Experts Explain iPhone 4 Antenna Problem 427
CWmike writes "Reports of call and data signal strength problems in the new iPhone 4 have a basis in fact, a hardware expert said Thursday. Later in the day, Apple acknowledged that holding the iPhone 4 may result in a diminished signal that could make it difficult to make and maintain calls or retain a data connection. 'Gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone,' Apple said in a statement issued to several media outlets, including PC Magazine, which had run tests earlier Thursday. 'If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.' Scores of new iPhone owners confirmed the reception problem in a string of more than 360 messages posted to a thread on Apple's iPhone 4 support forum."
A blog post from an antenna design company explains that the reception problems are probably the direct result of phone design adapting to FCC requirements.
Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Funny)
Next thing you know, holding a cell phone with the thumb and forefinger by the top right corner will become the fashionable way for any of the cognoscenti to hold their phones. Those of us who cradle them in the old fashioned way will be "not of the Body of Jobs", and mocked and ostracized.
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Funny)
Sorry, but there is only one correct way [imageshack.us] to hold a phone
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry, guys. This is the right way [boston.com]
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:4, Insightful)
Fake!
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Interesting)
Next thing you know, holding a cell phone with the thumb and forefinger by the top right corner will become the fashionable way for any of the cognoscenti to hold their phones.
So how come this problem was not identified during the system test of the device? Were all the testers instructed to hold it that way? Or maybe they identified it, but did not have the courage to report it?
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Insightful)
In a sane world there's no way that my theory can be right, but here it is:
The lab tests were done at Apple HQ, where AT&T has a tower in order to keep Steve Jobs happy -- plenty of signal even with the defect. The field tests were done with the rubber disguises on, so it didn't affect them.
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Insightful)
Grounding, or effectively grounding (by say, shorting two ends of a dipole) an antenna will *always* result in loss of signal, even when starting values are ideal. But regardless of how it was missed, the fact that it was missed at all means one thing: inadequate testing.
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Insightful)
Grounding, or effectively grounding (by say, shorting two ends of a dipole) an antenna will *always* result in loss of signal, even when starting values are ideal.
I think the bigger problem is that with all of Apple's "expertise with hardware", they would design something with this kind of flaw.
Re:The only 'fanbois' I see are mindless droids... (Score:4, Insightful)
Please tell me where I can touch my Nexus One (with a single finger, mind you) that will cause it to drop a call. Calling this a nonissue is moronic.
Re:The only 'fanbois' I see are mindless droids... (Score:4, Informative)
Please tell me where I can touch my Nexus One (with a single finger, mind you) that will cause it to drop a call. Calling this a nonissue is moronic.
shows you in the manual [htc.com]
see page 6, moron
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but right now, I'm in a huge concrete box
You mean there are places where you don't get ideal reception? Huh. Sucks for you I guess. And everyone with a cell phone. Yes, newsflash, in poor cell areas you. may loose calls. Try finding that death touch when you're sitting under a tower. This is such utter garbage it's ridiculous... in the face of SCIENCE telling you there is nothing wrong... the multitudes that still believe ... incredible
About that iPhone 4 Reception Problem (Score:3, Interesting)
By now you’ve all heard reports that the iPhone 4 has a “terrible design flaw” that makes it useless for calls once you pick it up. Well, ok, I’m exaggerating a bit but you’d be forgiven for thinking that with the way this story has spread like wild fire. Now, I don’t doubt that some people are having an issue with this, but I’m amazed at the way this story was reported and the way it was picked up by the mainstream news media. First of all, Gizmodo were pushing this big time on Thursday, along with any other story they could find to paint the iPhone in a bad light (including, surprise surprise, you drop it and it breaks). Big surprise. From there other blogs started picking up on it and then it reached the mainstream media. What amazes me about this is that, first of all, most of the people reviewing the phone never noticed an issue with it and that most reviewers had noticed improved reception.
Secondly, as has already been pointed out, the same thing happens to existing phones. When Apple said this in their email they were set upon by bloggers for being dismissive of the “fatal design flaw” but they’re telling the truth. I tried it with my iPhone 3G and it does the exact same thing. Hold it in the bottom left corner and the signal drops. I’ve had my phone for over 2 years and I never noticed this issue until someone pointed it out and I tried to replicate it. But what I find really telling about the reporting on this is that virtually none of the mainstream media reports into this did any research or looked even remotely into the issue. They just reported on the Gizmodo story coupled with a few anecdotes from viewers or readers who were having reception issues. I’m not trying to down play the problems of those who are having problems, what I’m annoyed about is the complete and utter lack of perspective. For a start, a little bit of research would have found out that the Nexus one had the exact same issue when it was launched. But where was the outrage there? Where was the massive controversy about the Nexus being “flawed”? Why wasn’t this pushed as the main story by Gizmodo for several days? It certainly never reached the mainstream media, and yet according to the people experiencing the issue, it’s pretty much the same.
The problem is now that regardless of the extent of the reception issue, it will forever be seen as the “design flaw” of the iPhone. Anyone who tries to point out that other phones do in fact experience this are immediately branded as fanboys. It’s amazing how people are so eager to buy any controversy that involves Apple that they loose all sense of reason or balance. It’s gotten so bad lately that I’ve almost given up blogging about Apple and the mac, two subjects close to my heart. It seems that people are only interested in expressing phoney outrage at some inconsequential thing Apple does and creating giant controversies out of insignificant issues (I’m not talking about the iPhone 4 reception issue here before people start giving out about that I’m saying it’s an insignificant issue – although for many people apparently it is). It’s amazing to me how there has developed this complete disconnect between the impression you get about Apple from reading technology sites and publications, and the reality on the ground. The tech press (particularly tech blogs*) has lately been overwhelmingly negative about the Cupertino company, and yet contrast that with hundreds of thousands of people queuing for an iPhone 4. We’re given the impression that the iPhone is a terrible platform for developers and that its atrocious policies mean developers are abandoning it in droves for Android, and yet contrast that with WWDC selling out in 8 days.
I think the root of the problem, or at least part of it is the way a story spreads. It often starts on a blog when someone publishes their opinion on something that Apple has done. The problem with a lot of blogs though (and I’m talking big publications who call themselves blogs, not the average independent blogger) is that they often report opinion as fact. This “fact” then gets picked up and reported on as news and hey presto, instant controversy. A perfect example is the so called controversy of the iPhone 4’s retina display. Someone found a so called “expert” from some display firm that no one had ever heard of before this who disputed Apple’s claims about the retina display. They expressed that in their opinion Apple was incorrect. However it wasn’t reported that way. It was reported that Apple was misleading customers. This simple act of turning an opinion into a fact quickly spread across the web and became the latest in a series of “controversies” to engulf Apple. A few days later though many more “experts” chimed in with their views on the matter. Most defending Apple’s position. In the end a some scientist from NASA claimed that Apple’s statements about the retina display were in fact true. Yet you still hear grumblings on the web about how Apple are misleading customers about this.
Another problem with many of these stories is the fact that many bloggers* seem to be missing the word “allegedly” from their vocabulary. Take the infamous Gizmodo and the iPhone prototype story. They happily took the word of some random guy that he just found the phone and that everything was on the up and up with his story. If a real newspaper had run that story (and they wouldn’t) they would have said that the phone was “allegedly” found in a bar. And yet as this story spread there were, and still are many, people who happily side with Gizmodo and the random guy (who in the light of the information released by the police seems somewhat shady) and believe their version of events verbatim, even over the evidence released by the police. They prefer to believe the conspiracy about Apple rather than the far more down to earth and realistic version of what probably happened. The thing is, they did have a legitimate story there and they could have handled it very differently. The real headline should have been “Guy claims to have iPhone prototype and is attempting to sell it”. They could have cooperated with the police to recover the phone and that should have been the story, not, look at us, we one upped Apple. The real story should have been outing the guy who was trying to pawn it off not the poor engineer who allegedly lost it.
I could go on and on with examples of how the technology press has taken something innocuous about Apple and blown it out of all proportion. I guess at the heart of it all is a desire to see something (in this case Apple) successful humiliated in the same way that tabloid and celebrity gossip rags earn a roaring trade. The tech press has become the silicon valley equivalent of hello with certain bloggers becoming the paparazzi that camp out outside some starlet’s home going through her garbage in the hope of finding some incriminating pair of panties or something. In the real world Apple’s customers (the vast majority of which don’t read technology websites or magazines) continue to buy Apple’s products at unprecedented rates and continue to be enamoured with the consumer electronics maker, all the while tech pundits are desperately trying to get the perfect shot of Apple with it’s knickers down.
(* before some bloggers start giving out that I’m unfairly targeting them, I’m not. I’m talking about the so called “blogs” that are really just online magazines calling themselves blogs because it allows them to get away with far more than they would if they tried to be real magazines)
Source [thomas-fitzgerald.net]
This guy pretty much nails the issue on the head. Tech journalism is a fucking disgrace. Hysteria is rampant, and Gizmodo has proven it's possible to wag the dog and Americans are gullible. The real story here is how Gizmodo has crossed the line, and is reporting crap to get back at Apple because they are felons, and Apple embarrassed them by exposing their ignorance. Gizmodo is excrement... they will only allow comments posted on their site that they love, and it says so in their FAQ. No derisive o
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Interesting)
Luckily the human body is a pretty poor conductor, as long as you are not standing in the shower (which I believe would be a bad place to talk on the phone anyway).
I can say from first hand testing that the initial quality of the signal has a lot to do with the attenuation caused by this issue - if you already have a good signal it doesn't seem to cause any problems.
Anyway, as you said, the fact that this was missed is pretty amazingly bad testing, especially considering how Jobs actually described in the keynote that the reason the metal on the outer rim had a visible break was because it acted as an antenna. Wouldn't you think the *first* question one would ask as a tester (or an engineer!) is "hmm, these are not connected for a reason - I wonder what happens when I connect them with various common household objects, like, say - my HAND?"
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DC resistance of your skin is not the only effect here.
The admittance change from your finger adding capacitance and changing the inductive value of the antenna changes the antenna's tuning and ability to effectively radiate. This adds up to the antenna being much less effective.
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm curious who they are employing to design this stuff. I learned about this crap in EE 102, my first year of college. Also, if they had anyone with long-term experience in the company, they'd remember what happened with early 90's cell phones with the retractable antenna.
I honestly think that there's a case here of someone without knowledge in middle management overriding engineer's recommendations.
Re:Missed? Seriously? (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't think this was missed at all. It's like any of the other "defects" that have showed up in Apple products. I'm tempted to believe that Apple knew quite well about this, but decided to go with it anyway because a) fixing it would involve removing some of the "sleek" factor and b) they knew that there would be such mass hysteria over acquiring the new product that it wouldn't matter - at first. It's all about taking calculated risks.
That having been said, it's precisely this attitude that destroyed my fan loyalty several years ago- I simply got tired of being bent over by Apple's marketing prowess. I still buy an Apple product every now and then, but the days of drooling all over myself at the mere mention of a new Apple product are LONG gone.
Re:Missed? Seriously? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm pretty sure that's why they designed the bumper accessories to be the way they are. They turned a product defect into a way to sell an overpriced accessory to fix their devices shortcomings - and it's working! The Jobsian management style never ceases to amaze me with its outcomes.
It may have been (Score:4, Interesting)
And it may have been dismissed. Apple is very much about form over all else. The most important thing to them is how something looks. Features and function get subverted to that end. They've had other devices with problems due to their designs. Time Capsules are an example. They have a bad habit of failing after a year and a half or so, way more than you'd expect. Reason is the internal power adapter. It puts too much heat in the small case and causes failures. The smart thing would have been to have it external, but that would ruin the look.
So Apple may have known this was a problem and said "Fuck it, people can just hold it as not to touch the antennas. We don't want to hurt the looks."
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I feel like you're only half right.
Apple's belief has always been that function FOLLOWS form. The user interface guidelines that they publish dictate form because it results in better function from a user perspective.
This still holds true for the iPhone 4; getting Facetime to work is function, getting it to work without a bunch of tedious setup is form. Because they required it to work without a bunch of tedious setup, we're only now seeing it in generation 4 of the phone; before pure function is allowed ou
Re:It may have been (Score:5, Interesting)
"
And they would have been correct - they will sell more from looks and the Apple fans will not only hold it different or purchase the rubber pads but will sing the praises of having to do so.
"
I use a Macbook Pro as my development machine. I love that computer. It runs like a champ, is fast, battery life is great, and the trackpad is just about my favorite piece of computer hardware ever. It's great...except for the PERFECT right angle along the perimeter of the thing. A perfect right angle + solid aluminum construction = sore wrists for me.
I googled it to find out if I am alone in disliking the sharp edge along the perimeter of the thing. There were not just a few people touting this as A Good Thing, because after all everyone uses a computer in the same way and you are NOT supposed to rest your wrists on the mighty macbook after all, so Apple was just helping me to learn how to properly use a computer. An obvious design flaw justified away by so many people. I like my iPhone, I like my macbook, so I guess that makes me an Apple fan. But to justify design flaws, as though Apple were incapable of such a thing is inexcusable.
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I had the same issue with my MacBook, but the plastic case meant it was easy to get some fine sandpaper and take the edges down a bit.
Yes, Jobs does stumble sometimes with his design sense. The notorious round mouse of 1998-2000 [wikipedia.org] is another prime example.
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Interesting)
So how come this problem was not identified during the system test of the device?
Because - you'll really love this - they put it in an iphone 3 case when they were supposed to be testing it so as to keep the super shiny design secret. Really. The product they were testing wasn't the product they were planning to launch. Bunch. Of. Cowboys.
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Next thing you know, holding a cell phone with the thumb and forefinger by the top right corner will become the fashionable way for any of the cognoscenti to hold their phones.
So how come this problem was not identified during the system test of the device? Were all the testers instructed to hold it that way? Or maybe they identified it, but did not have the courage to report it?
Or maybe it doesn't happen on all iPhones. http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/some-iphone-4-models-see-signals-drop-to-0-when-held-left-handed/ [engadget.com]
Apple Fanboys In The Media In Panic Mode (Score:2, Insightful)
They all want to flood the Net with their obligatory iPhone 'reviews' and 'reactions' claiming:
"It's amazing!"
"A must upgrade for all existing iPhone owning Hipster Douchebags!"
"Magical!"
"Teh best thing evah!!!"
while the actual piece of crap iPhone 4 is:
Ugly
Defectively designed
Runs an outdated OS
No wonder Google kicked Apple and the iPhone into 3rd place in sales and Android is now selling at roughly 50-60 million phones a year.
Re:The media need to call Apple out. (Score:5, Interesting)
I want you to consider how shitty the home computing world would be if Microsoft never had ANY market competition. Imagine for a second how shit-tacular whatever OS we would be using would be if there were no competition between Apple and Microsoft. They are polar opposites in many ways, and wether they admit it or not, they strive to out do one another in the OS department. Without competition, the OS world would be a disgusting wasteland.
Apple is damn sure not a golden god on a unicorn with butterfly wings like some idiots make them out to be, but your fanatical 'anti apple' stance is just as moronic.
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Next thing you know, holding a cell phone with the thumb and forefinger by the top right corner will become the fashionable
The japanese demonstrating proper handphone technique:
http://photos-451.friendster.com/e1/photos/15/48/18428451/1_246234319l.jpg
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:4, Funny)
I have the insatiable urge to punch that person. The douchebag just oozes off of him/her (honestly I can't really tell).
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It's okay, he's just cosplaying a douchebag.
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Actually, that's L from the movie [wikipedia.org].
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Insightful)
It Just Works. As long as you hold it the way Steve Jobs instructs you to. Coming from the supposed experts on user interface this is a major let down. Users holding the phone the way that comes most naturally to them are not wrong - the product is wrong.
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Funny)
and I didn't speak up because I wanted to be Cool.
THEN THEY told me I couldn't change the battery,
and I didn't speak up because I buy a new one every year.
THEN THEY told me I had to hold the phone with my pinkie extended,
and I didn't speak up because I don't mind looking gay.
THEN THEY CAME for more of my money
and by that time there was none left to buy more crap.
Apologies to Niemöller.
Re:Cue the fanbois (Score:5, Funny)
That's not phone. Thats P H O N E, as in Please Hold On Narrow End.
or perhaps like multitasking, phone reception (Score:4, Funny)
is an advanced capability they need time to figure out how to implement well. iPhone 5 will fix it.
Cases (Score:5, Interesting)
How will wrapping the phone in a case and then holding it the same way as before fix the problem?
Re:Cases (Score:5, Informative)
Because the case is made out of rubber and runs around the phone, effectively isolating you from the antennas, avoiding the antennas to connect to each other through you.
form over function (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course, apple could have easily designed the phone with with a some plastic along the side, but this would go against their aesthetic "vision". Anyone who has used an Apple mouse (*any* Apple mouse) knows that ergonomics takes a back-seat to physical appearance. Always.
Re:form over function (Score:4, Funny)
Never used a Magic Mouse, I see. They're incredible.
Re:form over function (Score:5, Informative)
The reason the case is part of the antenna system is actually to improve reception, because it makes the surface operating as an antenna larger.
When isolated it works pretty well I suppose. But it fails when a user touches all antennas at once, effectively short circuiting the entire system.
Re:form over function (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe their validation staff have small fingers. More likely testing was done with the device flat on a bench with people checking boxes to verify correct display on the screen.
I see this all the time in my work. Our system just isn't used in the same way it is tested.
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Another believable theory I've heard is that the "fake 3gs" cases that they used to disguise the prototype units meant that this problem wasn't caught during field testing.
Re:form over function (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually this was touted on iphone4 introduction speech as a "major new feature" by Jobs. It was kind of obvious for anyone who actually ever worked with antennas that it was trouble. But apparently it sounded fashionable to countless ears of apple clients.
It's a feature among others, aimed to increase hype value of the device. It's pretty obvious why no one else did it, and hence probably seemed like a good marketing idea to apple. All it had to do was what it always did, present it as an awesome revolutionary new feature.
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Hmm... Actually, Apple was about ten years late to the game. They must have noticed the Xerox Alto I mouse [netclique.net] while they were stealing everything else. (I'm pretty sure the two small steel balls at the bottom were just for "sliding" purposes - although I must admit I've not used the depicted mouse for almost 30 years).
Re:Cases (Score:5, Interesting)
Exactly.
Its not that the antenna is at the bottom, its because it is external, and metal, and skin is conductive.
This is a fundamental design flaw that I can't believe they let slip. Now they will probably have to offer discounts on "bumpers" to bring the phone back up to published specifications.
Using external antennas that can be shorted by normal hand moisture! I'm not aware of any other phone that does this. Why was it necessary with a glass backed case? The antenna could have been at the bottom like prior iphones. [maccompanion.com]
There is SO Much about this iPhone release (hardware and software) that has been problematic that I am starting to believe Apple's claims that the leak of the "lost" phone was indeed damaging to Apple. I think it forced their hand, and cornered them into releasing a phone that was not yet ready with software that still had a lot of problems.
The fanboys will be here momentarily to mod this down. Sigh.
Re:Cases (Score:5, Interesting)
Death Grip hysteria may end Monday with iOS 4.01 [appleinsider.com]
The issue described is plausible, and fits some of the observations.
It will be interesting to see if a software patch emerges within a few days or even weeks, and cures this issue. If it does, I'll think back to several cell phones I had previously, which had problems that I could and did reproduce, and reported clearly to the vendors (both network and cell maker) and for which no patches were forthcoming, ever, during the life of the phone. Regular software updates for iPhone are a damn sight better than the old way, where the answer to any problem was "buy the new version of the phone you just bought a month ago".
Re:Cases (Score:4, Interesting)
For this theory to be believable, the phone would have to be failing one other key feature of cell tower hopping, namely keeping track of the relative signal strength of multiple towers at all times.
Attenuation would affect all towers in the same band roughly evenly. It might not affect different bands the same, and the phone might be dropping to EDGE of something like that.
But I still don't see how this gets out of the lab and thru field testing.
Re:Cases (Score:5, Funny)
So, what they're saying is, all phones suffer from this, apart from any phone that has the aerial behind an insulating layer, such as a plastic case.
Off topic, we're the only phone with the external metalwork acting as the aerial, isn't that awesome.
Don't forget all phones suffer this defect, so it's not a design defect, no really.
Re:Cases (Score:4, Informative)
The skin connects the front and back antennas through electrical conductivity. If there is a case blocking the connection the problem doesn't happen.
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RTFAs. You are not in direct contact.
Re:Cases (Score:4, Informative)
the problem comes about when your hand shorts the two metal bits together. Put a case on them and you won't short them.
Re:Cases (Score:5, Insightful)
It'll insulate the metallic ring that's "part of the antenna system", which might mean "the antenna" or might mean "some other element that helps the antenna do its work" (i.e. a resonant grounding piece). Antennas are tuned, resonant, structures...think of a tuning fork that needs to oscillate at a certain frequency. Bridging the gap between the two exposed elements changes the electrical characteristics of it such that the antenna becomes detuned and reception is impaired. By applying a case, your hand can no longer come in contact with the ring, so the antenna isn't as severely detuned and the cell phone signal isn't as attenuated. I say "as severely" because there will always be some impact when your hand is in reasonable proximity to the device, but it won't be of the magnitude that direct contact would be.
Re:Cases (Score:5, Informative)
Are you fucking serious?? I hope you don't seriously believe that touching an antenna on a device with few-watt or less output power is dangerous.
First of all, internal antennas are the new part. For the longest time, every cellphone had a telescoping, exposed antenna. You can even still get them, if you want.
Second of all, the phone transmits at an outside maximum of 2W - usually much less. You can literally suck on an antenna broadcasting at 2W and not feel a thing (I've done it)
Third of all, tons of other things that you use all the time transmit over exposed antennas: Old cordless phones, many walkie-talkies, baby monitors... etc. The reason you cover up an antenna has to do with protecting the antenna and, as it happens, protecting it from detuning.
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And the real question is why they made the bottom strip out of metal since it's not an antenna. Just make it out of plastic and conduction will be less of a problem.Your hand will still affect it, but perhaps not as much.
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Form over function has been Apple's M.O. when it comes to certain design choices with their devices, something like this shouldn't be surprising. Its also the reason a lot of people buy their devices.
Apple sells Shiny, and this is a result.
Re:Cases (Score:4, Interesting)
And the real question is why they made the bottom strip out of metal since it's not an antenna.
Perhaps because it *is* an antenna? It doesn't have just one antenna, but multiple antennae circling the phone, for Wi-Fi, GSM and Bluetooth.
Re:Cases (Score:5, Interesting)
The effect of attentuation drops off exponentially as you remove the attenuating obstruction from the antenna. However, there is reason to believe that there is a different problem besides attenuation affecting a very small number of handsets. Personally I suspect some kind of ground fault in the casing leading to a magnetic field interfering with the radio itself. This wouldn't demonstrate itself as the loss of a couple bars, it would be complete or nearly complete loss of signal.
That said, I have an iPhone 4 and cannot reproduce any of the reported problems at all no matter what I do. I have to put my phone in what almost amounts to a faraday cage (a steel lock box) just to see any signal degradation. But a friend of mine has seen the problem occur with nothing but the tip of his finger placed over the antenna on the left side, specifically when touching the metal. The metal plates are not the antenna, the black lines are, so what this tells me is that there is some issue with grounding of the body in that phone. But until I can have him try his "magic finger" on my own iPhone, I wouldn't jump to any real conclusions. None of the reports so far have been remotely scientific. There are numerous variables and without any cross checking it's all guesses for now. Attenuation will definitely occur but it's usually not so dramatic as to go from five bars to "Searching..." like this friend of mine is seeing.
Antenna placement (Score:2)
Re:Antenna placement (Score:4, Funny)
I suspect they figured no one would bother to use to try and make a phone call. [tipb.com]
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Re:in addition (Score:5, Funny)
Geeks generally don’t buy Apple products. They buy a Linux phone from an obscure company that is also barely usable as a phone, but at least completely hackable.
Hipsters and valley girls buy Apple products. Oh, and those people that drive Priuses. ^^
Geeks and Apple (Score:3, Interesting)
Another person (Score:3, Insightful)
who would rather be part of a group then have a properly working device.
Sad really.
Re:Another person (Score:4, Insightful)
I can hold my Android phone any way I want to and I don't see any loss of signal strength, so apparently it *is* possible to design a working phone within current SAR limits...
I wasn't aware that government regulation forced BP to cut corners and undertake a risky well closure strategy, ignoring evidence that the BOP was damaged. Which regulation was that?
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Simply ... (Score:5, Funny)
The cure is in the case (Score:2)
All of a sudden Apple offers a case for the iPhone themselves, in the form a rubber band that runs around the phone, which not only protects the phone when dropped, but also isolates the user from the antennas. This case is exactly the cure you need for the antenna-problem.
Could it be possible that the rubber band was actually a part of the original design of this phone, but later made optional in order to rake in more cash? If so, I really think Apple should hand out free cases to people experiencing these
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You forgot to mention it's a $29 rubber band.
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That's exactly the point I'm trying to make: was the rubber band perhaps part of the original iPhone 4 design, but made an option so it could be sold for 30 dollars a pop?
If so, that would be a pretty terrible way to rake in a few extra dollars, because the phone is effectively crippled in its current, naked, form.
Re:The cure is in the case (Score:5, Funny)
2) remove and dry off the rubber band
3) place rubberband on iPhone
4) ???
5) PROFIT!(and save like $27, and get some iron)
Uh... Huh... (Score:5, Funny)
"For best results, levitate one inch from your ears."
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
You're just jealous that your reality distortion field is so weak it can't even levitate a cellphone a mere inch away from you! ~
Is there no other design solution? (Score:2, Interesting)
Possible solutions include:
Re: (Score:2)
Possible solutions include:
o having another small slot so the two antennae aren't right next to each other and you'd have to short both slots.
o Cover with a non-conductive coating
o Put the antennae actually inside the phone.
Getting an android.
Coating is best idea (Score:5, Insightful)
They already had the phone inside the case in previous generations, the external antenna does improve the signal. No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. A light non-conductive coating would work perfectly well.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
To that effect, a case that that provides a 1-5mm buffer between the antenna and your hand will have a much larger effect than a semi-conductive coating (because at 2.4GHz frankly a lot of things are semiconductors) 1micron thic
QA (Score:2, Funny)
So its really the iPod4? (Score:4, Funny)
Worse reception than the iPhone3 - check.
Still tied to the worst US carrier - check.
But hey, facetime is so awesome it overcomes all this...
Realtime video calls which exceed the definition of the human retina? - cheC&&^& >>>>>CARRIER LOST
"Just avoid holding it that way" (Score:5, Informative)
Re:"Just avoid holding it that way" (Score:5, Funny)
Danish professor predicted this (Score:5, Interesting)
FCC? (Score:4, Insightful)
A blog post from an antenna design company explains that the reception problems are probably the direct result of phone design adapting to FCC requirements.
Because it has nothing to do with their decision to place the antennae on the exterior of the device.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Well it seems to work for just about every other phone made in the last 15 years.
If it affects "every wireless phone"... (Score:3, Insightful)
...then why is it that this is the first time so many people are experiencing this problem?
Re:If it affects "every wireless phone"... (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Presperation triggered (Score:5, Insightful)
I think the reason they may not have found this in testing, is because it seems that you have to have slightly sweaty hands to trigger the problem. Just after running through an airport I was able to replicate the speed drop, but sitting on the plane a little later I could not see a network speed drop no matter how tightly I gripped the edges.
The tested mostly in winter, now it's summer - leading more people to have this problem.
Re:Presperation triggered (Score:5, Insightful)
One Antenna? (Score:3, Insightful)
I've been working with s device that has four antenna patches, a system to monitor the received signal strength from each, the transmitted SWR, and based upon these inputs, select the best antenna to use. Its not a cell phone, per se, but it operates on GSM systems and cannot be installed in a controlled environment (much like not being able to predict how a user will grab a phone).
Love Glove it (Score:3, Insightful)
Slip a condom on that iPhone before you use it; honestly people - safe sex begins with safe phone calls to arrange the booty call.
Re:No case? (Score:4, Insightful)
Something that affects 50% of customers is a non-issue? Despite your claim, you are, in fact, a "fanboi."
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I'll going out on a limb here and guess that this issue is akin to the "exploding iPhone" problem that was all over the news a couple of years ago. It's perhaps a manufacturing defect or even a design flaw that requires very specific and non-typical circumstances, which is affecting a very small number of people.
And just like that previous issue, that very small group of affected people happen to blog all over the Internet, which then echos their complaints and amplifies them very efficiently, giving the i
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, this design flaw affects 100% of the phones. If you have an iPhone and hold it in your left hand, bridging the millimeter gap in the metal band that goes around the perimeter of the phone, then it will lose it's connection. 100% of the time this will happen.
That's not being universally reported. Did you read all of the articles? Read through the PCMag (second link) - that's not what is being reported there. Yes, the problem could be affecting all iPhone 4 handsets, but it's certainly not affecting all iPhone 4 users. Theories are flying around about hand sweat, local signal strength and even GSM bandwidth as contributing to the size of the problem.
All of the YouTube fault demonstrations I have seen have shown users holding the phone unusually firmly, with t