Apple posts iPhone 4 press conference video, 'smartphone antenna performance' page
By Donald Melanson 
posted Jul 16th 2010 2:57PM
posted Jul 16th 2010 2:57PM
Well, that was quick. Not only has Apple already posted the complete video of today's iPhone 4 presser (minus the Q&A), but it's also put up a special "smartphone antenna performance" page that offers pictures and videos aplenty of the antenna comparisons shown during the press conference. And you didn't think today could get any weirder. Hit up the links below to see for yourself.
Update: We've embedded videos just after the jump of Apple's gamut of antenna tests. The iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, Samsung Omnia II, BlackBerry Bold 9700 and HTC Droid Eris are represented.
Update: We've embedded videos just after the jump of Apple's gamut of antenna tests. The iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, Samsung Omnia II, BlackBerry Bold 9700 and HTC Droid Eris are represented.
Steve – “We think this has been so blown out of proportion... it's fun to have a story, but it's not fun on the other side.”
How many millions did you spend on your Vista bashing ad campaign?
…Douche
@Dan A exactly... jobs and apple just bash others... they get bashed and try to blame it on RIM and Samsung as well when there is no problem
@Dan A God I love watching eminent downfall of Apple as more and more people realize the bullshit that comes out of 1 Infinite Loop.
@Dan A
Every Ballmer has his day
@Dan A Heh. Now we are pissed at Apple for creating product comparison commercials. X is greater than Y. This is just too much.
@fragmit
"comparison commercials" HaHa!!! Is that what it was.... Come on man.
@robotsongs
Total douche move from Apple. But here's the deal. Downfall of Apple and Jobs? Not even close. They'll trumpet the free case, act like it was awfully nice of them, spin spin spin and make even more money.
Tip to Steve: when you've been acting like a cocky douche, and then trip over, expect people to gloat and generally have a field day.
@tu eres estupido
I can't wait to see the response from RIM, HTC, Samsung, and Nokia. I am pretty sure they are pissed and probably will be hearing about a lawsuit soon from at least one of them. Apple practically took its problems with its external antenna design and tried to slander other brands to make it look like it was on an equal playing field.
Recap: Apple rolls eyes, says here's your free case now STFU
@sacguy
You think about it 30.00 + S/H to 0.00 is a real deal!
Then again, YOU HAVE TO SIGN UP for a free case. I see an agenda here.
Wow apple pushing the blame on other companies?!? most antennas aren't EXTERNAL!
@tu eres estupido
I actually reproduced the signal loss on my EVO, but you have to hold up at the top and cup your hand around it. So apple, if its so widely known that covering up the antenna causes signal loss as you suggest, WHY THE HELL DID YOU PUT IT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE PHONE IN THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. I guess if I hold my phone upside down on the evo, i'll have issues, but until then, i'll enjoy my signal.
@dswatson83 tradition is to put the antenna of any radio on the top both for good reception and to not have interference from hands... apple screwed up twice:
1. putting it outside not shielded
2. putting it on the SIDE OF THE PHONE
i completely agree stupid design
@dswatson83 replicated the issue on my Incredible... by palming the entire phone with both hands. lost 1 bar (mind you i only had one to begin with).
@tu eres estupido
This proves what ive been thinking. Apple was able to get those bar drops by selecting a spot where there's no reflections from other directions. That way the and between basestation and phone attunates the signal.
There aren't many places where this is possible. Only place that comes to my mind is the RF testing rooms apple showed pictures of. About every other place has reflections.
With iPhone it isn't the hand attenuating the signal but hand is shortcircuiting the antenna. No way a reflection will help this, as it does on other phones.
@dswatson83
i only lose 1 bar when i do that.
he claimed they all go down to 0.
what a dumb ass
@tu eres estupido actually tradition is to put the antenna at the bottom of the phone so as to not screw up with ur brain due to FCC regulations
@do work WHERE WAS THE ANTENNA ON THE FIRST CELL PHONE? WHAT ABOUT A WALKIE TALKIE?
C'mon Apple, don't try and cover this up. O wait..
So the "software fix" is to point out other phones with similar issues. Apple hasn't been very consistent lately.
this is so stupid.
They are trying to say other phones lose signal when you hold it when THEY DO NOT.
noones phone loses signal when you hold it naturally, especially not like the iphone.
but continue apple, giving away the free cases because nothings wrong, right?
On a completely unrelated note, why the hell can I only see 10 comments per page now? Anyone know how to change this?
And Engadget, how many god damn Apple articles do you need? Have a word with yourself.
Seems to me the EVO is the iPhone's #1 competitor right now. Where's the death grip video on that?
@bluescreenoftom
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaiRxRybK9E
its actually quite common, iPhone is just a much larger target....
@bluescreenoftom The EVO's old news. Droid X, Droid 2, Samsung Galaxy S family of phones are the next iPhone killers. The EVO's slower snapdragon processors can't really compete with the new phones.
@Narutogrey Evo still offers more features than any other phone. And as a person that has the X and the Evo on hand, I still rather have the Evo. Not to mention the call plan.
@Narutogrey Takes that many phones to kill the Iphone? LOL
@csouv
"iPhone killers" Lol, remember the T-mobile G1 ?
@Narutogrey
you really believe the droid x is better than the evo?
-_-
This whole press conference was stupid.
It's like BP coming out and saying well, only 0.5% of people in North America are directly effected by this, and Exxon had a bad oil spill, so we'll give out free paper towels to everyone living in the Gulf.
@parabola That was funny
@parabola
A mildly inconvenient cellphone problem is not a catastrophic environmental disaster. The fact that one gets as much press as the other is telling.
@Fishbulb2020 No way in hell did the iPhone antennae issue get as much press as the BP gusher. Are you serious? Maybe, just maybe it got the same coverage on tech blogs about gedgets, which says a lot since these blogs shouldn't even be covering oil spills.
@PopsGG
You didn't see news about this on all the major news sites? Look again.
@PopsGG
its called a simile...using one item and the word 'like' to describe another, yet similar item. He didnt say the iPhone got as much coverage as BP. He's saying that the press conference was as useless as BP's..dont worry- we all forget things we learned in 4th grade. haha.
@Fishbulb2020 "Look again..." ...the TV is now diamonds....
@parabola
I'm on a horse.
Just my two cents. I would have liked to have heard steve say something like. "we moved the antenna, it works much better for most situations and worse in a few specific cases". I think that would have been a true and fair description of the situation but he didn't even get that far.
@rollacosta I think that's the only thing he could have said that would have made even the haters relax on Apple a bit more. Besides that, I agree.
@AKBlade13 You underestimate the passion of Andriod fanboys.
Isn't this the equivalent to blaming other classmates when you get in trouble on the playground? "But but... their antennas can do it too!" Really- videos/images where they show other phones failing? Why does this smack of complacency to me?
@thinkspring
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=958923
There you go.
On a completely unrelated note, why the hell can I only see 10 comments per page now? Anyone know how to change this?
And Engadget, how many god damn Apple articles do you need? Have a word with yourself.
I can't believe Apple started that press conference showing them demonstrating other phones dropping signal.
All phones lose some signal when held. This is true, and common sense. However, people have never had issues such as no service, dropped called, and killed data connections from holding their phone like the iPhone 4 does.
Trying to push the blame around on all other smartphone manufacturers is ridiculous. "They do it too so we can as well" is all Apple is saying.
It's good they're giving away free cases, but it shouldn't have a time limit. If they're going to give them out, they should give them out for the entire sales life of the product.
They should also man up and fix the actual problem instead of "covering" it up.
@Jordan
in a related sense...someone please correct me if I wrong
In the live blog pics at engadget didn't the 'bars drop comparison test' that apple showed have the column headers in the comparison chart interchaged?
@Jordan
The question is how big of a problem is this? And how many iPhone 4 users are complaining about it? Any problem in the real world can seem a lot bigger on the internet.
And that's something we'll find out in the coming days, weeks, as people take up the opportunity to return their phones. In other words, patience.
@kapg:
I thought the same exact thing. Their chart made no sense. Did nobody screen this before presenting?
@pple is poo
so you need a piece of rubber for the phone to actually function?
windows phone 7 couldnt come any sooner.
I think the only two questions remains are these ones: Will they move the attenna to the bottom or top, so less people will shield it, and will they come out with the iPhone 4GS to remedy the situation by next year?
On a slight irrelevant note, when's the new iPod Touch coming out if ever this year?