“I must say, I was mystified at first. I’ve never seen it on the iPhone unit I’ve been reviewing. I can’t even reproduce it, no matter how hard I try. I’m sitting here right now. I’m wrapping my hand every which way — I’m even holding it with two fists, completely concealing the silver band around the edges — and my four-bar signal strength doesn’t waver. On Twitter, most of my followers seem to indicate the same thing; it’s a problem that just doesn’t exist for them,” Pogue reports. “But clearly, the problem exists for some people. PC Magazine, for example, has been able to reproduce the problem. For them, it happens only if (a) your hand is somewhat sweaty and (b) you hold the phone in such a way that your fingers are covering all three black gaps in the stainless-steel band around the phone’s edge. (For this reason, left-handers seem to be the most-affected population.) In that configuration, signal strength drops a little.”
Pogue reports, “If you do experience the iPhone Death Grip problem, one easy way to eliminate it is to put the phone in a case. Even a ‘bumper’ solves the problem — like the $30 one that Apple sells. It’s a thin rubbery silicon band, available in a range of colors, that covers the metal edge entirely… The paranoid might ask: Why is Apple introducing bumpers now, with this phone? Is it trying to profit from its own design flaw? Or, less conspiratorially: Shouldn’t Apple at least offer free bumpers to people who are having the Death Grip problem? I’ve asked Apple about the problem three times, and nobody’s gotten back to me…”
Pogue writes, “This doesn’t seem like a problem that Apple can fix with a little software update; it’s baked right into the design of the iPhone 4 itself. And considering the hysteria that surrounds the phone, combined with ignorance about the nature and probability of the problem, it could wind up being a huge black eye for Apple and the phone.”
Read more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: Only time will tell if this huge black eye will go away on its own (not likely) or if Apple will have to “take a loss” on those 29-cent (probably even less) rubber bumpers for which they currently overcharge US$29 by including one in every iPhone 4 box as they should have been doing all along.
@ Clown.
Now that would be funny… J.Ive summarising the iphone’s design in a commercial with “Well just don’t f***ing hold it that way.” LOL!
This is very, very funny stuff about the antenna issue lol
@ Larry
> And Mr. Pogue, the bumpers are siliconE. With an E on the end.
The bumpers are actually
“Made of durable rubber and molded plastic…”
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC597ZM/A?mco=MTgyNjczNTE
I hate “silicone” cases.
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Actually it’s more like a Vulcan Nerve pinch to the phone
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It’s all a ploy to have something for the gutter press to bitch about. All publicity is good publicity. Apple, just like Nintendo before it will provide a free or cheap solution. You just have to give them your address and agree to accept marketing material.
If you’d like to see the FIRST report (Thursday) of the ‘iPhone Death Grip’ along with ongoing replacement phone testing and analysis, visit Michael Flaminio’s website at:
http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=11149
One thing Michael found is that the left hand ‘Death Grip’ is actually a reduction in phone reception and sending signal. Dropped calls occur when your phone is in marginal reception areas.
Apple Thought too Different Here!
Steve Jobs praised the antenna at WWDC and didn’t tell us that we’d have to hold the phone only in the way Apple dictates!
Hypocrite! There should be a recall! The F’ked up and now should pay. A bumper solution. Are you kidding me. The make this phone sexy and to use it I have to cover it up with a bumper cover. Are you kidding me?
Apple pretending it’s “our fault” is the begining of Apple’s downfall. They laugh at us with their overpriced notebooks and laptops and now thiink that they could just tell us that their design flaw is our problem in holding the phone wrong.
What a sad day for Steve Jobs. His days of being believed are officially over. He’s now just a slick salesman who’s time is over.
Apple is getting to artsy fartsy and is forgetting it’s a phone. I still can’t believe that the gov’t allowed the 3G with so many dropped calls not be recalled. Apple, you’re a joke on the phone front. It’s a computer trying to be a phone. Even newbie Google got the phone right over you.
If I have to hold the phone “You’re Way” – just for the phone to function, then I smell RECALL!
You stupid blind fans of Apple are a joke. You’re like the technology industry’s Tea Party. Flakes who will buy anything your leader tells you. Ha!
Is it a coinsidence that Apple – for the first time ever – sells a bumper case for the iPhone?? I think NOT..and the price 29$, you just gotta be kidding me, antenna design flaw or not, Apple shouldn’t friggin take advantage of the situation and sell way way WAY overpriced cases.
OMFG
MDN sold the site to Paul Thurrott.
That explains the rabbid AT&T rants.
@el guaponand king Mel
yup you’re right. Mdn has become hate central. It always feels to me like the kid who bullies everyone around because inside he is so insecure. I continue to find it baffling for a “news” organization (and I use that term loosely here) spends SO much time ranting and venting on everyone elses inferior products. I don’t get why they waste their time unless they’re actually worried about the competiton so they want to bad mouth them and trash them to all the loyal kool aid drinkers. I love all my apple gear but know they aren’t the be-all and end-all of technology.
FUD is a waste of time. This phone is a huge success and that fact pisses off the Droid boys. Unregistered responders are assumed FUD spreaders so I laugh at their rediculous comments.
Most of the world don’t even know these sites exist so FUD is ineffective.
Yeah keep licking SJ’s ass, no matter what they do you will always, every time, forever think that it’s just FUD, I bet you would (literally) buy turd from Steve if it had an Apple logo on it.
I am Done with this Garbage Site, “Steve Jack” has lost his mind and now relies on hate B.S.
Ok Delete this Mr.Jack,
This site “MDM” used to be the best to get news and information but has taken a turn for the worse and now is following the Click “WHORE” Baiting of Gizmodo and The Gawker News Media.
I say “News Media” Very Lightly, More like Bottom Scum Feeding.
Goodbye, This will be my last read and links are Now being deleted.
Seems Mr. Steve Jack, You have and are losing allot of followers of your site, Your OWN Doing.
Seems HATE is more LUCRATIVE then level headed discussion and TRUTH.
My iPhone 4 won’t makes calls after I soaked it in water for a mere 245 minutes. Apple needs to include a free ziplock bag with every phone so that this does not happen to me.
Look at the newer subject on MDN that says “Apple to resolve iPhone reception issue Monday with iOS 4.01”
Read that and regret all your whining rants, suckers.
I believe there are other factors other than placing your hand in the wrong location. I can reproduce the issue at my office and several other locations, however at my home I can not. It doesn’t matter where I’m at in my house, I cannot reproduce it. Perhaps something around me is reflecting the signals differently when I’m at home than when I’m at work?
@Clown
If Steve was having a bad day, he would do well to not reply to the email at all. As CEO of the talked about company in the world, he needs to be more aware and realize that every single email he sends out will be scrutinized. We all have bad days – I can’t use that excuse at work to do something completely idiotic or piss off all my clients, and neither can the almighty Steve Jobs. I will wait to buy my iPhone 4 until this issue is resolved to my satisfaction.
@ken1w
I definitely hold my phone near the bottom, as do most people I know. It feels far more natural, both for comfort and to get a better grip to prevent a $600 phone from falling to the floor. Your guess that most people don’t hold their phones this way is simply wrong.
Some people are more conductiv than others.
Is it just me, or has MDN gone from writing shrill, comically one-sided pro-Apple stories to writing shrill, comically one-sided anti-Apple stories lately?
Can you say R-E-C-A-L-L?
If Apple gets aways with this, the US is a bigger joke than I thought. Gathering information about your geo location by forcing you to agree to this Apple practice or you can’t use your iPhone or iOS is illegal or dictatorial at minimimum. Secondly, not telling you that you will have to hold your phone only with your right hand and only at the bottom is dictatorial. Apple F’cked up in their fruity design and the Gov’t must step in to say that this has now crossed the line.
The US tech industry hounds Europe and Asia for copyright issues and now we look to the US to see if your laws will let Apple get away with selling seriously flawed products and illegal activities with private data.
Dear Steve
I can’t get any reception on my new iphone when I stick my head up my butt and try to dial it with my nose. Everyone I know uses it this way. How can you make suck a crappy phone? You are the worst person in the world and this wouldn’t happen if you dumped ATT. I think I will sue.
Whiny GizmoGwak MDN user
Dear GGM
Get your head out of your butt and get a life
SJ
Happens for me when I’m in an area with a weak signal, my hands are sweaty (I’ve got big hands) and I hold the bottom left part of the phone. Just yesterday, I was having a very slow connection, and I changed the way my hand was holding it and instantly it sped up significantly.
So it’s a bit of a problem, but with an easy fix.
Genius antenna turns to Absolutely Stupid antenna.
Back to the drawing board again Apple. You’re losing your touch.