Apple To Issue a 'Fix' For iPhone 4 Reception Perception 534
Lisandro and several other readers let us know that Apple has just released a statement addressing the signal issues a lot of users are having with their iPhone 4. They claim to have discovered the cause for the drop in bars, which is "both simple and surprising" — a wrong formula used to calculate how many bars are displayed for a given signal strength. "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. ... we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place. ... We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G." Wired notes that there is still a signal drop when the iPhone 4 is gripped in particular ways.
Formula change (Score:5, Funny)
if(bar_count3) barcount=3;
Re:Formula change (Score:5, Funny)
stupid slashdot html ruined that! That'll teach me not to use preview. if (bar_count LESS_THAN 3)....
Re:Formula change (Score:5, Informative)
Anyway, I'm not sure what to make of this. On one hand, this will certainly earn a fair amount of ridicule as it sounds like redefining reality to what Apple wants it to be. A fix to the Reality Distortion Field, so to say.
OTOH, I've had some experience with sensors, and there's sometimes ambiguity to how the signals should be evaluated/presented. I'd guess that a logarithmic scale is a better fit for the relationship of absolute signal strength and perceived quality than a linear one. If they previously used a linear scale, this update might be appropriate.
This doesn't change the fact that the signal strength changes with how you hold the phone. If the change manifests itself only in fewer bars, everything will be alright. If actual call quality or reliability is affected, this change won't do anything for that
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
This doesn't change the fact that the signal strength changes with how you hold the phone. If the change manifests itself only in fewer bars, everything will be alright. If actual call quality or reliability is affected, this change won't do anything for that
THIS!
Dear Apple, please note that shifting the blame to your crappy, and exclusive, network partner won't work. You can't mitigate the act of holding the phone in a natural way via software update. The end result is still a dropped call, and with the thing up to your face you're not going to notice what the bars say anyway.
Idiots.
Even if this were a true fix, and I don't believe for a second that it is mind you, but if it were you'd want to sneak it in via security update and THEN start laying blame on AT
Re:Formula change (Score:5, Funny)
more bars in more places (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Formula change (Score:5, Funny)
Apparently it's more iphones in more bars, if the missing prototype is any indication.
RSimple solution - return it. (Score:5, Informative)
It's Defective by Design (TM)
For once, Apple copied Microsoft.
Check the consumer protection legislation in your area. It probably has something along the lines of products needing to be fit for the purpose for which they were purchased for a reasonable length of time, taking into account the price paid.
There are two types of warranties: Legal and Conventional.
Conventional Warranty (limit your rights): We warrant foo for 1 year (no warranty on batteries, screens, keyboards, accessories, etc).
Legal Warranty: Fitness for purpose for which it was purchased, taking into account price paid, etc. In other words, you paid $3k for that big-screen tv and it croaked 1 day after your conventional 1-year warranty expired? You can still use the legal warranty via small claims court. They can't hide behind the limitations of the conventional warranty - the conventional warranty is in addition to the legal warranty (which makes extended warranties stupid purchases).
Re:RSimple solution - return it. (Score:5, Informative)
You don't need to do anything more than read the statement. It reminds customers that they can return their purchase if they are not satisfied within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. All iPhone 4s were purchased a lot less than 30 days ago.
Re:RSimple solution - return it. (Score:4, Informative)
Yes you do, by law.
Re:RSimple solution - return it. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Formula change (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Formula change (Score:5, Informative)
Yes and no. The issue had to do with the scale used. From AppleInsider:
"Apple's iOS allots nearly 40 percent of reception levels to five bars, from -51 dB to -91 dB. But the distance from four bars to one bar of reception is much less, from -91 dB to -113 dB."
Unless you live under a rock, or have never cracked open ANY cell phone manual, you would know that they all recommend avoiding the lower left side where the antenna is located. The problem with Apple's configuration is that they used 5 bars for -51 to -91 db, which in itself is fine, since any call with those signal strengths would be very stable.
The problem has to do with dropping signal strength when you cover the antenna. Although you couldn't cause any phone to lose 63 db from grabbing it, getting a 20 db drop in signal strength isn't all that uncommon. If someone was in the weaker 5 bar range (say -90 db), which is still a decent signal, the phone would display 5 bars. When you covered the antenna, you could potentially get a 20 db drop, bringing you down to -110 db, which is a very poor signal. It gave the impression that someone went from 5 bars to no bars, or even no service (no service being very possible with -110 db).
There are no standards defining what dB is represented by the number of bars. It is totally up to the hardware manufacturer. As to whether or not this was a mistake, who can say? The haters will claim it's a marketing ploy, the lovers will claim it's a fair way to rate the signal. I'll probably fall in between.
What this fix will do is better represent the number of bars by signal strength in a more linear fashion, so that -90 might only be three or two bars, and covering the antenna would drop you to 1 or no bars. Although any phone might make a call at 1 bar, you should also expect that you might drop it with such a poor signal.
Frankly, I think most of the posts in these and other forums are full of 'noise' from people who hate Apple, from Droid fans, to people who just dislike them for their closed systems. It's an ideal way for them to take shots by spreading FUD and making the issue appear far worse than it actually is. Unfortunately, it also makes it much more difficult for people to judge the scope of the problem, which in itself is a win for Droid from a marketing perspective. I do know that I haven't dropped a single call on the iP4 regardless of the bar display. I suspect most fall into the same category. Reviews of the phone also back up the same. Dropped calls have actually been reduced under the iP4, regardless of the number of bars displayed. Anandtech actually has a nice write up and some more thorough testing of signal strength. What they found is that the exposed antenna's do make the iPhone 4 more susceptible to interference, but not so much that it would affect people with decent signal strength. It actually performs better than a droid for signal loss when it's in a cover:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2 [anandtech.com]
Re:Formula change (Score:4, Interesting)
Anand shows that the iphone 4 is SUBSTANTIALLY worse than the 3GS in terms of signal attenuation in four different situations (in one case, by as much as 18db !) This is contrary to Apple's claims that the revolutionary antenna design gives the iphone4 superior RF performance to previous generations.
You are correct that the iphone4 is better than the HTC nexus one in a SINGLE test by 0.5db. It is, however, worse in all remaining tests by 2.5 to 9.1db.
As for signal strength indicators, it has been my casual observation that GSM carriers typically over-estimate the idle "bars" they report. A GSM phone with 1-2 bars is rarely usable for an actual conversation, especially if you are in motion. In contrast, pretty much every CDMA phone I have had could place and receive acceptable calls with 0 bars showing while idle.
Additional thoughts :
- I think it's comical that apple will now make the first 3 bars "taller" to make them "easier to see"
- I believe the fact that they are still selling the 3GS, and specifically re-state that they are willing to take any undamaged phone back within 30 days for a full refund absolves them of all responsibility for this bruhaha... if you keep or purchase an iphone4 at this point, despite the well-publicized reception problems, you have no right to complain, IMHO.
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Well, There are some issues with the calculation of bars. I could pretend I knew what I was talking about, or that I'd RTFAs, but instead I'll just post this link to a FANTASTIC review of iPhone 4 vs. iPhone 3g[s] vs. Nexus One reception under various holding-conditions. ALL phones suffer signal loss when you hold them. The iPhone 4 is just a SLIGHTLY more egregious offender than other phones. That being said, though, it is much better at having a high quality of service even with lower signal strength. Som
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The end result is still a dropped call,
Not to be an Apple apologist, but dropped calls were frequent on my iPhone 3G, and have been nonexistent on the iPhone 4 I've been using since launch. Same apartment, AT&T service, and I haven't been paying attention to how I've held the phone.
Obviously, this is a statistically insignificant sample size of one, but lower reported bars does not automatically equal "dropped call," and many of the loudest and most vocal critics of the iPhone 4 issues have not been actual iPhone 4 owners.
Re:Formula change (Score:5, Insightful)
Again about that AC activity that always supports the vendor in question, in any discussion.
Man up and log in. It isn't really all that hard.
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Man up and log in.
I don't understand the logic behind this suggestion. Could you explain it to me?
Slashdot contains, as one of its greatest features, a meta-moderation system. With a run-of-the-mill, provide-an-email sign up system, you too can log into the site and participate. Your comments will be tied to that account, and the moderators can judge the relative worth of your contributions. Further their efforts are judged by the meta system, which determines which moderators get which points.
Another facet of this service is identity, friend/foe, and post history. All of these things can be used to
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
How is that a reply? Every phone does this. A youtube video doesn't change physics.
And the Anandtech article gives actual numbers to verify what I've said.
As for ad hominem, you have no fucking clue what that means. It doesn't mean I said you don't know what you're talking about, it means I attacked you in lieu of attacking your argument. Ad hominem is something like, "my esteemed opponent is a Mormon, therefore you cannot believe his testimony as to whether I was at the brothel last Tuesday evening," not,
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You're labeling me a damned idiot, and even openly stated that you believe that I have a 'bug up my ass' about Apple. You said so a post or two over, remember?
Busted? I think so...
Anyway, I'm specifically replying to your statement that...
There's no way to make a phone that doesn't suffer from signal attenuation when you cover the antenna.
Did you even watch the video? Because it shows two phones, made by the same company, on the same network, in the same physical location, being held in the same manner, achieving different results. That's pretty scientific, in so far as a youtube video can be. He even
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
You're labeling me a damned idiot, and even openly stated that you believe that I have a 'bug up my ass' about Apple. You said so a post or two over, remember?
I didn't call you a damned idiot, that was just an example (that's not to say I don't hold that view, I reserve the right to make that judgement). I did, however, say you have a bug up your ass.
Busted? I think so...
Busted for what? Calling it like I see it?
Did you even watch the video?
Yes, and it's not a refutation of the fact that every single radio device the size of a cell phone will have signal attenuation when a human hand covers the antenna. This is physics.
You're flaming me.
You're a fucking troll who's flaming people left and right. You deserve it (and I've been rela
Re:Formula change (Score:5, Informative)
And, in fact, that's what most cell phones do. For CDMA, it's usually some combination of Ec/I0 with signal strength, and for GSM it's some combo of reciprocal bit error rate combined with signal strength. Often time averaged and perhaps peak reading. So it's not just a simple "x dB RSSI = y bars" calculation. The combined metric is called SQE (Signal Quality Estimation).
Re:Formula change (Score:4, Informative)
I believe they are currently using a non-linear scale. I don't know the exact relationship, but it sure looked logarithmic at a quick glance. '5 bars' was covered by ~50% of the 'usable' signal reading. From what I understand, this is reasonably representative (perhaps slightly optimistic -- "look we have more bars" marketing strikes again?) of actual performance, so if they do too much tweaking, it'll be much less representative of real quality drops/increases. Plus that doesn't solve the fact that (some) people are actually quantifying this as a drop in data speeds or calls dropping when held in certain ways -- and not solely in 'number of bars'.
Here's the link [anandtech.com] with numbers and more info.
Re:Formula change (Score:5, Insightful)
How did this go unnoticed so long? I mean 5 bars on the AT&T network and no one thought that was suspicious?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I can tell you that this suggestion is horseshit. How do I know? I live in an area that has horrible(read: no coverage) AT&T service coverage and my phone is perpetually stuck at either one bar(sometimes) and no bars. Prior to updating the phone to iOS 4.0, I could put the phone into engineering mode and the db level was correct, in regards to db level to bars displayed.
I am not sure what Apple is aiming for, but the public cannot be dumb enough to believe this. While software can have a great effe
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I can tell you that your entire post is horseshit. How do I know? Actual testing with actual numbers provided by Anandtech. Specifically, this page [anandtech.com].
The bars do not convey an accurate sense of the phone's ability to make a call/transfer data. What a lot of people are seeing is going from 4 or 5 bars to 1 or none, but the difference in signal quality isn't from "super awesome to poor" (as a 5 bar to 1 bar drop implies) it's really from "not so good to poor" (which would be more accurately conveyed by a 3 bar
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
And preview. Preview is your friend.
Yeah, it helps to make sure you
Actual formula change (Score:4, Informative)
First off I totally beleive this is possible. Very often my non-apple phones flicker between 4 bars and no bars.
But what is remarkable about this is that according to Pogue, apple designed the phone to find the "best" cell connection not the strongest. Apparently there is a difference. Naively I could appreciate that a tower that oscillates between 4 and 0 is worse than a steady 2.
Thus is it surprising that given they paid attention to that kind of detail they would get the actual formula wrong.
My guess is that the formula used to pick the cell tower is distinct from formula used to drive the display. Or they did something like add a variance bias to the mean to represent steady weak towers as having more bars.
In any event, assuming their explanation is correct, it does seem to jibe with their other public statements insisting that there is no actual problem, just a perceived one and that all cell phones do this to some extent.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Since cellphones use a digital signal, it's probably based on the Bit Error Ratio (BER) like the signal bars used in my DTV receiver. The more errors received, the few bars are displayed. Also it varies from receiver to receiver - some will drop as low as 20% and yet still show a picture, while others need 80% to show a picture.
It's completely arbitrary where the programmer puts the "cutoff" point, and it sounds like Apple's merely shifting the BER meter -1 bar. Nothing's really changed signal wise or er
Re:Actual formula change (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem as reported is that the signal strength weakens consistently when the phone is held in a certain way. This is clearly a hardware issue, but hardware issues are expensive to fix. So, Apple fixes a similar but ultimately unrelated problem via a much cheaper software patch and hopes their loyal fan base will just pay attention to the fact that *a* problem has been fixed, even if it isn't *the* problem everyone is complaining about.
Unless Apple honestly believes this software patch will fix the actual reported problem, which I find very difficult to believe, they are acting in an unethical and customer-unfriendly manner in order to avoid the real solution, which would be to issue a recall of their flagship product and fix the hardware.
Re:Actual formula change (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem as reported is that the signal strength weakens consistently when the phone is held in a certain way. This is clearly a hardware issue
All mobile phones will have signal strength weakened when you cover the antenna area with the hand. That's physics, not a design problem. Whether you notice the problem or not depends on how strong the signal from the base station is in the first place.
The problem reported was the number of bars that this lost. e.g. from the article that was linked to from the first slashdot article on this issue:
"Signal drops from 4-5 bars to 'searching for signal...' when I hold it in my palm or cover up the line on the lower left side of the phone," reported a user identified as "yoshjosh" on the thread. "I understand that cell signals may degrade when you cover up the antenna, but I have never seen anything this severe, and I'm not holding the phone differently than I think most people hold their phones. This is a real issue."
Other phones might drop one bar when you cover the antenna with your hand. The iPhone with it's current software might drop 4 bars. That doesn't mean that the signal to the iPhone is dropping more than the other phone. Just that the algorithm used for the display is different.
If Apple is switching to the algorithm that the US carrier suggests, then that is a perfectly reasonable move.
Want to see the same issue with other phones?
Nokia E71.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi1gHDa7-X0 [youtube.com]
HTC Droid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaDE941PzQk [youtube.com]
Blackberry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaDE941PzQk [youtube.com]
Re:Actual formula change (Score:4, Informative)
Apple use a Qualcomm chipset for their UMTS (3G) radio access. That chipset controls which sectors (base-stations) the handset is talking to. In UMTS (3G) the handset can be sending/receiving data to/from multiple sectors anyway (called soft-handoff). Thats why both Apple and HTC or RIM handsets tend to be a lot slower to re-select between cells than your average Nokia - who use their own chipset. Handling the radio connections is all done by the Quallcomm chipset part.
The issue here is in how Apple's OS - running on the ARM processor which is not responsible for the radio link interprets the numbers that are passed to it about signal strength and quality into a set of bars on the screen.
Typically 3G phones use a simlpe measure of RSCP or RSSI (two signal strength indicators in UMTS signalling). What Apple seems to be saying is that the way in which they determined what number of bars to display for a given RSSI value was wrong. This is really well explained in this article - http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2.
There are other paramters that are important though to how your phone actually operates. It is perfectly possible to have a very high signal strength in a particular location but very low quality/throughput. This can be caused by things such as Pilot Pollution - where multiple base-stations are interfering with each other. In UMTS (3G) this normally occurs if there are more than 3 base stations above a threshold signal strength. This can cause other parameters such as EcIo (Basically Signal to Noise Ratio) to be low despite the signal strength being high.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Even if this is true this doesn't fix the fact that:
I am left handed. I hold the phone in my left hand. Using my friend's iPhone 4 I see a drop in bars. Calling capabilities are diminished. IN the exact same spot I can hold it in my right hand and there is no problem.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple is making a change to provide more useful information to users of their device. They are not claiming it will keep calls from dropping, but that it will give you information that will help you know when your calls are likely to drop.
Yes, it sucks that the iPhone has antenna issues. Yes, it sucks that they experience disconnections. However, suggesting that Apple is being deceptive when they are doing a reasonable job of mitigating a hardware problem by providing a software update is not accurate or fa
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
a dropped call is a dropped call. If the iPhone 4 drops calls in areas where other phones (like the iPhone 3) worked perfectly, then the problem is not the number of bars displayed or the software.
According to the Anandtech review, the opposite is true:
From my day of testing, I've determined that the iPhone 4 performs much better than the 3GS in situations where signal is very low, at -113 dBm (1 bar). Previously, dropping this low all but guaranteed that calls would drop, fail to be placed, and data would no longer be transacted at all. I can honestly say that I've never held onto so many calls and data simultaneously on 1 bar at -113 dBm as I have with the iPhone 4, so it's readily apparent that the new baseband hardware is much more sensitive compared to what was in the 3GS. The difference is that reception is massively better on the iPhone 4 in actual use.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2 [anandtech.com]
If people with this problem were measuring it in frequency of dropped calls during normal use, we probably wouldn't be seeing nearly so much complaining.
Your assumption is incorrect (Score:5, Informative)
BESIDES it doesn't matter - a dropped call is a dropped call. If the iPhone 4 drops calls in areas where other phones (like the iPhone 3) worked perfectly, then the problem...
The iPhone4 does not drop calls in areas where other phones work perfectly. Instead of relying on your vast Apple Hater Rage to inform your opinion, why not try reading a carefully done study [anandtech.com] instead:
From my day of testing, I've determined that the iPhone 4 performs much better than the 3GS in situations where signal is very low, at -113 dBm (1 bar). Previously, dropping this low all but guaranteed that calls would drop, fail to be placed, and data would no longer be transacted at all. I can honestly say that I've never held onto so many calls and data simultaneously on 1 bar at -113 dBm as I have with the iPhone 4...In reality, reporting based on SNR makes a lot more sense, since I couldn't make calls drop driving around an entire day cupping the phone, despite being at -113 dBm (1 bar) most of the time.
The reality is that the iPhone 4 is BETTER at making and receiving calls. This is my own experience, and of the other people I know who have the phone - and also borne out by actual testing.
As Apple said, if people think there is a problem they can just return the phones, no questions asked. But I don't think Apple will see many takers.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I'm drinking in the wrong place
"Stop drinking that way. Why aren't you drinking Kool-Aid???" -Steve Jobs
These aren't the bars you're looking for... (Score:5, Funny)
Just force hold it next to your ear like the rest of us!
for wlan at least (Score:4, Interesting)
Applies to all iPhones (Score:5, Informative)
This isn't a fix for the attenuation caused by touching part of the antenna, it's a fix for a longstanding software issue that makes it harder to manage. The issue's still there, and if you're seeing lower signal or slower speeds on your iPhone 4 than your previous iPhone, the patch won't fix that.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Right, so it'll make it easier for people to pick up on the fact that they're in a weak area and that holding their phone might make the signal worse. So they can "manage" it by trying to find a better area.
However just to emphasise, it's clear that this "holding attentuation" is stronger than with the 3GS, and even stronger than the Nexus One. That's a hardware issue that won't go away.
Re:Applies to all iPhones (Score:5, Informative)
This needs to get out. anandtech did a bang up job [anandtech.com] investigating how strong the signal is based on the bars you have and found it to be logarithmic and heavily weighted to having 5 bars. This is probably a software fix to make it more linear. It's not fixing the antenna issue or all the dropped calls you'll still get because of the grip of death.
Dropped calls thing is a myth (Score:5, Informative)
If you are going to bring up the anandtech study, you may also want to mention that the article states when signal quality is low the iPhone 4 is much better at keeping calls alive:
From my day of testing, I've determined that the iPhone 4 performs much better than the 3GS in situations where signal is very low, at -113 dBm (1 bar). Previously, dropping this low all but guaranteed that calls would drop, fail to be placed, and data would no longer be transacted at all. I can honestly say that I've never held onto so many calls and data simultaneously on 1 bar at -113 dBm as I have with the iPhone 4...In reality, reporting based on SNR makes a lot more sense, since I couldn't make calls drop driving around an entire day cupping the phone, despite being at -113 dBm (1 bar) most of the time.
I've not had dropped call issues from the iPhone4. That's not to say you will never have a dropped call, this is after all AT&T we're talking about here. But I have had much better results in making and keeping calls compared to the older phone, so people who are holding off buying an iPhone worried about dropped calls are doing themselves a disservice.
For me, tightly gripping has more of an impact on data speed than calls - and even then, it doesn't always affect data speed. But it's again a worthwhile upgrade, because the phone has better latency and so network use feels more responsive as per DaringFireball [daringfireball.net].
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
How exactly do YOU hold your phone? I just naturally picked up my Droid and held it up to my ear and I pick it up with my left hand with my thumb extended along the length of the left-hand side of the phone and two or three fingers wrapped around the back holding the right hand side of the phone. It certainly seems natural to me, and I'm right-handed. The way I naturally hold my phone causes the fat-pad of my hand to cross that imaginary antenna slot if I had an iPhone 4. I imagine the vast majority of p
That's how I hold the phone, no issues (Score:3, Informative)
How exactly do YOU hold your phone? I just naturally picked up my Droid and held it up to my ear and I pick it up with my left hand with my thumb extended along the length of the left-hand side of the phone and two or three fingers wrapped around the back holding the right hand side of the phone.
Yes, that's how I pick up my iPhone too. That causes no issues in everyday use. Yes, even though you are slightly touching the metal band it two places.
What does start to cause issues, is if you then squeeze REALL
So, it's about how many bars it shows? (Score:2, Insightful)
If it's just about the bars, why didn't earlier iPhone versions have the same problem, then, if it's just that, and not the antenna design?
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
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ALL AT&T cell phones I've used show this problem. I'm not sure if it's GSM or if AT&T is doing some trickery to make the phone think it has more signal than it actually does.
Sitting on the table, 5 bars. You try and text, call or answer a call, suddenly you drop to 0 or 1 bars. You may not even be able to complete the call.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
ALL AT&T cell phones I've used show this problem.
Not just AT&T phones, every cell phone I've ever used on any network has had similar problems. In fact, I distinctly remember that the user manual which came with one of my Nokia CDMA phones had very specific instructions on where the user should place his/her fingers while holding the phone in order to avoid degrading antenna performance. I think that one worked on Sprint (yeah, yeah, I know: "Sprint?!"...).
While Apple certainly dropped the PR ball on this one, the so-called "problem" is really a non-i
Appleinsider on the Nokia and its documentation (Score:3, Informative)
There is a reference to it here:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/06/28/nokia_pokes_at_iphone_4_death_grip_gets_called_on_it.html [appleinsider.com]
Breaking news (Score:4, Funny)
Goatse man works at Apple.
I mean, they had to pull that out of somewhere.
Worse! (Score:2, Insightful)
Uh, isn't this even worse? They were inflating the apparent signal strength all the time! I guess this is one of those perks a cellular carrier gets when they obtain exclusive rights to hardware.
So is Apple claiming it is also a superficial display problem when service is completely lost because of this hardware problem?
bars (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
All you really need is one within walking distance of home.
Re:bars (Score:4, Insightful)
New AT&T logo -- "Less bars in more places?"
AT&T has got to be hating this update. It's going to expose their lack of coverage in a HUGE way.
Re: (Score:2)
Error intentional, to improve perceptions of AT&T coverage!
Luke Wilson a cyborg!
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
If you read Apple's statement you'll see that they are changing the display as per AT&T's suggested standard:
"To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength."
That makes the previous behavior unlikely to be due to some secret cabalistic plan of AT&T's.
Programming is so easy (Score:5, Funny)
that Marketing fixed the bug!
Re:Programming is so easy (Score:5, Insightful)
if (user.fanboy) marketing.damagecontrol.emit("you are holding it wrong");
else if (user.dumberthanthat) marketing.damagecontrol.emit("there was never a reception problem. we just displayed the wrong number of bars");
else if (user.inclassactionlawsuit) marketing.damagecontrol.emit("here is a coupon for $20 off our $30 rubber bumper, which cost us pennies to make");
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Funny, but sadly you swapped min and max (and forgot closing parenthesis) :
max(5, log(signal_strengh_dB)) >= 5
therefore
min(0, max(5, log(signal_strengh_dB))) == 0
min(3, max(5, log(signal_strengh_dB))) == 3
Swapping min and max :
min(5, log(signal_strengh_dB)) <= 5
0 <= max(0, min(5, log(signal_strengh_dB))) <= 5
3 <= max(3, min(5, log(signal_strengh_dB))) <= 5
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
To be fair, I'm more careful with code that I'm not writing as a joke.
Cyril. M. Kornbluth was here (Score:3, Interesting)
Fix it in software? It's supposed to correspond to antenna physics
Anand Tech (Score:5, Informative)
Do The Right Thing - A Steve Jobs Joint (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple is both right and wrong here. They're right in that the bar display has been misleading from the start. They're wrong in saying that was some accident. Of course they know about it. More bars makes your phone look good and to hell with giving the user a sane metric for phone reception.
They're right to say that the bare antenna in not a design flaw. They're wrong to conclude that this means it is not a problem. The only proper way out of this is free bumpers and dielectric coating over the antenna on future models. I know Apple likes to charge $30 for their $0.30 loop of rubber bumper case but this time, they could really be in trouble, so they need to suck it up and do what's right.
And if I see one single comment pimping the Android in this story, I'll have all you Android fans know that you have become what you hate. Why can't someone use a product they like for any reason at all? Is that not allowed anymore, or do we all have to care about the same things you care about and use the same phone that you use?
Re:Do The Right Thing - A Steve Jobs Joint (Score:4, Insightful)
And if I see one single comment pimping the Android in this story, I'll have all you Android fans know that you have become what you hate.
No, I haven't become what I hate. You don't see me supporting an abusive, shitty company so I can have a trendy, overpriced device. I don't slap Google stickers on my car and blindly claim my device is superior to all others.
Why can't someone use a product they like for any reason at all? Is that not allowed anymore, or do we all have to care about the same things you care about and use the same phone that you use?
I love the fact that you are being preemptively defensive. If anything, its indicative of the fact that many iPhone users are emotionally attached to their overrated device and have an allegiance to a terrible company.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I can have a trendy, overpriced device
The iPhone costs the same[1] as any other (new) Android smartphone. Less, even, depending on how you calculate it. Now there is the fact that the data plan is no longer unlimited, but I dunno, 2GB is more than twice the volume of the most mobile data I've ever used in a month (even with tethering). But then, I operate with an ad and flash blocker, so I'd imagine others' results would vary.
[1] AnandTech: Apple's iPhone 4: Thoroughly Reviewed [anandtech.com]
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
you don't see how self-righteous that is? you're better because you followed your own reasons for buying the device you did, but you hate those who don't follow your reasons?
If you're strictly a consumer, I understand and respect your decision to buy an iPhone. As a developer myself, it is in my best interest to point out the fact that Apple is an abusive company, and to advocate a platform which treats its developers much better.
Same old... (Score:3)
Apple is just trying to shift blame to AT&T for the disconnections.
Unless the phone intentionally drops calls on low signal, this will fix nothing.
*sigh*
Nice way to pass the burden (Score:5, Insightful)
It's well known that the iPhone has never reported reception as it should. So what, they fix this software bug and it becomes apparent to everyone that their AT&T reception sucks. So, is Apple trying to place the blame on AT&Ts shoddy service instead of taking the blame for designing a defective antenna? This is ludicrous.
It's sad, if it was any other manufacturer, people would return these defective phones in droves and there would be a massive recall. Because it's an iPhone people are willing to ignore these issues that should honestly result in a class action lawsuit to extend the return period from 30 days to 60 or 90 days with a free optional rubber bumper. This whole situation is absurd.
Re: (Score:2)
IBecause it's an iPhone people are willing to ignore these issues that should honestly result in a class action lawsuit
But there is a class action lawsuit [reuters.com].
Original iPhone now unsupported? (Score:2)
Translation: Anyone with an original iPhone can FOAD.
Re: (Score:2)
Translation: Anyone with an original iPhone can FOAD.
Anyone not having a iPhone 3G or iPhone 4 already is not a true follower of the Jobs, and thus is not worthy of the update.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
No, really. It's well known in the tech industry that tech gets old and stops being supported at a certain point. Typically, it's when that tech is sufficiently old that the market of users has dwindled below a certain point. If you look into things you'll probably find that the original iPhone is both quite old by smartphone standards and it's use in the market has dropped below a threshold where it's logical to continue
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The original iPhone, if you bought one of the first ones, is three years old. The 3G was introduced in July of 2008, so there are two-year-old original iPhones out there that were the best you could buy at the time they were purchased. I'm not certain how much longer Apple continued selling the original model after they introduced the 3G, but it's entirely possible and likely that they continued to sell it for a short whi
SNR? (Score:2)
log (Score:2, Funny)
I wonder if it took Apple's Three New Antenna Guys to find out that they fail at logarithms.
It is just PR "managing" the bad press ... (Score:4, Interesting)
It looks more like a clever way to disguise the problem and push the blame on the carrier by hiding behind poor coverage, nothing more.
It reminds me of Sony (I think it was them) who "fixed" one of their overheating laptop series by having users download a "patch" that would turn off the power management in Windows and make the fans go non-stop. It certainly stopped the overheating, but at the price of shortened fan life and a very noisy machine ...
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Software patch cannot fix signal attenuation from a hand.
Actually, a software patch *can* help when it changes how the software-tunable capacitors [taranfx.com] in the antenna system respond. Not that there's anything about doing that in this particular press release, but you're being a bit under-optimistic here.
More accurate version.. (Score:5, Funny)
Anandtech may have an explanation... (Score:5, Informative)
Basically it looks like there is a huge range for what is considered five bars, and a small range for the remaining four bars.
More than just bar issue (Score:3)
Anandtech did some testing by enabling the now disabled fieldtest mode in IOS4 that allows you to see the actual signal strength in dBm and they managed to get -25dBm signal drops when gripping the phone. iPhone 3GS only suffered -15dBm drop and generally had much less signal attenuation when holding the phone optimally.
So lemme get this straight... (Score:3, Insightful)
Thanks, Steve, but I don't think I'll be buying one of these....
Hey folks, Apple might be telling the truth ;-) (Score:3, Interesting)
Fits with my experience actually. I live slightly outside AT&T's coverage area. My 1st-gen iPhone often displays 3 or 4 bars sitting on my desk, but drops to 1 or 2 when I pick it up and make a call.
Slashdot Users == Assholes (Score:3, Insightful)
Can Slashdot users just fucking stop being parodies of themselves for even a little while?
I read through all the messages and came up with this: The Slashdot users complaining here about the iPhone 4 don't even fucking have one. You turds.
Same on other topics, not just the iPhone.
The worst of the bunch? The Slashdot users who write things like, "I'm offended and will never [x] for the rest of my life." As if.
Unhappy campers - Please take Apple's advice. (Score:5, Insightful)
To all the folks unhappy with both the performance of the new iPhone and Apple's response, please heed the advise in this portion of the press release:
"As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund."
Seriously. Please.
All this ridiculous, over-the-top, self-righteous indignation and emotional hand-wringing over a gadget not meeting your expectations is just pathetic.
Apple has taken a stand on this issue. They say it works as designed and claim the reception is better than their previous model. You think they're full of shit? Great. Quit posting whiney, indignant messages on the internet and return the goddam thing.
If the problem is half as bad as all the stories make it out to be, Apple will be flooded with returns and that will have a much greater effect that millions of lines of internet bitching.
Disclosure: I'm a satisfied owner of several Apple products. I don't own an iPhone and have no plans to purchase one. My wife and I have free-with-subscription LG phones on Verizon. Oh, and guess what? If I hold the phone by the bottom, signal degrades. If I hold it that way in an area with poor cell coverage, service is lost entirely. You think if I submit my sob story to Slashdot, Gizmodo, CNET, CNN, etc. they will make it front page news?
The fix... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I wonder... (Score:5, Funny)
"We need to do something QUICK! The media is raging on this issue! Even the general media!!! Even ads are mocking us!"
"We can design an isolation band to put on the phone, and market it as the next fashionable thing"
"people would rage it's not free and would cost too much to ship out to everyone.. any other idea's?"
"Recall! Redesign! WE HAVE NO CHOICE"
"TOO EXPENSIVE! and we just fired our antenna guys."
programmer: "I can write a tool to detect if they're lefties by usage stats..."
"... listening."
"And then adjust their reception display."
"What do you need?!"
"5 hookers, one masseuse, 2 days of coding and unlimited supply of skittles."
"GIVE THIS MAN WHAT HE NEEDS! Get to work! Good job."
Re: (Score:2)
"In fact, forget the coding"...
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
If(receptionBars.Count = 1) {
}
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Not so perfect iPhone? (Score:4, Informative)
It's anything but simple [arstechnica.com].
Re:Not so perfect iPhone? (Score:5, Funny)
So, instead of solving the problem, they just downgraded the problem??? Sorry iPhone fans, but it looks like your phone cannot event manage something so simple and base as signal strength!!!!!!
Nonsense.. Apple has fixed the problem of the bars going down by recalculating the scale. This is perfectly acceptable. It's an elegant cost efficient and perfectly practical solution. I mean.. If a warning light is blinking, just take the bulb out. No more warning light, problem solved.. yes?
Re:Joke (Score:5, Funny)
An iPhone walks into a bar... oh wait it was a guy walks into a bar and leaves his iPhone
He probably had a similar problem to the iPhone when he left .... seeing two bars when there should only be one.