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Experts Explain iPhone 4 Antenna Problem
CWmike writes "Reports of call and data signal strength problems in the new iPhone 4 have a basis in fact, a hardware expert said Thursday. Later in the day, Apple acknowledged that holding the iPhone 4 may result in a diminished signal that could make it difficult to make and maintain calls or retain a data connection. 'Gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone,' Apple said in a statement issued to several media outlets, including PC Magazine, which had run tests earlier Thursday. 'If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.' Scores of new iPhone owners confirmed the reception problem in a string of more than 360 messages posted to a thread on Apple's iPhone 4 support forum."
A blog post from an antenna design company explains that the reception problems are probably the direct result of phone design adapting to FCC requirements.
Next thing you know, holding a cell phone with the thumb and forefinger by the top right corner will become the fashionable way for any of the cognoscenti to hold their phones. Those of us who cradle them in the old fashioned way will be "not of the Body of Jobs", and mocked and ostracized.
John
How will wrapping the phone in a case and then holding it the same way as before fix the problem?
for those slashdot customers experiencing loss of signal and poor quality, we recommend exiting the basement and removing your storm trooper helmet to place calls.
Good people go to bed earlier.
who would rather be part of a group then have a properly working device.
Sad really.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I suspect they figured no one would bother to use to try and make a phone call.
1) Stand on one leg, preferably facing the cell tower. 2) Use your other leg to form a crude counterpoise for the iPhone4's various antennas. Also, experiments in dry/low-humidity regions which lead to dry/chapped hands may also contribute to your success making and holding a call. What other company could get away with producing a product like this and succeed?
"For best results, levitate one inch from your ears."
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Possible solutions include:
I guess there are some extremely complex technical or aesthetic or regulatory reasons why each of these isn't going to work but I'd like to know what they are.
You forgot to mention it's a $29 rubber band.
Thats what you get for making you engineers hide the product in public by dressing it in an iphone 3 case during QA. Oops!
Worse reception than the iPhone3 - check.
Still tied to the worst US carrier - check.
But hey, facetime is so awesome it overcomes all this...
Realtime video calls which exceed the definition of the human retina? - cheC&&^& >>>>>CARRIER LOST
Of course, apple could have easily designed the phone with with a some plastic along the side, but this would go against their aesthetic "vision". Anyone who has used an Apple mouse (*any* Apple mouse) knows that ergonomics takes a back-seat to physical appearance. Always.
They all want to flood the Net with their obligatory iPhone 'reviews' and 'reactions' claiming:
"It's amazing!"
"A must upgrade for all existing iPhone owning Hipster Douchebags!"
"Magical!"
"Teh best thing evah!!!"
while the actual piece of crap iPhone 4 is:
Ugly
Defectively designed
Runs an outdated OS
No wonder Google kicked Apple and the iPhone into 3rd place in sales and Android is now selling at roughly 50-60 million phones a year.
Saw a great post on reddit earlier today where a user goes through a bunch of Apple's own advertising to see how they've shown the phone being held.
Sturgeon was an optimist.
This guy is an expert in antenna design from Aalborg University, and predicted this two weeks ago.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
They already had the phone inside the case in previous generations, the external antenna does improve the signal. No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. A light non-conductive coating would work perfectly well.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
A blog post from an antenna design company explains that the reception problems are probably the direct result of phone design adapting to FCC requirements.
Because it has nothing to do with their decision to place the antennae on the exterior of the device.
And it may have been dismissed. Apple is very much about form over all else. The most important thing to them is how something looks. Features and function get subverted to that end. They've had other devices with problems due to their designs. Time Capsules are an example. They have a bad habit of failing after a year and a half or so, way more than you'd expect. Reason is the internal power adapter. It puts too much heat in the small case and causes failures. The smart thing would have been to have it external, but that would ruin the look.
So Apple may have known this was a problem and said "Fuck it, people can just hold it as not to touch the antennas. We don't want to hurt the looks."
...then why is it that this is the first time so many people are experiencing this problem?
:(){
It's just like drinking a latte.
The first and 2nd gen iPhones had the highest dropped call rates in recent history but it didn't stop people from using them. If apple announced their next phone would be constructed purely from dog poo, for environmental reasons of course, people would still line up around the block to be the first to own one.
Something that affects 50% of customers is a non-issue? Despite your claim, you are, in fact, a "fanboi."
I'm no fanboi, but seriously, how many people don't use a case for their iPhone? Probably 50% of my friends own one, and I can't think of a single one who goes "naked". This is a non-issue.
Your "non-issue" decree is thoughtless. I use a leather sleeve case like this one http://store.apple.com/uk/product/TT756ZM/A and so for me this iPhone 4 design defect is a very real problem. Apple should do the decent thing, admit their stupid mistake and provide a real solution - such as giving customers Apple iPhone 4 bumper cases, which they already recommend as a workaround, free of charge (instead of charging $30 a piece).
If the phone has signal issues in real world use your point is valid. I haven't seen real world issues with mine yet - but we shall see. I suspect if this is really a problem Apple will do something about it - they're certainly profitable enough to do a replacement program. It would certainly be less expensive than the fallout of a yearlong debacle with their primary product. It is telling that in this thread someone marked my prior comment as a troll (really??) Seems to me there is plenty in this stream that is quite a bit more inflammatory than that. Slashdot certainly has a 'point of view' ..
Oh, I guess that's funny in a Slashdot sorta way, but I'm not the first person to notice that conventions of programmers, like Java One, or BSDCon or various hacker and security geek conferences are seas of glowing Apple logos, the past few years. I know that among the programmers I know, it's actually the best programmers (the ones that I would recruit for any project on any platform with any language) who are nearly all on Mac OS X. Maintenance programmers tend to stick with the platform they work on during the day (usually Windows), but even some of those have switched to the Mac at home.
If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
I think the reason they may not have found this in testing, is because it seems that you have to have slightly sweaty hands to trigger the problem. Just after running through an airport I was able to replicate the speed drop, but sitting on the plane a little later I could not see a network speed drop no matter how tightly I gripped the edges.
The tested mostly in winter, now it's summer - leading more people to have this problem.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I've been working with s device that has four antenna patches, a system to monitor the received signal strength from each, the transmitted SWR, and based upon these inputs, select the best antenna to use. Its not a cell phone, per se, but it operates on GSM systems and cannot be installed in a controlled environment (much like not being able to predict how a user will grab a phone).
Have gnu, will travel.
1) buy some broccolii from the store
2) remove and dry off the rubber band
3) place rubberband on iPhone
4) ???
5) PROFIT!(and save like $27, and get some iron)
All of the above was encrypted with a Quad ROT-13 method. Unauthorized decryption is in violation of the DMCA.
is an advanced capability they need time to figure out how to implement well. iPhone 5 will fix it.
Slip a condom on that iPhone before you use it; honestly people - safe sex begins with safe phone calls to arrange the booty call.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
I enjoy many apple products. However, they do not shit rainbows and butterflies. I am aware that they, like every other company on the face of the planet, from time to time, produce an inferior product. Your welcome to your personal shit-fest about apple, but really, if your that butt hurt about the existence of the company, then go cry in a corner you emo prick.
/rant
goodbye karma....
I want you to consider how shitty the home computing world would be if Microsoft never had ANY market competition. Imagine for a second how shit-tacular whatever OS we would be using would be if there were no competition between Apple and Microsoft. They are polar opposites in many ways, and wether they admit it or not, they strive to out do one another in the OS department. Without competition, the OS world would be a disgusting wasteland.
Apple is damn sure not a golden god on a unicorn with butterfly wings like some idiots make them out to be, but your fanatical 'anti apple' stance is just as moronic.
I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.
Please tell me where I can touch my Nexus One (with a single finger, mind you) that will cause it to drop a call. Calling this a nonissue is moronic.
I don't think this was missed at all. It's like any of the other "defects" that have showed up in Apple products. I'm tempted to believe that Apple knew quite well about this, but decided to go with it anyway because a) fixing it would involve removing some of the "sleek" factor and b) they knew that there would be such mass hysteria over acquiring the new product that it wouldn't matter - at first. It's all about taking calculated risks.
That having been said, it's precisely this attitude that destroyed my fan loyalty several years ago- I simply got tired of being bent over by Apple's marketing prowess. I still buy an Apple product every now and then, but the days of drooling all over myself at the mere mention of a new Apple product are LONG gone.
Not required. Proximity would have enough of an effect on the system. Remember we have a device here which passes power despite having two completely open ends. Putting a resistor across the terminals (your hand) would have an effect even if it wasn't directly touching the device.
To that effect, a case that that provides a 1-5mm buffer between the antenna and your hand will have a much larger effect than a semi-conductive coating (because at 2.4GHz frankly a lot of things are semiconductors) 1micron thick applied by wiping on the inner thigh of a Swedish virgin*. *I think only Steve's iPhone is constructed this way. The rest of the world gets some Chinese hag with syphilis.
Please tell me where I can touch my Nexus One (with a single finger, mind you) that will cause it to drop a call. Calling this a nonissue is moronic.
shows you in the manual
see page 6, moron
The Admin and the Engineer
I'm pretty sure that's why they designed the bumper accessories to be the way they are. They turned a product defect into a way to sell an overpriced accessory to fix their devices shortcomings - and it's working! The Jobsian management style never ceases to amaze me with its outcomes.
If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
Putting your finger there may attenuate the signal. But it won't short the antenna. My antenna is internal. I can't even take the backplate off and short it. Once I get home, I'll do some speed tests for ya if you like, but right now, I'm in a huge concrete box. BTW, that's an Incredible...he did ask for an N1 death-point ;)
I'll going out on a limb here and guess that this issue is akin to the "exploding iPhone" problem that was all over the news a couple of years ago. It's perhaps a manufacturing defect or even a design flaw that requires very specific and non-typical circumstances, which is affecting a very small number of people.
And just like that previous issue, that very small group of affected people happen to blog all over the Internet, which then echos their complaints and amplifies them very efficiently, giving the illusion of a massively reported problem--at least to those who read that sort of stuff (which apparently is every other person in the Internet)--and re-enforcing their own biases that Apple is evil. There will be claims of deceit, and threats of legal action, and the echo chamber will cry that Apple has "lost their cool" (again) and have "made a mockery of themselves and everyone" (again), and of course, that this will probably--and most likely--be their downfall (again).
Then, as with the "exploding iPhone" hoopla, those really affected by this problem will get rectification or compensation from Apple, while the rest will get told off and ignored for being alarmist and reactionary bloggers; and it'll all die down eventually, quietly, and nobody else will care.
The sun will rise in the east, then set in the west, and consumers will continue purchasing the thing because it works for the vast majority of them. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
-dZ.
Carol vs. Ghost
but right now, I'm in a huge concrete box
You mean there are places where you don't get ideal reception? Huh. Sucks for you I guess. And everyone with a cell phone. Yes, newsflash, in poor cell areas you. may loose calls. Try finding that death touch when you're sitting under a tower. This is such utter garbage it's ridiculous... in the face of SCIENCE telling you there is nothing wrong... the multitudes that still believe ... incredible
The Admin and the Engineer
By now you’ve all heard reports that the iPhone 4 has a “terrible design flaw” that makes it useless for calls once you pick it up. Well, ok, I’m exaggerating a bit but you’d be forgiven for thinking that with the way this story has spread like wild fire. Now, I don’t doubt that some people are having an issue with this, but I’m amazed at the way this story was reported and the way it was picked up by the mainstream news media. First of all, Gizmodo were pushing this big time on Thursday, along with any other story they could find to paint the iPhone in a bad light (including, surprise surprise, you drop it and it breaks). Big surprise. From there other blogs started picking up on it and then it reached the mainstream media. What amazes me about this is that, first of all, most of the people reviewing the phone never noticed an issue with it and that most reviewers had noticed improved reception.
Secondly, as has already been pointed out, the same thing happens to existing phones. When Apple said this in their email they were set upon by bloggers for being dismissive of the “fatal design flaw” but they’re telling the truth. I tried it with my iPhone 3G and it does the exact same thing. Hold it in the bottom left corner and the signal drops. I’ve had my phone for over 2 years and I never noticed this issue until someone pointed it out and I tried to replicate it. But what I find really telling about the reporting on this is that virtually none of the mainstream media reports into this did any research or looked even remotely into the issue. They just reported on the Gizmodo story coupled with a few anecdotes from viewers or readers who were having reception issues. I’m not trying to down play the problems of those who are having problems, what I’m annoyed about is the complete and utter lack of perspective. For a start, a little bit of research would have found out that the Nexus one had the exact same issue when it was launched. But where was the outrage there? Where was the massive controversy about the Nexus being “flawed”? Why wasn’t this pushed as the main story by Gizmodo for several days? It certainly never reached the mainstream media, and yet according to the people experiencing the issue, it’s pretty much the same.
The problem is now that regardless of the extent of the reception issue, it will forever be seen as the “design flaw” of the iPhone. Anyone who tries to point out that other phones do in fact experience this are immediately branded as fanboys. It’s amazing how people are so eager to buy any controversy that involves Apple that they loose all sense of reason or balance. It’s gotten so bad lately that I’ve almost given up blogging about Apple and the mac, two subjects close to my heart. It seems that people are only interested in expressing phoney outrage at some inconsequential thing Apple does and creating giant controversies out of insignificant issues (I’m not talking about the iPhone 4 reception issue here before people start giving out about that I’m saying it’s an insignificant issue – although for many people apparently it is). It’s amazing to me how there has developed this complete disconnect between the impression you get about Apple from reading technology sites and publications, and the reality on the ground. The tech press (particularly tech blogs*) has lately been overwhelmingly negative about the Cupertino company, and yet contrast that with hundreds of thousands of people queuing for an iPhone 4. We’re given the impression that the iPhone is a terrible platform for developers and that its atrocious policies mean developers are abandoning it in droves for Android, and yet contrast that with WWDC selling out in 8 days.
I think the root of the problem, or at least part of it is the way a story spreads. It often starts on a blog when someone publishes their opinion on something
The Admin and the Engineer
Actually, this design flaw affects 100% of the phones. If you have an iPhone and hold it in your left hand, bridging the millimeter gap in the metal band that goes around the perimeter of the phone, then it will lose it's connection. 100% of the time this will happen.
Actually, this design flaw affects 100% of the phones. If you have an iPhone and hold it in your left hand, bridging the millimeter gap in the metal band that goes around the perimeter of the phone, then it will lose it's connection. 100% of the time this will happen.
That's not being universally reported. Did you read all of the articles? Read through the PCMag (second link) - that's not what is being reported there. Yes, the problem could be affecting all iPhone 4 handsets, but it's certainly not affecting all iPhone 4 users. Theories are flying around about hand sweat, local signal strength and even GSM bandwidth as contributing to the size of the problem.
All of the YouTube fault demonstrations I have seen have shown users holding the phone unusually firmly, with the ball of the hand coming right around to the front of the phone (even to the point of partially obstructing the screen). This isn't how most people hold their phone - although I accept that some might. Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/06/new-iphone-4-antenna-causing-potential-reception-issues.ars posted some preliminary investigation claiming no issues when holding the phone "normally", but proving the issue when dampening their hand and adopting the "death grip".
So yes, there is an issue, but your mileage may vary. It may not require the level of hysteria that has been reached in certain media outlets.
Interestingly, this may actually be a combination of issues as the same symptoms have been demonstrated on the 3G and 3GS in the "death grip" and neither has an external antenna. Similar issues have been reported on the Nexus 1 and Palm Pre - you can find some links off this article: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/06/jobs-on-iphone-4-antenna-avoid-holding-it-in-this-way.ars
I don't want to dismiss anyone's fears. I'm still uncertain as to whether I'll purchase an iPhone 4 myself, but I doubt the scenario that you describe is being experienced by the majority of IPhone 4 users.