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iOS Update May Tackle iPhone 4's Antenna Problems

Posted by Soulskill on from the this-is-your-apple-a-day dept.

DJRumpy was one of several readers to point out rumors that Apple will soon be deploying an update to iOS 4 to combat the iPhone 4 antenna problems we discussed last week. This could be good news for users of the 1.7 million iPhone 4s purchased during the first three days of its release. (And no, Daily Mail, Steve didn't announce a recall, though there's speculation that this problem could be a boon for Android.) An anonymous reader notes an analysis of a teardown of the phone, which found that its parts collectively cost about $188, with the most expensive part — the LCD screen — costing $28.50 by itself. In other Apple news, Germany has demanded that the company "immediately make clear" what data it collects from customers, and what use it makes of that data (perhaps spurred by Google's Wi-Fi sniffing debacle).

6 of 282 comments (clear)

  1. Interested to know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How a software update will fix an human-caused short circuit.

    1. Re:Interested to know... by timster · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It's all speculation at this point. But the best speculation possible is based on reports that the iPhone 4 was designed to look for towers with lower congestion, even if they might have a weaker signal. If this is the case (and I don't personally know) it's possible that this feature is simply too aggressive, or not aggressive enough about switching back to the strong tower when attenuation occurs.

      Speculation, as I said. I don't think anyone really knows for sure.

      --
      I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
  2. Seems like a stretch. by wolrahnaes · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I know modern radio platforms have a lot of software flexibility, but the limited knowledge of antennas I've picked up from messing with long-range WiFi and my ham radio experiments tells me this is not something that can be patched out with an OS upgrade.

    That is unless the OS upgrade comes with a coupon for a free rubber bumper thingy...

    --
    I used to get high on life, but I developed a tolerance. Now I need something stronger.
  3. Prices aren't close to right. by Mazin07 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Do these people still not know how cellphones are priced? A 8GB iPhone 3GS is about $530, and prices for the iPhone 4 are expected to be $600 to $700. The $199 price quoted in TFA is only after you agree to a ~$2000 contract.

  4. How many here have an iPhone 4? by sjonke · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If you do, do you experience the antenna shorting signal drop to zero issue? I'm curious, because 99% of the messages I see about this issue, on all forums, are from people talking about the problem, but who do not make any mention of actually have an iPhone 4 nor even of knowing anyone who has the problem. Now, maybe in fact everyone who has an iPhone 4 has this issue, but I am having a hell of a time trying to figure that out. And I'm trying to figure that out because I've got an iPhone 4 on order and I'd like to know if I should keep it. Android fans declaring, definitively, perhaps spurred on by the speculation of a specialist who doesn't have an iPhone 4 either, that the iPhone 4 has a fatal flaw does not tell me one way or the other. iPhone 3GS, 3G and iPhone owners saying that the iPhone 4 has a fatal flaw tells me nothing. The only people I want to hear from are genuine iPhone 4 users. So... do you have the issue?

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    --- What?
    1. Re:How many here have an iPhone 4? by greyhueofdoubt · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I've been using my iphone 4 since it showed up on the 23rd. Everything about it kicks ass except for making calls.*

      I haven't been able to reproduce the issues with reception dropping to zero. I tried it with my hands, with wire, by holding all the metal surfaces at the same time, but nothing happened.

      What HAS been an issue is the proximity sensor. Long story short, the phone does a poor job of knowing when it's pressed to your ear, the screen turns on, and you end up either dialing numbers or hanging up. I had an iphone 3g and this was never an issue. For a sense of how bad the problem is: out of the 2-2.5 hours I've talked on the phone, it has hung up over 10 times. These aren't dropped calls, they are actually my phone hanging up.

      Very frustrating, but I imagine it's something that can be solved in software.

      -b

      *which, fortunately, I hardly ever need to do.

      --
      No offense, but I've stopped responding to AC's.