Well he didn't say that laying a key on it would affect all phones. He explained that ALL phones now have the antenna at the bottom. He explains why. He explains the reason the iPhone would loose signal by moving the antenna from the bottom to the sides. He explains if you cover the bands on the sides, you can block the signal.
He never said all phones do that. He said all phones have the antenna at the bottom. Please read it carefully and show me where he says all phones do that. You are reading things into his article that aren't there. He does blame Apple for the design, but also implicates AT&T and the FCC as well.
Doom on you for making me read his tripe again
Quote:
"Just about every cell phone in current production has the antenna located at the bottom." .... "OK, back to the iPhone 4. The antenna structure for the cell phone is still down at the bottom (I won't address the WiFi nor GPS antennas in this blog entry)."
This is where he is linking all phones to having problems because of FCC regs dictating antenna position. The problem is that this is a red herring and has taken up over half of the article because these types of complaints are not what is being harped upon by so many.
Quote:
The iPhone 4 has two symmetrical slots in the stainless frame. If you short these slots, or cover them with your hand, the antenna performance will suffer (see this video I found on YouTube). There is no way around this, it's a design compromise that is forced by the requirements of the FCC, AT&T, Apple's marketing department and Apple's industrial designers, to name a few.
Finally we get to the truth. Apple exposed the antenna to the user by choice, and this choice was a flaw that has become readily apparent.
This junk about the FCC has no bearing. The requirement is for the radiation point to be as far from the head as possible. It has nothing to do with it being an internal or an external antenna located a millimeter away from another antenna that the user can short across. What in the world is he even mentioning the FCC for?
AT&T, is he serious. AT&T does not participate in the design process, they evaluate manufactured phones to ensure that they meet their requirements. AT&T had no input on the decision to go with an external antenna. He is just throwing buckets of dirt in the creek to muddy the water!
While you're right that we can't be 100% sure until a formal report, we are also getting a good idea where this is going. Every tech site and iPhone-centric site except for Wired has reported a problem. There have been reports from Germany and England of people suffering the same issue. What's clear is that this is not just about a bad batch. A bad batch would probably only affect 1% of users and probably in a certain region.
And all those sites have users saying they don't have a problem. Why are they ignored if not drive home the FUD that it's "design flaw" affecting ALL units.
There was one estimate of 1.5M units sold yesterday, including mailed-preorders. To be <1% that would be under 15,000 units affected with this "shorting out" when you touch both antenna. Are there anywhere near that many complaints or is this the typical perpetual internet reverberation machine from a very few devices having an issue.
Note that even if Apple dropped the number of bad units per 1000 by half there would still be more bad units if they sell more than double than the previous year. Will the internet account for scale?
Apparently you missed the report when people claimed the inline remote was defective for the 2nd Gen iPod. People were not properly inserting the headphone cord and blaming Apple for a defective product. Apple released a knowledge base article explaining how to properly insert a headphone cord. What a concept. People were not fully inserting the cable and blaming Apple for it. Once they learned how to fully insert the cable, the remote worked. In the case of the iPhone 4, learn how to hold the iPhone and don't block the seams at the bottom, or buy a case if you are incapable of doing so. I am guessing most of the people commenting don't even have the phone in the first place.
There is a major difference between not inserting headphones in deep enough and telling someone you're not holding a phone properly. I'm a lefty so I'd like to know exactly which way I should hold an iPhone. I'm in contact with it just like they show it in Apple's own videos and whenever I type.
I heard Steve Jobs is an anal SOB and that Apple is a horrible place to work. Too bad Apple is one of a very few companies that can really make good stuff with great customer support. But they do BS.
I remember when the mac cube was criticized when people started noticing striations popping on the plastic case. Some big Apple honcho said they weren't striations but veins like you see on flower pedals.
And all those sites have users saying they don't have a problem. Why are they ignored if not drive home the FUD that it's "design flaw" affecting ALL units.
There was one estimate of 1.5M units sold yesterday, including mailed-preorders. To be <1% that would be under 15,000 units affected with this "shorting out" when you touch both antenna. Are there anywhere near that many complaints or is this the typical perpetual internet reverberation machine from a very few devices having an issue.
Note that even if Apple dropped the number of bad units per 1000 by half there would still be more bad units if they sell more than double than the previous year. Will the internet account for scale?
The problem with this theory is that Apple has responded themselves by saying there is no problem. There aren't any bad batches of iPhones out there and it's the customers' fault. If Apple is saying nothing is wrong then the only other conclusion is that it's the design of the iPhone itself.
Here is an article explaining the antenna requirements of ALL cell phones including the iPhone 4. The FCC has specific requirements on cell phone antennas, and explains the history of antennas and potential problems. So instead of reading all the BS speculuation about how Apple made a bad phone, understand the FCC's requirements on cell phones first.
Why can't they all play ball and just parrot whatever Steve says?
Yes most here are trolls because they don't even own the phone and just spouting off the BS that they read on crappy sites like Gizmodo.
I actually have the iPhone 4 and it has better reception than previous models. The seams are at the bottom of the phone. Simple, don't block the seams. Same was true for the original iPhone, don't block the plastic cover on the lower rear because the antenna was behind it. And just like any other cell phone, don't block the antenna. Holding the phone without covering the seams with your fingers doesn't degrade the signal.
It is grossly unfair of Apple, at this stage of the game, to indicate that users of the iPhone 4 are holding the device incorrectly when it was not established prior to the rollout what is the correct way to hold the device. I have been using the 3GS for the past year in a left-handed grip in a way that is most comfortable for me without any problems of reception. To have to adopt a different grip for the iPhone 4 because the antenna is relocated on the device does not reflect the high quality of user experience that is the hallmark of Apple.
I did think it was a bit odd that those gaudy bumpers were mentioned in the keynote address at the WWDC event, which leads me to believe that the problem might have been known at that time. The bumpers are no cure for what appears to be a design flaw even though I must admit that the device is a beauty to behold. Perhaps if the break in the metal strip occurred at the bottom of the device (instead of the corners) where it would have less likely to be touched in a normal grip of the device, this would have alleviated the problem.
FACT: This is just highly questionable design... Function Should Never Follow Form
Remember:
- Good design makes a product useful (Apple iPhone 4 reception issue = Fail)
- Good design is durable (Apple iPhone fragility issue = Fail)
give me a break! When did durable mean that you can drop it and it still work?! Stupid comment. So, if my LCD falls off my wall due to crap wall mount....is it supposed to survive the fall too? Are you going to hold that "durability comment" across the board?
Ah yes, the TROLLS have come out for this one. Ignorant that any cell phone can have reception issues when held because the human body is CONDUCTIVE. My original iPhone fluctuated in signal strength, especially when the lower plastic portion was obstructed. My Moto Razr V3 did the same thing because the entire phone was metal.
Did you know you can take your keyless remote for your vehicle and press against your chin to improve signal strength? Try it.
I can confirm that the iPhone 4 has far better reception than the original iPhone. I work in a rural city outside Los Angeles. My original iPhone would get 1 bar on Edge, and many lost signals throughout the day. My iPhone 4 has 4-5 bars on 3G and never loses the signal.
The only time I can get the signal to drop is if I take my thumb and index finger and cover the two seams at the bottom edge of the phone. Of course no one would hold the phone that way. If you hold it normally around the middle, no signal loss. So when you hold the phone, don't block the seams. It is not that hard to figure out, but based on some comments, perhaps it is really hard for some of you.
Plus, I don't know of anyone that doesn't buy a case for their phone. I am considering the bumper because it will raise the phone off the desk to protect the rear glass and camera lens. Now I just need to find a belt clip case that can hold the phone with the bumper.
I guess you missed the earlier post by Ireland today. You should look at those pics, as I guess none of the people know how to hold a phone. I think most people cradle the phone in the palm of their hand. Part of Steve Jobs sales pitch was how slim the phone is. So now we should buy bumpers or a case to add to the thickness or we are told that we are holding the phone wrong which is BS. When you bought your phone did the phone rep tell you how to hold it. I bet they didn't, as it should not make any difference how you hold a cell phone. My cell phone works fine no matter how I hold it. Your post sounds like you might be Steve J, are you?
The problem with this theory is that Apple has responded themselves by saying there is no problem. There aren't any bad batches of iPhones out there and it's the customers' fault. If Apple is saying nothing is wrong then the only other conclusion is that it's the design of the iPhone itself.
Where else are they supposed to put the antenna? It has to go somewhere. FCC requires specific placement of the antenna, which they don't care how the phone is held for those requirements. If Apple and other cell phone makers don't follow FCC rules, the phone never gets released. FCC requires the antenna to be at the bottom of cell phones, just like the original iPhone and iPhone 3G. If you blocked the plastic cover on the original iPhone, your signal degraded, and guess where that was when you held it, right in the palm of your hand.
Apparently you missed the report when people claimed the inline remote was defective for the 2nd Gen iPod. People were not properly inserting the headphone cord and blaming Apple for a defective product. Apple released a knowledge base article explaining how to properly insert a headphone cord. What a concept. People were not fully inserting the cable and blaming Apple for it. Once they learned how to fully insert the cable, the remote worked. In the case of the iPhone 4, learn how to hold the iPhone and don't block the seams at the bottom, or buy a case if you are incapable of doing so. I am guessing most of the people commenting don't even have the phone in the first place.
When was the 1st Gen ipod released? Oct '01. When was the 2nd Gen released? July '02.
The general public had less than 10 months to get familiarized with this new type of gadget.
How long have hand held cell phones been on the market? Over 2 decades.
Don't you think people have learned how to hold a phone by now?
Ask yourself, why are calls being dropped, when being held normally, is only happenening to the iphone?
Why can't they all play ball and just parrot whatever Steve says?
keep in mind that your search parameters returns all web sites that include "iPhone" by itself and "problem" by itself - try "iPhone Problem" and the hit count drops to 120,000.
and keep in mind that of those many may be utterly unrelated to current versions of hardware and or software and or reception issues.
google hits is generally not a good indicator of the scale of anything - I just did a search for -- my left thumb - and got 3.6 million hits.
tries - car explodes - and got 1.5 million hits.
so if you use google hit count - people should be very afraid of any vehicle and their left thumbs as well as concerned about iPhone issues.
I haven't heard of any other cell phone companies having this antenna problem and have never heard any of them say the customers were holding the phone wrong!!!!!!!! Maybe Steve SHOULD find out where the antenna should be placed. (Possible with another carrier!!)
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!
in the real world the phone was always cloaked in that 3gs case they probably didnt even realize
Comments
Well he didn't say that laying a key on it would affect all phones. He explained that ALL phones now have the antenna at the bottom. He explains why. He explains the reason the iPhone would loose signal by moving the antenna from the bottom to the sides. He explains if you cover the bands on the sides, you can block the signal.
He never said all phones do that. He said all phones have the antenna at the bottom. Please read it carefully and show me where he says all phones do that. You are reading things into his article that aren't there. He does blame Apple for the design, but also implicates AT&T and the FCC as well.
Doom on you for making me read his tripe again
"Just about every cell phone in current production has the antenna located at the bottom." .... "OK, back to the iPhone 4. The antenna structure for the cell phone is still down at the bottom (I won't address the WiFi nor GPS antennas in this blog entry)."
This is where he is linking all phones to having problems because of FCC regs dictating antenna position. The problem is that this is a red herring and has taken up over half of the article because these types of complaints are not what is being harped upon by so many.
The iPhone 4 has two symmetrical slots in the stainless frame. If you short these slots, or cover them with your hand, the antenna performance will suffer (see this video I found on YouTube). There is no way around this, it's a design compromise that is forced by the requirements of the FCC, AT&T, Apple's marketing department and Apple's industrial designers, to name a few.
Finally we get to the truth. Apple exposed the antenna to the user by choice, and this choice was a flaw that has become readily apparent.
This junk about the FCC has no bearing. The requirement is for the radiation point to be as far from the head as possible. It has nothing to do with it being an internal or an external antenna located a millimeter away from another antenna that the user can short across. What in the world is he even mentioning the FCC for?
AT&T, is he serious. AT&T does not participate in the design process, they evaluate manufactured phones to ensure that they meet their requirements. AT&T had no input on the decision to go with an external antenna. He is just throwing buckets of dirt in the creek to muddy the water!
I disagree. Most phones have the antenna encased in plastic,
agree with the same...!!
Ah yes, the TROLLS have come out for this one
Google news for "iPhone problems": 3,560 hits
Google for "iPhone problems": 200,000,000 hits
Yep. All trolls, every last one of 'em.
Why can't they all play ball and just parrot whatever Steve says?
You should use probably use CSS media queries...
Hadn't considered that. What is the advantage over using JS.
While you're right that we can't be 100% sure until a formal report, we are also getting a good idea where this is going. Every tech site and iPhone-centric site except for Wired has reported a problem. There have been reports from Germany and England of people suffering the same issue. What's clear is that this is not just about a bad batch. A bad batch would probably only affect 1% of users and probably in a certain region.
And all those sites have users saying they don't have a problem. Why are they ignored if not drive home the FUD that it's "design flaw" affecting ALL units.
There was one estimate of 1.5M units sold yesterday, including mailed-preorders. To be <1% that would be under 15,000 units affected with this "shorting out" when you touch both antenna. Are there anywhere near that many complaints or is this the typical perpetual internet reverberation machine from a very few devices having an issue.
Note that even if Apple dropped the number of bad units per 1000 by half there would still be more bad units if they sell more than double than the previous year. Will the internet account for scale?
Apparently you missed the report when people claimed the inline remote was defective for the 2nd Gen iPod. People were not properly inserting the headphone cord and blaming Apple for a defective product. Apple released a knowledge base article explaining how to properly insert a headphone cord. What a concept. People were not fully inserting the cable and blaming Apple for it. Once they learned how to fully insert the cable, the remote worked. In the case of the iPhone 4, learn how to hold the iPhone and don't block the seams at the bottom, or buy a case if you are incapable of doing so. I am guessing most of the people commenting don't even have the phone in the first place.
There is a major difference between not inserting headphones in deep enough and telling someone you're not holding a phone properly. I'm a lefty so I'd like to know exactly which way I should hold an iPhone. I'm in contact with it just like they show it in Apple's own videos and whenever I type.
I remember when the mac cube was criticized when people started noticing striations popping on the plastic case. Some big Apple honcho said they weren't striations but veins like you see on flower pedals.
OMFG!!!!!
It's on the front page of reddit, digg, all those news sites now. I only posted the images to AI.
It would be nice to see it appear on sites like NYT and such...
And all those sites have users saying they don't have a problem. Why are they ignored if not drive home the FUD that it's "design flaw" affecting ALL units.
There was one estimate of 1.5M units sold yesterday, including mailed-preorders. To be <1% that would be under 15,000 units affected with this "shorting out" when you touch both antenna. Are there anywhere near that many complaints or is this the typical perpetual internet reverberation machine from a very few devices having an issue.
Note that even if Apple dropped the number of bad units per 1000 by half there would still be more bad units if they sell more than double than the previous year. Will the internet account for scale?
The problem with this theory is that Apple has responded themselves by saying there is no problem. There aren't any bad batches of iPhones out there and it's the customers' fault. If Apple is saying nothing is wrong then the only other conclusion is that it's the design of the iPhone itself.
I was so confused about this issue till Mr. Jobs told me what to think.
na na na na
hey hey
good bye
apple really doomed now
the meds taken or not taken on this site boogles the mind
and ireland is now a troll
sorry dude you sound like spam sand / mac tripper
yet even spamboy is cool now
you went from cool dude to jerk-0 rama is like one day
truth is the iphone was never a good phone anyway ATT
and when verizon comes on board or t mobile i will wait on iphone anyhing
http://www.antennasys.com/antennasys...-antennas.html
Google news for "iPhone problems": 3,560 hits
Google for "iPhone problems": 200,000,000 hits
Yep. All trolls, every last one of 'em.
Why can't they all play ball and just parrot whatever Steve says?
Yes most here are trolls because they don't even own the phone and just spouting off the BS that they read on crappy sites like Gizmodo.
I actually have the iPhone 4 and it has better reception than previous models. The seams are at the bottom of the phone. Simple, don't block the seams. Same was true for the original iPhone, don't block the plastic cover on the lower rear because the antenna was behind it. And just like any other cell phone, don't block the antenna. Holding the phone without covering the seams with your fingers doesn't degrade the signal.
I did think it was a bit odd that those gaudy bumpers were mentioned in the keynote address at the WWDC event, which leads me to believe that the problem might have been known at that time. The bumpers are no cure for what appears to be a design flaw even though I must admit that the device is a beauty to behold. Perhaps if the break in the metal strip occurred at the bottom of the device (instead of the corners) where it would have less likely to be touched in a normal grip of the device, this would have alleviated the problem.
FACT: This is just highly questionable design... Function Should Never Follow Form
Remember:
- Good design makes a product useful (Apple iPhone 4 reception issue = Fail)
- Good design is durable (Apple iPhone fragility issue = Fail)
give me a break! When did durable mean that you can drop it and it still work?! Stupid comment. So, if my LCD falls off my wall due to crap wall mount....is it supposed to survive the fall too? Are you going to hold that "durability comment" across the board?
Ah yes, the TROLLS have come out for this one. Ignorant that any cell phone can have reception issues when held because the human body is CONDUCTIVE. My original iPhone fluctuated in signal strength, especially when the lower plastic portion was obstructed. My Moto Razr V3 did the same thing because the entire phone was metal.
Did you know you can take your keyless remote for your vehicle and press against your chin to improve signal strength? Try it.
I can confirm that the iPhone 4 has far better reception than the original iPhone. I work in a rural city outside Los Angeles. My original iPhone would get 1 bar on Edge, and many lost signals throughout the day. My iPhone 4 has 4-5 bars on 3G and never loses the signal.
The only time I can get the signal to drop is if I take my thumb and index finger and cover the two seams at the bottom edge of the phone. Of course no one would hold the phone that way. If you hold it normally around the middle, no signal loss. So when you hold the phone, don't block the seams. It is not that hard to figure out, but based on some comments, perhaps it is really hard for some of you.
Plus, I don't know of anyone that doesn't buy a case for their phone. I am considering the bumper because it will raise the phone off the desk to protect the rear glass and camera lens. Now I just need to find a belt clip case that can hold the phone with the bumper.
I guess you missed the earlier post by Ireland today. You should look at those pics, as I guess none of the people know how to hold a phone. I think most people cradle the phone in the palm of their hand. Part of Steve Jobs sales pitch was how slim the phone is. So now we should buy bumpers or a case to add to the thickness or we are told that we are holding the phone wrong which is BS. When you bought your phone did the phone rep tell you how to hold it. I bet they didn't, as it should not make any difference how you hold a cell phone. My cell phone works fine no matter how I hold it. Your post sounds like you might be Steve J, are you?
The problem with this theory is that Apple has responded themselves by saying there is no problem. There aren't any bad batches of iPhones out there and it's the customers' fault. If Apple is saying nothing is wrong then the only other conclusion is that it's the design of the iPhone itself.
Where else are they supposed to put the antenna? It has to go somewhere. FCC requires specific placement of the antenna, which they don't care how the phone is held for those requirements. If Apple and other cell phone makers don't follow FCC rules, the phone never gets released. FCC requires the antenna to be at the bottom of cell phones, just like the original iPhone and iPhone 3G. If you blocked the plastic cover on the original iPhone, your signal degraded, and guess where that was when you held it, right in the palm of your hand.
Apparently you missed the report when people claimed the inline remote was defective for the 2nd Gen iPod. People were not properly inserting the headphone cord and blaming Apple for a defective product. Apple released a knowledge base article explaining how to properly insert a headphone cord. What a concept. People were not fully inserting the cable and blaming Apple for it. Once they learned how to fully insert the cable, the remote worked. In the case of the iPhone 4, learn how to hold the iPhone and don't block the seams at the bottom, or buy a case if you are incapable of doing so. I am guessing most of the people commenting don't even have the phone in the first place.
When was the 1st Gen ipod released? Oct '01. When was the 2nd Gen released? July '02.
The general public had less than 10 months to get familiarized with this new type of gadget.
How long have hand held cell phones been on the market? Over 2 decades.
Don't you think people have learned how to hold a phone by now?
Ask yourself, why are calls being dropped, when being held normally, is only happenening to the iphone?
It has a design flaw.
Google news for "iPhone problems": 3,560 hits
Google for "iPhone problems": 200,000,000 hits
Yep. All trolls, every last one of 'em.
Why can't they all play ball and just parrot whatever Steve says?
keep in mind that your search parameters returns all web sites that include "iPhone" by itself and "problem" by itself - try "iPhone Problem" and the hit count drops to 120,000.
and keep in mind that of those many may be utterly unrelated to current versions of hardware and or software and or reception issues.
google hits is generally not a good indicator of the scale of anything - I just did a search for -- my left thumb - and got 3.6 million hits.
tries - car explodes - and got 1.5 million hits.
so if you use google hit count - people should be very afraid of any vehicle and their left thumbs as well as concerned about iPhone issues.
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!
in the real world the phone was always cloaked in that 3gs case they probably didnt even realize