iPhone 4/iOS4

[Ashley]

Its not just random users who are criticising the problem, Nokia are getting bitchy too.

 

We’ve found any of the four grips mentioned above to be both comfortable and as you can see, offer no signal degradation whatsoever. This isn’t a feature you’ll only find on high-end Nokia devices either. It’s something that’s been a part of pretty much every Nokia device ever made (perhaps with the exception of that teardrop 3G one, which was a bit ridiculous).

 

The key function on any Nokia device is its ability to make phone calls. After all, that’s why we know them universally as mobile phones (or smart phones, feature phones or mobile computers – though the same grip styles work for those, too). One of the main things we’ve found about the 1 billion plus Nokia devices that are in use today is that when making a phone call, people generally tend to hold their phone like a…. well, like a phone. Providing a wide range of methods and grips for people to hold their phones, without interfering with the antennae, has been an essential feature of every device Nokia has built.

 

Of course, feel free to ignore all of the above because realistically, you’re free to hold your Nokia device any way you like. And you won’t suffer any signal loss. Cool, huh?

[Jon]

Its not just random users who are criticising the problem, Nokia are getting bitchy too.

 

 

They've obviously forgotten about their own problems.

 

 

 

 

 

I love hypocrisy in the afternoon.

[Dan_Dare]

[McPhee]

Never. Gets. Old.

[Shorty]

I don't get it.

[Ashley]

The assumption that if you can't make phone calls on a mobile phone while holding said mobile phone it must not have been tested.

[Emasher]

I downloaded iBooks the other day. I'm actually surprised how well it works on my iPod Touch. Books really are quite readable. The only thing its missing is an option to lock the rotation for reading in bed.

[Will]

Turn it 90 degrees then again so that it's upside down. Should lock the rotation.

[Mr_Odwin]

I just downgraded from ios4 to 3.1.2 (3.1.3 wouldn't work) on my ipod. While downgrading I killed all my usb ports and had to borrow a ps/2 mouse from work - uncool.

 

Now I love it again.

I feel betrayed by this whole episode.

[Shorty]

The assumption that if you can't make phone calls on a mobile phone while holding said mobile phone it must not have been tested.

Hmm, the only problem is the iPhone 4 was first found lost in a bar, lost by someone who had obviously been testing it

I downloaded iBooks the other day. I'm actually surprised how well it works on my iPod Touch. Books really are quite readable. The only thing its missing is an option to lock the rotation for reading in bed.

 

iOS4 has lock rotation... double tap home button, scroll all the way to the left, there's your screen lock button.

[Cube]

Hmm, the only problem is the iPhone 4 was first found lost in a bar, lost by someone who had obviously been testing it

 

But they were testing it in an iPhone 3GS case.

[Ashley]

Hmm, the only problem is the iPhone 4 was first found lost in a bar, lost by someone who had obviously been testing it

 

They also lost it in a bar. They clearly were a failblog of a person all around.

[McPhee]

Hmm, the only problem is the iPhone 4 was first found lost in a bar, lost by someone who had obviously been testing it

 

Tis a joke, shouldn't really be over-analysed. Anyhow, given the number of issues they clearly didn't test it very thoroughly. Bad quality control in the yellow glue spots on some screens, lack of stress testing on the rear-panel glass, lack of rigorous testing for signal issues. It's either that or they knew about the problems and just decided to release it anyway. Either way at this rate there'll be a good few thousand people suing them stateside.

[James]

Your on a forum, everything gets over analysed.

[Shorty]

I'm just starting to feel that there are more sheep taking a dig at iPhones than there are buying them.

[Jon]

So for someone who hasn't followed all this drama and wants it summed up quickly. Is this a software or hardware problem?

 

 

 

KTHXBYE.

[Daft]

I'm still waiting for Vodafone to send me my freakin' phone.

[McPhee]

I'm just starting to feel that there are more sheep taking a dig at iPhones than there are buying them.

 

Not difficult what they're sold out everywhere :p

 

Still, I get your point. Some people have been waiting a long time to see Apple fuck things up royally, so it's hardly surprising that those people are now milking it. Let them have their 5 minutes :p

[Ten10]

So for someone who hasn't followed all this drama and wants it summed up quickly. Is this a software or hardware problem?

 

 

 

KTHXBYE.

 

It's a hardware problem however Apple are currently trying to make it out to be a software problem. Basically they are saying that the phone is displaying too many bars, and when you pick it up and hold it the "wrong way" it starts showing the correct amount of bars.

 

Sounds dumb to me but here is the full story: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/02/apple-iphone-4-reception-problems-a-software-issue-fix-coming/

[Dante]

Apple Admits To Tricking People With iPhone

 

Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4

 

Dear iPhone 4 Users,

 

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

 

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

 

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?

 

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

 

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. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, 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.

 

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

 

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.

 

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same— the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.

 

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.

 

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

 

Thank you for your patience and support.

 

Apple

[Cube]

So they're saying that the iPhone 4 simply has an utterly terrible signal?

[McPhee]

Not quite. It's the networks' fault for having low signal zones

[dazzybee]

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but since upgrading (may be a coincidence) to OS4 my signal drops a lot more. Regularly getting the message saying disconnected etc....

[Caris]

*Sigh*

 

They are saying when you see drops off 3-4 bars, that's because the iPhone really only has 1-2 bars but it's displaying 5.

 

So when you are in a high coverage area you will only see a small drop of a bar or two, like most phones. Even then, when you are in a lower coverage area again you will only see a small drop because it will be displaying it more accurately.

[Cube]

One thing I don't understand is how the phone makes calls and browses the internet fine when you're in a non-to-low-coverage area as long as you're not holding the phone the "wrong way". Shouldn't it not work/be slow when the phone is displaying the incorrect amount of bars?