Philosophy
Wellllll, yes it's a physics issue but they should have known about the problem during their research, development, and testing phases. They are still responsible.
Almost a week after the iPhone 4's launch, questions remain over why users experience signal loss when gripping the phone in a particular way.
Apple has called this a "non issue," despite users being able to repeatedly reproduce the problem. In the meantime, it's been suggested that it might be a problem that can be fixed with a software update. Others have said, and Apple has suggested, that users buy a case to prevent fingers from coming in direct contact with the antennas built into the metal band surrounding the iPhone 4.
Brian Klug and Anand Shimpi at tech blog Anandtech have conducted their own hands-on experiments comparing different smartphones and their reception when the antennas are covered. They sum up their findings this way: "At the end of the day, Apple should add an insulative coating to the stainless steel band, or subsidize bumper cases. It's that simple."
The bumper case is a rubber holder that just surrounds the exterior of the device, and that Apple started selling the same day as the iPhone 4 for $29. Apple has already said it's not giving the cases away for free. It's not clear why the company wouldn't do that, especially when the problem has been reproduced by many people, though it varies by place and person.
At CNET, we were able to produce it, as have many users who've posted YouTube videos. But Klug and Shimpi have measured and recorded different ways of holding the iPhone 4 in various locations, the resulting signal drop, and compared it with the iPhone 3GS running iOS 4 and the Android-based Nexus One. They did the experiment six times with each phone and averaged the results for each device.
They conclude that Apple's design choice of putting the antenna directly into the metal band where a user normally holds the phone does improve signal strength. But when the user's hand cups the phone, the signal is markedly decreased. The signal is "very sensitive to direction, ambient conditions, and cell breathing," they write.
"The results are pretty self explanatory," they add. "Inside a case, the iPhone 4 performs slightly better than the Nexus One. However, attenuation gets measurably worse depending how you hold the phone. Squeezing it really tightly, you can drop as much as 24 dBm. Holding it naturally, I measured an average of 20 dBm."
It happens in most phones, as Apple said in its only official statement on the matter last week. But those other phones do not have the antenna built directly into the phone's case, and that doesn't mean the problem can be avoided, Klug and Shimpi conclude.
"There's nothing Apple nor anyone else can do to get around physics, plain and simple. It's something which demonstrably affects every phone's cellular reception."
- A Rotten Apple?
"Executive Leaves After iPhone Trouble" by Miguel Helft August 7th, 2010 The New York Times Mark Papermaster, the Apple executive in charge of hardware for the company’s flagship iPhone, has left the company in the wake of widely reported problems...
- Good Ole "landline"
The iPhone Antenna Song Said Steve Jobs... "This has been blown so out of proportion, it's incredible," Jobs, 55, told reporters and analysts in an auditorium at Apple's Silicon Valley headquarters. "This is life in the smartphone world. Phones...
- Steve Jobs Being A Jerk
That's okay, operate in a denial form and this will come back to bite you in the butt. The consumer paid good money for this so-called quality [compromised] product and appears to be getting the shaft from Jobs. "Here's Your Free Case, Jerk"...
- Consumer Reports Gives "thumbs Down" On Apple's Iphone 4
"Consumer Reports Says iPhone 4 Has Design Flaw" by Nick Bilton July 12th, 2010 The New York Times Consumer Reports said in a blog post and accompanying video on Monday that widely reported signal problems with the iPhone 4, Apple’s latest mobile...
- Power To The People In Iphone 4 Debacle
"Consumers sue Apple over iPhone antenna problems" by Gabriel Madway July 2nd, 2010 Reuters Apple Inc has been sued by iPhone customers in at least three complaints related to antenna problems on its newest model. Apple launched the iPhone 4 last week...
Philosophy
"Ain't our fault" says Apple about their iPhone 4
Wellllll, yes it's a physics issue but they should have known about the problem during their research, development, and testing phases. They are still responsible.
"Apple antenna issue a 'physics problem,' not a software problem"
by
Erica Ogg
June 30th, 2010
cnet news
by
Erica Ogg
June 30th, 2010
cnet news
Almost a week after the iPhone 4's launch, questions remain over why users experience signal loss when gripping the phone in a particular way.
Apple has called this a "non issue," despite users being able to repeatedly reproduce the problem. In the meantime, it's been suggested that it might be a problem that can be fixed with a software update. Others have said, and Apple has suggested, that users buy a case to prevent fingers from coming in direct contact with the antennas built into the metal band surrounding the iPhone 4.
Brian Klug and Anand Shimpi at tech blog Anandtech have conducted their own hands-on experiments comparing different smartphones and their reception when the antennas are covered. They sum up their findings this way: "At the end of the day, Apple should add an insulative coating to the stainless steel band, or subsidize bumper cases. It's that simple."
The bumper case is a rubber holder that just surrounds the exterior of the device, and that Apple started selling the same day as the iPhone 4 for $29. Apple has already said it's not giving the cases away for free. It's not clear why the company wouldn't do that, especially when the problem has been reproduced by many people, though it varies by place and person.
At CNET, we were able to produce it, as have many users who've posted YouTube videos. But Klug and Shimpi have measured and recorded different ways of holding the iPhone 4 in various locations, the resulting signal drop, and compared it with the iPhone 3GS running iOS 4 and the Android-based Nexus One. They did the experiment six times with each phone and averaged the results for each device.
They conclude that Apple's design choice of putting the antenna directly into the metal band where a user normally holds the phone does improve signal strength. But when the user's hand cups the phone, the signal is markedly decreased. The signal is "very sensitive to direction, ambient conditions, and cell breathing," they write.
"The results are pretty self explanatory," they add. "Inside a case, the iPhone 4 performs slightly better than the Nexus One. However, attenuation gets measurably worse depending how you hold the phone. Squeezing it really tightly, you can drop as much as 24 dBm. Holding it naturally, I measured an average of 20 dBm."
It happens in most phones, as Apple said in its only official statement on the matter last week. But those other phones do not have the antenna built directly into the phone's case, and that doesn't mean the problem can be avoided, Klug and Shimpi conclude.
"There's nothing Apple nor anyone else can do to get around physics, plain and simple. It's something which demonstrably affects every phone's cellular reception."
- A Rotten Apple?
"Executive Leaves After iPhone Trouble" by Miguel Helft August 7th, 2010 The New York Times Mark Papermaster, the Apple executive in charge of hardware for the company’s flagship iPhone, has left the company in the wake of widely reported problems...
- Good Ole "landline"
The iPhone Antenna Song Said Steve Jobs... "This has been blown so out of proportion, it's incredible," Jobs, 55, told reporters and analysts in an auditorium at Apple's Silicon Valley headquarters. "This is life in the smartphone world. Phones...
- Steve Jobs Being A Jerk
That's okay, operate in a denial form and this will come back to bite you in the butt. The consumer paid good money for this so-called quality [compromised] product and appears to be getting the shaft from Jobs. "Here's Your Free Case, Jerk"...
- Consumer Reports Gives "thumbs Down" On Apple's Iphone 4
"Consumer Reports Says iPhone 4 Has Design Flaw" by Nick Bilton July 12th, 2010 The New York Times Consumer Reports said in a blog post and accompanying video on Monday that widely reported signal problems with the iPhone 4, Apple’s latest mobile...
- Power To The People In Iphone 4 Debacle
"Consumers sue Apple over iPhone antenna problems" by Gabriel Madway July 2nd, 2010 Reuters Apple Inc has been sued by iPhone customers in at least three complaints related to antenna problems on its newest model. Apple launched the iPhone 4 last week...