Death Grip hysteria may end Monday with iOS 4.01

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  • Reply 121 of 613
    tombecktombeck Posts: 6member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Milford View Post


    So I'm a righty, but whenever I'm doing anything besides calling with the phone, I hold it in my left hand (and operate with the right), in portrait mode, in the "death grip." Honest question: how else am I supposed to hold it? What righty doesn't hold it this way when browsing the internet or doing almost anything else in portrait mode? Holding it at the top not only feels unnatural and precarious, but clearly Apple didn't intend it that way since pinching it up there ends up pressing the volume buttons by accident.



    So again, honest question: who doesn't hold the phone braced by their palm in the lower-left corner when in their left hand? I've probably seen 1000 people with iPhones in NYC over the years, and I can't recall a single one holding it any other way when holding it with one hand and operating the screen with the other.



    have you always used both hands to operate your mobile phones? you know, in the past, before the iPhone?



    I hold it in the right hand and operate it with the thumb. you know, just like in the past, with other phones before the iPhone.
  • Reply 122 of 613
    applesauce007applesauce007 Posts: 1,698member
    ...because so many people have bought the iPhone globally and know that it is a non-issue.



    It is still amazing to me how Apple can uniquely bring out so much passion out of people for it's products.



    Everyone wants one...

    Competitors are scared to death...

    Bashers are grabbing a straws to find flaws...



    All I can say is that I own an iPhone 4 and I don't have the issue, I am extremely satisfied with it and everyone I know who owns one loves it.



    Time will tell.
  • Reply 123 of 613
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ochyming View Post


    I thought USA is a free country, where people do what they want!

    Does this happens outside USA?



    People in the USA do what big corporations trick them into doing, like constantly buying shiny new gadgets...
  • Reply 124 of 613
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by str1f3 View Post


    Truth is no one really knows the issue and it's conjecture (even on my part). If the software fix that's coming soon doesn't fix the issue then it is a hardware issue.



    The big mistake that Apple made was to tellpeople they're holding it the wrong way.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by noexpectations View Post


    This just reminds me that Apple is still a relatively new cell phone manufacturer.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BartBuzz View Post


    If this story is right, and I hope it is, look at all the time spent and wasted on this topic over the past two days.



    At least the iPhone haters had their fun. Hopefully, the iPhone faithful will have the last laugh.



    I admit maybe I was caught up in some of the "hysteria". However, I have to agree with str1f3 that the big f*** up was Apple saying "you're holding it wrong". There's very little excuse for that, whatever the case.
  • Reply 125 of 613
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Very sane.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by freddych View Post


    I dropped by the Apple store to do a little experiment for my own benefit and to check out the iPhone 4. First:



    It's beautiful. The screen looks awesome, the interface is snappy, and the camera rocks, even in the fluorescent lighting of the Apple store. Protip: it's really fun to scroll through the camera memory to see all the people who took pictures of themselves.



    What I did:



    I walked around to the iPhone displays (12 of them) and held each phone deliberately trying to cause the problem. I held the phone in my left hand with the seam directly in my palm. I held each phone there for about a minute, sometimes less if the issue arose faster than that. I did not make any calls, and I relied only on the meter to tell me if the reception went away.



    Results:



    The signal dropped to one bar on all 12 of the phones. The signal never dropped to "No Signal". Because I did not attempt to make any phone calls, I do not know if this caused the call quality to be bad or diminished at all.



    I also asked some people who were beside me to hold the phone in the same way. Sure enough, they saw the bars go away as well.



    Conclusions:



    There definitely is an issue. Since I only tested phones from one Apple store, it could have just been that this Apple store got a bad batch. An apple employee mentioned that the problem may have been related to a certain build week. Generally, retail employees are full of crap though.



    I wouldn't advise you to run back to the store and demand your money back. It is possible that a software update on Monday will fix these woes. However, it is also possible that this is a hardware problem, so if you haven't already ordered one, I'd advise you to hold off, or order one with caution.



    Obviously, this wasn't a scientific test. But for me, it was enough evidence for me to hold off on ordering an iPhone 4.



  • Reply 126 of 613
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pteronaut View Post


    Wouldn't revert the baseband though.



    [Taking Tin Foil Helmet Off]



    Could it be that Apple, knowing that an unlock for iOS 4.0 is going to be released within hours of it's official public release, deliberately crippled the baseband in order to draw the unlock out and dissect it, fix the backdoor and release it with the baseband which doesn't have the drop outs, leaving the jailbreak community to wait for a new unlock to be found?



    [Putting Tin Foil Helmet Back On]



    That's not an outlandish theory. However right now iOS4.0 is un-jailbreak-able on iPhone4 and iPhone3GS, let alone un-unlockable. Apple 1, Hackers 0. As of the moment. So the current firmware and baseband on iPhone4 and 3GS is (publicly) uncrackable.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chillin View Post






  • Reply 127 of 613
    motrekmotrek Posts: 8member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleSauce007 View Post


    ...because so many people have bought the iPhone globally and know that it is a non-issue.

    ...

    All I can say is that I own an iPhone 4 and I don't have the issue, I am extremely satisfied with it and everyone I know who owns one loves it.



    Time will tell.



    Apple itself admits it's an issue and that the problem can be solved by covering the antenna with plastic, i.e., a bumper case or similar.



    Every other phone on the market today (including previous gen iPhones) already come with plastic "coverings" for their antennas, i.e., the actual plastic bodies of the phones.



    The iPhone 4 has the dubious distinction of being the first cell phone where "some assembly is required."
  • Reply 128 of 613
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleSauce007 View Post


    ...because so many people have bought the iPhone globally and know that it is a non-issue.



    It is still amazing to me how Apple can uniquely bring out so much passion out of people for it's products.



    Everyone wants one...

    Competitors are scared to death...

    Bashers are grabbing a straws to find flaws...



    All I can say is that I own an iPhone 4 and I don't have the issue, I am extremely satisfied with it and everyone I know who owns one loves it.



    Time will tell.



    AppleSauce. You are an idiot. This issue is FRONT PAGE of all major newspapers and even NBC NIGhTLY NEWS took a pretty nasty swipe at Apple's little "problem." It's a big deal applesauce, catch a clue. MORON.
  • Reply 129 of 613
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by motrek View Post


    Apple itself admits it's an issue and that the problem can be solved by covering the antenna with plastic, i.e., a bumper case or similar.



    Every other phone on the market today (including previous gen iPhones) already come with plastic "coverings" for their antennas, i.e., the actual plastic bodies of the phones.



    The iPhone 4 has the dubious distinction of being the first cell phone where "some assembly is required."



    THE BUMPERS AREN'T WORKING!!!!!! How loud do I have to shout this? Read other forums... a case or the bumpers "ain't" gonna help you.
  • Reply 130 of 613
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slocummedia View Post


    THE BUMPERS AREN'T WORKING!!!!!! How loud do I have to shout this? Read other forums... a case or the bumpers "ain't" gonna help you.



    Do you have a link? I didn't realize that the bumpers weren't working either Guess it's better that all of the Apple Stores in my area are completely out of them anyway -- and I also really didn't want to spend $30 plus tax to fix Apple's design flaw.



    And another thing I take offense too -- why is the title of this article saying "Death Grip Hysteria". If the problem is real, and people are affected by it, why make it seem like consumers are the ones stirring up trouble? It doesn't make sense.
  • Reply 131 of 613
    brawnrbrawnr Posts: 11member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slocummedia View Post


    THE BUMPERS AREN'T WORKING!!!!!! How loud do I have to shout this? Read other forums... a case or the bumpers "ain't" gonna help you.



    I'm not so sure...I can consistently get the signal to drop to nothing. However I've just folded some paper into two and bent it around the left corner, and the signal won't drop at all. Depends whether the rubber bumper has the same effect?
  • Reply 132 of 613
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slocummedia View Post


    AppleSauce. You are an idiot. This issue is FRONT PAGE of all major newspapers and even NBC NIGhTLY NEWS took a pretty nasty swipe at Apple's little "problem." It's a big deal applesauce, catch a clue. MORON.



    This is exactly what Applesauce is talking about. All the bashing that is going on. Do you call people idiots and Morons to their face? I agree with Applesauce on all accounts except for the fact that there is not a problem. I'm just not sure how big the problem is. I ran Speedtest while holding the iPhone in the "incorrect" position and while I saw the bars go down, my upload/download speeds stayed consistent. I have had no dropped calls "yet". To me iPhone 4 is one sweet phone and I'm not saying that because I'm a fan boy, just a fan of good technology. I know Apple/Steve Jobs are not perfect but they make great products IMHO.
  • Reply 133 of 613
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slocummedia View Post


    THE BUMPERS AREN'T WORKING!!!!!! How loud do I have to shout this? Read other forums... a case or the bumpers "ain't" gonna help you.



    Do you have a iPhone 4 and have tested this yourself ? I have and I can insulate the problem area with a piece of tissue paper and the bars return. So I would assume the bumpers will work. I have one coming today, I had actually ordered one before the problem was identified, and I can post the results.
  • Reply 134 of 613
    brawnrbrawnr Posts: 11member
    Where did this iOS4.1 romour come from? Is there anything official behind it at all?
  • Reply 135 of 613
    nceencee Posts: 857member
    Well it took awhile, but I final fixed my problem.



    This phone works awesome now.



    - http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/...ba51b7b6_b.jpg



    Skip
  • Reply 136 of 613
    mh01mh01 Posts: 41member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brucep View Post


    you don't even own an iphone ???



    Yeah but he does not need to own a dictionary to know what the word flawless means.
  • Reply 137 of 613
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ncee View Post


    Well it took awhile, but I final fixed my problem.



    This phone works awesome now.



    - http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/...ba51b7b6_b.jpg



    Skip



    What's funny is that I was laying in bed holding my iPhone 4 with the death grip (which is the natural way to hold it) when viewing this pic. Notice the top left corner of my screen





  • Reply 138 of 613
    chopperchopper Posts: 246member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    And another thing I take offense too -- why is the title of this article saying "Death Grip Hysteria". If the problem is real, and people are affected by it, why make it seem like consumers are the ones stirring up trouble? It doesn't make sense.



    Because "Daniel" is a paid PR flack for Apple, and this is not some journalistic endeavor. It's his job to attack anybody who threatens Apple's reputation and it's his job to promote whatever is in Apple's best interests,



    It's a pity that Apple Insider doesn't feel it's necessary to declare that its "contributors" are not impartial, but heck, this stuff generates huge numbers of clicks and gosh, it's only the traffic that makes AI viable. And more than that, if you can't work this stuff for yourself, it's really not AppleInsider's job to do it for you.



    However, it's worth repeating that nothing written by Daniel Eran Dilger, Slash Lane, Prince McLean and sundry others is unbiased. It's the same well paid Apple-supported rort. And if that's what you're happiest hearing, enjoy.



    But it isn't impartial, and is at the least disingenuous. I'd go so far as to say he's actually a liar if I thought that I wouldn't get banned or whatever the punishment is for criticizing the favored contributors.



    Whatever, Daniel Prince John Slash is producing too many words to be other than somebody doing this for a living. About time AppleInsider came clean about this.
  • Reply 139 of 613
    applesauce007applesauce007 Posts: 1,698member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slocummedia View Post


    AppleSauce. You are an idiot. This issue is FRONT PAGE of all major newspapers and even NBC NIGhTLY NEWS took a pretty nasty swipe at Apple's little "problem." It's a big deal applesauce, catch a clue. MORON.



    My God man, this is exactly what I mean when I talk about passion for Apple products. The iPhone 4 has been front page news well before it was ever announced or released. There has always been praises and slanders, so nothing new there. The bottom line is that people are seeing, buying and using the iPhone 4 for themselves and continue to vote with their credit cards.



    The indisputable fact remains that after overwhelming pre-orders of the iPhone 4, the huge waiting lines to buy the Apple product are still overflowing across malls and streets all over the world where it has been available for several days.



    Evidently even the bashers are passionate as they hopelessly try to tare the bonds between Apple and their fans.



    Call me what you want, but the final "Non-Issue" verdict is being passed all over the world with credit cards right now. If the world says it's a "non-Issue", it's a "non-issue". The iPhone 4 will not be redesign and it will remain the most popular smart phone in the world because it's a "non-issue".



    Time will tell.
  • Reply 140 of 613
    plagenplagen Posts: 151member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by motrek View Post


    Just think about it...



    There are insulating seams between the external antennas on the iPhone 4. The antennas are clearly not meant to be connected electrically, otherwise Apple wouldn't have put the seams there.



    Skin conducts. It doesn't even have to be "sweaty." The only reason the iPhone's capacitive touchscreen works is because your fingers conduct electricity, and they aren't always sweaty, right?



    So, by holding the phone in the most natural, obvious way, you are circumventing the insulation that Apple's engineers put between the antennas.



    It's no wonder this is a problem and I don't see how any amount of software patching is going to fix it.



    More interesting is why only some people experience the problem, and why others experience it intermittently. Is it possible that Apple put an insulating laminant on some of the antennas and not others? Maybe the signal drop has to do with the interaction between both antennas, e.g., it will only happen if wifi or Bluetooth is enabled/active.



    It's a shame that so many people are taking the time to make YouTube videos about the problem and post on message boards, but don't seem curious enough to take a multimeter and measure the conductivity of the steel band, or try bridging the seams with different RF features enabled/disabled, etc. etc.



    Clearly, you don't understand it at all



    1. Take a regular multimeter and measure the resistance between the sides of the gap. Guess what, it's already very small, almost a short. Apparently, the resistance of the electrical circuit is already very low, much lower than your hand.



    2. No, the capacitive touch screen does not require your fingers to be conductive. Take any thin plastic film, or tape, and touch the screen through it.



    You see, somehow I think that Apple engineers understand the issue just a little bit better than all the backseat drivers on this forum.
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