New iPhone 4

[Eric Toline]

Rich, if the iphone screws up, you can walk up to the nearest phone booth and call. Or simply not call, or whatever. If it were SO critical for one to have cell phone connectivity, one would have to use two instruments and two service providers in the least. If a recorder fails to do what it is supposed to do, then you are in deep shit. I am NOT saying the ZAXCOM recorders fail to do what they are supposed to do. I am only wondering if the parallel you draw is inappropriate. This is like (imho) comparing an X-Acto knife with a microscopic-knife tool used for surgery...

-vin

Phone booths here have become rarer than an honest, truthful producer.

Eric

[studiomprd]

or even an honest, truthful politician!

[soundtrane]

i rest my case about phone booths... an eric+senator move, and quoting the reality of the times... not easy to defend... heh.

[studiomprd]

"  have two antennae that act in a sort of redundant array, "

we'll call it "iVersity"

[studiomprd]

" Verizon Wireless will start selling Apple's iPhone next year, ending AT&T's U.S. exclusive on the phone, say two people familiar with the plans. Apple is going to dramatically increase the number of devices it sells in the U.S. when exclusivity at AT&T ends," Hodulik says. "It's hard to ignore the quality issues that AT&T has faced.  Apple has sold more than 50 million iPhones since their introduction. The latest version, iPhone 4, sold more than 1.7 million units in the first three days after its June 24 debut. "

this just in:

" Verizon  Wireless is expected to begin offering the Apple iPhone in January, when  AT&T's exclusive right to sell the device expires. Verizon Wireless could  unload upward of 12 million iPhones in the first year, drawing as many as 4  million new wireless customers, UBS analyst John Hodulik predicts "

[Jeff Wexler]

Apple today released a public statement regarding user complaints of reception issues on iPhone 4, noting that the issue is simply a software one relating to how the number of bars of signal strength displayed is calculated. The apparent significant drop in signal while touching the lower left corner is actually a result of the phone reporting too many bars while not being held.

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 address the issue, Apple will be issuing a software update "within a few weeks" that will adjust how signal strength bars are calculated and displayed. The change will adopt a recently recommended formula from AT&T that will more accurately display actual signal strength at any given time. The update will also increase the size of the smaller bars (1, 2, and 3) to make them easier to see.

The update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and 3G, which are also affected by the miscalculated signal strength indicators.

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.

Finally, the company notes that it is allowing customers still unsatisfied with iPhone to return their device for a full refund within 30 days of purchase, provided that the phone is undamaged.

(re-posted from Mac Rumors site)

[cmgoodin]

Anand Tech did a comprehensive test of the iPhone 4s antenna problems which can be found here:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2

Perhaps this comprehensive test is what Apple based it's conclusions on in their recent press release.

In any case it is a screw up by Apple to have the bars display so poorly calibrated and to have the antenna uninsulated allowing bridging and de-tuning by sweaty or moist hands.  Both of these problems should have shown up in initial testing but because of their super secret development cocoon they never get to test in real world conditions.  When they did send the phone out to be lost at bars is was concealed in a disguise case that would not allow the antenna problem to surface.

----Courtney

[studiomprd]

I’m not sure if I buy this explanation. Why? well, first off, there have been reports of actual signal degradation during calls, and dropped calls, too, because of this issue, so the effect goes beyond this just being a bars issue. Another thing here is that Apple seems to be shifting the blame from the iPhone (and the way you hold it) and instead shifting the blame onto AT&T - taking the approach that the signal was bad in the first place, it was just the algorithm that made it seem good in the first place.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see what people think of the software update when it arrives.

For those trying to follow along, here’s the recap:

iPhone 4 users experience sudden drops in signal strength when they grip the phone a certain way and start squawking about it.

Apple investigates and issues an open letter that says that the grip issue occurs in other devices too so don’t blame us for that problem.

Apple then says we’ve actually been giving you the false perception that your iPhone signal was stronger than you believed because it has been miscalculating how to display signal strength - since the first iPhone.

Now, Apple will send out a software update in the next few weeks so that users can finally see how truly crappy AT&T’s wireless network is and have it portrayed correctly in the signal strength display.

In summary, there’s nothing we can do about your poor reception problems except to fix the signal strength display to be more accurate.

As I close out this post, I’m inclined to post some sort of snarky comment about other wireless carriers or other alternative devices - but I think I’ll just let Apple’s letter speak for itself.

[soundtrane]

when will a phone work as a phone first? ...and then they can add everything else later...

[studiomprd]

what I tell folks:  'My shoe phone makes and receives phone calls'.

[studiomprd]

Apple is facing multiple lawsuits filed in U.S. courts seeking class-action status over reception issues.

In Maryland, two iPhone 4 owners filed a suit against Apple and AT&T Wednesday, accusing the companies of negligence, misrepresentation and other alleged offenses. In Texas, a similar suit was filed Tuesday against Apple. And in California , between Tuesday and Wednesday, three separate suits were filed against the Cupertino, Calif., tech company.  Earlier this week, a California law firm raised the specter of a class action suit when it issued a call for customers experiencing the widely discussed antenna issue.

After the Sacramento firm Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff LLP received more than 1,000 responses from iPhone 4 customers, it said it filed a suit Tuesday against Apple and AT&T in the North District of California.

"With every launch of a new iPhone, we have teething problems," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

In 2005, Apple compensated some owners of first- and second-generation iPods with $50 of in-store credit or $25 cash to settle one of its earliest class-action suits over the batteries in an older edition of the iPod. It also faced lawsuits over its first-generation iPhone in 2007 and its 3G iPhone in 2008.

Apple typically leads with design and then follows with engineering, Enderle said, which can lead to glitches.

"This is one of the risks Apple takes with its approach and they're definitely willing to take that risk," he said.

[Marc Wielage]

I'm getting crappier-than-usual service on my iPhone 4 compared to my previous 3G. I blame AT&T.

No rubber case yet (which allegedly reduces the finger/antenna interference problem), but I've ordered one.

--Marc W.

[hemmerlinj]

I'm a Verizon user and always have been, but I don't think the problem is solely on At&T.  I've talked with people on my phone in the subway (below ground not the elevated trains) in Manhattan.  I've had little to no reception and it still worked.  I would think that even with reduced reception you'd still be able to make or receive a phone call.  Apple had made some wonky products from time to time and it seems that they've gotten away with this one alot longer then they expected.  My first ipod died almost one year to the day from when I first bought.  That shouldn't happen to anything someone buys.  Apple shouldn't be pointing the finger at other persons they should be trying to fix the problem.  THey chose AT&T and gave them the exclusivity to sell their product.  THey should have made sure that everything was going to work the way they wanted it to before they ever released it. 

We as mixers offer a product, and we use certain things to get the job done.  We don't just hap-hazardly throw some gear together and hope it works.  We test it out and make sure that everything is working as planned, before we show up to do the job.  It's seems as though Apple and AT&T neglected to do this.  It's Apple's own fault for not having a better quality control and research and development.

J. Hemmerlin

[jon_tatooles]

I have an iPhone 4. IMO, its GSM radio performs about the same as the 3G it replaces, which is weak. I also carry a basic Verizon flip phone as backup when I actually need reliable voice communication.

I bet that in testing there were never any iPhone 4's in actual user's hands without a case to disguise it. The "lost" prototype is a good example, being in a case to make it look like the then current 3G/3GS. If they had testers running around with the phone naked, that would be bad for pre-release secrecy, but they would have observed the signal strength go down when...held.

[Marc Wielage]

I think Jon has hit on a very real possibility: maybe nobody at Apple ever thought to test the iPhone 4 without a case.

So far, I've had more dropped calls in a week on the iPhone 4 than I had in the previous two months with my iPhone 3G. Noted Apple pundit Jason O'Grady is very pissed-off about his iPhone, as he explains at this link.

--Marc W.

[Jeff Wexler]

I think it is the nature of Apple, the good and the bad, that the iPhone comes under such scrutiny and prompts such statements like "how can Apple release a product with so many problems and get away with it!", etc., etc. I decided to pretend that I do not have an iPhone and went searching on the various forums and message boards about many of the other smart phones out there. What I found was that ALL of them have lots of problems, everything from manufacturing defects and flaws, operating system problems, bad user interface difficulties, etc. I just read that the first batch of HTC EVOs had to be recalled for critical screen malfunctions.

We would all like these things to work perfectly but they do not. For me personally, I am not pleased with the iPhone as a PHONE, never have been and probably never will be. I long for the old days before "smart" phones --- as Jon Tatooles has said, he carries a simple old-style flip phone so he can just make phone calls (like the old days). I am tempted to do this also. What is most attractive for me with any and all of the Apple products is their integration with my computers (which are all Macs of course). The fact that all the computers, the iPhone, the iPod Touch (and maybe an iPad in the future), and access to MobileMe on the web, are all in sync automatically, this is what I like. I know this can be accomplished with other phones and other platforms but I like the way it is done with Apple.

[studiomprd]

" So far, I've had more dropped calls in a week on the iPhone 4 than I had in the previous two months with my iPhone 3G "

typical of the joys of being an early adopter

[Marc Wielage]

For me personally, I am not pleased with the iPhone as a PHONE, never have been and probably never will be.

Well said. The week the first iPhone came out, a friend of mine asked me what I thought about it and I replied, "the 'i' part is great, but the 'phone' part... not so much."

I still like it enough that I put up with it. I'm looking forward to seeing if the rubber "bumper" case improves things any, or if and when Apple will have an update that makes it a little better.

It's a concern when a Mac-fanboy as knowledgeable as Jason O'Grady slams it, because he's really into this stuff.

--Marc W.

[studiomprd]

as with RF spray issues, discussed elsewhere, this will hopefully be a case where just a little bit of separation will help a lot.

[Jan McL]

It's arrived.

My old standby iPhone video apps mostly do not yet work, but Shozu did, and was able to post a video (shot with the internal camera that now has a video option) to Vimeo. Vimeo recognized it as "HD" YouTube's max was 360p.

iPhone 4 Closeup

What's remarkable is the focus (so close to the teeny, tiny embroidered flowers!) and there's a wider angle lens, too. I think one could even pull focus under certain circumstances. Will need to 'play' more with it.

Can't wait for the Qik Pro app to catch up.

Jan

[Phone? Who needs a stinking phone? Who wants to do a video call for funzies?]

[Noah Timan]

I use Apple stuff myself, but I just had to laugh.

iphone 4 vs HTC evo

[Marc Wielage]

Two million YouTube hits and climbing -- I have to admit, it's hilarious. The poor Best Buy employee who made it is about to get fired over it...

http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/01/best-buy-iphone-4-evo-4g/

The above link also has the "answer video" against the HTC Evo, in political fairness.

--Marc W.

P.S.  Just got the bumper case today, and my iPhone got maybe 10% better reception, if that.

[Marc Wielage]

Go figure -- the phone was fine all day long. Is it the rubber bumper? Is it cosmic interference?

I think it was Wednesday's 5.4 earthquake that suddenly caused the phone to work better.

--Marc W.

[studiomprd]

probably won't hurt them much, though...

[Jan McL]

Have experienced (thus far) only improvement in reception on the iPhone 4 with the bumper installed. I've not been much out and about yet with it, but, the dead spots in the loft are no longer 'dead'. Further, I generally carry the phone in a pocket and use a bluetooth headset.

-- Jan

P.S. The camera IS astonishingly good. Close focus, touch-pad re-focus, led flash or light on for video, wider angle lens. Mmmm. Delish.