In some areas where connection was not strong enough a single finger could detune the iPhone 4 antenna enough to have the signal go from full to no bars.
There seems to be a contradiction in your question. You speak of an area where the connection was not strong enough, yet you also say that the signal would go from full to no bars. How does the phone have full bars if the signal is "not strong enough"?
To answer the question, I say false. With "full signal" on my iPhone 4, I cannot make it go to "no bars" by bridging the two antennas in the lower left corner of the phone. With "full bars", the best I can detune the antenna is two bars (maybe 3 if I press really hard). This was particularly true after the firmware update that modified how the iPhone 4 displayed signal strength. Of course, I also have to say that this is specifically with my iPhone 4 and those of a couple of friends of mine.
Granted it has only been a few weeks with my iPhone 4 with Sprint but I have yet to drop a call. I actually get better signal with my iPhone than I did with my Evo 3D. That was before I bought a case for it. So maybe they addressed the issue with the CDMA version.
Now my wife is eyeing my phone...looks as if I'll have to take her upgrade and give her my 4 and I'll get a 4S. All I know is I'm a happy camper.
I can't imagine anyone on this site, trolls included, would even consider using CR for any CE product review. Maybe for a dishwasher they are the best but for smartphones, computers, et al. there are hundreds of sites that are more thorough and better equipped for testing kit.
2) So what happened to the people claiming the design wasn't revolutionary and that Apple would have to recall each and every iPhone 4 tat hit the shelves because they foolishly put the antenna on the outside?
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
It's about time Apple ranked product report companies. After all, people listen to Apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by esummers
They still down ranked the iPhone because it doesn't have a giant, low-resolution screen and it doesn't run on a network (4G) that currently requires first-generation, power-hungry baseband chips...
In other news.... Consumer Reports knocks off all cars that have less then 500 horsepower from their recommended list because they just aren't fast enough. They also mentioned: "We love our top pick because it has a ton of buttons. It took us hours to figure out how to take the car out of park."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. H
Could someone please explain to me the benefit of large screens and 4G?
That's easy. Large screens and '4G' share a benefit of allowing you to advertise to customers in a way they understand. Things like 960x640, IPS, and 326ppi isn't relatable, but git ass 4.6" display is.
Big displays also have the benefit of being able to increase the volume of the device so you can put in a '4G' radio with a larger battery all without having to shrink or cram components into the svelte designs like the iPhone, that they compete with anyway.
I certainly don't want one of those devices but I can see how that business model is sound.
Quote:
Originally Posted by urinalcake
I hope the antenna fix fixed the BlueTooth also
The WiFi and BT (same chip) antennas are back inside the device. Suprisingly, at least the WiFI antenna, has better performance than the iPhone 4.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morky
The fact that Consumer Reports ranked the iPhone 4 at the top of the smartphone category, but couldn't recommend it to consumers, shows a deep flaw in their rating process.
Excellent point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz
true or false:
In some areas where connection was not strong enough a single finger could detune the iPhone 4 antenna enough to have the signal go from full to no bars.
True of False:The bars are neither a scientific measure of signal strength or the ability to make calls.
True of False: AnandTech, the site that originally cracked the story, have shown that even with attenuation the iPhone 4 was able to connect and make a call in areas that other phones could not.
They still down ranked the iPhone because it doesn't have a giant, low-resolution screen and it doesn't run on a network (4G) that currently requires first-generation, power-hungry baseband chips...
Well, I would like a slightly bigger display. But not if the phone is going to be more than about 3mm wider. I've played with some of the giant phones, and for my average sized hands, they're simply too big. Uncomfortable is not what I'm looking for in a phone. If Apple can put a 3.8 to 4" screen in a phone not much bigger than my 4s, then I would be very happy. A slightly bigger screen would make it easier to type in portrait mode, though it's good now.
As far as LTE goes, I agree that it's not ready. If we look at the phone reviews in Anandtech, we can see that the battery life of LTE phones is one THIRD of the 4s. That's ridiculous! I've read posts from people that say that iPhone users are too lazy to "manage" their phone, and that's ridiculous too. We shouldn't have to manage our phones. I did a test with a friend who has one. By the time he turned LTE on, went to the browser and found his page, downloaded the content, turned off the browser and turned off LTE, I had already finished on my "slow" 4s.
While CR was right to make a fuss over the antenna issue it seems to me that it is CR and not Apple that has suffered a hit to its reputation as a result of this whole affair.
Apple has been untouched by all of this and has enjoyed fabulous sales. CR, on the other hand, has appeared to be rather insignificant in that evidently consumers don't care what CR has to say about a product.
How CR has ended up with a failing grade on this one I'm not sure but that is what has happened.
I'll be watching with interest what the impact will be on the Honda Civic which recently got a failing grade from CR. Lots of the 9th Gen Civics on the road in southern Ontario already so maybe this will prove to be another example of how little sway CR now has with consumers. I do have to admit, though, that all along the only aspect of CR's automotive coverage that has mattered to me has been its reliability data. In that regard, CR admits that the Civic is likely to remain reliable and as such the one aspect of the car's value that CR helped promote remains a strength.
CR is just so-so at summarizing. They're ignoramuses about important issues and details. It takes me about 1 minute to read an issue. If I didn't receive CR as a gift every year, I'd most certainly pass.
But the group declared on Tuesday that it has conducted the same "special tests" in its labs with the iPhone 4S, and found that those supposed issues were resolved.
I hate Consumer Reports. I never believe a word that they say.
These idiots are just trying to make amends without actually having to admit they were wrong. My iPhone 4 has consistently had rock solid reception. It's been by far the best phone I've ever owned. By far. Granted, I want a 4S, but I'm under contract, so it would be stupidly expensive for me to upgrade. I'm hoping we see an iPhone 5 next summer.
Not here to debate with everyone but I had receptions issues (both signal bars, dropped calls and data to stop downloading) from the very first day I got my 4 (launch day). I didn't want to use a case since I really loved the way the 4 looked and felt in my hand but finally resorted to one. I was reminded of this when my case ended up falling apart and I used it for a few weeks without a case again.
That being said I still enjoyed everything else about the 4. I upgraded to a 4S and have not had one single issue with reception. I am also now able to have a naked phone which I really enjoy
Give me the smaller phone I can use with one hand and better battery life any day over 4G and larger screen.
Could someone please explain to me the benefit of large screens and 4G?
New Android Phone, now too big to fit in your pocket! And fast enough to use your month's data allowance in five minutes flat!
CR's opinions are out of touch with what consumers really value in smartphones. Withholding recommendation for the iPhone 4, which has been a very successful and popular product worldwide, shows how irrelevant they have become. I'm glad consumers have made up their own damn minds rather than listen to these clowns.
Their fascination with bigger screens and 4G over Apple's very polished, consumer focused App Store and mature ecosystem shows that they lean more in the direction of your average geek hardware benchmark/spec whore rather than the values of the average non-geek consumer.
Since the ratings seem dependent upon display size, I conclude that Apple simply needs to add a native telephony solution (which it technically has already due to FaceTime) and iPad is the best smartphone or did everyone all the sudden decide that the iPad actually is a PC? iPad can't be a tablet since there isn't a tablet market; there is only an iPad market (as well as a media tablet market ala Barnes & Noble Nook and Amazon Kindle). I can't wait until Apple creates an iTV with FaceTime, iTunes and Siri integration. With even a relatively small 27" cinema display an iTV would be the best "mobile" smartphone available.
"These pluses were not enough, however, to allow the iPhone 4S to outscore the best new Android-based phones in our Ratings. Those top scorers included the Samsung Galaxy S II phones, the Motorola Droid Bionic, and several other phones that boast larger displays than the iPhone 4S and run on faster 4G networks. (Technically, only the AT&T version of the iPhone 4S supports 4G, running on the carrier's HSPA+ network at download speeds of about 14 megabits per second, the bottom rung of what is considered to be 4G network speed.)
Other phones that topped the iPhone 4S include the LG Thrill ($100 on AT&T), which has the ability to capture stills and videos in 3D, as well as display them on its 4.3-inch 3D display, and the Motorola Droid Bionic ($300 on Verizon), which also has a superb 4.3-inch, high-resolution (540 x 960) display, with excellent keypad readability under most lighting conditions, even in bright light."
My iPhone 4 did not work in various parts of my home. My iPhone 4S works everywhere. While I'm not a C.R. fan by any means, they were right about the antenna issue, from my experience. While the faster processor and Siri are nice, it's the phone's reception that matters the most to me...and the 4S delivers.
My iPhone 4 did not work in various parts of my home. My iPhone 4S works everywhere. While I'm not a C.R. fan by any means, they were right about the antenna issue, from my experience. While the faster processor and Siri are nice, it's the phone's reception that matters the most to me...and the 4S delivers.
I had the same experience: My 3GS worked everywhere in my house. My 4 works in ONE area of my house.
Comments
true or false:
In some areas where connection was not strong enough a single finger could detune the iPhone 4 antenna enough to have the signal go from full to no bars.
There seems to be a contradiction in your question. You speak of an area where the connection was not strong enough, yet you also say that the signal would go from full to no bars. How does the phone have full bars if the signal is "not strong enough"?
To answer the question, I say false. With "full signal" on my iPhone 4, I cannot make it go to "no bars" by bridging the two antennas in the lower left corner of the phone. With "full bars", the best I can detune the antenna is two bars (maybe 3 if I press really hard). This was particularly true after the firmware update that modified how the iPhone 4 displayed signal strength. Of course, I also have to say that this is specifically with my iPhone 4 and those of a couple of friends of mine.
Now my wife is eyeing my phone...looks as if I'll have to take her upgrade and give her my 4 and I'll get a 4S. All I know is I'm a happy camper.
Overall, none of my iPhones (or Android) has been as good as my old Blackberry or Motorola Razr, in terms of antenna performance.
2) So what happened to the people claiming the design wasn't revolutionary and that Apple would have to recall each and every iPhone 4 tat hit the shelves because they foolishly put the antenna on the outside?
It's about time Apple ranked product report companies. After all, people listen to Apple.
They still down ranked the iPhone because it doesn't have a giant, low-resolution screen and it doesn't run on a network (4G) that currently requires first-generation, power-hungry baseband chips...
In other news.... Consumer Reports knocks off all cars that have less then 500 horsepower from their recommended list because they just aren't fast enough. They also mentioned: "We love our top pick because it has a ton of buttons. It took us hours to figure out how to take the car out of park."
Could someone please explain to me the benefit of large screens and 4G?
That's easy. Large screens and '4G' share a benefit of allowing you to advertise to customers in a way they understand. Things like 960x640, IPS, and 326ppi isn't relatable, but git ass 4.6" display is.
Big displays also have the benefit of being able to increase the volume of the device so you can put in a '4G' radio with a larger battery all without having to shrink or cram components into the svelte designs like the iPhone, that they compete with anyway.
I certainly don't want one of those devices but I can see how that business model is sound.
I hope the antenna fix fixed the BlueTooth also
The WiFi and BT (same chip) antennas are back inside the device. Suprisingly, at least the WiFI antenna, has better performance than the iPhone 4.
The fact that Consumer Reports ranked the iPhone 4 at the top of the smartphone category, but couldn't recommend it to consumers, shows a deep flaw in their rating process.
Excellent point.
true or false:
In some areas where connection was not strong enough a single finger could detune the iPhone 4 antenna enough to have the signal go from full to no bars.
True of False:The bars are neither a scientific measure of signal strength or the ability to make calls.
True of False: AnandTech, the site that originally cracked the story, have shown that even with attenuation the iPhone 4 was able to connect and make a call in areas that other phones could not.
What would we do without Consumer Reports to illuminate us?
Well, I have found them quite handy for other consumer products.
They still down ranked the iPhone because it doesn't have a giant, low-resolution screen and it doesn't run on a network (4G) that currently requires first-generation, power-hungry baseband chips...
"
I wonder if battery life was a criteria?
I'm curious if they could tell me why I'm supposed to listen to them anymore.
Looking for a toaster?
As far as LTE goes, I agree that it's not ready. If we look at the phone reviews in Anandtech, we can see that the battery life of LTE phones is one THIRD of the 4s. That's ridiculous! I've read posts from people that say that iPhone users are too lazy to "manage" their phone, and that's ridiculous too. We shouldn't have to manage our phones. I did a test with a friend who has one. By the time he turned LTE on, went to the browser and found his page, downloaded the content, turned off the browser and turned off LTE, I had already finished on my "slow" 4s.
It's a crock right now.
Looking for a toaster?
Only if they rate one very high but can't recommend it because "if you put a bagel in a slot in a certain way, it doesn't get toasted to our liking".
I'd buy whichever toaster that is in a heartbeat.
Apple has been untouched by all of this and has enjoyed fabulous sales. CR, on the other hand, has appeared to be rather insignificant in that evidently consumers don't care what CR has to say about a product.
How CR has ended up with a failing grade on this one I'm not sure but that is what has happened.
I'll be watching with interest what the impact will be on the Honda Civic which recently got a failing grade from CR. Lots of the 9th Gen Civics on the road in southern Ontario already so maybe this will prove to be another example of how little sway CR now has with consumers. I do have to admit, though, that all along the only aspect of CR's automotive coverage that has mattered to me has been its reliability data. In that regard, CR admits that the Civic is likely to remain reliable and as such the one aspect of the car's value that CR helped promote remains a strength.
But the group declared on Tuesday that it has conducted the same "special tests" in its labs with the iPhone 4S, and found that those supposed issues were resolved.
I hate Consumer Reports. I never believe a word that they say.
That being said I still enjoyed everything else about the 4. I upgraded to a 4S and have not had one single issue with reception. I am also now able to have a naked phone which I really enjoy
Give me the smaller phone I can use with one hand and better battery life any day over 4G and larger screen.
Could someone please explain to me the benefit of large screens and 4G?
New Android Phone, now too big to fit in your pocket! And fast enough to use your month's data allowance in five minutes flat!
CR's opinions are out of touch with what consumers really value in smartphones. Withholding recommendation for the iPhone 4, which has been a very successful and popular product worldwide, shows how irrelevant they have become. I'm glad consumers have made up their own damn minds rather than listen to these clowns.
Their fascination with bigger screens and 4G over Apple's very polished, consumer focused App Store and mature ecosystem shows that they lean more in the direction of your average geek hardware benchmark/spec whore rather than the values of the average non-geek consumer.
http://news.consumerreports.org/elec...EXTKEY=I72RSE0
"These pluses were not enough, however, to allow the iPhone 4S to outscore the best new Android-based phones in our Ratings. Those top scorers included the Samsung Galaxy S II phones, the Motorola Droid Bionic, and several other phones that boast larger displays than the iPhone 4S and run on faster 4G networks. (Technically, only the AT&T version of the iPhone 4S supports 4G, running on the carrier's HSPA+ network at download speeds of about 14 megabits per second, the bottom rung of what is considered to be 4G network speed.)
Other phones that topped the iPhone 4S include the LG Thrill ($100 on AT&T), which has the ability to capture stills and videos in 3D, as well as display them on its 4.3-inch 3D display, and the Motorola Droid Bionic ($300 on Verizon), which also has a superb 4.3-inch, high-resolution (540 x 960) display, with excellent keypad readability under most lighting conditions, even in bright light."
My iPhone 4 did not work in various parts of my home. My iPhone 4S works everywhere. While I'm not a C.R. fan by any means, they were right about the antenna issue, from my experience. While the faster processor and Siri are nice, it's the phone's reception that matters the most to me...and the 4S delivers.
I had the same experience: My 3GS worked everywhere in my house. My 4 works in ONE area of my house.