“If I had to take an educated guess, I suspect pressing one’s fingers across the gap increases the gap capacitance and changes the feed input impedance and electrical length of the antenna,” Positronic_Matrix explains. “It is analogous to holding on to a piano wire with two fingers while it is being struck. Its resonant frequency will shift and its quality factor will drop, resulting in a sound that is off key and muffled.”
“A solution often employed in the field is to preload an antenna. Preloading is including a large permittivity in the design, so when a human puts it close to their body, there isn’t a significant change. The down side of this is that it often reduces bandwidth and efficiency,” Positronic_Matrix explains. “So you can either have a great antenna that takes a hit when your fingers are near it or have one that is not quite as good but never changes. Isn’t it like Apple to choose the former and like the masses to cry for the latter? (wink)”
Positronic_Matrix explains, “Note that if the antennas were designed to be inside the case as opposed to being part of it, they would likely have a loss somewhere between the best (unloaded) and worst (loaded) performance of the existing antenna. It’s all an engineering tradeoff.”
“The best solution is to not touch the antennas at the gap (Steve is right) or to buy a phone cover that keeps your high-permittivity sausages away from the RF sensitive areas,” Positronic_Matrix writes. “Apple made the trade off for you and in my opinion it is a novel and good one, provided it can survive the bad PR generated by the griping gap grippers.”
Full thread here.
MacDailyNews Take: Now we know what Gray Powell was supposed to be testing. 
Apple can correct the bad PR they are now receiving by simply doing the right thing: Free “bumpers” with all iPhone 4 purchases, as opposed to ripping people off to the tune of US$29 for a 29-cent piece of colored rubber. For more of our thoughts on this issue, please read our Take here.
If you don’t like it, just return it and buy the next best thing, which is… oh, there isn’t one.
This “entitlement” attitude is one of the worst diseases spreading across the U.S.
Wingsy:
It is the nature of the beast. You’re pissing in the wind…
You can all dismiss this as “no big issue” if you want, claiming that there is several easy fixes for the problem.
The problem is not fixing the issue, the problem is INFORMING every single customer (iPhone 4 will be sold in the magnitude of tenths of millions) worldwide that ohh, by the way you need some scotch tape or a case in order for this product to work as intended.
As long as this information bit has not been solved, this *is* a big issue, you might take it for granted since you follow iPhone related news daily, that’s not the case in every corner of this planet.
Apple has a certain high quality image to cater to, that’s why this issue needs to be properly addressed – not dismissed.
Free cases attached to the iPhone with a small note is my cost effective solution.
NoEasyFix:
Information seeking people usually don’t expect to be spoon fed their knowledge. How about taking responsibility for your own ignorance, arrogance or whatever the fuck your problem is ( hint: chip on your shoulder) ?
Education is optional and their are endless resources that you can at your own discretion ( or indiscretion) absorb or study to learn that some things are dictated by what they are.
It is laughable when “joe pizza” idiots mouth off with self illusion about physics, science or other technical issues without having the faintest clue.
Yada, yada, yada..If you have nothing concrete to say, then why say anything at all?
Concrete… isn’t that what was not concrete in the BP screwup?
A question for you: if you buy a product, do you or don’t you expect the basic functions to work as they should? I am talking about basic things..like making a phone call and having an actual connection …not dropping because you hold the phone in a certain way.
This is further emphasized when we talk about a company like Apple, we do have a right to assume a certain standard of quality from our past experience with Apple.
Apple made a mistake, now they have to make amends, at the bare minimum they need to provide every purchaser a fix that is free of charge, that way the image of high quality stays intact.
You seem to think that criticism against Apple is whining, when we actually try to address the issue, you want to dismiss it and doing so you don’t care if the Apple image is tarnished.
Apple need to quickly modify the iPhone 4 design, rebating the side just where the aerials meet and filling it with clear auto laquer.
People buying this class of a luxury item should not have to reach for scotch tape to make it work.
I for one don’t use a case and never have. I don’t see the point of putting a cheap case over such a beautiful expensive design. These new phones should work properly, without a case. period.
GGG=griping gap grippers, that’s a good one.
The worst thing about this is that it gives ammunition to ATT, they can create doubt by claiming that it might be the phone and not the network when calls are dropped.
@breeze:
Become a registered MDN user and come out of the shadows for starters.
I don’t think that criticism of Apple per se is whining at all. I think whining is whining.
I absolutely expect a high and excellent standard form Apple and I also “expect basis functions to work as they should ” but I try to avoid jumping to conclusions based on hearsay and unreasonable conclusion of fact.
There is no escaping the antenna gap/capacitance and capacitance proximity issues, it is the nature of the beast. These issues exist in all antenna bearing devices when you introduce or add body capacitance to the antenna.
All previous iPhones have the same issue, which is helped by using a case and maybe less obvious because of the gap being in a different location ( put your finger directly between the headphone jack and the on/off switch , about a half inch down from the top while grasping the phone tightly in your hand and you’ll see). Other new phones have this problem too. It’s the nature of the beast. The current design or iPhone4 might make that spot more obvious, but it also yields superior spec and advantages for good video conferencing …
I don’t think Apple made a mistake and I care very much about Apple’s image and it’s standing. I hold Apple to the highest standards and have a long history of Apple usage and direct involvement to rely upon in making my assertions.
Too many people whine about everything because they are not well informed. It’s not the quantity of information ( or misinformation ) out there that counts, it’s the quality…
The only perceived mistake that I see right now, is perhaps Steve Job’s curt answer or choice of words, which some may take issue with. Apple always makes good on legitimate issues and certainly always tries to be the best.
breeze
@breeze:
Become a registered MDN user and come out of the shadows for starters.
********************
I’m confused, is breeze having an argument with himself?
@breeze
Fair enough..but I still strongly disagree with you on this point:
“There is no escaping the antenna gap/capacitance and capacitance proximity issues, it is the nature of the beast. These issues exist in all antenna bearing devices when you introduce or add body capacitance to the antenna. ” and…”don’t think Apple made a mistake..”
Seriously? If you can remedy the problem with a piece of scotch tape (see other threads here), then you don’t think Apple wasn’t able to fix this issue, did not make a mistake? You really can’t mean that…
El Guapo:
Not at all, I didn’t have a user name to call him by
NoEasyFix:
Personally, I was wondering why Steve Jobs/ Apple introduced the bands along with the iPhone4 at the keynote and suspected that it had something to do directly with this issue…
Tape is a band aid and a lot less of a cosmetically or esthetically solution, but it probably does just what tape does, which is reduce the interference…
His user name is “@breeze”
So do it like this:
@ @breeze:
Become a registered MDN user and come out of the shadows for starters.
Just doing my bit for the good of humanity!
NoEasyFix:
Yes sir !
NoEasyFix:
I meant
El Guapo:
Yes sir !
Tape is a band aid and a lot less of a cosmetically or esthetically pleasing solution, but it probably does just what tape does, which is reduce the interference problem…
I can’t replicate this “problem” on mine.
Well what can I say, I guess it’s pointless to debate this further, since there is not a chance in hell I will ever believe that Apple wouldn’t have been able to fix this issue if using a bumper case or tape will suffice as external methods.
But as I have said a lot of times, I am not at odds with the problem itself, it’s a question about how to bring this information with possible free-of-charge fixes to all customers in the world (we do want them to buy iPhone 5, 6, 7, …too), because it is reasonable for customers to assume they can hold the iPhone in the way they desire and still expect it to work.
@Wingsy
Sorry, I see the problem now. You’re right.
FACTS
There is no design fault with the phone. The majority of users have no problem and can’t replicate the issue.
There might be a production issue some signal attenuation is unavoidable when you hold a phone and is expected. Extremely high attenuation on random phones could indicate a production issue. My guess if there is an issue its antenna connectors not properly seated.
Screaming conspiracy theories does not help and shows a general lack of intelligence. No Steve did not wake up one morning and say “hey how can I screw Bob in Chicago”. Get over it.
I hate you all complaining about your iphone 4s one day apple will get off its lazy ass and send me one until then you sobs should be grateful for whatever sj gives you