“A scientist presented Wired.com with an intriguing theory that can be summed up as ‘cleanliness is next to FAIL,'” Van Buskirk reports. “A post-doctoral biochemistry fellow at a leading American university claims that dampness and naturally-occurring salts on the hands of the general populace help them form a better connection with the iPhone 4’s exposed antenna than the clean hands of testers in Apple’s sterile lab environment would have done… ‘This problem will be difficult to reproduce in Apple’s labs, because the engineers are required to wash their hands before touching devices, which also strips off the natural hand electrolytes that are ever-present in the field on a hot day.'”
“This would also explain why certain users experience the problem, while others — who may have washed their hands more recently — can’t seem to replicate it,” Van Buskirk reports. “A rubber case sold by Apple for $29 solves the problem by interrupting contact between the hand and the antenna, though Apple customer support has apparently been told not to offer them for free to complaining users. So, how should Apple address the issue, if this biochemist is right?”
Van Buskirk, “The company need not redesign the antenna, he says, but should add an electrically insulating organic hydrophobic layer atop the bare metal,’ such as the thin layer of plastic that encases soda cans.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: More proof that everyone and their mother has theories and “solutions.” All cell phones attenuate when held. We’re reserving judgement until Apple releases their software update. One thing: common sense would dictate that if you’re sweatin’ to the oldies while trying to hold onto a smooth glass object, you might want to have it in a more-grippable case of your choosing so that it doesn’t go slipping out of your fingers onto the ground.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brendan D.” for the heads up.]
I have an iPhone 4.
Holding it in your left hand..pressed into the heel of the hand causes the phone to attenuate swiftly and then drop the call.
This has been documented numerous times now on YouTube.
This is a SERIOUS issue for Apple, all protestations to the contrary,
and the upcoming software update is LIKELY going to contain some stealth code to address it, if possible.
@utter crap,
Then why don’t all, or even most, iPhones suffer from this problem?
i dont grip my phone…i love my phone and dont have any isues with it…….
Too many tramps buying iPhones clearly
This is bull. I put a small strip of scotch tape along the left side of my iPhone 4, and it still lost connection when I put my finger across the antenna gap. As a matter of fact you don’t even need to touch the antenna gap – just get really close.
I can even hear the loss of signal. That’s right, hear it. My amplified speakers here at my desk are very susceptible to RF energy. Whenever my iPhone is transmitting to the tower I can hear the data through the speakers as a random kind of buzzing noise. As I move the phone around I can make it louder or softer as the speakers get more or less of the RF signal. I can also attenuate the signal by placing a finger close to the gap (really close, like less than .1″), and when touching the tape it disappears entirely, meaning the radiated energy is attenuated by quite a bit when my finger is within a few thousandths of an inch from the gap. Clean hands or not.
I always suspected that Apple-haters were filthy buggers
WHO, oh WHO the HELL holds the phone naturally as those people forcing the GRIP OF DEATH? nobody!!! for god sake.. just get a shield film or a case , please! all this discussions are just ridiculous… move on!
I’m going to buy a flexi rubber case for my new iPhone 4 & I’ll bet I don’t have an antenna issue!
Yes, stop to squeeze your iPhone and it won’t die…
Yeah right… Wipe and don’t wash before you grip…
Grimmac, please tell me why you think these people are holding the phone is some unnatural way. How ELSE do you hold it?
http://iphonehold.tumblr.com/
It seems clear that any issue with the iPhone 4s reception is when it is held in the left hand. Really?! There are that many left handed people? Sollution: don’t sell to lefties. Or ACLU approved lefties only version for you bleeding hearts. This topic has gone on long enough. I agree with ‘The Steve’, “Don’t hold it that way.” Hold it in your right hand like the rest of the world. Better yet, every body should use the speaker phone. You people just love to nitpick.
@ Wingsy re “I put a small strip of scotch tape along the left side of my iPhone 4, and it still lost connection when I put my finger across the antenna gap.”
Do you know the insulation properties of Scotch Tape? All those years of buying electrical tape must have been a waste of money.
I hold my iPhone 4 in my left hand sans case to view email, surf the web, etc., and the reception is clear and consistently good.
The general public doesn’t seem to be able to distinguish between a drop in the number of bars from a dropped call.
The former doesn’t matter; the latter does.
I tested my iPhone 4 the way it has been shown to drop signal strength and calls. Numerous times, and no problem.
And, I was one of the fortunate ones to receive my iPhone the day before it was stated to be released.
Out of curiosity, is it possible that the problematic iPhones came from the same manufacturing run(s)?
That, I have seen before.
@MDmac
“Do you know the insulation properties of Scotch Tape?”
Yes. Excellent.
@John,
It is possible that Apple might start adding a protective coating in the next production run, but even that can’t completely prevent signal attenuation, which is common across the industry.
I doubt that Apple will create a completely redesigned antenna until the iPhone 5.
In the meantime, this problem is greatly exaggerated. Yes you can attenuate the signal by doing the “death grip” maneuver, but it’s not difficult to avoid, and a bumper or some other case prevents it from happening all together.
Once I put a bummper on my iPhone, the attenuation was mitigated to the point where the behavior of the phone was exactly like my old 3Gs. I.e. in a poor signal area, signal strength comes and goes.
Ultimately though, the reception of the iPhone 4 has proven to be the best of any iPhone I’ve had so far, and I’ve had them all. I’ve had no dropped call problem.
@5280420
Go to Google – Images. Search for “talking on iphone” (no quotes). The very first 3 images returned are people using the phone in their right hand and their finger/hand is covering the antenna gap. I hold the phone in my right hand as well (have to, my left ear has a manufacturing defect), and it is nearly impossible to carry on a conversation for very long without a finger or part of my hand drifting over the gap. I can’t imagine anyone who thinks it is normal to be conscious of how they are holding a phone.
I am as big an apple fan as anyone, Steve Jobs has really screwed us on this one, he knows just how good of a product he has put out, despite the flaw, now he is milking it by forcing people to the bumper.
All three iPhones I have held (including mine) have this problem, it is not isolated by any means. I will not be buying a bumper, but went to another company, low profile case that does not take to much away from the design of the device. (and only cost $8) Look up the MiniSuit iPhone 4 Skin Case on amazon, it gets pretty good reviews
Still no problems with my iPhone 4 reception… Using a bumper case and not using a bumper case – no real difference that I can tell.
@5280420
I hate to add to these comments when there is really nothing important in the post, but holding the phone in your left hand is exactly what a RIGHT HANDED person does most of the time!
If you’re right handed, chances are great that you’ll be using your right hand to interact with the phone held in your left. Or use your right hand to drive, open doors, write messages, or eat your cheeseburger, all while gripping the phone in your less essential left hand.
I’m a lefty, and I almost never hold the phone in my left hand. But the “Live Strong” bracelet I have wrapped around my phone does a pretty good job of keeping my hand off the antenna.
Anyone else wondering why, if it is indeed simply a signal display issue, the update is taking so long? They obviously have their best and brightest working on this and the problem obviously rubs deeper than they have publicly acknowledged. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.
@Bongo…
CORRECT! a Graphic display change is a very simple matter to reprogram and should have been pushed out to users quickly.
THIS IS DEEPER…
@leodavinci
The reason all iphone 4 users don’t experience this is multi-variable
They don’t live in marginal reception areas
They wash their hands frequently
They don’t hold it in their left hand
They have a good enough wrapper
They don’t make many calls
They use bluetooth in the car for handsfree use
The fact that a significant number DO suffer AND that it has been repeatedly documented is something that Apple needs to address.
The graphics explanation MAY have some truth to it..but probably LESS truth than those who complain of dropped calls and reception issues.
Apple has always been ABOUT THE USER….
not this time…and it’s sad…Steve is mistaken on this one.
magic word
USED
how appropriate
Being a lefty, I naturally hold my iPhone 4 in the proscribed way. When I do this without a case, the signal strength display drops, and the actual signal strength degrades. So, I put a case on it. Which I would have done anyway to protect it from drops. Total cost – $2.76. I now have the best iPhone – the best smartphone – ever made.
All the shouting and hand-wringing over this issue is truly pathetic.