at least they're finally going to address the issue in a significant way. will be interesting to see what they come up with


for page 177, apple to hold press conference on friday

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/apple-to-hold-press-conference-on-iphone-4-this-friday/

[Edited on July 14, 2010 at 9:55 PM. Reason : .]

7/14/2010 9:54:49 PM

^very curious as to how they will address it all

7/15/2010 12:24:27 AM

^I can't imagine how it could be anything other than "we're sorry, we screwed up and here's how we're going to fix it", anything less is going to feel like they called a press conference to deliver a slap in the face and make them worse off than if they just hadn't held a press conference to begin with.

Then again, this is Steve Jobs we're talking about so he could very well walk up there and say "this is still the most magical thing since sliced bread, kiss my ass, conference over" and I won't be shocked.

The only other possibility I can think of is an iPhone 4 to Verizon announcement but that would just be really poorly timed and I don't think even Apple's PR is that out of touch with reality.

7/15/2010 12:33:20 AM

I guess I'm more curious as to whether they will issue an actual recall, or just give out bumpers, or what exactly will occur, if anything

7/15/2010 12:37:28 AM

my guess is announce a revised antenna design / coating / whatever to fix the problem

available in a week or two

current owners can either accept a $100 refund OR get a new phone

7/15/2010 1:05:47 AM

Toyota Prius deja vu

7/15/2010 1:50:50 AM

They're probably going to offer free bumpers to current users and announce a hardware revision that doesn't exhibit the problem.

But since this is Apple, before the apologies and explanations they'll crow about how many units they've sold so far, how many apps have been downloaded in the past month, and have about fifteen different game companies demo upcoming titles.

7/15/2010 7:31:06 AM

And keep in mind, they'll never once mention that something is wrong with the phone or that they screwed up. They'll just be nice enough to offer these solutions to a problem that doesn't really exist.

7/15/2010 8:36:52 AM

theyll pitch it as an upgrade to make it even better than the best phone that was previously on the market, lol

7/15/2010 8:37:38 AM

I kind of have a feeling Steve Jobs is just going to walk on stage, grab his crotch, and shout DEEEEEEZ NUTS!!!! Press conference over.

I get the No Service notifier at work and at home with the iPhone 4. I have to go outside to see if anybody's called or texted me. WTF.

7/15/2010 8:46:40 AM

oh man i hope Jobs walks out there with a roll of duck tape and a bag of iPhone 4's to demonstrate.

7/15/2010 8:49:24 AM

Quote :

"apple to hold press conference on friday"

..

Quote :

"hope they don't hold it the wrong way... ZING!"

7/15/2010 12:54:49 PM

4.01 is out on iTunes, 579.3MB of signal formula "fix"

7/15/2010 2:39:05 PM

7/15/2010 3:00:41 PM

seems reasonable

7/15/2010 3:03:54 PM

I just updated and it seems to have removed the sluggishness on my 3g phone that OS4 brought on.

7/15/2010 3:38:22 PM

Quote :

"oh man i hope Jobs walks out there with a roll of duck tape "

Shame on you. You lose one man card.

7/15/2010 3:40:48 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape#Etymology

7/15/2010 3:52:19 PM

Can call it either.

7/15/2010 3:56:23 PM

Sooooooo just got a first gen iPhone

7/15/2010 4:04:01 PM

teh barz are taller Apple does it again durrrrr

7/15/2010 4:58:40 PM

The WSJ is reporting that a recall is not gonna happen, but simply an optional "brute force" fix will be offered where a piece of rubber is inserted in between the antennas.

http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=10628

7/15/2010 9:09:26 PM

I just realized how much more pleasant and productive this thread has been since Golovko got the boot, it's actually been informative discussion about the iPhone rather than page after page of Golovko trying to argue with anyone that doesn't think Steve Jobs shits rainbows

7/15/2010 9:17:41 PM

agreed

7/15/2010 9:19:24 PM

7/15/2010 9:22:31 PM

Quote :

"I just realized how much more pleasant and productive this thread has been since Golovko got the boot, it's actually been informative discussion about the iPhone rather than page after page of Golovko trying to argue with anyone that doesn't think Steve Jobs shits rainbows"

ahmen

7/15/2010 10:39:07 PM

^seconded

Quote :

"but simply an optional "brute force" fix will be offered where a piece of rubber is inserted in between the antennas. "

this doesn't make any sense, the antennas are already separated, it's the hand that joins them, i think they mean a piece of rubber between the phone and the hand.

[Edited on July 15, 2010 at 11:31 PM. Reason : ,]

7/15/2010 11:23:53 PM

NYT is claiming that the antenna "fix" is going to come as a second software update unrelated to the update that changed the signal display formula.

Quote :

"One person with direct knowledge of the phone’s design said Thursday that the iPhone 4 exposed a longstanding weakness in the basic communications software inside Apple’s phones and that the reception problems were not caused by an isolated hardware flaw. Instead, the problems emerged in the complex interaction between specialized communications software and the antenna, said the person, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. The person said the problems were longstanding but had been exposed by the design of the iPhone 4. All cellphones can be affected by the way a hand grips the phone, but well-designed communications software compensates for a variety of external factors and prevents calls from dropping, the person said. Mr. Jobs did not learn about the software problem until after the iPhone 4 shipped last month, the person said. The glitch could presumably be fixed with a software update, and it appears to be unrelated to one that affected the display of the phone’s signal strength."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/16/technology/16apple.html?_r=1

7/16/2010 12:42:01 AM

another take:

Quote :

"Apple Inc.’s senior antenna expert voiced concern to Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs in the early design phase of the iPhone 4 that the antenna design could lead to dropped calls, a person familiar with the matter said. Last year, Ruben Caballero, a senior engineer and antenna expert, informed Apple’s management the device’s design may hurt reception, said the person, who is not authorized to speak on Apple’s behalf and asked not to be identified. A carrier partner also raised concerns about the antenna before the device’s June 24 release, according to another person familiar with the situation. The latest model of the iPhone carries a metal antenna that surrounds the outside of the device -- a design chosen by Apple executives because it yielded a lighter, thinner handset. It has also resulted in dropped or degraded calls that led Consumer Reports to refrain from endorsing the iPhone 4, weighed on the company’s stock and stepped up pressure on Apple to issue a fix. Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple, declined to comment and said he wouldn’t make Caballero available for an interview. Caballero didn’t respond to a call and an e-mail seeking comment. Apple plans to hold a press conference tomorrow about the device. Dowling declined to elaborate on what will be discussed. A separate person familiar with the matter said Apple doesn’t plan to announce a recall of the phone. Record Sales Apple broke sales records with the iPhone 4, which debuted June 24 in the U.S., the U.K., Japan, France and Germany. The exclusive U.S. carrier is AT&T Inc. Apple’s European partners include Vodafone Group Plc, France Telecom SA and Deutsche Telekom AG. Softbank Corp. carries the iPhone 4 in Japan. In the first three days, the company sold 1.7 million devices, the most for any iteration of its top-selling product. Apple’s industrial design team, led by Jonathan Ive, submitted several iPhone designs before Jobs and other executives settled on the bezel antenna, said the person familiar with the company’s design. Caballero, the antenna expert, voiced concern in early planning meetings that it might lead to dropped calls and presented a serious engineering challenge, the person said. The metal bezel surrounding the handset would need to be separated in sections to create individual antennas capable of handling particular ranges of the radio frequencies for different wireless networks, the person said. If a user covered one of the seams between the sections, their finger would act as a conductive material, interfering with the signal, the person said. Consumer Reports suggests iPhone 4 users cover the antenna with duct tape to help mitigate reception woes. ‘Insufficient’ Response Tests carried out by one of the phone service providers before the device was released also indicated the antenna might hinder reception, said a person who asked not to be identified because discussions with Apple aren’t public. "

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-15/apple-engineer-said-to-have-told-jobs-last-year-about-iphone-antenna-flaw.html

7/16/2010 1:10:31 AM

Another great article from anandtech on the subject.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3821/iphone-4-redux-analyzing-apples-ios-41-signal-fix

Also, I've been using a 4 for the past 3 days, and IT IS AWESOME.

7/16/2010 9:05:55 AM

^ good read.

It looks like they strecthed the range out and spread it evenly among the bars. So at times when it said "no service" it will now show only one bar.

7/16/2010 9:22:25 AM

oh wow you got the 4 shrike? Why didn't you mention it?

7/16/2010 9:25:32 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/reminder-were-live-from-apples-iphone-4-press-conference-tomo/

wonder what'll happen.

7/16/2010 1:02:06 PM

^so are those constantly updating comments the only way to stay up to date on what they're saying? any stream anywhere?

7/16/2010 1:07:56 PM

Right on cue, bragging about how many iPhone 4's were sold.

7/16/2010 1:10:01 PM

right on cue, giving same old sad story about how every phone has the same issue

7/16/2010 1:13:47 PM

Ummmmmmmm, actually, Consumer Reports rescinded that recommendation.





Come on, Apple... this is sad.



[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 1:17 PM. Reason : .]

7/16/2010 1:15:09 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/live-from-apples-iphone-4-press-conference/

Sorry posted wrong link eariler.

7/16/2010 1:17:09 PM

"we're not perfect" again and again and again

7/16/2010 1:20:13 PM

it's an apology, what do you expect them to say

you don't express humility by insisting you are perfect when something is not perfect

[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 1:23 PM. Reason : .]

7/16/2010 1:22:20 PM

That phone testing room looks pretty cool.

7/16/2010 1:22:44 PM

So far Jobs talking about people with antenna problems reminds of Lee Fowler and the "lunatic fringe"

7/16/2010 1:22:59 PM

but it's not really an apology, it's more of a sense of "we're not perfect, so get over it, other phones have this issue too" and obviously since hardly anyone has called applecare or returned the phone then it must not be a big deal

7/16/2010 1:25:24 PM

Steve Jobs:

Quote :

"10:14AM "So we could have gone on and on. Most smartphones take a hit exactly the same way. These were all tested in areas of relatively weak signal strength. This is life in the smartphone world. Phones aren't perfect. It's a challenge for the whole industry. Every phone has weak spots.""

Consumer Reports:

Quote :

"We reached this conclusion after testing all three of our iPhone 4s (purchased at three separate retailers in the New York area) in the controlled environment of CU's radio frequency (RF) isolation chamber. In this room, which is impervious to outside radio signals, our test engineers connected the phones to our base-station emulator, a device that simulates carrier cell towers (see video: IPhone 4 Design Defect Confirmed). We also tested several other AT&T phones the same way, including the iPhone 3G S and the Palm Pre. None of those phones had the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4."

Those statements are mutually exclusive, so who is lying?


[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 1:29 PM. Reason : .]

7/16/2010 1:28:25 PM

It's like you guys have never watched a Steve Jobs press conference before. What did you expect? He's going to stroke his ego for the lion's share of it and then give some minor concession at the end.

Yay, free bumpers for everyone

[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 1:31 PM. Reason : :]

7/16/2010 1:30:21 PM

there you go.

7/16/2010 1:30:54 PM

FREE bumper case. I wonder why they'd do that if it only affects 0.55%, 1.5% return rate, and only <1% difference in dropped calls than 3GS.

They must be hiding behind some made up numbers if they're going to give EVERYONE a case because of something that affects 0.55%

7/16/2010 1:31:23 PM

I don't want damn bumper, I want a phone that I can hold however I please just like I could with the original iPhone and the 3G

[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 1:32 PM. Reason : ]

7/16/2010 1:31:41 PM

wow.

7/16/2010 1:32:41 PM

Quote :

"They must be hiding behind some made up numbers if they're going to give EVERYONE a case because of something that affects 0.55%"

that's what i'm not understanding. if this issue affects "less than 1%" of users, why spend the money and devote the resources of giving a case to every user?

7/16/2010 1:35:03 PM