antennagate
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When Steve Jobs danced on stage
The year was 2010. Barack Obama was (and is) president. And a young Jesse Eisenberg taught us all how to love in The Social Network. Tech wise, 2010 was a rather important year for Apple as well. We were introduced to the iPhone 4 -- first by Gizmodo, and then by Steve Jobs -- and following that, we were treated to an overblown tech scandal dubbed antennagate. Ah yes, antennagate; the hyped-up controversy that surrounded reception problems on the iPhone 4 when the device was held in a certain way. Now I say that the controversy was overblown because angry consumers were crying foul as if they had just been swindled out of their hard-earned money for a shoddy product. Never mind the fact that consumers who experienced reception problems could simply walk right into an Apple store and return their devices. Nonetheless, with controversy a-brewin', Jobs was effectively boxed in and ultimately held a press conference where he announced that Apple, in an effort to appease the masses, would give out free bumpers to affected users. If you recall, Apple kicked off the press conference with an iPhone-themed song from Jonathan Mann (see video above), a talented internet celeb who has been writing and publishing a new song on YouTube everyday since 2009. The theme of Mann's iPhone song was simple: If you don't like the iPhone, don't buy it. If you bought one and don't like it, take it back. Now apparently when Jobs came out on stage, he was so into the song that he walked out dancing as the song was winding down. You can check out Jobs' moves in the video above if you fast-forward to 2:00 in the clip. What's more, Mann, writing for Medium, writes that he subsequently heard from Apple PR reps that Jobs was dancing offstage while the full song played. Upon taking the stage, Jobs referenced the video and said, "Thanks for coming. We found that on YouTube this morning and couldn't help but want to share it." Mann also describes the process by which his song ended up being played during the press conference in the first place. The anti-Apple hype was at a fever pitch, and I thought the whole non-story was ridiculous. I decided to write a song defending Apple. ... The next morning I woke to a flurry of activity in my inbox, including an email that appeared to be from Apple. I read the email and decided it was fake - someone was trolling me. I was in the shower when my phone rang. It was Apple PR. For real. Could they use my video to open the press conference, they wondered? Um, yes. Sure, uh, how should I send it to you? Jesus Christ. Now one point that was seemingly glossed over during Apple's press conference was that the return rate on the iPhone 4, at that point in time, was only 1.7 percent, markedly lower than the 6 percent return rate for the iPhone 3GS. The takeaway? Consumers, despite the tabloidy antennagate headlines, were rather satisfied with the iPhone 4. Lastly, for those keeping score at home, Mann has been faithfully recording a song a day for years now. His current tally? Video #1,820. [via MG Siegler, The Loop]
Daily Update for April 23, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
iPhone 4 antennagate comes to a close: your $15 settlement check's in the mail
Remember when you were holding it wrong? Remember when Apple was supposed to compensate you for holding it wrong? No? Well, if you didn't opt for the free rubber bumper back in the day, apparently that $15 "we're so sorry your iPhone 4's antenna sucked" settlement check alternative's finally being sent out via snail mail. So, case closed iFans. It's time to move on to greener, 5S pastures.
iPhone 4 'AntennaGate' settlement checks now arriving
The US$15 "AntennaGate" settlement checks have started arriving for qualifying iPhone 4 users. The checks are a settlement for those who filed a claim in a class action lawsuit against Apple for "misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale and servicing of its iPhone 4 -- particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software." One reader told us, "My $15 Apple iPhone4 AntennaGate settlement check came today. It has been so long I forgot what it was for and had to look it up." The reason for the delay, however, was because though AntennaGate happened with the release of the iPhone 4 in 2010, the lawsuit was not settled until February 2012. Claimants have until July 16 to cash their checks. If you did not file a claim previously, you can no longer do so.
Editorial: A conciliatory Apple would be real innovation
There are signs of a new attitude emanating from Cupertino, extending across Apple's relationship management of customers and competitors. One of the two most important things you can say in English is "I'm sorry." (The other is "Thank you.") Failure to get the apology right brands a person as arrogant. As with people, so with companies -- to whatever extent they have personal relationships with their customers. In Apple's case, its best customers definitely feel personally involved with the company's ethos, products and leaders. Apple's main personifying force is its CEO. That individual manages both the connection with customers and the competitive relationship with other industry players. Now, following an unusual apology to users, Apple startlingly unplugs one of its Android lawsuits against a competitor, and a profound personality change seems to be in progress. Apple is not apologizing for its historical Android rage. But the brand's official temperament might be changing at the core, with the company possibly becoming a more conciliatory actor in the field.
Nokia goes after iPhone, Android in ads
Nokia is ramping up for the launch of its flagship Lumia 900 on April 8. As part of an advertising push, the Finnish company released a series of YouTube videos that target the iPhone and Android. The ads take on the "fragile" glass design of the iPhone, the iPhone's "death grip" antenna controversy, and the washed-out display on Android's AMOLED-equipped smartphones. You can check out the videos below and let us know what you think in the comments. [Via Electronista]
iPhone 4 owners can register for $15 antennagate settlements (updated)
The official website for the iPhone 4 "antennagate" class action settlement is live, as pointed out by co-lead counsel on the case Ira Rothken. Of course, speaking of cases, if you're an iPhone 4 owner who has taken advantage of the free bumpers Apple's been offering since 2010 then you're not still eligible for the $15 settlement. Customers who meet the requirements (experienced antenna issues, couldn't return your phone without incurring costs, don't want to put on a bumper or case and either completed troubleshooting or no longer own the phone) can opt for the payout and file their claim at the website linked below. Of course, assuming you're not a stickler for that skin-to-metal and glass feel the case is probably the better deal overall, but as long as this issue is finally dead and buried we can probably all walk away happy.Update: Turns out it doesn't matter if you scored yourself a free bumper or not, so long as you don't actually use it you can still register for your share of the settlement. So, if you took the consolation prize offered at the time, but have grown to hate it, now's your chance to make $15.
Apple secures patent on multiple-arm, multiple-frequency antenna design
If not for Leap Day, Apple would've seen this one granted a year to the day after it was filed; as it stands, 365 days will just have to do. At any rate, Apple has not only managed to secure a patent this fine morning for an ejectable SIM tray, but also one for an antenna isolation apparatus. In simple(ish) terms, the patent details an antenna structure in a portable electronic device that's comprised of "first, second, and third resonating elements aligned along a common axis parallel to a ground plane," with a multiple-arm, multiple-frequency design taking shape. It's also pretty clear that the intention here is to reduce radio-frequency interference between the antennas -- something that'll prove increasingly important as wave support is added in future iPhones. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether this patent will allow AT&T-infused iPhone 5 handsets to display "7G" in the indicator bar.
iPhone 4 antennagate class-action lawsuit settled, owners to receive $15 or a free case (update)
According to CNET, a class-action lawsuit over the iPhone 4's troublesome antenna, aka Antennagate, has been settled. The planned resolution will net US residents who bought one and presumably either $15 in cash or (another?) free bumper case. CNET quotes co-lead counsel Ira Rothken (who, by the way, also represents Megaupload) saying that he believes the settlement is "fair and reasonable", affecting some 25 million people who will be notified by email and through print ads in USA Today and Macworld. Once they've received the heads up, they can go to www.iPhone4Settlement.com (not up and running yet) to register their claims. When the issue first came to light back in 2010 Apple suggested holding it differently before saying it would tweak its signal display formulas and, eventually, offering the free cases. Hopefully for the company and its users, this resolution puts the issue -- which is not a problem on the new 4S -- to bed.Update: We spoke to an Apple representative who confirmed that the settlement is for those customers who chose not to take a free case or return their phone back in 2010. It looks like holding out didn't get you much more than the option to take $15 cash instead, but we'll simply consider it a much-needed opportunity to reflect on the International Year of Biodiversity that was.
Verizon sidesteps Galaxy Nexus antennagate, claims signal indicator is to blame
This is just hilarious. Remember when Verizon Wireless stated rather unequivocally that its Galaxy Nexus suffered from a "signal strength issue" and that a fix was coming? Worry not, dear readers, because the company now claims that it's identified the issue: apparently, there's really no problem at all. According to Big Red, the Galaxy Nexus doesn't suffer from poor reception, but simply reports its reception poorly. To resolve these 'perception' issues, the carrier states that it will deliver a software update that "will adjust the signal strength indicator to more closely match other Verizon Wireless devices." So, whether or not there really is a problem with the Galaxy Nexus (LTE), one thing is for certain -- very soon, its owners will have more bars to look at. Huzzah, indeed?
Consumer Reports finds iPhone 4S to have worthwhile antennas, says newer iPhone 4 is still problematic
"Consumer Reports recommends the iPhone 4S." It's only half a dozen words, but to the engineers (and marketers) at Apple, it spells "relief." After being profusely impacted by Consumer Reports' decision to recommend against buying the iPhone 4 due to those Antennagate issues, the entity has allowed all in Cupertino to breath a sigh of relief by effectively declaring the reception issue dead on the newest edition. To quote: "Apple's newest smart phone performed very well in our tests, and while it closely resembles the iPhone 4 in appearance, it doesn't suffer the reception problem we found in its predecessor in special tests in our labs. In special reception tests of the iPhone 4S that duplicated those we did on the iPhone 4, the newer phone did not display the same reception flaw, which involves a loss of signal strength when you touch a spot on the phone's lower left side while you're in an area with a weak signal. (The iPhone 4, which is still available, continues to exhibit that problem, we confirmed in tests of new samples of the phone. Because of the flaw, we continue to omit the iPhone 4 from our list of recommended models, despite its otherwise fine performance.)"In other words, even the newer samples of the iPhone 4 (perhaps even that one for Sprint?) continue to have antenna quirks, but at least the latest and greatest seems to have addressed 'em. Hit the source link for the full report.
How Apple does damage control
Typically, whenever something goes wrong with a company or its products and services, the company will try to head off a media free-for-all by releasing a brief statement that usually does only two things: it acknowledges that a problem exists and promises more information at a later date. But as Jason Snell at Macworld notes, Apple doesn't work that way. He notes that Apple's response to the so-called "locationgate" issue was almost identical to its reaction to "antennagate" last year. Instead of doing what everyone expected them to do, which was acknowledge the location tracking issue and promise a fix, Apple let the media have a field day for a week before releasing its official statement. Meanwhile, as Apple silently investigated reports of users' locations being stored on iOS devices and relatively easily accessed from their Macs after a backup, the media spent a week bellowing out various hysterical pronouncements with half-baked arguments supporting sensationalistic headlines, like the New Zealand Herald's Warning: iPhones can spy on you. At the same time, lawsuits ensued, Senators piled on, and even South Park got in on the action.
AnandTech research shows Verizon iPhone 4 'death grip' reports are overblown
Consumer Reports tested the Verizon iPhone 4 using the same methodology as the original GSM version, and with the same results: signal strength drops if the iPhone 4 is gripped in a certain fashion, commonly known as the "death grip." As a result of its testing, Consumer Reports decided it couldn't recommend the Verizon iPhone 4, either. Similar testing done by AnandTech throws some cold water on Consumer Reports' findings, however. Not long after the Verizon iPhone 4's launch, AnandTech found the Verizon iPhone 4's "death grip is essentially mitigated." The Verizon iPhone 4 experienced a signal loss of 16.5 decibels (dB) when held in "death grip," compared to signal loss of 15.5 dB when held "naturally." This is far better performance than the GSM iPhone, which experienced signal loss of 24.6 dB in "death grip" and 19.8 dB in "natural grip." In other words, the Verizon iPhone 4 in "death grip" mode experiences less signal degradation than a GSM iPhone 4 held "naturally."
2010 in review: Rise of iOS
Here, in no particular order, are some of the top stories we saw in 2010. The year was packed with Apple announcements, some planned and one unplanned. The real standout this year was iOS coming into its own. This year's WWDC was all about iOS, for example. The Apple TV now runs iOS. iOS 4.2 breathed new life into the already-new iPad, another major story of the year (a wildly successful one at that). Even OS X 10.7 "Lion" has some iOS-inspired elements from what little we've seen. But it's looking like 2011 will be a return to the Mac side. In 2010 we saw the new MacBook Air, which Steve Jobs called the "future of notebooks." What surprises does Apple have for us on the Macintosh side of the house? 2011 will be an interesting year (again) to watch! iPad In 2010, the iPad was revealed and the netbook industry felt the impact. The tablet industry has awakened. We expect 2011's CES to have an enormous range of tablet computers. iOS 4.2 was released months later, giving the iPad features like multitasking, which should have been there to begin with. Still, with paltry RAM, no front-facing camera and still not enough storage, the iPad has plenty of room to grow in 2011. Apps on the iPad made news in themselves, with some apps being available for both iPads and iPhones, some costing more for "HD" versions (a term Apple doesn't endorse, by the way) and some only available for iPad. The new realm of a tablet format opened up possibilities for developers, and we continue to see innovation from them on Apple's latest product. Still, the publishing world was a little dismayed to see the iPad not take off as an e-reader on its own. Digital magazines are falling flat (in part due to Apple's lack of a proper subscription model), and the iBookstore has had its own problems. iPhone 4 We all knew the iPhone 4 was coming thanks to a forgetful Apple employee and some poorly executed shenanigans from Gizmodo. If only they had tested the antenna! The iPhone 4 introduced the high-resolution Retina Display, plus a sleek new form factor that brought about "antennagate" and a subsequent press conference to address the issue. iPhone 4 cases were given away, and the problem was mitigated by a clever Apple marketing/communications team. The iPhone 4 also heralded FaceTime as a video calling service (and potential open standard, although we hear inside Apple there is little impetus to release the open portions needed to bring the service to other platforms). The iPhone 4 introduced a front-facing camera to facilitate video calling. The iPhone 4's addition of an LED flash introduced another wrinkle into the app approval process in that developers quickly started writing flashlight apps that took advantage of the powerful (but battery-killing) light source. Guess what? Apple finally woke up and wrote some clear but open-ended app approval guidelines that addressed many of the previously-unknown guidelines surrounding app approvals.
CNN says Apple's "antennagate" biggest tech fail of 2010
CNN has a list of their biggest tech "fails" of 2010, and the number one spot is the iPhone 4 antenna issue, aka "antennagate." Perhaps it was inevitable that the hubris of Apple's past decade would eventually catch up with the company. Antennagate, as you may recall, was the issue around a precipitous drop in "bars" (the apparent reception on your iPhone) when the iPhone 4 was held in the "death grip." I experienced this on launch day and even had a few dropped calls when putting the lower left corner of the phone into my palm. But according to Apple in a rare press event to address the issue, less than 1 percent of iPhone owners actually reported this issue. Nevertheless, CNN also notes that the issue has quietly faded away (after a bumper giveaway and OS update or two), and the phone is still a huge seller. The fail appears to have been a mere blip. It certainly didn't have as widespread an effect as the Gawker media sites being hacked, which came in at number seven.
Ex-Apple, IBM exec Mark Papermaster lands at Cisco
Recently departed Apple Senior VP Mark Papermaster has landed a new gig, signing on with Cisco as vice president of the Silicon Switching Technology Group. Papermaster's resume includes time working on chip design for IBM as well as his brief tenure running the hardware engineering group at Apple. The Cisco job certainly won't have the same kind of profile as the Apple position but it is certainly important. Papermaster will lead the development of chips for Cisco switching equipment. Cisco hardware runs a lot of the infrastructure that makes up the internet as well as corporate networks. Papermaster's relationship with Apple was marred by controversy before he even started working there. IBM sued Apple in an attempt to prevent Papermaster from joining the company. After only a year and a half in Cupertino, Papermaster left Apple in the wake of reception problems with the iPhone 4.
iPhone 5 in the rumor mill
It seems like only yesterday that the iPhone 4 was released, but how time flies when you're having fun. With the whole antennagate issue mostly behind us, most folks are just settling down to getting the best out of their shiny new iPhone. After all, its only been around four months since it was released. So, with that in mind, it's hard to believe that talk of the next iPhone is already in circulation. Believe it or not, the rumor mill is once again churning out talk of Apple's next iteration of the iPhone - the enigma that is affectionately dubbed the iPhone 5. TechRadar has compiled a roundup of some of the hottest rumored features that we may see in the iPhone 5. Here's a brief summary of what they report, but remember, it's only speculation. Kicking us off, the iPhone 5 release is expected to be in June / July of 2011 because that's the time cycle that other iPhone releases have followed. However, iLounge has guessed that the next iPhone could be with us as early as January of next year (even they admit this is "hard to believe."). The reason for a January 2010 release of the next iPhone, simply put, would be to resolve, with new hardware, the now mostly blown over antennagate issue. Next up, there's been talk of the iPhone 5 being equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, essentially turning the iPhone 5 into a digital wallet (allowing you to make credit / debit card like payments with the phone). Apple has released a patent demonstrating such technology, but this was some time ago, so it's unclear as to whether Apple is planning this for deployment in the iPhone 5. Furthermore, the next iPhone is rumored to be evolutionary as apposed to revolutionary. Similar to the design shift from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 5 will be akin to the iPhone 4, but a beefed up version. Rumored specs are of a faster processor (1.2GHz), more memory and larger storage, and a 3.7' screen (as apposed to the current 3.5' one on the iPhone 4). The iPhone 5 may also be made of a new material, perhaps some kind of alloy. Oh, and of course, a revamped antenna! And, a big one here (note the sarcasm in my words), there's talk of the Verizon iPhone. TechRadar reports sources that have handled Verizon iPhone prototypes, though, according to Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, that's not likely to happen. Verizon fans, let's hope you don't get let down again Finally, TechRadar reports that at least one analyst believes the iPhone 5 will support LTE super fast mobile broadband (in the U.S. anyway), which will make the iPhone 5 a 4G phone. Of course, this is all pure speculation and could amount to nothing more than a big whoosh of hot air. But then again, the next version of the iPhone is coming. Let the countdown begin.
Apple Store restarts bumper case sales
Thanks to a couple of tips this morning, we note that iPhone 4 bumpers are once again available in the Apple Store online. The cases, which retail for US$29.99, were taken off the virtual shelves during the 'Antennagate' free case giveaway period, just expired. Interestingly, Apple's product images for the bumpers all include a product that isn't on sale yet -- the legendary, much-anticipated white iPhone 4. Thanks Mike and Marc
Rumor: Bumpers coming back to Apple Stores
Did you miss out on Apple's free case program for your iPhone 4? If so, you're out of luck. If you have reception issues with your iPhone 4, you can return it as usual, but at this point, Apple believes that everyone should know about the Antennagate issue, so there are no more free cases. This also means that bumpers are back on sale. While you could easily get a free one, they disappeared from Apple Store shelves, but as of today, bumpers are reportedly available again. Unfortunately, they're still not for sale online, but presumably that will be fixed soon. Word has it that they're heading back to the US$29 price point, too. If you're buying an iPhone today or in the future, what are your plans for a case?
Analyst: Apple's Bumper case program a win-win for customers and shareholders
Analyst Shaw Wu with Kaufman Bros. says that, while Apple is likely taking a hit by giving away free cases and bumpers to iPhone 4 buyers (and the company is even extending the offer after the deadline to anyone who calls AppleCare), the program will likely be a win in the long run. Obviously, customers appreciate getting a free case (and a "fix" for the "antennagate" issue), but Wu says that even shareholders will benefit. Apple has set aside $175 million for the case program, which sounds like a lot, but it's a drop in Apple's $45.8 billion cash bucket, and a fix for the issue may eventually add as much as 45 cents to Apple's share price this year. In other words, the free cases are money well spent, according to Wu. So, it looks like Apple got out of its reception issue cheap. Doesn't hurt, says Wu, that it wasn't a huge issue in the first place; supposedly, not many users actually had the reception issue that got such press, but I'm not entirely sure that's true. Since I bought my iPhone 4, I have experienced the antenna problem multiple times. But because voice calls are such a small part of the experience for me (most of what I do on the iPhone 4 is with apps and messaging), it hasn't really hurt my enjoyment of the device overall. And I'm guessing that's where most customers lie -- the antenna problem is an issue for them, but not necessarily a deal-breaker.
