Apple says any mobile phone has reception issues when held wrong

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 444
    island hermitisland hermit Posts: 6,217member
    I really have to wonder how many of the people that are whining about this issue actually have the new iPhone.



    There's a big possibility that this issue has gone viral and it's the in thing at the moment to gripe about Apple.



    As an example... I noticed that the main whiners on this forum are the regular bitch and moan crowd. Do you really have the new iPhone? Really?



    I'd like to see some statistics regarding user satisfaction.
  • Reply 42 of 444
    takeotakeo Posts: 445member
    This reminds me of the puck mouse. Looked pretty, but the cursor would shoot off at crazy angles all the time if you were not holding it just right. So it looked pretty but was basically useless as a mouse.
  • Reply 43 of 444
    gcam067gcam067 Posts: 7member
    As with my previous 3G iPhone which took me several swap-outs to find one that worked, I seem to be experiencing the same issues. My new iPhone4 has poor reception to the extent of many dropped calls regardless of how it is held. These dropped calls are from the same location I've been making calls for the past 3 years. It appears that I am just an unlucky soul who has a bum device which needs to be replaced.
  • Reply 44 of 444
    bartbuzzbartbuzz Posts: 131member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Curmudgeon View Post


    Apple should just start giving away those ugly bumper covers as a workaround for this problem. $29 is way, way too expensive. They can't cost them more than a buck or two in make. Of course, they do ruin the look of the phone.



    I agree! I don't know about anyone else but I do consider this antenna issue to a major design flaw of the iPhone 4. I remember the big applause Steve Jobs got when he highlighted the new design during his keynote. Apple definitely needs to include a free bumper case with all iPhone purchases. Steve Jobs should be embarrassed about this. I know we'll be hearing more from the Apple haters. I hate giving them something legitimate to complain about. I wonder how long it will be until Droid airs a commercial about their "perfect" antenna??
  • Reply 45 of 444
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ncee View Post


    If it ain't broke, then don't fix it, BUT if it is broke, then please do fix it, and stop coming up with excuses!



    Apple … you aren't perfect, that's ok, but be big enough to admit it when you have made a mistake, and fix it.



    They aren't admitting their mistake because they didn't make one. All cell phones have potential issues with how you hold them.



    And the fact that there's not 100% reports of this 'mistake' shows that it's not all about the design. Some of it could be user error. Some of it could also just be shitty ATT coverage in the area. In fact several of the folks that I saw making reports of this 'major design flaw' admitted that they 'have never had great ATT service in the area'. Well geez Beav could that be the issue and not the phone at all. perhaps.



    Apple can not be responsible for those that put a hand right over the antennas, after they told folks that that's what the band is. they can't be responsible for those that drop or lose their phones or get them wet etc. No more than any other company. If this was an Android, Rim etc we wouldn't be hearing about it. Because it's Apple all 'flaws' are suddenly a huge thing.



    Perhaps the mistake they need to correct is this media obsession with painting them as perfect so then folks will stop with the expectations.
  • Reply 46 of 444
    mitchelljdmitchelljd Posts: 167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    This is turning into a very ugly product introduction and it really exposes a fundamental flaw at Apple concerning real-world testing... they simply don't know how to do it!



    right, all the testing Apple did probably sported a fake case to disguise the Iphone 4 prototype. So they missed all the antenna problems completely.



    this is a big issue and it makes me happy i don't have an iphone 4 yet. of course i want one and will use a case if i do get it. but this is a pretty sizable design flaw.



    no matter the publicity drones and social networking spin maestros at work no doubt.
  • Reply 47 of 444
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    [QUOTE=Ireland;1661 [/QUOTE]

    your a bigger jerk than teck stud ever was

    crawl back in your wintel whole dude



    apple is doomed



    oddly your screen shots came into my apple devices at such a high res i feel apple has done no wrong at all



    yes ATT has shit reception in nyc sanfran dallas

    99000 posts ago we knew that

    i will not buy an iphone until verizon gets on board or apple becomes the gatekeeper for me



    9
  • Reply 48 of 444
    bartbuzzbartbuzz Posts: 131member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Stevie View Post


    EVERY cellphone does that! "Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance"



    You are wrong. And so is Steve Jobs. With my Verizon phone I can wrap my entire hand around the case and never lose a bar. It's sort of sad to hear Jobs making excuses for this obvious design flaw. Nevertheless, I am still hoping for a Verizon iPhone this fall....hopefully, with a new and improved antenna.
  • Reply 49 of 444
    Didn't one of the video adds or the keynote say this kind of antenna had never been done before?



    now you know why...



    well really I am sure it has been done before actually. Hope to god they sort this out, not because I care about apple's stock price but I actually like the phone.
  • Reply 50 of 444
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    You are wrong. I've owned a lot of cellphones over the years and this is different.



    His entire post was sarcasm. He knows this iPhone 4 has a big issue.
  • Reply 51 of 444
    takeotakeo Posts: 445member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


    They aren't admitting their mistake because they didn't make one. All cell phones have potential issues with how you hold them.



    You're right! My old RAZR does this too! If I sit on it. There's a difference between "some attenuation" from "gripping" and total loss of signal from normal holding.
  • Reply 52 of 444
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


    They aren't admitting their mistake because they didn't make one. All cell phones have potential issues with how you hold them.



    And the fact that there's not 100% reports of this 'mistake' shows that it's not all about the design. Some of it could be user error. Some of it could also just be shitty ATT coverage in the area. In fact several of the folks that I saw making reports of this 'major design flaw' admitted that they 'have never had great ATT service in the area'. Well geez Beav could that be the issue and not the phone at all. perhaps.



    Apple can not be responsible for those that put a hand right over the antennas, after they told folks that that's what the band is. they can't be responsible for those that drop or lose their phones or get them wet etc. No more than any other company. If this was an Android, Rim etc we wouldn't be hearing about it. Because it's Apple all 'flaws' are suddenly a huge thing.



    Perhaps the mistake they need to correct is this media obsession with painting them as perfect so then folks will stop with the expectations.



    no no no

    this is an iphone 4 centric issue

    holding the device in the left hand in a certain way blocks the signal

    a rubber bumper solves that or hold the phone ina different manner

    a small trade off for such a great phone





    no ??

    9
  • Reply 53 of 444
    zenteczentec Posts: 11member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Plagen View Post


    The conductivity of you hand does not matter.



    One can put a thin scotch tape over the bridge and effect will be the same. Obviously, it's a capacitive coupling. The bumper (or a case) just physically separates your hand from the antenna, thus decreasing the coupling. During the design process the presence and interference with the human body is accounted for. It's one of the major ingredients in the antenna design process.



    Besides, anybody with a handheld multimeter can measure the resistance between the parts of the antenna. Guess what! It's less than 0.5 Ohm! Apparently it's already shorted through the electronics inside. Your hand, with its several kOhms of resistance, is not going to do anything. Also you can physically short it from the outside with any metal object. A screwdriver would do it! No changes in the behavior at all.



    I could drop the bars from 5 to 3 by holding the phone for 3 min. However, the SpeedTest data does not get worse, in several instances it even increases. It's about 2Mb for downploading and 1Mb uploading. Not bad for 3G.



    What applies for DC does not apply for RF, especially with respect to UHF and microwave.



    There are many antenna designs that exhibit a short at DC, but operate just fine at their resonant frequency. This is common, especially in situations where antennas are prone to having to deal with lightning strikes.



    I think there's a bit of a design flaw here, you just can't have count on not coupling between the skin and the antenna element. The solution is for the phones to come with radomes. I just want mine to have tiny Andrew red lightning bolt logos on it.



    With that said, I'm going to get me one of these phones. But true to my love of Apple products, I wait until the *second* iteration,.
  • Reply 54 of 444
    bartbuzzbartbuzz Posts: 131member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    The guy says Apple make a trade off. But they didn't, they actually made a product with a design failure. Getting a case so you don't drop calls is absolute bullshit. Apple overlook this one, and it's a big one, and they aren't going to admit it. I won't be buying an iPhone 4, and I'm going to be tell everyone I know not to buy it. This is unacceptable, and Apple are full of shit on this one.



    You weren't going to buy an iPhone anyway. So don't try to use this for justification.
  • Reply 55 of 444
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Takeo View Post


    This reminds me of the puck mouse. Looked pretty, but the cursor would shoot off at crazy angles all the time if you were not holding it just right. So it looked pretty but was basically useless as a mouse.



    i loved that mouse
  • Reply 56 of 444
    matt_smatt_s Posts: 300member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post










    Who is the bonehead at Apple who decided it would be a good idea to blame the customer?
  • Reply 57 of 444
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lav1daloca View Post


    I call foul on that Apple! RED CARD RED CARD!!! No way in the world you can get away with that! If i buy the most expensive phone in the market, it better be working any way i hold it!!! The phone had design flaws and Apple better redesign this issue otherwise people will abandon it.



    The mere fact that this is true is troubling.
  • Reply 58 of 444
    stillmanstillman Posts: 16member
    Interesting analysis by an antenna engineer:



    Quote:

    Just about every cell phone in current production has the antenna located at the bottom. This insures that the radiating portion of the antenna is furthest from the head. Apple was not the first to locate the antenna on the bottom, and certainly won't be the last. The problem is that humans have their hands below their ears, so the most natural position for the hand is covering the antenna. This can't be a good design decision, can it? How can we be stuck with this conundrum? It's the FCC's fault...



    Article here (spotted on Daring Fireball)
  • Reply 59 of 444
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Stevie View Post


    EVERY cellphone does that! "Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance"



    The iPhone works the same as every other cellphone. It has NO reception problems.



    I used to think all these posts were sarcasm, now I'm not so sure. Are you high?
  • Reply 60 of 444
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shapesNforms View Post


    I would imagine every cell phone might have a reception issue, depending on how it's held...maybe loose a bar or two of reception. Makes sense to me...



    But is it normal to have it drop, one by one, all five bars and then drop the call as my new iPhone will do on a constant basis right now?



    At first, I was holding out hope there might be an easy fix for this via firmware but based on the comments I'm seeing from Apple, I think that hope is fading away...Now I'm sort of trying to decide what to do? I really like this phone and honestly, I put all my phones in some sort of case anyways but...Something about Apple's tone on this issue is rubbing me the wrong way. A phone should just work, just like any other phone. I or anyone else shouldn't have to change something as basic as how you hold a phone, because of how that phone was designed. And as has been shown, Apple's own marketing stuff shows the phone being held in the same way that causes the current problem.



    I noticed on my AT&T bill that the phone can be returned by July 8th. Think I will give this until then to see if this issue sees any resolution and then make a decision. Something as basic as reception just makes me wonder now if there might be other "features" that may show up between now and then...



    If Apple doesn't fix this issue, on a hardware level I suggest you don't buy an iPhone. Their response is rubbing every normal person the wrong way. It's disgusting.
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