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Consumer Reports Can't Recommend iPhone 4
jbezorg was one among many readers to send word that Consumer Reports has concluded that they cannot recommend the iPhone 4. (They still enthusiastically recommend the 3G S.) "It's official. Consumer Reports' engineers have just completed testing the iPhone 4, and have confirmed that there is a problem with its reception. When your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone's lower left side — an easy thing, especially for lefties — the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal. Due to this problem, we can't recommend the iPhone 4. ... Our findings call into question the recent claim by Apple that the iPhone 4's signal-strength issues were largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software that 'mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength.'" The comments on the article don't display any of the vitriol the Apple faithful have been known to unleash upon anyone daring to question the Cupertino way. Perhaps they are moderated.
So Apple has taken a play from Spinal Tap's playbook and use knobs that go to 11? The mind boggles.
Apple engineers found that if you lick the antenna and hold it against a radio tower you get a full four bars. Unfortunately the Apple marketing department has yet to figure out how to spin this fix into a trendy commercial.
Apple really dropped the ball this time. All they had to do was say 'oops, our bad, we messed up but here is a free case' and the problem would have been effectively solved, and they would have saved face.
Such a cheap solution to a potential marketing disaster.. I just don't understand it. ( and ill be keeping my 3Gs and not upgrading, but that is beacuse i don't like cases... Perhaps the model 4Gs.. )
---- Booth was a patriot ----
- Okay, it's 500 dollars, you have no choice of carrier, the battery can't hold the charge and the reception isn't very
- Shut up and take my money!
"Does anyone really trust Consumer Report's opinion on technology?"
Yes, I certainly do. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to test the antenna problem. But it does take an impartial organization, that has nothing to gain or lose from the report. Who would you prefer to believe, Apple?
I don't respond to AC's.
They test everything and historically have been fairly reliable since they don't accept advertising dollars from the manufacturers of the products they test, unlike most magazines and websites.
Cars are probably their primary claim to fame, but appliances and consumer electronics would likely be #2 and #3. The most newsworthy part of this is that an independent source that is beyond reproach (to the extent that such a thing is possible) has confirmed that this is a legitimate problem that shows up in normal use.
They do testing on pretty much everything. They are non-profit, and have a reputation for accurate reporting. They were the ones who made the world realize that air ionizers are essentially useless (like Ionic Breeze from sharper image).
Generally they break stuff into categories, and the 'recommend' 'do not recommend' is not particularly useful, since it might still be good in the categories you care about. But one thing you can be sure about, if they say a product is not good in a certain category, they have the research to back it up (and from time to time have defended the evidence in court).
Qxe4
And here we go with the Apple fanbois. Come on, pal. Everyone knows the iPhone 4 has a huge goddamned problem. Blaming the messengers is ludicrous. Apple screwed the pooch big time, and it's going to cost them money and reputation to fix it, so rather than dicking around bitching at consumer magazines and critics, Steve Jobs should be ordering the company to begin immediate recalls...
Unless of course, they don't have an easy fix. In which case Apple has a really big problem on their hands.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
This jives with the experiences of my co-workers who've bought the phone. Overall impression of the iPhone 4 is that it looks and feels great, has an amazing screen, so-so battery life, but reception problems that drive every one of them bonkers.
It's enough to make me want to stick with my iPhone original release -- aluminum case and all -- just a little longer. From where I sit, unless you really want the forward-facing & higher-res camera and higher-resolution screen, stick with the 3GS. It does everything else pretty well. The main things I need from my phone are the same things I needed ten years ago:
* Contact list
* Calendar
* Email
* Light web browsing
* Good phone service
After having Palm devices alongside a mobile phone for years and years to suit, and wading through several years of crap-tastic Windows Mobile phones, the iPhone original release fit the bill perfectly for me. The real compelling thing the 3GS has over the original for me is a real GPS so that I can geocache without using a dedicated GPS unit. And maybe the extra RAM so that I don't have to clear memory to start certain apps.
Nice to see Consumer Reports calling Apple on their crap this time. Just like when they blamed short battery life in the 3GS on over-usage and push settings... what a load of CYA corporate malarkey! They gotta get the lead out on this one, if the several people I know -- admittedly, all tech geeks so it's a very small sample size -- who own the phone are any indicator, they're really unhappy about this.
Matthew P. Barnson
I learn what I think when I read what I write
It is Never a good idea to buy anything new. The only reason to do it is to placate emotion. This applies to Furniture, cars, and for god's sake yes, electronics.
The iPhone 4 is awesome and I will likely have one someday. But problems like these, founded or not, are the kind of thing you sign up for if you want to be an early adopter. That, and spending way too much money.
The real crime here in my opinion is that Apple charges $30 for the "bumper case" which amounts to a glorified rubber band. There's no way the total cost on the part is more than $.50.
Sometimes they don't know what they're talking about, though.
I know digital photography pretty well, and a lot of the stuff they say in their digital camera reviews is just plain wrong.
Because as released, it's freaking broken.
TPJ - Founder, The Amazon Basin
Oh, please, it's a painful fact that Apple has legions of... fanboys that defend anything Apple does. Apple has some nice (overpriced, but nice) products but some hipsters treat them like a technological godsend, especially (in my experience) the less technically inept people I know that are into gadgets. Apple fans are bought on marketing and come to identify with apple products the same way some people love Nike shoes (and yes, they exist too).
FTA: "We also tested several other AT&T phones the same way, including the iPhone 3G S and the Palm Pre. None of those phones had the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4."
According to who?
Anyone who's not an Apple apologist.
by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
this is only a temporary problem. I'm sure apple will address the problem as soon as it's engineers have troubleshot the problem thouroghly. For myself in particular, I have not seen this issue and I'm laeft handed. In fact I'm composing this email on my iphone4 at the mom... +++ No Carrier
boycott slashdot February 10th - 17th check out: altSlashdot.org
It helps when people set the tone correctly. By attacking people in the summary like this article and a lot of others do you're signaling to both sides this discussion isn't going to be civil. What would would happen if you posted a random Linux article and ended it with "... but as we all know Linux users are a bunch of basement dwelling nerds" you think ? Ridiculously skewed moderation (most often anti-Apple) in Apple threads doesn't help either.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
Well you felt the anger of the homogeneous mass of brainless apples.
anyway, this is serious bug that we are not used to experience from Apple. Although advantage of Apple products is very discussable, quality or basic product usability was not. I wonder how they managed to screw up so badly. Some internal testing had to show that iPhone 4 signal reception isn't as good as previous version were. Did middle management slide it under carpet like how it is done everywhere?
They don't need to do a recall yet. All iphone 4s are still within the 30 day return period and Apple is reportedly waiving the restocking fee. iPhone 4 users whose problems are such they cannot live with them can return their phone immediately. I also think they can't handle a recall right now, the iPhone 4 is sold out everywhere (it's insane, here in Belgium people are selling 16Gb iPhone 4s for EUR 1000 and up) and still people are ordering. Maybe they'll do a stealth fix and do a recall of the early models later when things cool down.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
iPhone vs HTC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg
I got a used Verizon compatible Droid Incredible for about $300, and got a prepaid plan from Page Plus for $29 a month. It only comes with 50MB of data, but I'm usually under a WiFi umbrella. I still have used it when I needed directions or a phone number, and I think I've used 10MB in two weeks. (I got the idea from some blog, but can't find it for some reason.)
It hits everything on your list, costs less than just the data plan for AT&T (1200 min/1200 texts), and the coverage is great. Much faster than my iPhone 3G in general (e-mail, web, etc), though the intelligence of the touch keyboard was better on the iPhone. I do miss the ease of direct downloading podcasts, but I haven't really looked for a replacement yet.
Plus, it sends and receives phone calls like a champ. Which is, you know, a good feature for a phone to have.
CR has been wrong on so many things before when it comes to computers. Not to mention Apple knows there's a problem and they are trying to fix the issue. Like they have said get a case looks nicer then duck tape and protects the phone better. If you spent that much money on an Iphone you should have the few extra dollars buy the case. At least until Apple fixes the issue.
I'd actually agree with you here a bit, but: This is not the only problem. The proximity sensor on the 4 seems to work only randomly, with many people reporting dialing numbers or enabling the speakerphone with their ears while talking. No reaction from Apple. Nobody knows if this a hardware problem (they have put the sensor in a different place compared to the 3GS) or a calibration problem and if it is, if it can be corrected with a software update.
And then there is the fact that the fully exposed glass edges on both front and back are extremely fragile if they hit the ground when you drop the thing. The glass itself is tough, no doubt. The edges aren't, if they have to absorb the full impact the thing *will* shatter. Even without the antenna problem this means that this thing is actually very much unusable without a case. Drop it once or hit with it against a desk lamp or whatever when picking it up in a hurry and you don't have a nice mark in the bezel as with the 3GS, you have a shattered display or back cover.
Add to that the fact that you have no idea which side is front and which is back without looking at the thing and it gets more and more silly. Really, you feel so stupid when you pull the thing out of your pocket or out of a bag and have no idea which side the screen is on before you look at it.
Basically it's a really pretty but incredibly stupid design. It's something to lay on a soft cushion and to look at, not something to carry with you all day long and to actually use.
Yeah, I know, for some geeks this is all what Apple is about anyway. I don't think so, Apple has some really nice and usable hardware. But this design is overstretching it in plain sight.
Provided they get the sensor problem fixed, you can wrap a silly case around it and it's still a (then dull looking) great smartphone. The whole design is still a glaring mistake, though. Even more since it clearly says "Yes, all the Apple haters are right, we are just putting out beautiful but useless hardware to catch the money of clueless idiots".
No, until now I tended to hate Apple, but loved many of the products they sold. Now with that iPhone (and the stupidly expensive new Mac mini with its machined alu case and the iPad with only 256MB of RAM and no camera) there's not much left to love. They may manage to get it straight again with the next product cycle but until then they're dropping good will of their customers left and right every single day.
If you happen to have any bad opinions about Apple, their business practices or their products, they will march in. Apple stories are the only ones I need to read at -1 because of the modpoint abuse.
Yes, because that modpoint abuse only goes one way, after all. It's not like there's an army of people modding any positive comment into oblivion by people who rage and loathe all things Apple.
The amount of stupidity by Apple users (and their fellow applefags moderating them up) is outstanding.
Oh. Wait. It appears you're a card-carrying member of the Apple Hating Army (tm).
Seriously, there are few topics that bring out the worst in Slashdot like Apple... It's virtually impossible to read balanced opinions because people on both sides abuse their modpoints.
But you knew that already, didn't you.
Seriously, for an Open Source community it's outstanding how many Apple fanatics here are, when they are obviously the largest abuser of OSS or open technology.
[Citation Needed]
I'd say that Apple actually is a pretty strong supporter of open source. Here's my citation on the subject:
Open source projects in which Apple is involved.
Sapere aude!
I'm an Apple fanboy.
I won't touch a iPhone 4 till they get this crap fixed. Jesus they blew the goat on this one.
It didn't have anything to do with software, it had to do with testing data, operational data and documentation.
"Specifying power levels over 100% may seem confusing, but there is a logic behind it. The 100% level does not mean the maximum physical power level attainable. Rather it is a specification, decided on early during SSME development, for the "normal" rated power level. Later studies indicated the engine could operate safely at levels above 100%, which is now the norm. Maintaining the original relationship of power level to physical thrust helps reduce confusion. It creates an unvarying fixed relationship, so that test data, or operational data from past or future missions can be easily compared. If each time the power level was increased, that value was made 100%, then all previous data and documentation would either require changing, or cross-checking against what physical thrust corresponded to 100% power level on that date."
104.5% is as high as they like to go, 106% and 109% is just for aborts.
I've been using cell phones heavily since the bricks of the early 90's. We used to have exposed antennas. Then retracted antennas that we could extend. Then the manufacturers decided phones would look cooler (and in some cases be cheaper) if the antennas were internal. I definitely noticed a decrease in signal quality when this move happened. As a heavy cell phone user, I also have always noticed that phones with internal antennas can have big changes in reception performance based on how you hold the phone. I've been re-learning the "optimal holding position" for every Nokia, Motorolla, and Samsung I've owned. It's just basic RF. Move your hands around your HDTV antenna and see how reception changes.
Apple did something really innovative by using a structural component of the case as an antenna. They went a step further by using that component for multiple antennas to allow for better reception and transmission of Wifi and GPS. So finally we have external antennas again, and ones that are much larger than other phone's internal antennas. The reception improvement in my experience is significant. I can walk around on a long call in areas where I would regularly get dropped calls due to AT&T's poor coverage; and not drop. Yes, I hold my iPhone 4 differently than my previous phone; but this is nothing new. When I talk to my friends and co-workers who also have an iPhone 4, they report the same. Every review I've seen has said the iPhone 4 has better reception than any iPhone before. My guess is that it has better reception than most other AT&T phones.
It's fun to have controversy to talk about, and I guess that's why everyone is spamming the internet with this issue. I'm certain the article on Consumers Reports is getting a lot of hits, and they are probably getting new subscribers. But why is this a huge deal? The whole thing just makes no sense to me. I think it's illogical to not buy a phone that takes such leaps forward in so many ways because of an issue that is a fact of life for every RF device ever made. The fact that so many of my fellow geeks are getting so revved up about this makes me wonder what they are thinking.
You have to admit it's some indication of the fervor of Apple fandom when Consumer Report withholds a recommendation on an iPhone for a well-documented problem and the discussion ends up centering on a criticism of Consumer Reports.\
I'm surprised that we're not hearing that the iPhones connectivity problems are due to a flaw in the laws of Physics. Maybe Ohm's Law has an inherent anti-Apple bias or something.
An even easier fix would just be to ostentatiously pretend to make calls and then exclaim "Wow, what excellent reception on my new iPhone 4!"
This way, the core function of the iPhone remains intact. Tape is tacky, after all.
You are welcome on my lawn.
We had a previous story here about how the strongest ATT coverage is right at the Apple campus. So, it worked nice there. The prototypes got used "out in the field" while in cases, so the antenna bridging problem never occurred.
They screwed up, plain and simple, just slap missed it.
The truth should never be insulting...
"Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected" Ghandi
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
despite your intense personal feelings about all things Apple, the iPhone and iPad devices happen to best fit the workflows and needs of many users that have in fact also tried competitors' products? Why is it so hard for people to imagine that some people actually use their iPhones rather a lot?
Mine is the central data manager in my personal and work lives, I don't just wear it on a necklace like Flava Flav. Frankly it's a bit insulting to hear this kind of bullshit all the time. I'm not a member of any Apple club, I don't own a Mac or an iPad or an iPod or any other apple device. In fact, I'm a Linux user with Thinkpads. But I'm a Linux user with Thinkpads and an iPhone, and this immediately requires fifty percent of posters on this and other technology boards to speak to my critical thinking skills.
Perhaps confront your own before you shatter glass with flying debris.
STOP . AMERICA . NOW
According to the video on Consumer Report's website touching the gap on the lower left side reduces the signal strength by around 20db. That's quite a big loss, the resulting signal strength being about 1/100 of the starting signal strength.. When I grip the base of my Motorola Droid phone around the base (where the antenna is located internally), I can only get about a 2-3db drop in signal strength.
This huge loss does not surprise me, since touching the gap is essentially changing the characteristics of the antenna significantly. I can only wonder whose bright idea it was to use this design or how they failed to catch this during their testing phase? It doesn't take rocket science to fix the problem either, I suspect just a clear insulating coating over the metal band would do wonders.
This post is encrypted twice with ROT-13. Documenting or attempting to crack this encryption is illegal.
I'm an Apple fanboy.
I won't touch a iPhone 4
UNBELIEVER! BURN THE HERETIC!
Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
How this rates as 5 insightful and not outright troll just goes to show how bad Apple bashing has become on Slashdot lately. Tell me, exactly how do you justify your moral superiority by calling people you disagree with "fags"? Speaking of modpoint abuse.
"Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
Oh if only they were here too. The amount of stupidity by Apple users (and their fellow applefags moderating them up) is outstanding.
Yeah! Seriously!
*looks down at macbook pro*
*looks over at the itouch and ihome on dresser*
*looks at the apple sticker on the bulletin*
Aw... awww shit.
After they forked KHTML, and hired several of the core developers, sure.
has made substantial inroads to FreeBSD, a good thing
OS X is all that uses this. A quick search of mailing lists shows that almost all of the major Linux distros and others had considered, and rejected it
Just what is needed, a non-standard extension to C, C++ and Obj-C developed by Apple and used only by Apple
Used only in Snow Leopard, and a non-supported port to FreeBSD
What other OSes are incorporating Darwin?
Not to rain on your parade, but to listen to your example, you'd think these components were seeing widespread adoption, when in reality, one or two have some small adoption (the altogether not particularly popular OmniWeb and iCab browsers and Webkit), and some have some niche, unsupported ports to FreeBSD.
Shut up fag!
Hey! I can say FAG too! Mod me insightful motherfuckers!
ironically, CR still rates it HIGHER than any other smart phone for the US market!"
TFA linked to in the summary (I know, nobody reads it) explains it better than that snarky blog post:
TO START
PRESS ANY KEY
Where's the 'ANY' key? I see Esk, Kitarl, and Pig-Up...
For the most part, those "open source projects" are self-serving and scarcely used by anybody else. The only project from Apple that has much use beyond Apple is WebKit, but they probably released that only because they were forced to by the license. You can see Jobs's attitude towards open source in the way he tried to weasel out of the GPL on gcc. And even to this day, Apple has not release an actually useful version of Objective-C.
If you weigh Apple's self-serving and useless contributions to open source against the harm they continue to do to open source, Linux, and programming freedom with their rhetoric, advertising, and outright lies, Apple is arguably a big net minus for open source.
Good thing, too. If you touch it, it will drop your calls.
Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.
Actually, a few years ago, I bought a Mac Mini which showed grave problems with BlueTooth and Wifi-reception. After digging around a little, that too was a hardware-problem, present in a lot of Mac Minis. Owners were never reimbursed, and (AFAIR) apple.com forum-threads removed.
Also, for that Mac, in OSX 10.4.6, Apple broke all support for FullHD-TV-monitors. Basically, the analysis claimed that for some unknown reason, Apple introduced a change in resolution-detection, filtering out 1920x1080p, if the monitor somehow identified itself as a televison-set. The bug were, to my knowledge, never solved, and owners recommended to buy 10.5 instead.
So, in my experience, Apple is at least as guilty of quality and usability-problems as anyone else, and well-known to not really reimburse customers when these things happen.