They're waiting until 30 days after release day to come out with their "fix" so the early adopters won't be able to return their phones when the fix doesn't solve the problem.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. I do love my iPhone 4 though.
Actually, I believe they are waiting on the "software non-fix" until just after earnings report on July 20th. Because the testers will then be able to really lambast ATT and Apple for, respectively: deceiving the owners as to the true bar strength, and that software won't fix the reception problem at all.
Just remember, in the stock market: it is the reaction to the news that counts, not the news itself.
Apple is nothing if not a shrewd PR machine (however, this time they should have immediately cut off debate by fixing the problem, or doing a recall). My guess is that some folks in PR have watched their heads roll out the door, not to mention some in the antenna design skunkworks division.
Did you even look at how CR tested? No, right? You admitted that earlier when claiming they didn't publish the results. Why are these results bogus (aside from the fact that you don't like them because you're devoted to Apple)? What should have been done differently in the lab? I'm betting you loved CR and their earlier recommendation to buy. Unfortunate for you, huh, that CR decided to do more extensive tests when the reports of reception problems continued. Of course it wasn't objective testing, BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE THE RESULTS.
i think his point was that if you have iphone 4 and are experiencing the death grip issue and you can not live with the issue, then just return the phone. apple told this to every one since day one. returning it is the best way to show your anger to a bad product made by apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by antkm1
and your point? What difference does it make to have owned and experienced a problem that obviously many people are having. We don't know how many but it seems to be a lot, since it's being reported on a reputable source like CR.
I'm so tired of hearing this statement on the blogs, this is a known hardware issue that many people are experiencing. The point post-ers are trying to make is that Apple (at this point) needs to address this issue, and not simply with a band-aid (aka, buy a case). Whether someone personally experience the problem is mute.
Actually, I believe they are waiting on the "software non-fix" until just after earnings report on July 20th. Because the testers will then be able to really lambast ATT and Apple for, respectively: deceiving the owners as to the true bar strength, and that software won't fix the reception problem at all.
Just remember, in the stock market: it is the reaction to the news that counts, not the news itself.
Apple is nothing if not a shrewd PR machine (however, this time they should have immediately cut off debate by fixing the problem, or doing a recall). My guess is that some folks in PR have watched their heads roll out the door, not to mention some in the antenna design skunkworks division.
Still don't understand why people are all hyped up about Apple needing to issue a recall. Recall are for products that you can't return, like cars where there's no return policy, or products way pass the return period. This problem is well known enough that most if not all buyers should know about it already, and since its still well within 30 day return period, anybody disatisfied should simply return it. No need for Apple to do anything other than waive the restocking fee if it exist.
Really people, this antenna issue is over hyped to the nth degree. Some phone gets better range and some phone gets worse range, it's as normal as there are cars with different mileage. You don't see people clamoring for recalling a car because it gets worse mileage when loaded to capacity, do you?
So ALL the anecdotal evidence from people like me or others here that have NO PROBLEMS at all is BS? Why is it that this "problem" is so easily "reproduced" in the labratory yet for folks like me in Los Angeles, I don't have this issue at all.
If in fact it is an issue with SOME phones or SOME AREAS OF ATT Service area which I CLEARLY think it is, it will be fixed...
The insane, distrustful thing about CON-SUMER REPORTS is that first they said it was a non-issue, then they said they can't recommend it, only to later "release a report saying the iphone is the top smartphone on the market". WTF!!!
Here's the thing - look at those pictures. Now, explain how you're going to use a phone with it held in your hand like that. Unless you have a bend in the middle of your humerus, your elbow is bent into the middle of your stomach.
Yes, it is possible to reproduce the problem in weak signal areas on some phones. But in most cases, you have to go out of your way to do it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scafe2
I agree and i wish people would stop promoting the idea of Apple giving away free bumpers as a solution, have you seen the bumpers, they look pants,,.. !
Come on Apple sort this out
Sorry, but anyone saying "they look pants" is unlikely to have either the technical or business experience to even understand the issue, much less the solution.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackintosh
Too late. I already did.{bought an iPhone} You know why? Because all the Kool Aid drinking fanbois here said there was no problem with the antenna.
Thanks a lot.
Actually I have darn near everything Apple Inc makes, so I had no reason to think they would screw up the forth incarnation of a hit product.
Then take the phone back. You can get a 100% refund and have your old plan reinstated. Problem solved.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doxxic
Exactly.
I know a person who worked for Vodafone 2 yrs ago and spreading bad rumors was his daytime job for 3 months when iPhone 3G came out exclusively on the competing carrier.
As a result, the iPhone 3G's "reception problems" broke the national daily news then.
It was a real hype then and by now everyone has totally forgotten it..
Yes, the more I hear, the more I'm convinced that Verizon, Google, HTC, RIM, and others are behind this.
it is highly unlikely, because they have to keep quiet otherwise it is going to bite them later. apple is just shouldering something for them now. if apple somehow pulls it off and "resolve" it, it will be onerous for verizon/google/htc/rim/nokia to 'fix' the issue on their platforms, which will be disaster for them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Yes, the more I hear, the more I'm convinced that Verizon, Google, HTC, RIM, and others are behind this.
Doesn't a simple coating on the pieces in question fix the problem? They need to fix it and recall the ones that are already out in the wild. Steve's obsession for denouncing any limitations or flaws in Apple's products is growing old...
Coating of any sort will come off easily. They need to put there some kind of plastic band.
To me, the worst part of this whole story is this:
"Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong."
Quote:
Originally Posted by BartBuzz
If that's worst part to you, then you really shouldn't have any complaints.
It's not a complaint. It's an expression of disappointment in what seems to me to be at best a disingenuous excuse for what's happening.
They were "stunned"? With all the amazing software engineering Apple has done in the last decade or more, they were "stunned" to find that a simple arithmetic problem had been "totally wrong" for three years?
I don't buy it, and to me that's the worst part of this whole story. Their credibility has taken a big hit. I hope they hire a good outside crisis management consultant, because their inside advice is causing them more harm than the problem itself.
Here's the thing - look at those pictures. Now, explain how you're going to use a phone with it held in your hand like that. Unless you have a bend in the middle of your humerus, your elbow is bent into the middle of your stomach.
Yes, it is possible to reproduce the problem in weak signal areas on some phones. But in most cases, you have to go out of your way to do it.
It's a SMARTPHONE! You know, it's not just used for making phone calls. A lot of people hold the phone like then when ohh, let's say, browsing the internet, checking email, or doing just about anything else on the phone other than using it to make calls.
You hold it in the palm of your left hand and use your left thumb to navigate. When your thumb can't reach everything, you use your right pointer (left handed folks) to enter information.
For many, holding it in that position results in internet download/upload speeds dropping to nearly nothing.
It's not a complaint. It's an expression of disappointment in what seems to me to be at best a disingenuous excuse for what's happening.
They were "stunned"? With all the amazing software engineering Apple has done in the last decade or more, they were "stunned" to find that a simple arithmetic problem had been "totally wrong" for three years?
I don't buy it, and to me that's the worst part of this whole story. Their credibility has taken a big hit. I hope they hire a good outside crisis management consultant, because their inside advice is causing them more harm than the problem itself.
The biggest hit to their credibility in that case is that by claiming to be surprised and stunned, they are being openly dishonest. Prior to iPhone OS 2.1, people complained about their iPhones showing low bars when other phones showed high bars. Apple included in the 2.1 update "Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display". At the time of the update, people tested and found that all they did was change the display to show 5 bars where this might have previously shown fewer. Examples here and here. Apple support discussions at the time here.
If they are going to put out carefully crafted responses, they could at least do so in a manner that is honest.
Well, first of all, he was posting to say he didn't lose signal.
Then, to answer your question, on speakerphone. Or, not making a call and just using 3G data. Or both.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazda 3s
It's a SMARTPHONE! You know, it's not just used for making phone calls. A lot of people hold the phone like then when ohh, let's say, browsing the internet, checking email, or doing just about anything else on the phone other than using it to make calls.
You hold it in the palm of your left hand and use your left thumb to navigate. When your thumb can't reach everything, you use your right pointer (left handed folks) to enter information.
For many, holding it in that position results in internet download/upload speeds dropping to nearly nothing.
Even using it to access the Internet, that grip is extremely inconvenient. The way it was held, it's hard to get your finger to the screen. A much more natural hold is to hold the phone farther up on the case.
In any event, even if you really do want to hold it in a grip like your life depends on it, it's trivial to hold it farther up on the case, so people are spending a huge amount of time whining about what is, at worst, a trivial inconvenience.
It's not a complaint. It's an expression of disappointment in what seems to me to be at best a disingenuous excuse for what's happening.
They were "stunned"? With all the amazing software engineering Apple has done in the last decade or more, they were "stunned" to find that a simple arithmetic problem had been "totally wrong" for three years?
I don't buy it, and to me that's the worst part of this whole story. Their credibility has taken a big hit. I hope they hire a good outside crisis management consultant, because their inside advice is causing them more harm than the problem itself.
PR spin like this happens all the time from companies everywhere. The rhetoric is aimed at appeasing people who don't really know anything, and don't care about details. If you aren't one of the typical target audience you'll find something in the PR release to pick apart and find fault with. You don't like that they were stunned? Personally I think that is probably not far from the truth... i.e. the non-technical types in the PR department are stunned that they are having this issue with their flagship product. To me it is the "totally wrong" part that is nonsense... it isn't totally wrong, and its arguably more sensible than the newly recommended algorithm from AT&T. I don't much care though as the PR release isn't there to try and explain the technical details to me, it exists to tell the un-savvy masses that they are going to change how it works so that they don't see big drops in the bars when they hold it differently.
Comments
They're waiting until 30 days after release day to come out with their "fix" so the early adopters won't be able to return their phones when the fix doesn't solve the problem.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. I do love my iPhone 4 though.
Actually, I believe they are waiting on the "software non-fix" until just after earnings report on July 20th. Because the testers will then be able to really lambast ATT and Apple for, respectively: deceiving the owners as to the true bar strength, and that software won't fix the reception problem at all.
Just remember, in the stock market: it is the reaction to the news that counts, not the news itself.
Apple is nothing if not a shrewd PR machine (however, this time they should have immediately cut off debate by fixing the problem, or doing a recall). My guess is that some folks in PR have watched their heads roll out the door, not to mention some in the antenna design skunkworks division.
Here here.
Funny how everyone I know with an iPhone 4 has ZERO issues/problems with it. Must be magic air in Japan here.
That is like to say: "I earn 500 dollar per hour, jut like my friends does, I don't know why you people are complaining about your salary?"
Then get out of your mom's basement and use the phone.
Plagen, The best service I get is when I'm in YOUR mom's basement.
Did you even look at how CR tested? No, right? You admitted that earlier when claiming they didn't publish the results. Why are these results bogus (aside from the fact that you don't like them because you're devoted to Apple)? What should have been done differently in the lab? I'm betting you loved CR and their earlier recommendation to buy. Unfortunate for you, huh, that CR decided to do more extensive tests when the reports of reception problems continued. Of course it wasn't objective testing, BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE THE RESULTS.
Spot on. +1.
When's the last time you even heard the media quoting CON-SUMER Reports about anything? before yesterday that is.
...and I bet thats precisely why they did it. Slagging off Apple is like $1,000,000 of marketing and publicity for free, all at once.
and your point? What difference does it make to have owned and experienced a problem that obviously many people are having. We don't know how many but it seems to be a lot, since it's being reported on a reputable source like CR.
I'm so tired of hearing this statement on the blogs, this is a known hardware issue that many people are experiencing. The point post-ers are trying to make is that Apple (at this point) needs to address this issue, and not simply with a band-aid (aka, buy a case). Whether someone personally experience the problem is mute.
Actually, I believe they are waiting on the "software non-fix" until just after earnings report on July 20th. Because the testers will then be able to really lambast ATT and Apple for, respectively: deceiving the owners as to the true bar strength, and that software won't fix the reception problem at all.
Just remember, in the stock market: it is the reaction to the news that counts, not the news itself.
Apple is nothing if not a shrewd PR machine (however, this time they should have immediately cut off debate by fixing the problem, or doing a recall). My guess is that some folks in PR have watched their heads roll out the door, not to mention some in the antenna design skunkworks division.
Still don't understand why people are all hyped up about Apple needing to issue a recall. Recall are for products that you can't return, like cars where there's no return policy, or products way pass the return period. This problem is well known enough that most if not all buyers should know about it already, and since its still well within 30 day return period, anybody disatisfied should simply return it. No need for Apple to do anything other than waive the restocking fee if it exist.
Really people, this antenna issue is over hyped to the nth degree. Some phone gets better range and some phone gets worse range, it's as normal as there are cars with different mileage. You don't see people clamoring for recalling a car because it gets worse mileage when loaded to capacity, do you?
So ALL the anecdotal evidence from people like me or others here that have NO PROBLEMS at all is BS? Why is it that this "problem" is so easily "reproduced" in the labratory yet for folks like me in Los Angeles, I don't have this issue at all.
If in fact it is an issue with SOME phones or SOME AREAS OF ATT Service area which I CLEARLY think it is, it will be fixed...
The insane, distrustful thing about CON-SUMER REPORTS is that first they said it was a non-issue, then they said they can't recommend it, only to later "release a report saying the iphone is the top smartphone on the market". WTF!!!
Here's the thing - look at those pictures. Now, explain how you're going to use a phone with it held in your hand like that. Unless you have a bend in the middle of your humerus, your elbow is bent into the middle of your stomach.
Yes, it is possible to reproduce the problem in weak signal areas on some phones. But in most cases, you have to go out of your way to do it.
I agree and i wish people would stop promoting the idea of Apple giving away free bumpers as a solution, have you seen the bumpers, they look pants,,.. !
Come on Apple sort this out
Sorry, but anyone saying "they look pants" is unlikely to have either the technical or business experience to even understand the issue, much less the solution.
Too late. I already did.{bought an iPhone} You know why? Because all the Kool Aid drinking fanbois here said there was no problem with the antenna.
Thanks a lot.
Actually I have darn near everything Apple Inc makes, so I had no reason to think they would screw up the forth incarnation of a hit product.
Then take the phone back. You can get a 100% refund and have your old plan reinstated. Problem solved.
Exactly.
I know a person who worked for Vodafone 2 yrs ago and spreading bad rumors was his daytime job for 3 months when iPhone 3G came out exclusively on the competing carrier.
As a result, the iPhone 3G's "reception problems" broke the national daily news then.
It was a real hype then and by now everyone has totally forgotten it..
Yes, the more I hear, the more I'm convinced that Verizon, Google, HTC, RIM, and others are behind this.
Yes, the more I hear, the more I'm convinced that Verizon, Google, HTC, RIM, and others are behind this.
Doesn't a simple coating on the pieces in question fix the problem? They need to fix it and recall the ones that are already out in the wild. Steve's obsession for denouncing any limitations or flaws in Apple's products is growing old...
Coating of any sort will come off easily. They need to put there some kind of plastic band.
Here's the thing - look at those pictures. Now, explain how you're going to use a phone with it held in your hand like that. ...
Well, first of all, he was posting to say he didn't lose signal.
Then, to answer your question, on speakerphone. Or, not making a call and just using 3G data. Or both.
To me, the worst part of this whole story is this:
"Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong."
If that's worst part to you, then you really shouldn't have any complaints.
It's not a complaint. It's an expression of disappointment in what seems to me to be at best a disingenuous excuse for what's happening.
They were "stunned"? With all the amazing software engineering Apple has done in the last decade or more, they were "stunned" to find that a simple arithmetic problem had been "totally wrong" for three years?
I don't buy it, and to me that's the worst part of this whole story. Their credibility has taken a big hit. I hope they hire a good outside crisis management consultant, because their inside advice is causing them more harm than the problem itself.
Here's the thing - look at those pictures. Now, explain how you're going to use a phone with it held in your hand like that. Unless you have a bend in the middle of your humerus, your elbow is bent into the middle of your stomach.
Yes, it is possible to reproduce the problem in weak signal areas on some phones. But in most cases, you have to go out of your way to do it.
It's a SMARTPHONE! You know, it's not just used for making phone calls. A lot of people hold the phone like then when ohh, let's say, browsing the internet, checking email, or doing just about anything else on the phone other than using it to make calls.
You hold it in the palm of your left hand and use your left thumb to navigate. When your thumb can't reach everything, you use your right pointer (left handed folks) to enter information.
For many, holding it in that position results in internet download/upload speeds dropping to nearly nothing.
It's not a complaint. It's an expression of disappointment in what seems to me to be at best a disingenuous excuse for what's happening.
They were "stunned"? With all the amazing software engineering Apple has done in the last decade or more, they were "stunned" to find that a simple arithmetic problem had been "totally wrong" for three years?
I don't buy it, and to me that's the worst part of this whole story. Their credibility has taken a big hit. I hope they hire a good outside crisis management consultant, because their inside advice is causing them more harm than the problem itself.
The biggest hit to their credibility in that case is that by claiming to be surprised and stunned, they are being openly dishonest. Prior to iPhone OS 2.1, people complained about their iPhones showing low bars when other phones showed high bars. Apple included in the 2.1 update "Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display". At the time of the update, people tested and found that all they did was change the display to show 5 bars where this might have previously shown fewer. Examples here and here. Apple support discussions at the time here.
If they are going to put out carefully crafted responses, they could at least do so in a manner that is honest.
Well, first of all, he was posting to say he didn't lose signal.
Then, to answer your question, on speakerphone. Or, not making a call and just using 3G data. Or both.
It's a SMARTPHONE! You know, it's not just used for making phone calls. A lot of people hold the phone like then when ohh, let's say, browsing the internet, checking email, or doing just about anything else on the phone other than using it to make calls.
You hold it in the palm of your left hand and use your left thumb to navigate. When your thumb can't reach everything, you use your right pointer (left handed folks) to enter information.
For many, holding it in that position results in internet download/upload speeds dropping to nearly nothing.
Even using it to access the Internet, that grip is extremely inconvenient. The way it was held, it's hard to get your finger to the screen. A much more natural hold is to hold the phone farther up on the case.
In any event, even if you really do want to hold it in a grip like your life depends on it, it's trivial to hold it farther up on the case, so people are spending a huge amount of time whining about what is, at worst, a trivial inconvenience.
[IMG]
return the phone.
It's not a complaint. It's an expression of disappointment in what seems to me to be at best a disingenuous excuse for what's happening.
They were "stunned"? With all the amazing software engineering Apple has done in the last decade or more, they were "stunned" to find that a simple arithmetic problem had been "totally wrong" for three years?
I don't buy it, and to me that's the worst part of this whole story. Their credibility has taken a big hit. I hope they hire a good outside crisis management consultant, because their inside advice is causing them more harm than the problem itself.
PR spin like this happens all the time from companies everywhere. The rhetoric is aimed at appeasing people who don't really know anything, and don't care about details. If you aren't one of the typical target audience you'll find something in the PR release to pick apart and find fault with. You don't like that they were stunned? Personally I think that is probably not far from the truth... i.e. the non-technical types in the PR department are stunned that they are having this issue with their flagship product. To me it is the "totally wrong" part that is nonsense... it isn't totally wrong, and its arguably more sensible than the newly recommended algorithm from AT&T. I don't much care though as the PR release isn't there to try and explain the technical details to me, it exists to tell the un-savvy masses that they are going to change how it works so that they don't see big drops in the bars when they hold it differently.
PR is PR. You're better off ignoring it.
.
.
Get over it. Move on.