issue. Nothing Apple says or does will placate them. Whatever Apple's solution is it won't be accepted by the heavy breathing, spittle spraying, primordially enraged crowd. Their response to any proposed Apple fix will make the Mel Gibson tapes sound calm and rational.
Let's assume the above is true - Give them time to come up with a software fix - Perhaps they should extend the warranty as well.
I often wonder if part of the problem is the speed at which the phone switches from 3g to edge is too slow - this would result in dropped calls and lost data
99% of the solution is admitting there's a problem. If the NYT article is true then a solution may be at hand soon. If anyone can fix this, it's Apple Software Engineers plus other world class engineering consultants they will probably hire for a crash marathon solution update in the next month or so.
So...they are basically saying that for all this time Apple has had substandard software running one of the most complained about problems with the phone. I'm not vindicating AT&T...but it sure must have been nice to stand back and let them take all the blame...
It's funny how this is supposed to give me faith my iPhone is not a dud...but it does the opposite...because for 4 generations of iPhones...they are apparently just now getting around to admitting they have a long-running phone/antennae issue...even if it is software.
I look forward to my iPhone 8 when they finally get around to fixing it.
Apparently you didn't read the article. They said the iPhone 4 exposed the problem (meaning they just found the issue). Don't you think that if it was a software problem (hence fixable), that they would have addressed it when they found it? It makes no sense that they would have fixed it years after it was exposed when they could have slipped a fix in at any time.
NYT isn't claiming they've known about it for years, they claimed the problem they just found affected all previous generation phones.
The person was anonymous, so whatever, meaningless story
Sorry
That was not anonymous - it was deep throat!
But seriously, where did this insane idea of a recall come from. Apple will exchange faulty units but I don't see lines of people clutching their iPhones with both hands screaming 'look look, the bars are dropping' in order to get a replacement. For most people this will turn out to be nothing. If your phone is broken get it replaced.
Oh and no doubt tomorrow will see some other related news such as the white iPhone and dare I suggest... Verizon (I don't believe that but it would be the perfect move to make this whole thing go away), along with a lot of stats showing us how the iPhone 4 is the best and greatest and most successful smartphone ever. I'm getting mine as soon as I'm due an upgrade.
Point is people have invested rage and emotion in this issue. Nothing Apple says or does will placate them. Whatever Apple's solution is it won't be accepted by the heavy breathing, spittle spraying, primordially enraged crowd. Their response to any proposed Apple fix will make the Mel Gibson tapes sound calm and rational.
Tell me I'm wrong. I'm right aren't I.
And they refuse to return their iPhones for a full refund.
People, if you have an iPhone 4, hold on to it. It'll be worth a lot more in the future.
I am an antenna engineer and the NYT reporter is not. Software will not and I repeat, will not compensate for loss of incoming signal strength. Any basic antenna engineer knows that touching an antenna produces attenuation that reduces the strength of the incoming RF signal. I cannot believe a company like Apple could have been so careless or just dumb to think it could get away with a design like this. The idea to prefer styling over good design practices has been violated again for the sake of money.
Sure, but how many dBm should touching the antenna, or shorting it with a longer antenna attenuate? I'm not an RF engineer, but I thought it was more on the order of 5-6dB, maybe 12dB in a really bad case.
The fact that they get 20-24dBm suggests that there is more to it than that.
The world is suddenly full of antenna engineers with one post.
I build antennas used in the space business. No margin of error is allow in this type of business. After 40 years doing this type of work I can say I know what I am talking about without any reservations. Basic antenna design principles have been the letter of the law since Marconi and it will not change with software magic to day or in the future.
there is yet another reason for the poor reception and dropped calls.
Apple's credibility in this matter is so low now that one has to take anything they say with more than a grain of salt. Even if one does believe this latest excuse for the poor performance, it does not change the inherent design flaw of the antenna system.
Will a software patch in conjunction with a case or bumper be enough to satisfy many people? That remains to be seen, but Apple's reputation is damaged...and so is Steve's.
More independent testing will be required to determine if the resulting performance of the iPhone is "good enough", even if less than it should be with a properly designed antenna.
What I would like to know is whether the engineer who warned Steve is still in Apple's employ.
Sure, but how many dBm should touching the antenna, or shorting it with a longer antenna attenuate? I'm not an RF engineer, but I thought it was more on the order of 5-6dB, maybe 12dB in a really bad case.
The fact that they get 20-24dBm suggests that there is more to it than that.
Ok... a -3dB loss = 1/2 power loss... -6dB = 3/4 power loss.... Do you get the picture why the hand can cause this dramatic loss? Next time, grab a TV antenna (if you still have one) and hold on to both and see how the TV signal varies. This problem is not sophisticated, it's the people that refuse to concede to common sense.
I build antennas used in the space business. No margin of error is allow in this type of business. After 40 years doing this type of work I can say I know what I am talking about without any reservations. Basic antenna design principles have been the letter of the law since Marconi and it will not change with software magic to day or in the future.
Good to have you join the discussion.
Perhaps you can explain just how it was that anyone at Apple possibly though that having direct physical contact with the antenna (whether or not there was a "bridging" problem) was a good idea.
I'm still having a hard time understanding how the issue that is most talked about could be software.
It may not be a software issue, per se, but a hardware issue can be compensated for by software. And it wouldn't necessarily mean compromising other aspects of it's functions. Ideally, there would be no hardware issues, but those who claim hardware issues can never be solved with software fixes are wrong. If the software can control the radio circuitry to allow it to compensate for detuning due to contact with the antenna, then that's a legit fix.
Comments
Seriously, this is a great case study in human behavior.
Seriously, the obsession, the passion, compulsion, addiction, fanaticism for Apple products is getting out of control and it's a global outbreak folks.
Seriously, the media needs to deal with this responsibly.
Time will tell.
Tell me I'm wrong. I'm right aren't I.
Let's assume the above is true - Give them time to come up with a software fix - Perhaps they should extend the warranty as well.
I often wonder if part of the problem is the speed at which the phone switches from 3g to edge is too slow - this would result in dropped calls and lost data
99% of the solution is admitting there's a problem. If the NYT article is true then a solution may be at hand soon. If anyone can fix this, it's Apple Software Engineers plus other world class engineering consultants they will probably hire for a crash marathon solution update in the next month or so.
So...they are basically saying that for all this time Apple has had substandard software running one of the most complained about problems with the phone. I'm not vindicating AT&T...but it sure must have been nice to stand back and let them take all the blame...
It's funny how this is supposed to give me faith my iPhone is not a dud...but it does the opposite...because for 4 generations of iPhones...they are apparently just now getting around to admitting they have a long-running phone/antennae issue...even if it is software.
I look forward to my iPhone 8 when they finally get around to fixing it.
Apparently you didn't read the article. They said the iPhone 4 exposed the problem (meaning they just found the issue). Don't you think that if it was a software problem (hence fixable), that they would have addressed it when they found it? It makes no sense that they would have fixed it years after it was exposed when they could have slipped a fix in at any time.
NYT isn't claiming they've known about it for years, they claimed the problem they just found affected all previous generation phones.
The person was anonymous, so whatever, meaningless story
Sorry
That was not anonymous - it was deep throat!
But seriously, where did this insane idea of a recall come from. Apple will exchange faulty units but I don't see lines of people clutching their iPhones with both hands screaming 'look look, the bars are dropping' in order to get a replacement. For most people this will turn out to be nothing. If your phone is broken get it replaced.
Oh and no doubt tomorrow will see some other related news such as the white iPhone and dare I suggest... Verizon (I don't believe that but it would be the perfect move to make this whole thing go away), along with a lot of stats showing us how the iPhone 4 is the best and greatest and most successful smartphone ever. I'm getting mine as soon as I'm due an upgrade.
No need to feel sorry.
Just know that, if not for Anonymous, we'd never have things like Watergate.
OMG!
really and truly?
Anonymous is from the Washington Post?
Apologies for being Off Topic and Off Planet - I'm over The Antenna
Point is people have invested rage and emotion in this issue. Nothing Apple says or does will placate them. Whatever Apple's solution is it won't be accepted by the heavy breathing, spittle spraying, primordially enraged crowd. Their response to any proposed Apple fix will make the Mel Gibson tapes sound calm and rational.
Tell me I'm wrong. I'm right aren't I.
And they refuse to return their iPhones for a full refund.
People, if you have an iPhone 4, hold on to it. It'll be worth a lot more in the future.
Trust me.
I am an antenna engineer and the NYT reporter is not. Software will not and I repeat, will not compensate for loss of incoming signal strength. Any basic antenna engineer knows that touching an antenna produces attenuation that reduces the strength of the incoming RF signal. I cannot believe a company like Apple could have been so careless or just dumb to think it could get away with a design like this. The idea to prefer styling over good design practices has been violated again for the sake of money.
Sure, but how many dBm should touching the antenna, or shorting it with a longer antenna attenuate? I'm not an RF engineer, but I thought it was more on the order of 5-6dB, maybe 12dB in a really bad case.
The fact that they get 20-24dBm suggests that there is more to it than that.
The world is suddenly full of antenna engineers with one post.
I build antennas used in the space business. No margin of error is allow in this type of business. After 40 years doing this type of work I can say I know what I am talking about without any reservations. Basic antenna design principles have been the letter of the law since Marconi and it will not change with software magic to day or in the future.
Apple's credibility in this matter is so low now that one has to take anything they say with more than a grain of salt. Even if one does believe this latest excuse for the poor performance, it does not change the inherent design flaw of the antenna system.
Will a software patch in conjunction with a case or bumper be enough to satisfy many people? That remains to be seen, but Apple's reputation is damaged...and so is Steve's.
More independent testing will be required to determine if the resulting performance of the iPhone is "good enough", even if less than it should be with a properly designed antenna.
What I would like to know is whether the engineer who warned Steve is still in Apple's employ.
<snip>I still have my trust in Apple.
"Verify, then trust."
Old Russian proverb as told by Ronald Reagan.
Sure, but how many dBm should touching the antenna, or shorting it with a longer antenna attenuate? I'm not an RF engineer, but I thought it was more on the order of 5-6dB, maybe 12dB in a really bad case.
The fact that they get 20-24dBm suggests that there is more to it than that.
Ok... a -3dB loss = 1/2 power loss... -6dB = 3/4 power loss.... Do you get the picture why the hand can cause this dramatic loss? Next time, grab a TV antenna (if you still have one) and hold on to both and see how the TV signal varies. This problem is not sophisticated, it's the people that refuse to concede to common sense.
I build antennas used in the space business. No margin of error is allow in this type of business. After 40 years doing this type of work I can say I know what I am talking about without any reservations. Basic antenna design principles have been the letter of the law since Marconi and it will not change with software magic to day or in the future.
Good to have you join the discussion.
Perhaps you can explain just how it was that anyone at Apple possibly though that having direct physical contact with the antenna (whether or not there was a "bridging" problem) was a good idea.
Does this remind anyone of all the negative blogs on the internet by a few people who have turned the internet into the bathroom wall of America.
On top of this, the NYT is (as a Socialist propaganda source) no better than the National Enquirer.
I'm still having a hard time understanding how the issue that is most talked about could be software.
It may not be a software issue, per se, but a hardware issue can be compensated for by software. And it wouldn't necessarily mean compromising other aspects of it's functions. Ideally, there would be no hardware issues, but those who claim hardware issues can never be solved with software fixes are wrong. If the software can control the radio circuitry to allow it to compensate for detuning due to contact with the antenna, then that's a legit fix.