My iPhone 4 will drop calls on que every time, no problem. It has been demonstrated with an Apple Genius and with AppleCare. I have tested several other phones at the same locations and at the same times and they do not suffer the same results as the iPhone 4. In the tests were iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, Motorolla RAZR. We also tested a Nokia, an LG, and a Samsung, but I didn't record the model numbers of those three.
Bottom line is that my iPhone 4 performed well sitting on a table, but when picked up with two fingers anywhere on the sides, the call would drop in approximately 20 seconds. With all of the other phones we tested, not one call was dropped no matter how they were held. Also, data downloads can be halted with my iPhone 4. Could not get data to stop with the others.
So...You did all this testing, Apple Genius, Apple Care etc and it's still happening????
This is BOGUS.
So you "kept" a device that ISN'T working and you are on here to say what?
Let me guess. ALL IPHONES SUCK?
I mean, get real, ANY product we ALL buy can be defective by a process of millions. I mean what product launch of THIS MAGNITUDE could or should be flawless?
Secondly why should Apple or ANY company officially comment on an issue when they themselves can't yet accurately access it's magnitude?
I guess NONE OF YOU have ever dealt with CEC's like DELL-HELL or HP for that matter.
i'd just return it either for my money back or exchange it.
I have taken mine in several times and on my third iPhone 4. I'm still experiencing the same issues outlined in previous posts. Anyone else having better reception after exchanging?
Doesn't seem like a flip flop. Their initial testing couldn't reproduce the problem. They gathered additional information, corrected their methodology and now can reproduce it.
Well if you recall they (Consumer Reports) did not initially test it themselves. They relied upon reports from another source, Gizmodo I think. Whoever it was that they were relying upon did not properly test the phone under lab conditions.
Consumer reports can remove the phone from their ass and they will get better reception. If those of you can't figure out how to hold a phone properly without covering a 2 mm strip, then don't buy one. If you are too cheap to buy one of the many different cases available, then don't buy one. If you don't like the phone, return it. Most of the people here making comments don't even own the iPhone 4. I get better reception with the iPhone 4 than I ever did with the original iPhone. If I smother the antenna on the original iPhone, the bars go down on that one too. It doesn't matter if the display shows 2 bars or 4 bars, you can still make a phone call.
And this is if Consumer Reports is really like it was 20 years - A REAL NOT FOR PROFIT business.
I recently signed up to see their "product reviews" of items we all need and care about and they were LAME.
I learn way more from forums like this FOR FREE than their SUBSCRIPTION FEES for a small limited information source.
What's funny is that they FLIP FLOPPED on this issue. I call that UNRELIABLE and UNTRUSTWORTHTY by all accounts.
Does anyone have a screenshot or data for the smartphone comparisons?
It seems to me Apple will not have to do a recall. The info is clear in the report. In their testing, putting your finger over the gap affects reception. Nothing in that states that Apple will need to recall each and every iPhone 4 ever sold. That?s silly.
Also, they verified the issue in their phone, something AnandTech did weeks ago, but they didn?t determine why it doesn?t happen to all phones or what the cause is. Apple can apply a coating or get regulatory approval to up the power, work on the production and component tolerances, alter the way the TriQuint chips measure the antenna to account for variances and/or resubmit to regulatory boards to up the power output, to name a few.
Either way, it?s not good for Apple is Consumer Reports is not backing one of their products. Usually they top their lists across the board and are almost always recommended so they better have fix that isn?t giving away Bumpers.
Personally I think the free bumper thing is their best corrective route. It probably costs Apple about 50 cents for one and they charge $30.00. Get real Apple, thats just too much money for a silly band to wrap around the phone.
I have taken mine in several times and on my third iPhone 4. I'm still experiencing the same issues outlined in previous posts. Anyone else having better reception after exchanging?
Wow - I guess it mean's that all iphones are defective and deserve to be recalled and they better own up to their lies!
I mean can you hear me when "I" tell you "I" have NO ISSUES like yours. And other buddies of mine here in LOS ANGELES don't as well???
But, because 5 bars represented such a wide range of signal strength, the difference between holding and not holding the iP4 sometimes appears dramatic, even though it isn't.
Oh, please. The Anandtech report shows the iPhone 4 exhibiting dramatic signal attenuation when it's held that's real and much greater than with the 3Gs or Nexus One.
There are many issues with technology in general. The current iPhone 4 problem is just one of them. The thing that amazes me is that if I were to buy an iPhone 4 and use it to replace my Vonage phone my monthly bill would go from $30 to $104 minumum. Why is no one complaining about how much money to costs to use one of these phones. They may be smart phones, but the people using them are not real smart.
I'm not complaining because it's worth it to me. I killed my land line last year. I'd rather be a dumb owner of an all purpose iPhone 4 @ $79 a month - new minimum is $55 a month - not $104 - than a smart owner of a landlocked Vonage account @ $30 a month.
heh, since you were apparently still in diapers at the time, just google for signal bars on the iphone in 2008, and you'll find tons of discussion about it.
For all of the people that bashed the ones of us that said there is a problem and pointed out that Consumer Reports said it was "OK", SUCK IT.
Man of class, you are. Rude and clumsy. I'm left handed, and there's not much easier in this world than simply changing your grip to avoid that one trouble-spot. I can reproduce the loss of bars, but in practice it's never been a problem, because I'm not a clumsy idiot like some people I'm replying to.
So...You did all this testing, Apple Genius, Apple Care etc and it's still happening????
This is BOGUS.
So you "kept" a device that ISN'T working and you are on here to say what?
Let me guess. ALL IPHONES SUCK?
I mean, get real, ANY product we ALL buy can be defective by a process of millions. I mean what product launch of THIS MAGNITUDE could or should be flawless?
Secondly why should Apple or ANY company officially comment on an issue when they themselves can't yet accurately access it's magnitude?
I guess NONE OF YOU have ever dealt with CEC's like DELL-HELL or HP for that matter.
I can understand why you are having such a hard time believing this MIGHT just be true. Your iphone 4 is probably working fine for you? That is great for you. If people are to believe you that yours is working fine when you say it is, why is it such a stretch for you to believe others when they tell you theirs is not working properly? How many iPhone 4's will it take, before I can get one that does work, is my question. Mine has been returned twice and I'm on iPhone 4 number three. All three will drop a call when picked up with two fingers anywhere on the sides. I love Apple products and have 10 currently, which is why I will not give up. I believe will improve upon this problem and refuse to believe that this is all we can expect. They have always done pretty well in the past about making things right, so let's hope they stand behind these too. They announced today that they will exchange 2008 Time Capsules within the given range of affected serial numbers, and how much more important is the iPhone line to the company than the Time Capsule line.
I picked up my iPhone 4 on the first day it was sold here. And I seem to be one of the few people that experience better reception than on my pervious 3G model. I constantly lost my call when I drove into the underground garage with my car at home and at work. (My iPhone is sitting in a cradel without external antenna in the car). But with the iPhone 4 the connection stays alive and I can finish my calls in the garage.
Also the WiFi reach is much better. I have more coverage in my house and in my office and now even get to connect to my office WiFi when sitting in the Starbucks across the street. So I think the overall reception and range of the iPhone 4 is better than on my previous model. And I don't really give much about the amount of bars on the screen . What counts for me is that I have fewer dropped calls
yea good one, i plan to buy 2, this to me is a non issue, i always use a case and i can't wait to get mine
Um, I've still yet to meet anyone demonstrating that this is a 'problem'.
Again...
"Doc... it hurts when I do this."
"Then don't do that".
Move your GD finger a millimeter.
The antenna design is still a vast improvement for those not trying to get in on a phony class action.
Not everyone wants to hold the freaking phone to their right ear. Holding it in my left hand to my left ear causes the palm of my hand to short out the antenna. I can't easily change how I hold the phone and still be comfortable with it. It is a very real and disturbing issue. Get over yourself.
Unfortunately, they contradict themselves in their own article. In some places they uncategorically state that the problem affects all iPhones, then, they say their review unit wasn't affected. Then there's the ridiculous claim that CR showed that it affects all iPhones... by testing 3 phones.
Mine does not have any signal issues...perhaps, I am a lucky one for a change.
Wow - I guess it mean's that all iphones are defective and deserve to be recalled and they better own up to their lies!
I mean can you hear me when "I" tell you "I" have NO ISSUES like yours. And other buddies of mine here in LOS ANGELES don't as well???
What does that mean to you when you "hear" that?
It suggests you and your buddies are using cases, you've been consistently in a strong signal area when you've held the bare phone the "wrong way", and you've been unaware of the times when you've held the bare phone the wrong way while in a weak signal area. It is often harder to prove a negative, but there are plenty of people who've seen the problem.
Tape and bumpers are not the answer people. Seriously.
They need to apply a coating to the antennas. It would be clear but enough to stop the issue from happening. Unfortunately, that would involve a recall, or at the very least a trip to the Apple store and a Genius to swap out the antennas with coated ones.
I agree, have you seen those rubber bumpers,.. they make you iPhone 4 look like a kids toy,...
Oh, please. The Anandtech report shows the iPhone 4 exhibiting dramatic signal attenuation when it's held that's real and much greater than with the 3Gs or Nexus One.
Not as dramatic as the loss of bars appears to show.
It suggests you and your buddies are using cases, you've been consistently in a strong signal area when you've held the bare phone the "wrong way", and you've been unaware of the times when you've held the bare phone the wrong way while in a weak signal area. It is often harder to prove a negative, but there are plenty of people who've seen the problem.
Comments
My iPhone 4 will drop calls on que every time, no problem. It has been demonstrated with an Apple Genius and with AppleCare. I have tested several other phones at the same locations and at the same times and they do not suffer the same results as the iPhone 4. In the tests were iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, Motorolla RAZR. We also tested a Nokia, an LG, and a Samsung, but I didn't record the model numbers of those three.
Bottom line is that my iPhone 4 performed well sitting on a table, but when picked up with two fingers anywhere on the sides, the call would drop in approximately 20 seconds. With all of the other phones we tested, not one call was dropped no matter how they were held. Also, data downloads can be halted with my iPhone 4. Could not get data to stop with the others.
So...You did all this testing, Apple Genius, Apple Care etc and it's still happening????
This is BOGUS.
So you "kept" a device that ISN'T working and you are on here to say what?
Let me guess. ALL IPHONES SUCK?
I mean, get real, ANY product we ALL buy can be defective by a process of millions. I mean what product launch of THIS MAGNITUDE could or should be flawless?
Secondly why should Apple or ANY company officially comment on an issue when they themselves can't yet accurately access it's magnitude?
I guess NONE OF YOU have ever dealt with CEC's like DELL-HELL or HP for that matter.
i'd just return it either for my money back or exchange it.
I have taken mine in several times and on my third iPhone 4. I'm still experiencing the same issues outlined in previous posts. Anyone else having better reception after exchanging?
If those of you can't figure out how to hold a phone properly
That's just sort of sad.
Doesn't seem like a flip flop. Their initial testing couldn't reproduce the problem. They gathered additional information, corrected their methodology and now can reproduce it.
Well if you recall they (Consumer Reports) did not initially test it themselves. They relied upon reports from another source, Gizmodo I think. Whoever it was that they were relying upon did not properly test the phone under lab conditions.
Consumer reports can remove the phone from their ass and they will get better reception. If those of you can't figure out how to hold a phone properly without covering a 2 mm strip, then don't buy one. If you are too cheap to buy one of the many different cases available, then don't buy one. If you don't like the phone, return it. Most of the people here making comments don't even own the iPhone 4. I get better reception with the iPhone 4 than I ever did with the original iPhone. If I smother the antenna on the original iPhone, the bars go down on that one too. It doesn't matter if the display shows 2 bars or 4 bars, you can still make a phone call.
And this is if Consumer Reports is really like it was 20 years - A REAL NOT FOR PROFIT business.
I recently signed up to see their "product reviews" of items we all need and care about and they were LAME.
I learn way more from forums like this FOR FREE than their SUBSCRIPTION FEES for a small limited information source.
What's funny is that they FLIP FLOPPED on this issue. I call that UNRELIABLE and UNTRUSTWORTHTY by all accounts.
Does anyone have a screenshot or data for the smartphone comparisons?
It seems to me Apple will not have to do a recall. The info is clear in the report. In their testing, putting your finger over the gap affects reception. Nothing in that states that Apple will need to recall each and every iPhone 4 ever sold. That?s silly.
Also, they verified the issue in their phone, something AnandTech did weeks ago, but they didn?t determine why it doesn?t happen to all phones or what the cause is. Apple can apply a coating or get regulatory approval to up the power, work on the production and component tolerances, alter the way the TriQuint chips measure the antenna to account for variances and/or resubmit to regulatory boards to up the power output, to name a few.
Either way, it?s not good for Apple is Consumer Reports is not backing one of their products. Usually they top their lists across the board and are almost always recommended so they better have fix that isn?t giving away Bumpers.
Personally I think the free bumper thing is their best corrective route. It probably costs Apple about 50 cents for one and they charge $30.00. Get real Apple, thats just too much money for a silly band to wrap around the phone.
I have taken mine in several times and on my third iPhone 4. I'm still experiencing the same issues outlined in previous posts. Anyone else having better reception after exchanging?
Wow - I guess it mean's that all iphones are defective and deserve to be recalled and they better own up to their lies!
I mean can you hear me when "I" tell you "I" have NO ISSUES like yours. And other buddies of mine here in LOS ANGELES don't as well???
What does that mean to you when you "hear" that?
But, because 5 bars represented such a wide range of signal strength, the difference between holding and not holding the iP4 sometimes appears dramatic, even though it isn't.
Oh, please. The Anandtech report shows the iPhone 4 exhibiting dramatic signal attenuation when it's held that's real and much greater than with the 3Gs or Nexus One.
There are many issues with technology in general. The current iPhone 4 problem is just one of them. The thing that amazes me is that if I were to buy an iPhone 4 and use it to replace my Vonage phone my monthly bill would go from $30 to $104 minumum. Why is no one complaining about how much money to costs to use one of these phones. They may be smart phones, but the people using them are not real smart.
I'm not complaining because it's worth it to me. I killed my land line last year. I'd rather be a dumb owner of an all purpose iPhone 4 @ $79 a month - new minimum is $55 a month - not $104 - than a smart owner of a landlocked Vonage account @ $30 a month.
heh, since you were apparently still in diapers at the time, just google for signal bars on the iphone in 2008, and you'll find tons of discussion about it.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=586974
Oct 23, 2008, 12:25 PM
"IMHO, all Apple did was tweak the indicator. Many of us verified this by doing the field test before and after the 2.1 update."
Demand Apple bring back Field Test Mode in the next iOS4 update.
For all of the people that bashed the ones of us that said there is a problem and pointed out that Consumer Reports said it was "OK", SUCK IT.
Man of class, you are. Rude and clumsy. I'm left handed, and there's not much easier in this world than simply changing your grip to avoid that one trouble-spot. I can reproduce the loss of bars, but in practice it's never been a problem, because I'm not a clumsy idiot like some people I'm replying to.
So...You did all this testing, Apple Genius, Apple Care etc and it's still happening????
This is BOGUS.
So you "kept" a device that ISN'T working and you are on here to say what?
Let me guess. ALL IPHONES SUCK?
I mean, get real, ANY product we ALL buy can be defective by a process of millions. I mean what product launch of THIS MAGNITUDE could or should be flawless?
Secondly why should Apple or ANY company officially comment on an issue when they themselves can't yet accurately access it's magnitude?
I guess NONE OF YOU have ever dealt with CEC's like DELL-HELL or HP for that matter.
I can understand why you are having such a hard time believing this MIGHT just be true. Your iphone 4 is probably working fine for you? That is great for you. If people are to believe you that yours is working fine when you say it is, why is it such a stretch for you to believe others when they tell you theirs is not working properly? How many iPhone 4's will it take, before I can get one that does work, is my question. Mine has been returned twice and I'm on iPhone 4 number three. All three will drop a call when picked up with two fingers anywhere on the sides. I love Apple products and have 10 currently, which is why I will not give up. I believe will improve upon this problem and refuse to believe that this is all we can expect. They have always done pretty well in the past about making things right, so let's hope they stand behind these too. They announced today that they will exchange 2008 Time Capsules within the given range of affected serial numbers, and how much more important is the iPhone line to the company than the Time Capsule line.
I picked up my iPhone 4 on the first day it was sold here. And I seem to be one of the few people that experience better reception than on my pervious 3G model. I constantly lost my call when I drove into the underground garage with my car at home and at work. (My iPhone is sitting in a cradel without external antenna in the car). But with the iPhone 4 the connection stays alive and I can finish my calls in the garage.
Also the WiFi reach is much better. I have more coverage in my house and in my office and now even get to connect to my office WiFi when sitting in the Starbucks across the street. So I think the overall reception and range of the iPhone 4 is better than on my previous model. And I don't really give much about the amount of bars on the screen . What counts for me is that I have fewer dropped calls
yea good one, i plan to buy 2, this to me is a non issue, i always use a case and i can't wait to get mine
Um, I've still yet to meet anyone demonstrating that this is a 'problem'.
Again...
"Doc... it hurts when I do this."
"Then don't do that".
Move your GD finger a millimeter.
The antenna design is still a vast improvement for those not trying to get in on a phony class action.
Not everyone wants to hold the freaking phone to their right ear. Holding it in my left hand to my left ear causes the palm of my hand to short out the antenna. I can't easily change how I hold the phone and still be comfortable with it. It is a very real and disturbing issue. Get over yourself.
Unfortunately, they contradict themselves in their own article. In some places they uncategorically state that the problem affects all iPhones, then, they say their review unit wasn't affected. Then there's the ridiculous claim that CR showed that it affects all iPhones... by testing 3 phones.
Mine does not have any signal issues...perhaps, I am a lucky one for a change.
Wow - I guess it mean's that all iphones are defective and deserve to be recalled and they better own up to their lies!
I mean can you hear me when "I" tell you "I" have NO ISSUES like yours. And other buddies of mine here in LOS ANGELES don't as well???
What does that mean to you when you "hear" that?
It suggests you and your buddies are using cases, you've been consistently in a strong signal area when you've held the bare phone the "wrong way", and you've been unaware of the times when you've held the bare phone the wrong way while in a weak signal area. It is often harder to prove a negative, but there are plenty of people who've seen the problem.
So...
Let me guess. ALL IPHONES SUCK?
How do you make such a leap in your logic?
Tape and bumpers are not the answer people. Seriously.
They need to apply a coating to the antennas. It would be clear but enough to stop the issue from happening. Unfortunately, that would involve a recall, or at the very least a trip to the Apple store and a Genius to swap out the antennas with coated ones.
I agree, have you seen those rubber bumpers,.. they make you iPhone 4 look like a kids toy,...
Oh, please. The Anandtech report shows the iPhone 4 exhibiting dramatic signal attenuation when it's held that's real and much greater than with the 3Gs or Nexus One.
Not as dramatic as the loss of bars appears to show.
It suggests you and your buddies are using cases, you've been consistently in a strong signal area when you've held the bare phone the "wrong way", and you've been unaware of the times when you've held the bare phone the wrong way while in a weak signal area. It is often harder to prove a negative, but there are plenty of people who've seen the problem.
Exactly right. Well said.