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Nokia & RIM rebuts Apple’s Antenna Attenuation campaign
Posted:
July 17, 2010
By: soyacincau
4 comments
When Apple diverts the Antenna Issue on Blackberry, Androids & Windows Mobiles, the rivals obviously won’t keep quiet. Nokia and RIM had immediately hit out on Apple’s so called education of Antenna Attenuation which showed a Blackberry Bold 9700, HTC Droid Eris and Samsung Omnia II suffer signal loss when hold at particular spots.
Antenna issue: Apple says other smartphones are just as bad
Posted:
July 17, 2010
By: ccsoya
4 comments
Following the press conference, Apple has a section on its website to demonstrate the three smartphones currently in the market that show the same problem as the iPhone 4.
The thing is, we’re used two (Bold 9700 and Omnia 2) of the three smartphones Apple has singled out and in no way have we experienced the same attenuation as the one being reported on the iPhone 4.
Also, both exhibited better reception performance compared to the iPhone 3GS that we’re using. In addition we noted that Apple does not explain in any detail how they conducted these tests. If the method is not known, then there no way of consistently replicating the attenuation Apple say exists on these devices.
In any case, Apple is using a tried and tested PR tactic to deviate attention from the real issue by putting forth an argument that the iPhone 4 is not the only phone with such a problem. From our experience with the Omnia 2 and the Bold 9700 but a lot more other phones out there, we can’t recall a phone that has such an issue with reception as the iPhone 4.
It will be interesting to see if Samsung, HTC and BlackBerry will respond to this.
By the way, if you missed the press connference earlier, here’s a link to the official video. Enjoy.
Apple, the iPhone 4, Bumper and the antenna issue
Posted:
July 17, 2010
By: ccsoya
6 comments
When Apple called for the last minute press conference just a day ago there was much speculation on what exactly it is that Steve will reveal.
Top on the list was an announcement to recall all iPhone 4s available today to fix the well documented antenna issue. In hindsight, we should have been able to tell you that a recall is completely out of the question.
We know that a complete re-design of the device is necessary to solve the root cause of the problem. And a re-design would almost certainly be impossible in such a short time span — the iPhone 4 is barely a month in the market.
And if there’s no replacement how can you expect a recall? What would Apple replace the iPhone 4 with if it had announced a recall? An iPhone 3GS? We don’t think so.
In our pre-conference post we also mentioned that it would be highly unlikely that Apple would give free Bumpers to all iPhone 4 users. Well, it’s unlikely but it is not impossible.
To appease its customers and to get people to deviate away from the real issue at hand, Steve Jobs announced that Apple will be giving away free Bumpers with all iPhone 4 purchased including the ones before the announcement.
This means, everyone with an iPhone 4 will be getting a free Bumper. If the user has already purchase a Bumper, then he will get a refund for the purchase. Jobs also mentioned that Apple will not be able to make enough Bumpers for everyone, so they will give you the option to choose third party cases for your iPhone 4. Apple will be giving free Bumpers until 30 September. It’s a nice gesture, but this doesn’t solve the real problem, it’s just side-stepping it.
On Apple’s emergency press conference and the iPhone 4
Posted:
July 15, 2010
By: ccsoya
4 comments
You might have gotten wift that Apple has called for a last minute press conference this Friday.
We may be wrong on this but never in our experience have we heard of Apple calling for a last minute press conference. Things must be running on DEFCON 5 at Cupertino. There’s a lot of speculation on what this last minute press conference is all about, though many are saying that Apple will come clean on the antenna issue on the iPhone 4.
Most of the tech blogs in the US are making a big deal out of it, speculating a eminent recall but honestly speaking we’re pretty sick and tired of it all. Seriously everyone, there’s nothing to see here and we all need to move on.
The fact of the matter remains that iPhone 4 is a flawed product. It is, essentially, a phone that doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter if the screen is so chock full of pixels that your eyes can’t even see them, it doesn’t matter that it’s made out of glass and is sure as hell doesn’t matter if it can make video calls – besides you can only do it with WiFi and even with WiFi the iPhone 4 has issues.
What matters is the fact that Apple has been trying very hard to play down the issue. Even Steve Jobs said that iPhone 4 users are holding it wrong and Apple recommends you use the iPhone 4 with a case. Apple has even deleted forum postings that highlight the antenna issue and reference the recent report from US non-profit US consumer watchdog, Consumer Reports on its official message boards. This is not the first time Apple has resorted to deleting negative posts on it forums and it goes to show how they do business.
What Apple needs to do is to stop denying that there’s a problem with the iPhone 4 and to start fixing it, and what the rest of the world needs to do is move on. There are other phones out there that are just as good if not better. In the Android camp, HTC, Samsung and Motorola have caught up with Apple. The naysayers will argue that the iPhone has more apps, a lot more. We say, so does Android. In fact has more apps that can do more things with an Android phone and apps like Swype really demonstrate how Android devices are more flexible in terms of usability.
Even Top Gear is making jokes about the iPhone 4
Posted:
July 14, 2010
By: ccsoya
No comments
Apple can deny it all they want but when Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson starts making jokes about its latest and greatest smartphone — the iPhone 4 – then you know something is wrong.
What can we say, the iPhone 4 is a flawed device. Whatever your arguments are, a smartphone that can’t make a phone call, is not really a phone at all. And no, a software patch is not going to fix the problem, it’s just going to hide it.
Check out the video after the jump and do let us know if you’re still interested in the iPhone 4.
Seriously guys, we want to know and we want to know why.
[via]
Software is not going to fix the iPhone 4 antenna problem
Posted:
July 5, 2010
By: ccsoya
No comments
No matter what Apple want you to believe, the iPhone 4’s hardware is flawed and no software patch is going to solve the problem. Even experts are saying the same thing.
But if there is no design issue at work here, why did Anandtech and I both show significantly different attenuation when holding an iPhone 4 in a bare hand compared to holding it in a case? And why did Apple themselves recommend “using a case” as a possible solution to the problem? — Richard Gaywood, PhD on wireless network design from Cardiff University
The issue here is hardware, the antenna design is flawed. Despite technical data proving that the antenna on the iPhone 4 is better than its predecessor, its external design means it is more susceptible to attenuation than previous iPhones.
In our own observations, we stated that the only way to fix the attenuation issue on the iPhone 4 is to insulate the external antenna, and it seems at the moment that the official iPhone casing – the Bumper – is a perfect solution. Reviewers with even more technical knowledge and equipment have come to the same conclusion.
Apple issues open letter to explain antenna problem
Posted:
July 4, 2010
By: ccsoya
2 comments
Apple has issued an open letter to explain the reception degradation problem on the iPhone 4. But before they get to that, Apple is quick to point out that “Droid, Nokia and RIM phones” exhibit the same tendency to drop signals in a very much the same way the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 does.
From Apple’s point of view, the cause of the dramatic drop in signal performance is “both simple and surprising.” Apple claims that right now the software that determines how many signal bars are displayed on the iPhone is indicating an overly optimistic figure.
Essentially when the iPhone is showing 5 bars you are realistically getting only 2 or 3 bars. As a result, Apple will be releasing an update to fix this over-reading issue so that all iPhones will display a more accurate signal reception reading. On top of that, Apple will also make signal bars 1, 2 and 3 taller so that it is easier to see.
In the letter Apple says that the over-reading problem “…has been present since the original iPhone…” and the software fix will be available for all iPhones. At the same time Apple is accepting returns of undamaged iPhone 4 for a full refund if returned in 30 days from purchase.
Apple knew that the iPhone 4 is flawed
Posted:
June 30, 2010
By: ccsoya
2 comments
What did we tell you about the iPhone 4? The hardware is flawed.
External antennas are not new or “revolutionary” as Apple and Steve Jobs would like you to believe; and on the iPhone 4, the installation is terribly flawed causing signal reception to drop from two to five bars.
We explained that anything with an external antenna must have an insulating sheath covering the antenna to avoid contact with other objects causing performance to drop significantly. Unsurprisingly, we found out that a Professor who is an expert in antennas and mobile technology mentioned the same thing.
Now, through an apparent leak of an internal document, it appears that Apple actually knew about the flaw and created a procedure to handle customers who call in to complain about any reception issues.
It is revealed in the document that Apple is still adamant that there is nothing wrong with iPhone 4 and will continue telling customers that many other mobile phone ssuffer from the same problem. Also, if you’re hoping that Apple will be shipping the iPhone 4 with a free Bumper to solve the problem, you can forget about it. The document explicitly mentioned that Apple will not give free Bumpers, period.
In a country where you can almost sue anyone for anything (we’re talking about the US here), it might not be long until Apple gets hit with a class-action lawsuit from customers demanding compensation.
This will definitely make for some interesting blogging.
In the meantime, if you’re wondering when the flawed iPhone 4 will hit Malaysia, we predicted it will be here in August and Maxis COO seems to agree.
Head on after the jump to have a look at the leaked document.
Experts agree: External antenna not that good
Posted:
June 27, 2010
By: ccsoya
2 comments
It turns out, external antennas are not that revolutionary after all and they could be more problematic than internal ones. At least, this is what one antenna expert from Denmark is saying.
Professor Gert Frølund Pedersen from Aalborg University’s Institute for Electronic Systems saw Steve’s presentation at WWDC10 and says that the design of the antenna as a part of the phone’s frame is really not anything new. In fact numerous phones in the past have used a similar design. The professor is currently leading an international research team to develop a more effective mobile antenna technology
What’s different with the iPhone 4 is that the installation of the external antenna is flawed and it is causing reception problems when the phone is held in a certain way.
There are now claims that Apple will be releasing a patch to solve the issue but we’re wondering if a software patch can really solve the problem?
We don’t think so.
This is because the root cause of the reception degradation is direct physical contact with the iPhone 4’s antenna. The professor explains: “the human tissue will in any event, have an inhibitory effect…Touch means that a larger portion of the antenna energy turns into heat and lost. This makes the antenna less efficient to send and receive radio signal.”
Researchers at Aalborg University is quick to point that found that if mobile phones are held tightly generally where the antenna is located can cause reduction in reception by more than 90%.
You’re holding it wrong Apple
Posted:
June 27, 2010
By: ccsoya
No comments
Who’s holding it wrong now Steve?
Click for larger image.
[source]