So.... The iPhone 4 has been out for a day now, and thousands of people queued up to get their sweaty hands on one because it would seem the World would end if they didn't have one the moment they were released.
Since then, a fair percentage of those people have reported that, if they hold the phone a certain way (ie. in their left hand when making a call, as many many people do), they lose signal and get disconnected. The same goes when texting someone.
When the issue was discovered, a few people (such as Walt Mossberg - Wall Street Journal for example) tried to make a call with the iPhone 4, which failed 6 TIMES. He then did the same call, using the same hand, with the 3GS and guess what - no issue whatsoever.
Now, to me, this smacks of a design flaw on behalf of Apple, as the stainless steel antenna band surrounding the phone is reacting with the electrical charge from users' hands, causing it to lose signal. The phone antenna would seem to be in the exact place that a normal user would cover the phone with their left hand/left thumb (bottom-left corner upwards).
Steve Jobs is a man who occasionally responds directly to customers' emails - here's what he said to someone who wrote to him concerning the signal loss:
[url] http://mygadgetnews.com/2010/06/25/apples-response-to-iphone-4-issues-youre-doing-it-wrong/ [/url]
Once again, Apple FAIL to acknowledge that there is an issue with their latest and greatest. Can they really be this arrogant?
I had money saved up to buy the iPhone 4 - But sod Apple and their defective handsets. I'm going back to HTC!
Ah, that's better 🙂
I suspect that anyone who has a life is stuggling to care
Why do people put so much energy in ripping on Apple products? I just don't get it. Most new bits of technology have issues, but yet somehow people seems to fight the urge to post about them.
Weird.
Nick, I mustered all the care I had, but, yeah, struggling to find a small thimble full. I expect CFH to be along soon with a link to someone else's clever satire. 🙂
True Jamie. But Apple do have a pretty big marketing engine. If you whip people up in to a frenzy about buying a new product to the extent that people camp outside the shop to buy one and you have press etc lined up for the launch, and it doesn't work properly then you have to expect negative feedback.
Who is Steve jobs?
most new bits of technology have issues
very true, but virtually never as major as this. Its like buying a bike which doesn't steer, a oven that doesn't heat up.
but yet somehow people seems to fight the urge to post about them
Apple marketing is a massive beast, therefore their products create much more interest than any other tech company (or pretty much any company full stop) so when they fail many, many people have to live with that failure, and they talk about it a lot. If it was great they'd get loads of positive press. live by the sword and all that.
Nick - Member
I suspect that anyone who has a life is stuggling to care
Oh, I'm sure that there are plenty of people who've bought an iPhone 4 who would take issue with that, Nick.
[i]Who is Steve jobs? [/i]
Think he waorks for Superstar Customer service.
The thing is, tens of thousands of people have upgraded their contracts early (at extra expense), or forked out £££'s for a SIM Free iPhone 4, just so that they can have one straight away, and because the man in the Levis and black mock turtleneck has told them that it's absolutely the best, most revolutionary handset the World has ever seen.
It's a phone which can't even hold a phone signal properly. Lots of people will probably now have to live with this as a result of being suckered in to Apple's marketing machine. That's what winds me up a little bit.
Oh, I'm sure that there are plenty of people who've bought an iPhone 4 who would take issue with that, Nick.
Maybe, but you didn't buy one, and yet you feel impelled to scribe a screenful of secondhand bile about Apple. Life. Get a.
or forked out £££'s for a SIM Free iPhone 4, just so that they can have one straight away, and because the man in the Levis and black mock turtleneck has told them that it's absolutely the best, most revolutionary handset the World has ever seen.
they are all idiots
rOcKeTdOg:
Who is Steve jobs?
You are trying to hard and I claim my £5.
DRJ +1
Also it is not a unique problem to Apple phones.
Interesting coverage on it at Gizmodo:
http://m.gizmodo.com/5571171/iphone-4-loses-reception-when-you-hold-it-by-the-antenna-band
As I said on the other thread, my mate has hers and can't reproduce this issue, so it is possible this is limited to a "Friday afternoon" batch.
The response from Apple has been very poor though.
I'm holding off buying one till I see how this pans out.
Also it is not a unique problem to Apple phones.
Mmmm... Can't think of many other phones that have an exposed metal antenna running around the outside of the phone with an easily bridgable short where you are likely to hold it.
The iPhone 4 will work - you just need to upgrade to iHands 2.0
Nexus phones have 'known' antennae issues.
I've had a lot of problem with my Nokia 5800 randomly switching off when in my pocket. Nokias solution is to put some sticky tape on the back of the battery to make the contacts work better.
All phones have problems - mostly they're software related, sometimes hardware.
As I said on the other thread, my mate has hers and can't reproduce this issue, so it is possible this is limited to a "Friday afternoon" batch.
Same here. Tried at length to replicate it, but can't. In fact, holding it that way affects the signal more on my old 3G.
they are all idiots
LOL at the iphone haters.
The answer is simple. If you buy a product that is faulty, return it and demand your money back. Eventually the manufacturer will "catch-on"
DrJ - Member
Life. Get a.
Knickers. Untwist.
earbyphil - Yep, this is the case with most manufacturers. Apple, however, choose to tell their customers that they're "doing it wrong"..
I'd liken it to someone like Rockshox telling it's customers to ride differently because their dampers were faulty.
LOL at the iphone haters.
Not an iPhone hater at all, nice devices. Just bemused why people are so utterly desperate to get one the moment they come out on the market.
A man who flew from Dubai and queued on a London street for 32 hours to be the first in line to buy the new iPhone 4 had his efforts dashed when Apple allowed intenet pre-order customers ahead of him.Alex Lee, 27, who headed a 500-strong queue outside the Regent Street store this morning, said he would now write to Apple chief executive Steve Jobs.
Instead, the first person to by the new iPhone was 23-year-old graduate Ben Paton, from Stoke-on-Trent, who had queued for 16 hours.
32 Hours!!!! Hahahahaha what a total loser, bet you'll be able to get one in about 10 minutes next week.
lol thats the most horrific flaw I think I've ever seen designed into a product. I wonder if they were designed to have some sort of non-conductive coating on the bands but that was later dropped from the spec and it never got fed back to the original designer. Shame for them, but it looks like a very unpleasant one to sort out - that is the way almost everyone I've ever seen with an iphone holds it.
Why do people put so much energy in ripping on Apple products?
Because the messianic hype really gets up some people's noses, and consequently they love to stick one back on Apple when they get the chance.
messianic hype
Heh heh - slightly ironic to complain about "hype" in such hyped up tones!! 🙂
Because the messianic hype really gets up some people's noses, and consequently they love to stick one back on Apple when they get the chance.
...but is it 'messianic hype' though? Apart from Apple/Jobs...who to be fair are trying to sell the thing....and a few fanboys most people just like the device and so buy it.
FWIW I'm sure Apple are already working on applying a coating to the antenna band on the next batch of iPhones, although they'll never admit that there was a problem in the first place.
Perhaps a lesson for people to wait for the second batch the next time around 😉
Jamie - Member
...but is it 'messianic hype' though? Apart from Apple/Jobs...who to be fair are trying to sell the thing....and a few fanboys most people just like the device and so buy it.
I think, in a way, it is 'messianic'. There are millions (literally) of fanboys who see Steve Jobs as something akin to a god, and will happily go out and spend their cash on the next new thing to come out of Cupertino, because he says it's the best thing ever.
There are an awful lot of fanboys... And the marketing is annoying too - making out that they were the first people to come up with an idea when they weren't.
molgrips - Member
There are an awful lot of fanboys... And the marketing is annoying too - making out that they were the first people to come up with an idea when they weren't.
Ah, you'd be referring to the video calling, multitasking, customisable wallpaper, 5mp camera with flash, and the ability to put things in folders, then..?
I'm pretty sure that these are all things my Nokia N95 did, all those years ago 😉
As I said on a previous thread: MultiTasking, Folders and VideoCalling [i]do[/i] all have a unique Appley spin on them (for better or worse).
But yes the "Look what we invented" does get a bit tiresome, though I suspect some clever marketting guru figured out that "Look what we have done ever so slightly different to everybody else" wasn't quite as good a seller. 🙂
molgrips - Member
'Why do people put so much energy in ripping on Apple products?'
Because the messianic hype...
I buy them because they work and I don't have to know anything about how they work.
I haven't bought an iPhone yet, but I'm going to get one of this model because I'll be able to dispose of a couple of other gadgets once I have it. But I'm waiting for the buzz to die down first.
Ah, you'd be referring to the....*snip*
Actually I was referring to the ability to download apps, but those are good too 🙂
They've been doing it for decades tho. Their original big thing was the GUI, but they ripped it off Xerox.
I'd wait for the revised version if I were you. I tend to do that with most gadgets - wait for them to spot the early mistakes, then get a revised version!
Actually I was referring to the ability to download apps
Which again they put a unique Appley spin on and implemented it in a way that hadn't been done before (for better or worse).
[i]Jamie - Member
rOcKeTdOg:
Who is Steve jobs?
You are trying to hard and I claim my £5.
[/i]
well i take it he works at Apple, is he the customers services manager or something, i have no idea why you mention him, or does he own Apple
EDIT:ah! just googled him, sorry for not knowing!
Fine they put an Appley spin on it, I appreciate that and it's great for driving the industry forward..
But their adverts say stuff like 'you can download loads of apps' then they say 'only on Apple'. But it's not only on Apple....
The large range of apps produced in large volumes by all sorts of companies to support their own products, that's only on Apple (I think). I wouldnt' mind if they acknowledged what's gone before and then said they were better - that's almost certainly true in the case of apps.
They've been doing it for decades tho. Their original big thing was the GUI, but they ripped it off Xerox.
Sigh. That canard again. The actual history is more interesting.
[url= http://www.mac-history.net/the-history-of-the-apple-macintosh/rich-neighbour-with-open-doors-apple-and-xerox-parc ]http://www.mac-history.net/the-history-of-the-apple-macintosh/rich-neighbour-with-open-doors-apple-and-xerox-parc[/url]
But their adverts say stuff like 'you can download loads of apps' then they say 'only on Apple'. But it's not only on Apple....
Yes, let's have ads that say things like "[b]Wizzo Soap gets most of your wash moderately clean[/b]". You're really grasping at straws if you criticise a company ad campaign for hyping their product!!
I really am struggling to give a f'ck that that people who need the latest gizmo and have been whipped in to a frenzyby marketting spin now have a white elephant. In fact I am chuckling a little at your misfortune...like he says dont hold it that way surely if you can master the phone you can hold it differently ? I mean it is not that hard to do is it and you still look like you are the king/queen of zeitgeist.
But their adverts say stuff like 'you can
download loads of apps' then they say 'only on
Apple'. But it's not only on Apple....
Can't say I've ever intetpreted it like that.
I generally took it to be "Look at these particular apps.. Only on Apple" (i.e. these apps are App Store exclusives) rather than "Only Apple allow third-party applications to be installed" which is obviously bollocks and the Ad watchdog would (presumably) have them for.
Bridging the antenna band ?
[b]Bit of sellotape, job done.[/b]
I even have special iTape here, yours for £69.99 posted.
Perhaps the antenna issue is a deliberate ploy by Apple to flog their £25 'bumpers'.... Hmmmmmmm...
It'd be a pretty shit ploy if it was!
My money is still on a dodgy batch that are missing a non-conductive coating over that bit - rather than a fundamental design cock-up.
[b][u][url= http://www.macrumors.com/ ]MacRumors[/url][/u][/b] has the latest on it.
Storm in a teacup really. Less serious than discovering your bike doesn't go well if you stick your foot between the chain and chainring.
Oh, you do that as part of your normal riding do you?
I'm not sure that I'd refer to it as a storm in a teacup, given the position of the antennas is pretty much exactly where most people hold the phone, hence in a position where it is going to give the biggest percentage of people the most problems....
You're really grasping at straws if you criticise a company ad campaign for hyping their product!!
Not really - good ads shouldn't have to imply somethign that's not true. The add would be just as effective if it said that the apple store was much better than ad-hoc download of any old junk, which is perfectly true. Doesn't need to imply that you can only download apps on apple phones.. as it did when I read it. I'm sure I'm not alone.
epicyclo - MemberStorm in a teacup really.
B*llocks!
as it did when I read it
Really?
Yep sorry but hardly a "Storm in a teacup"
Regardless of how widespread a problem it turns out to be, the net is buzzing with this story and Apple's "So ****?" attitude to it is making it look really very arrogant.
My money is still on a dodgy batch that are missing a non-conductive coating over that bit
My money is on the testers having had them in a case so they never picked up on it.
But I am not a professional gambler and know **** all about how Apple test their products.
My money is on the testers having had them in
a case so they never picked up on it.
Seems a little unlikely, but I [i]suppose[/i] it is possible.
But that wouldn't account for the folk (including people on this forum) who reportedly don't have this issue on their handsets.
Well I got mine yesterday with minimal fuss, and transferred perfectly and the phone is a vast improvement on my old 3G. I wanted it for the improved GPS and multitasking. Tested it this morning and the GPS is a lot more accurate. Its a bit of a pain in the *ss though that everyone has this BIG chip on their shoulder about Apple. I bought an iphone when they first came out because it was revolutionary, and light years better than any mobile Id had before. Then I bought a macbook through my business to do iphone development, and yes there are times I need to use windows on it for business stuff, which I run in VMWare perfectly. But on the whole, I would never buy another laptop again, and certainly not another phone. Ive tried all the Nokia and HTC models, and the iphone is light years ahead of any of them in terms of user experience and interface.
But its again like "hardtail or suss" conversations, each to their own, and no need to flame each other about personal choice. Its like standing on a trail next to other guys with different bikes pointing at theirs and jumping up and down shouting "MY GOD YOU ACTUALLY RIDE THAT PIECE OF CRAP????" Not really very intelligent is it?
😀
[i]lol thats the most horrific flaw I think I've ever seen designed into a product.[/i]
No, I think you need to read a bit more..., say square windows in the original De Havilland Comet?
Nice rant scottyjohn, but the question is: does your shiny new phone suffer from this problem?
Really?
Yes.
We may or may not be talking about the same ad, mind.
good ads shouldn't have to imply somethign that's not true
Nobody but you seems to think that the ads imply anything that is not true.
The word is disingenuous I think.
No, I think you need to read a bit more..., say square windows in the original De Havilland Comet?
Nah, that was a little known problem before it occured, this problem is clearly visible to an amateur electronics enthusiast - the Apple designers should have nailed it.
lol thats the most horrific flaw I think I've ever seen designed into a product.No, I think you need to read a bit more..., say square windows in the original De Havilland Comet?
perhaps the zepplin use of hydrogen was a bit of a flaw. those cars you could not stop and others that have resulted in deaths just fade into the background and are insignificant when you just have to hold your phone in a special way.
Are you a spin doctor, a tabloid journalist or just following England and stuck in hyperbole mode?
this problem is clearly visible to an
amateur electronics enthusiast - the Apple
designers should have nailed it.
I'd say it is fairly obvious to anyone that owns a radio or a tv with an indoor antenna!
Which, combined with the fact that only some phones are effected, makes me think it is probably a production error rather than a design fault.
scottyjohn - Member
Ive tried all the Nokia and HTC models, and the iphone is light years ahead of any of them in terms of user experience and interface.
And that's where it ends. It's easier to use, granted. The user interface is a bit 'marmite' - you either love it or hate it. The rest of the phone's features aren't market leading in any way, shape or form, with the exception of possibly the screen until one of Apple's rivals brings out something better. Won't take them long now that they know the tech.
Of course it's a storm in a tea-cup, what planet are you living on? The only people who will 'suffer' are those that need to display their 'coolness' by being one of the first to buy the product, it's just a display of banal western consumerism. As Chris Morris would probably say, they aren't the zeitgeist, they're the shitegeist.
they aren't the zeitgeist, they're the shitegeist.
Should put that in a T-Shirt.
like i said before people hate apple because they are just another big corporation whos only purpose is to take money out of your pocket
like tescos, macdonalds or bp
Who is Steve jobs?
L Ron Hubbard 2.0
Buying his updated shinies is rather like moving up OT levels, IMO.
The rest of the phone's features aren't market leading in any way, shape or form, with the exception of possibly the screen
Sorry, but this is bollocks.
I can't really be arsed getting into a component by component breakdown. (Feel free to google it yourself) but things like the A4 CPU, 30fps HD video, 32GB storage, gyros, magnetometer, 1420mAh battery etc ARE "market-leading".
Obviously they are not the [i]only[/i] phones to have specs like these, but they are certainly pretty close to the edge hardware-wise.
Besides you rathet miss the point if you think folk buy these because of geeky hardware features. Fanbois aside, people buy them because they find them to be slick, well designed and good at what they do.
Which is what makes the current teacup-storm so interesting.
like i said before people hate apple because
they are just another big corporation whos only
purpose is to take money out of your pocket
like tescos, macdonalds or bp
Yep so they avoid them and buy Google instead 🙄
perhaps the zepplin use of hydrogen was a bit of a flaw. t
wasn't the issue the conductive and flammable outer skin of the ship?
hes worse than hubbard
hes created a cult whereby the cool kids are addicted to the next gizmo that he extrudes, the minute he adds an feature to one of his products the older ones become obsolete
so the strip mining of the congo continues apace to supply the necessary coltan that pays the warlords who sell to companies to make gadgets like these
yay for consumerism
yay for genocide
yay for apple
yay for soil contamination
yay for steve jobs
http://offtoseaoncemore.blogspot.com/2007/07/igenocide-mass-murder-iphone-and-you.html
Says kimbers from his ethically-sourced FairTrade bamboo PC that he has had since 1996?
i think youll find ive had it longer than that
[img] 
[/img]
Well don't go thinking that brass came without some mining.
That walnut was felled from somewhere.
And is that an ivory clock face or mother of pearl? 😉
perhaps the zepplin use of hydrogen was a bit of a flaw. t
wasn't the issue the conductive and flammable outer skin of the ship?
The fabric was coated in solid rocket fuel actually.
As for that desk - that kind of thing was only made possible by the vast gulf between rich and poor, resulting from the exploitation of most of the world...
perhaps the zepplin use of hydrogen was a bit of a flaw. t
wasn't the issue the conductive and flammable outer skin of the ship?
The fabric was coated in solid rocket fuel actually.
Yep that was it!
well we could debate whether the igniion source or the fuel was the crtical error but I think we can safely call yje Zepellin a design flaw greater than a phone you need to hold in a special way.*
I agree Kimbers ....here have a feature you never asked for to do something else you dont really need like constant updates of Office and Microsoft OS adds nothing much to your life if anything but HUGE profits for the purveyors from the gullible.
* I would be annoyed if I had bought one to be fair.
Having not been on here for a bit due to having a life and getting out and enjoying it, I'm surprised no-one picked up on the updates to this issue that show that the problem affects practically all cellphones. There are issues raised about it on Google Support for Nexus phones, there's YouTube video of a Nokia 6820 (I think) showing the same problem. It's all down to the location of the antenna in the phone. Most are internal, the iPhone 4's external, part of the support frame structure, and, unlike other phones, something really simple can be done to alleviate the problem. It's probably much more noticeable in the US because the only network for iPhones is AT&T, who are notorious for their shonky network with dropped calls a real issue. A test between a 3GS and a 4G has shown the 4G picks up and holds a phone signal on AT&T much better, due to it's more exposed antenna.