Reception
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The iPhone 4 Apple Press Event metaliveblog
Apple Press Event Welcome to our iPhone 4 live press conference event! Today we'll be metaliveblogging Apple's iPhone 4 announcements, adding our traditional TUAW twist to the proceedings. Will Steve Jobs offer a $29 bounty or free bumpers to all early iPhone 4 adopters? Or will the iPhone 4 itself be recalled? (We seriously doubt it!) Or is today's announcement about new service providers for those mysterious iPhone3,2 and iPhone3,3 models that Engadget uncovered a while back? Join us as we find out! Sources for today's metaliveblog include: Engadget Ars Technica gdgt Macworld Fortune
Woz having reception problems, too
For all of his exceptional qualities, part of Woz' popularity these days lies in the fact that he is really the prototypical Apple fan -- he stands in line like everyone else, he postulates about Steve Jobs' condition, and he loves the products just as much as we do. So when even Woz admits to having reception issues with his iPhone 4, then you know it's a real problem. In an interview with a Dutch journalist, Woz says that he's been experimenting with the death grip and reception along with the rest of us. "I concluded that the effect only occurs in some places," he says, "It's like the AT&T dead zone has been extended with this new phone." Of course, unlike most of us, Woz usually always carries a backup phone or, you know, three. And even though he's experiencing the dropouts and the issues, he's still impressed enough with the hardware that the device in general "is worth the care in holding it." Still, Woz is the prototype for most of us Apple fans, and if even he is having the same issues that we all are, it must be time to hold a press conference. I'm sure Woz will be waiting and watching along with the rest of us tomorrow morning. [via TechCrunch]
iOS 4.0.1 hitting iPhones right this second (update: 3.2.1 for iPads, too)
Well it's not the full 4.1 we were expecting... but here's a little tidbit from Apple. One of the main features? The update "improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display." Interesting. We're updating some devices right now, and will report back with what we find. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: It looks like iOS 3.2.1 for iPad is coming down the tube, as well. We'll let you know what changes we're seeing! Update 2: Here's a quick before-and-after shot of the signal meter. Clearly, Apple wasn't yanking any chains about changing the sizes of those leftmost bars.
Apple to hold iPhone 4 press conference this Friday
Headline says it all folks. Obviously the company is going to be getting out in front of this antenna drama (finally). We've been invited and we'll be there, reporting live! It all happens at 10AM PT, Friday the 16th. If you haven't caught up on the story (and if that's the case, where have you been?), here's a little background on the issue in reverse chronological order: Yes, the iPhone 4 is broken / No, the iPhone 4 is not broken Consumer Reports confirms iPhone 4 antenna problems -- and so do we Apple: iPhone 4 reception problem is a software issue, fix coming in 'a few weeks' iPhone 4's antenna problem looks worse than it is, but it's still bad Apple hiring iPhone antenna engineers for some reason Apple telling reps to smooth over iPhone 4 reception complaints, not to offer free bumpers? iPhone 4 antenna woes contextualized by dude in the know The Jimmy Fallon Test: is the iPhone 4 dropping fewer calls? Hey Apple, you're holding it wrong Apple responds to iPhone 4 reception issues: you're holding the phone the wrong way
As Apple's PR disaster grows, some say recall
Now that the iPhone has been in customers' hands for a few weeks, the antenna issue has been demonstrated time and again to be very real. Holding the lower left-hand corner of the iPhone causes a significant loss in signal strength. Those in low-signal areas to begin with will often lose their connection entirely. As soon as that corner of the phone is released, the connection is restored. Apple issued a statement on July 2nd which essentially said that the iPhone is erroneously reporting signal strength via the number of bars displayed. Apple plans to release a patch to fix the discrepancy soon. In other words, a user whose phone says it's got 3 bars could actually have less than that. After applying Apple's fix, the iPhone would read 2 bars or 1 for that user. That's not a fix. Touching the corner will, we assume, continue to kill the signal. Users will just have a more advanced warning of the results: "I'm about to drop to 3 bars" vs. "I'm about to lose my connection entirely." This week, people are talking about a hardware recall. Professor Matthew Seeger of Wayne State University told Cult of Mac that a hardware recall is "inevitable." Meanwhile, Dr. Larry Barton can't understand Apple's slow response. "There has to be a military-like response to this issue," he told Cult of Mac. "And we have not seen this kind of urgency." A hardware recall would be a disaster, but consider the damage that's already been done to Apple's PR. Consumer Reports (CR) suggested people not buy the iPhone 4. Say what you want, but CR is the definitive guide for a huge number of consumers. A software fix that simply reports how poor the iPhone's connection to AT&T's network won't fix this issue. Apple's got to act. Fast.
Apple drops Consumer Reports/iPhone 4 threads down memory hole [updated]
Update 3pm Tuesday:Wired's Epicenter blog points to at least two threads referencing the CR story that have been left intact. Perhaps an overzealous forum manager has now reined in the urge? If you were looking for a message thread on Apple's support forums pointing to Consumer Reports' article 'not recommending' the iPhone 4, it's not there any more. Apple's support forum moderators deleted the thread. Bing cached it. If it happened once, maybe you'd say it was a glitch. But what if it happened twice? Three times? Four times, five, six? Sadly, this isn't the first time we've heard about Apple deleting discussion board threads on topics which are unflattering to Apple's products. It's closer to the fiftieth time. In fact, we've heard so many reports about this happening that it seems safe to call this standard operating procedure for Apple's discussion boards. That's not to say that there are no negative threads on the discussion boards, but the ones that are there are the ones that Apple's moderators have decided to leave active. It's hard to imagine what Apple hopes to gain by doing this. Instead of having one negative news story, now we have two: not only did Consumer Reports come out and say they don't recommend the iPhone 4, but now Apple seems to be trying to prevent people from talking about it on their support board. Want some overwrought comparisons to Orwell's 1984? Apple seems to be begging for it. Thanks to reader Paul Richards for pointing this out.
Consumer Reports now 'can't recommend' the iPhone 4
After a recent positive blog post stating that the iPhone 4 reception issues were not something that should prevent someone from buying the new iPhone, the nationwide testing firm has now changed its mind and given a thumbs down to Apple's latest efforts. In lab tests, Consumer Reports says the signal "can significantly degrade to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal." Three iPhone 4s were tested in an RF isolation chamber, and while the signal fell out on the new iPhone, CR didn't see the same issues on an iPhone 3GS or a Palm Pre. The tests also showed that putting some duct tape (of course!!) on the lower left portion of the iPhone antenna strip helps a great deal, and they speculate a case would do the trick as well. The testing firm adds that the iPhone 4 scored at the top of the list in every other feature, so the reception issue is a deal-killer for the firm. CR says that Apple will have to provide "a permanent -- and free fix" before it recommends the iPhone 4.
Element Case, Ivyskin out iPhone 4 cases specifically to deal with reception issues
Can't find an official iPhone 4 bumper? Driving yourself mad trying to give your new smartphone white glove treatment? Fret not, as a couple of case makers have outed new iPhone 4 clothing that's meant to specifically dodge those naughty reception issues that seem to occur whenever your sweaty palm makes contact with that now infamous metal band. Element Case -- the same folks responsible for the downright lust-worthy Joule stand for iPad -- has just revealed their first iPhone 4 case, the Vapor (shown above). The company claims that its $79.95 enclosure provides an aircraft-grade, CNC'd aluminum frame lined with a shock-absorbent material, the latter of which "addresses iPhone 4 reception issues caused by direct hand to phone cradling." For now, it's up for pre-order (shipments are expected to start next week) in black / black and black / pink, with more colors to become available in the future. As for Ivyskin? It's stepping things up even further by naming its product the "iPhone 4 Reception Case." No need for subtly, we see. Hailed as the "world's thinnest polycarbonate shell" for Apple's latest iDevice, this here sleeve is the one to get if you're look to minimize added bulk and not cover up any of Cupertino's design cues. Best of all, this one retails for just $14.99 and ships with both front and back scratch-free body armors. Crazy that it has come to this, you know? Update: We're seeing reports that Ivyskin is charging but not shipping its case. Buyer beware. %Gallery-97091%
Video evidence of the iPhone 4 death grip -- this time with real numbers
You wanted a demonstration? You got a demonstration; we've put together a video to show how the iPhone 4 antenna issue is not simply a result of Apple's miscalculation of how many bars are being displayed. Our own Erica Sadun wrote an iPhone app (at the suggestion of Engadget's Nilay Patel) to display the raw signal strength, the number of bars, and what Apple calls the graded signal strength. Erica's tests (see video above) show that the "Kung Fu grip of doom" results in the signal strength dropping to almost zero. According to Erica, removing her hand from the antenna gap brings the signal strength back to normal. The Apple iPhone Bumper provides a cushion, but Erica's tests show that the death grip (otherwise known as holding the iPhone 4 normally in your hand, as shown in Apple's promotional video) can kill signal integrity even with the bumper installed, depending on the signal strength in your area. Marginal signal areas are affected most by antenna signal attenuation. Users in areas with strong reception will not see the same results. It looks like Apple needs to 'fess up on this issue, and soon. NBC's Today Show brought up the antenna problem this morning, continuing to publicize the issue to a nationwide audience. They also cited the wave of YouTube videos from irate owners showing the grip issue. You can view the Today Show clip by clicking the Read More link at the bottom of this post.
iPhone 4 reception issues? A network reset might help
I know this sounds like a bit of Voodoo, but it's worth a try. If you've upgraded to the new iPhone 4 and have restored your old software, you may see what appears to be a signal drop-off. Let's stay away from the whole iPhone 4 "death grip" controversy; that aside, no matter what you do, you're not seeing as many bars or getting reception that's as good as what you had with your older iPhone. Here's something to try. On your iPhone preferences, navigate to "General," and then scroll down to the bottom where it says "Reset." Tap that, and then tap "Reset Network Settings." You'll get a warning, and the phone will reset to factory defaults. You'll likely lose some Wi-Fi passwords, but you may also find that your cellular reception gets a lot better. I have two friends who tried this, and they went from one or two bars to four or five at the same locations. This is the same trick they are doing at the Genius Bar, and my research shows that it can help in many (but not all) cases. We've talked about this fix before, but we have a lot of new readers, and some old ones, who may have missed it. There are also some discussions about this on the Apple support board. If you have seen a drop-off in reception, it's certainly worth a try. If it doesn't work, we're sorry. If it does, well, the price is right for the fix. Let us know in the comments if it helped, or sadly, if it didn't.
iPhone 4 defenders debunk reception, 'grip of death' issues
Most of the news about the iPhone 4 has been negative, particularly about the reception and 'grip of death' that causes the phone to lose signal and sometimes drop calls. Apple has famously responded to all the bad press, and perhaps has dug an even deeper hole for itself in terms of PR. All the chatter is not apocalyptic though, and I thought it was worth a moment to point out the other side of the proverbial coin, both from a respected antenna designer who has tested the new iPhone, and from the venerable Consumer Reports group.
Apple issues official word on iPhone 4 reception: it's the bars, man
If you didn't see the thorough reports from AnandTech and Richard Gaywood on the behavior of the iPhone 4 in low-signal areas, one of the conclusions they came to is that 'bars are bogus.' The behavior of the signal indicators on the phone is wildly shifted toward the optimistic, with over half the available signal range displayed as a cheery five bars. This contributes to the death grip problem: users who are giving up some antenna sensitivity when they grab the phone may not realize that their signal was iffy to begin with. Guess what: Apple agrees with them, at least in part. The company posted a letter/press release today (unsigned, rather than the attributed-to-Steve past Thoughts on Music and Thoughts on Flash; they could have called this one Thoughts on Bars, but that would have been a little cruel) that admits "We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising." The letter continues: "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." Totally wrong? Golly. Apple says it will be releasing a software update to recalibrate the signal display so that users will be aware of the low signal that they didn't think they had, and as a result the problem of not being able to make calls when they hold the phone 'the wrong way' will be less evident. I guess. We're all for clarity in signal displays, but what's not clear is how a more sophisticated formula for computing the "more bars in more places" will help users who have bought bumpers, or returned phones, because their iPhone 4s could not make calls in places their 3GS phones did. As Apple notes, there are plenty of users who are not having problems, and in fact get better reception and fewer dropped calls than they did with previous generations; all that does not invalidate the issues that are causing grief for Death Grip Nation. In their review, Anandtech acknowledged that the iPhone 4's antenna capabilities and performance in low-signal areas are much improved over the earlier generation, with the ability to hold calls in conditions where the 3GS would have dropped them. Still, their conclusion is sound and straightforward: "At the end of the day, Apple should add an insulative coating to the stainless steel band, or subsidize bumper cases. It's that simple." Note: Whether you are having reception issues or not, please be respectful and constructive in your comments.
Apple PR says recent Steve Jobs emails are fake
If you've been anywhere near the internet in the past few hours, you've undoubtedly heard about a Steve Jobs email conversation in which he told an angry iPhone customer to "calm down" and that the iPhone 4 was "just a phone." That email chain, which was published on Boy Genius Report earlier, was also reportedly shopped to AppleInsider a few days ago -- for a price. Well, now Fortune is reporting that they've been told by a "a top Apple spokesman" that the emails are fake, and the exchange never happened. Of course, emails are notoriously easy to fake, and Apple has not been in the habit of commenting on its CEO's online wanderings, so our ears pricked up when we saw this article. We've reached out to Apple and they have independently confirmed to us that the conversation is indeed a hoax. So as usual, take all of these Jobs-uncensored dialogues with a healthy grain of salt.
Make your own iPhone 4 case from a souvenir bracelet
If your touch is like a Vulcan Nerve Pinch to the iPhone 4's wireless signal, you've got three choices: hold it differently, spend US $30 on a Bumper, or take a pair of scissors to a Livestrong bracelet. The iPhone Guru discovered that the bracelets fit perfectly around the body of the iPhone 4. After using a pair of scissors to cut holes for the dock connector, the silent mode toggle, and the headphone jack, the band was slipped onto the phone and ready to go. The iPhone Guru reports that reception is "much improved" with the band in place. At 10 for $10, they're much cheaper than Apple's Bumpers, and your purchase supports cancer research to boot. Of course, any instance of this type of rubber wristband will probably work. Alternatively, check out these decals on Etsy -- three 3-packs for $9! Live strong, iPhone 4. Live strong! Thanks to everyone who sent this in
Droid X ad pokes fun at iPhone 4 antenna troubles
The world of corporate cheap shots has today been enriched in its number with one supersized ad for one supersized phone. BGR reports that Motorola took out a full-page spread in the New York Times on this final day of June, which was ostensibly dedicated to promoting the positives of its mighty Droid X. But Moto has also followed in the footsteps of Nokia in making a not so subtle jab at the latest king of the smartphone realm. According to the ad, one of the most important things about the Droid X is that: "It comes with a double antenna design. The kind that allows you to hold the phone any way you like and use it just about anywhere to make crystal clear calls." Glad we got that established -- next Moto will be telling us the alarm clock on its phones works just fine too. Skip past the break for the untrimmed ad.
iPhone 4's antenna problem looks worse than it is, but it's still bad
The iPhone 4's antenna issues have sparked off a firestorm of debate as to the root cause -- Apple says holding the phone differently or buying a case are the best answers, while other are going down a more voodoo path -- but our friends at AnandTech have done some more scientific testing of the problem and come up with a few interesting results. Turns out the iPhone 4 actually performs slightly better inside a case than a phone like the Nexus One, which has had similar issues crop up, but it's slightly worse when held in the hand, reporting an average signal drop of 20dB. Here's where it gets a little wacky, though: the signal meter in iOS 4 is logarithmic, so that 20dB drop can either leave you looking steady at five bars or drop you all the way to zero, depending on what the actual signal level in the area is like. Take a look at the chart above and you'll get it: the range of values between one bar and four spans just 23dB, while the range for five bars is 40dB. That means holding the phone in an area with a strong five-bar signal will have no apparent effect -- you can lose 20dB at full signal and still see five bars -- but holding the phone in an area with weaker coverage will easily drop the meter to one bar, since the 20dB signal drop covers almost the entirety of the remaining 23dB scale. Oops. Of course, that's just the on-screen display, which Apple can and likely will tweak in a future iOS update. The real question is whether the reported signal has anything to do with performance, and Anandtech agrees with our general experience, saying that the iPhone 4's improved signal to noise ratio means it actually does a better job of hanging onto calls and using data when there's low signal than the iPhone 3GS. In their words, "this iPhone gets the best cellular reception yet, even though measured signal is lower than the 3GS." However, there's no getting around the fact that we've definitely dropped a couple calls with the iPhone 4 by holding it the wrong way, and Anandtech says the only real solution to the antenna issue will be for Apple to either subsidize free bumpers or add an insulative coating to the antenna band. We'll see what happens -- we've got a feeling an iOS update is on the way, but we'd definitely love to see Apple pursue a more aggressive solution to this problem.
BGR posts AppleCare reception troubleshooter for iPhone 4
As Erica demonstrates in the video above, for some iPhone 4 users it's not that hard to show how the phone's reception is affected by holding it 'wrong.' BoyGeniusReport has a copy of what they claim is AppleCare's internal troubleshooting procedure for iPhone 4, which boils down to "the iPhone 4's antenna is great; avoid holding it that way; and no, you aren't getting a free bumper." BGR also points out that if this is the official line, notably absent is any hint of a software fix coming (counter to what AppleInsider suggested last week). Of course, if there isn't a problem, then why would Apple be planning to fix it? To an extent, Apple (and Steve Jobs who was widely reported to have told a user not to hold their iPhone a certain way) is right. All cell phones have this issue. Yes, Nokia, even yours. But Apple's blasé response to this issue is going to give it legs, especially when Apple's solution is to buy a $30 bumper that they just happened to have started selling to coincide with the iPhone 4 release. Speaking as someone who remembers when iPhones used to come with a dock in the box, and who assumes that the actual production cost of a bumper is probably closer to $5 than $30, I'm surprised Apple isn't trying to avoid the seemingly inevitable class action lawsuit by throwing in a bumper to anyone who has the problem and brings their iPhone 4 into an Apple Store. After all, Nintendo put a wrist strap on the Wii Remote but still gave away plastic grips to help people who were losing control of them. And the story died. There's no doubt that this issue is clouding the iPhone 4's release, even if the issue is only affecting a small percentage of iPhone 4 users (and we don't know what that percentage is). My friend Richard Gaywood posted a detailed explanation of the issue and why it is more likely to be discernible in areas of weak coverage (which AT&T customers refer to as "just about everywhere"). AnandTech posted a detailed explanation as well. MacRumors reported the experience of one user who resolved reception problems with a reseating of the iPhone's MicroSIM, which is easy enough to try on your own. So our question to you iPhone 4 owners is: have you seen it? %Poll-48827%
Apple hiring iPhone antenna engineers for some reason
Three Apple job postings for iPhone / iPad antenna engineers to "Define and implement antenna system architecture to optimize the radiation performance for wireless portable devices." All three were posted on June 23rd, the same day that we started seeing widespread reporting of the left-handed reception issues. Coincidence? [Thanks, Abe]
Does adjusting or trimming the iPhone 4's micro SIM fix the antenna issue? Probably not.
Ever since Apple decided to do little about the iPhone 4's pronounced reception issues except suggest that users hold the thing differently and / or buy a nice case, the voodoo engineering remedies have been flying in full force -- sure, we'll admit we tried sticking some tape over the side of our phone (no dice), but we stopped short when people suggested we try a couple coats of nail polish (insanity). Even we have limits, after all. But the latest snake oil fix is definitely the craziest we've heard so far: according to a 13-page (and growing) thread at MacRumors, the iPhone 4's reception issue can be fixed by adjusting or even trimming the micro SIM so the contacts don't touch the metal tray. The popular belief is that touching the side of the phone somehow shorts across the micro SIM, causing (mumble mumble) and leading to dropped signal. Making things more interesting, Apple and AT&T are apparently using several different types of micro SIMs, including one with a significantly larger contact area -- you can check a shot of two of our iPhone 4 micro SIMs side-by-side after the break. So does all this hocus pocus actually work? In a word, no. We tried it on a few of our particularly bad iPhone 4s -- the ones that consistently demonstrate the issue -- and achieved no meaningful results. We even went so far as to line the edge of one of our trimmed micro SIMs in electrical tape (pictured above) to ensure that no contact was being made, and we were still able to flatline the phone using the "death grip." Sorry folks -- we wanted this to work too, but it looks like people are just being hopefully optimistic. We'd say the real fix is going to have to come from Apple -- and given the growing discontent over this relatively severe issue, the sooner the better.
Apple telling reps to smooth over iPhone 4 reception complaints, not to offer free bumpers?
BGR appears to have nabbed a document being distributed by Apple corporate to AppleCare reps tasked with handling iPhone 4 customers miffed with the antenna performance fiasco -- and for the time being, the recommendations are focusing on managing expectations, not fixing the problem. In a nutshell, reps are being instructed to pass on a more politically correct version of Steve's email by telling customers that they should "avoid covering the black strip in the lower-left corner of the metal band." Interestingly, they agree that bumpers might fix the problem, but they're emphatic in saying that they "ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers – DON'T promise a free bumper to customers." And yes, that statement is complete with caps and bold in the source document, so they mean business, it would seem. If it's any consolation, Apple says that "the iPhone 4's wireless performance is the best [they] have ever shipped," but let's be honest: for those zapping their calls into the afterlife every time they brush their phone the wrong way, it's not much consolation at all.
