Some iPhone 4 launch units lose signal when held with left hand

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  • Reply 21 of 445
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by noexpectations View Post


    ....like any other cell phone manufacturer, I'm sure Apple has field tested this device for several months.



    They *have* being testing it in the field. But they have has cases on them to disguise them, thus their hands "when they were in the field" were never touching that band, so there's was no real antenna connection made. The reason it's hard to believe is because something this crazy may actually be true.



    It's sickening to think this may not be fixable via firmware. I'll be holding my breath on this one.
  • Reply 22 of 445
    My prediction is that this is a hardware problem, and that:



    1) Apple will roll a new hardware revision that fixes this problem.

    2) Those who bought the first batch will get free replacements.



    I expect this to take several weeks.
  • Reply 23 of 445
    rob55rob55 Posts: 1,291member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    That's the worry. We'll have to wait a day or two to see what Apple officially says.



    My pre-order is scheduled to arrive on Monday (it was originally scheduled to ship by July 2nd). I'm hoping we'll see some kind of official acknowledgment from Apple by then. If it truly is a widespread problem, I'm sure the media will be all over it and Apple will have no choice but to respond to the situation.
  • Reply 24 of 445
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RealityCheck View Post


    My prediction is that this is a hardware problem, and that:



    1) Apple will roll a new hardware revision that fixes this problem.

    2) Those who bought the first batch will get free replacements.



    I expect this to take several weeks.



    You may be right. I'm wondering how they'll fix it though, seeing as the antennas are external and spanning the edge of the whole phone. It seems to me if some magic software update cannot fix this we may be looking at a major hardware design change to the phone. And who knows how long that will take.



    This may turn out to the: "The big antenna issue."
  • Reply 25 of 445
    djintxdjintx Posts: 454member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    I've been trying to do this all morning and it only did it on the road while driving to my office in an area with a lot of trees. The signal is already finicky in that area anyways, so maybe it was just that. Plus it was rainy too. I've been in my office all morning and can't duplicate it.



    This is good to hear. With your experiences, and hearing that at least one review unit didn't have the problem, I am more optimistic that there are just a bad batch of phones.



    Perhaps when they were assembled the antennas were connected incorrectly, or some parts are touching inside that aren't supposed to. Hopefully we will have some real answers soon. I'm sure Engadget, Gozmodo, and every other tech blog out there will do some thorough tests and let us know what they find.



    I need and want an iPhone 4, so I hope they get this fixed very quickly.
  • Reply 26 of 445
    spotonspoton Posts: 645member
    Hmm, would seem that a large portion of right handed people would hold the new iPhone in their LEFT hand while freeing up their right hand to take notes, use a mouse etc.



    Skin is conductive, palms and fingers don't have oil glands so the needed oils are transfered from other skin locations. This also could have a corrosive long term effect on that portion of the new iPhones.



    Likely the only solution would be to hold the iPhone by one's finger tips, instead of palming gripping it, thus increasing the chances of dropping it.



    By the way 26% of iPhones break within 2 years.



    http://www.computerworld.com/s/artic...within_2_years
  • Reply 27 of 445
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    You may be right. I'm wondering how they'll fix it though, seeing as the antennas are external and spanning the edge of the whole phone. It seems to me if some magic software update cannot fix this we may be looking at a major hardware design change to the phone. And who knows how long that will take.



    The hardware change might not be as major as we think. Perhaps it is as simple as changing the composition of some metal component, or adding in some kind of thin insulator between some connectors, or something.



    At this rate I think they will have to fix it, though. It could become a major issue otherwise.
  • Reply 28 of 445
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Proof? Show me the proof. From what I can see the cases - when even demonstrated in videos - that were not affect were the people just missing the black band connection in the slot. Engadget will no doubt retest this specific issue, so we'll see what happens.



    I'm not a troll. You're just overly defensive when it comes to criticisms of Apple. This is a MAJOR issue, you just don't want to face it.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    "However, the review unit given to the tech blog before the release of the iPhone 4 did not experience any of these issues, suggesting it does not apply to all handsets."



    Let's see what irrational argument you create from that comment. Next time you might want to read the entire article before posting.



    Oooohh Ireland vs Solipsism... Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
  • Reply 29 of 445
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpotOn View Post


    Skin is conductive, palms and fingers don't have oil glands so the needed oils are transfered from other skin locations. This also could have a corrosive long term effect on that portion of the new iPhones.



    Now you're losing it.
  • Reply 30 of 445
    djintxdjintx Posts: 454member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RealityCheck View Post


    My prediction is that this is a hardware problem, and that:



    1) Apple will roll a new hardware revision that fixes this problem.

    2) Those who bought the first batch will get free replacements.



    I expect this to take several weeks.



    If you are correct and Apple issues a formal recall, or just quietly replaces them case-by-case, I wonder how many phones they had ready for launch that may basically go into the trashcan? I guess they would probably try to retrofit these with a fix, but if they can't, Apple may have a giant pile of spare iPhone parts when this is all said and done.
  • Reply 31 of 445
    rob55rob55 Posts: 1,291member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    They *have* being testing it in the field. But they have has cases on them to disguise them, thus their hands "when they were in the field" were never touching that band, so there's was no real antenna connection made. The reason it's hard to believe is because something this crazy may actually be true.



    Speaking as a layperson (with an electronics background not particularly related to mobile phone technology), the first thing that popped into my mind when I heard that the bands around the outside of the iPhone 4 were antennas was what effect (if any) gripping the phone with your hand will have on signal reception. With that said, even though the engineers and testers typically had the prototypes in a disguising case, they must have tested what effect contact with a hand would have on the antennas. Again, I'm no expert and this popped into my head immediately. I gotta believe it occurred to the engineers as well.

    Also, I'm not in denial here. I'm concerned about my soon-to-be-arriving iPhone and may not open it until I have a chance to run down to the local Apple store and try to reproduce the problem.
  • Reply 32 of 445
    guinnessguinness Posts: 473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    You may be right. I'm wondering how they'll fix it though, seeing as the antennas are external and spanning the edge of the whole phone. It seems to me if some magic software update cannot fix this we may be looking at a major hardware design change to the phone. And who knows how long that will take.



    Give away free Bumpers...



    However, this issue doesn't seem to affect all phones either, like engadget said their review unit was fine, so their could be manufacturing variation as well.



    At worst, it's a minor PR snafu, but there needs to be more controlled testing too, yeah it happens on some YT vids, but there could be a lot of variables in play.
  • Reply 33 of 445
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    You may be right. I'm wondering how they'll fix it though, seeing as the antennas are external and spanning the edge of the whole phone. It seems to me if some magic software update cannot fix this we may be looking at a major hardware design change to the phone. And who knows how long that will take.



    This may turn out to the: "The big antenna issue."



    If it is a shorting issue due to damp hands as some seem to suggest, a layer of clear plastic (clear nail varnish?) or a case would suffice one would think. I find it hard to believe it is a transmission issue as flesh and bone don't block signals do they? Of course it could all be hysteria and FUD or limited to a few. It will be interesting to see.
  • Reply 34 of 445
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RealityCheck View Post


    The hardware change might not be as major as we think. Perhaps it is as simple as changing the composition of some metal component, or adding in some kind of thin insulator between some connectors, or something.



    At this rate I think they will have to fix it, though. It could become a major issue otherwise.



    All it might take is some sort of clear plastic cover (it must be durable) to prevent direct skin contact with the metal band. The bumpers would work.....but many of us find those rubber services to 'sticky' to easily get our iPhones in and out of our pockets.
  • Reply 35 of 445
    cdnbookcdnbook Posts: 49member
    Any kid with an old remote control car knows that it behaves oddly sometimes when you hold the antenna in your hand, or touch the car's antenna to the remote's antenna.



    I guess no one at Apple played with remote control cars
  • Reply 36 of 445
    rob55rob55 Posts: 1,291member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by noexpectations View Post


    All it might take is some sort of clear plastic cover (it must be durable) to prevent direct skin contact with the metal band.



    Perhaps they'll start clear-coating the metal bands. Either way, it'll be interesting to see how this develops.
  • Reply 37 of 445
    ski1ski1 Posts: 251member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    "However, the review unit given to the tech blog before the release of the iPhone 4 did not experience any of these issues, suggesting it does not apply to all handsets."



    Let's see what irrational argument you create from that comment. Next time you might want to read the entire article before posting.



    The AT&T network uses 2 different frequency bands (800 & 1900). This issue might only affect one of these bands, hence why some users don't experience the issue.
  • Reply 38 of 445
    justflybobjustflybob Posts: 1,337member
    So purchase a friggin' Bumper and "problem" solved!



    Seriously.... how did some of you manage to get this far in life?
  • Reply 39 of 445
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rob55 View Post


    Also, I'm not in denial here. I'm concerned about my soon-to-be-arriving iPhone and may not open it until I have a chance to run down to the local Apple store and try to reproduce the problem.



    I didn't mean you. But there a few people here who don't want to admit to this issue. I'm not trying to start flames, that's just what seems to be happening.
  • Reply 40 of 445
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    If it is a shorting issue due to damp hands as some seem to suggest, a layer of clear plastic (clear nail varnish?) or a case would suffice one would think.



    If the invisible shield can't stop it probably not damp. Clear nail varnish? Please don't tell me you're suggest we paint our phones with that crap?
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