Apple To Issue a 'Fix' For iPhone 4 Reception Perception

Lisandro and several other readers let us know that Apple has just released a statement addressing the signal issues a lot of users are having with their iPhone 4. They claim to have discovered the cause for the drop in bars, which is "both simple and surprising" — a wrong formula used to calculate how many bars are displayed for a given signal strength. "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. ... 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. ... We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G." Wired notes that there is still a signal drop when the iPhone 4 is gripped in particular ways.

Comments

These aren't the bars you're looking for...

[ender1598]

Just force hold it next to your ear like the rest of us!

bars

[mark72005]

Well, AT&T does say "More bars in more places"

Programming is so easy

[DoofusOfDeath]

that Marketing fixed the bug!

short compute_bars(double signal_strengh_dB) {
  # Original approach. Not sufficiently diplomatic. -John from PR
  # return min(0, max(5, log(signal_strengh_dB));
 
  # Better approach. - John from PR.
  # Commenting this out. You're an idiot. Display only has 5 bars. -Dave from R&D.
  #return 11;
 
  # This makes me feel dirty. -Dave from R&D.
  # Wrong code. See correct fix at bottom of function. -Steve
  # return min(3, max(5, log(signal_strengh_dB));
 
  # Simple, elegant. You guys suck at programming. -Steve
  return reality_distortion_field( signal_strengh_dB );
}

Re:I wonder...

[ZeroExistenZ]

Does anyone get the impression they started looking for any excuse for their crap design and this was the best they could come up with?

"We need to do something QUICK! The media is raging on this issue! Even the general media!!! Even ads are mocking us!"
"We can design an isolation band to put on the phone, and market it as the next fashionable thing"
"people would rage it's not free and would cost too much to ship out to everyone.. any other idea's?"
"Recall! Redesign! WE HAVE NO CHOICE"
"TOO EXPENSIVE! and we just fired our antenna guys."
programmer: "I can write a tool to detect if they're lefties by usage stats..."
"... listening."
"And then adjust their reception display."
"What do you need?!"
"5 hookers, one masseuse, 2 days of coding and unlimited supply of skittles."
"GIVE THIS MAN WHAT HE NEEDS! Get to work! Good job."

Re:Joke

[Chrisq]

An iPhone walks into a bar... oh wait it was a guy walks into a bar and leaves his iPhone

He probably had a similar problem to the iPhone when he left .... seeing two bars when there should only be one.