“Well, duh,” Diaz writes. “As Adrian Kingsley-Hughes pointed out in a post of his own this morning, the antenna problem on the iPhone 4 isn’t a software issue. It’s a design defect. And his advice is simple: either live with it or return it.”
MacDailyNews Take: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is a well-known anti-Apple scribbler who delights in overblowing any “issue,” real or concocted, and spinning against Apple. Reading his pieces in hindsight is always good for a laugh. Whatever he purports to be “threats” to Apple have never seemed to hurt Apple’s unit sales or stock price at all.
Diaz continues, “As the iPhone 4 bashing continues, I can’t help but wonder if the folks in Cupertino are getting a little taste of what Redmond must have been feeling when everyone was bashing Windows Vista – stuck between a rock and a hard place because there’s really no quick answer to give iPhone owners. Well, nothing beyond 1) scale down to a previous version, 2) buy from a competitor or 3) wait for the next update.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Diaz’s desperation is palpable and laughable.
Making stupid headlines but putting a question mark at the end is a sure fire way of identifying your article or advertisement as nonsense.
For instance …
Is the new HP slate going to kill iPad ?
Is Vista going to sweep everything before it ?
Is Sam Diaz an insightful and unbiassed commentator ?
How to explain how ridiculously overblown this so-called “antenna issue” really is in the real world.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> Start with 100 hypothetical iPhone 4 customers (people who own an iPhone 4)…
How do you hold your iPhone?
+ 60 hold their iPhone by the sides and do not touch or cover bottom half-inch (1 cm) of the case.
+ 40 hold their iPhone touching or covering bottom half-inch (1 cm) of the case.
Of the 40 who hold their iPhone touching or covering bottom half-inch (1 cm) of the case.…
Would it be a problem to hold the iPhone by its sides above bottom half-inch (1 cm) of the case?
+ 20 have no particular grip preference.
+ 20 want to hold their iPhone touching or covering bottom half-inch (1 cm) of the case.
So far, for 80 out of 100 iPhone 4 customers, this “antenna issue” is a NON-issue because it has no imagined or potential impact on them. Of the 20 choosing to hold their iPhone touching or covering bottom half-inch (1 cm) of the case…
Short of doing the extreme “Death Grip” to smother the entire bottom half of the iPhone with both hands, are you able to produce a noticeable drop in signal strength (based on “bars” on screen) due to how you hold the iPhone when making calls?
+ 10 cannot.
+ 10 can.
So far, for 90 out of 100 iPhone 4 customers, this “antenna issue” is a NON-issue. Of the 10 who can produce a noticeable drop in displayed signal strength with that reasonable iPhone grip…
At locations where you see a drop in signal strength caused by touching or covering bottom half-inch (1 cm) of the case, does it diminish iPhone’s actual performance when making calls?
+ 5 notice no change.
+ 5 notice diminished performance.
So for 5 out of 100 iPhone 4 customers, it is vitally important that they hold their iPhone touching or covering bottom half-inch (1 cm) of the case AND doing so has some noticeable impact on the iPhone’s actual performance. Of those 5…
+ 2 are willing to adjust their iPhone grip when noticing diminished performance. (I’ve see people do much crazier things to get better reception than just changing how the phone is held.)
+ 2 can (or already do) use a case or “bumper.”
+ 1 wants to return the iPhone for a refund.
And it is probably less than “1” at the end, but I can’t have a partial person since this example that starts with 100. Maybe I should have started with 200.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
Obviously, those numbers came out of my head. But if you think this scenario is unrealistic, use your own numbers. And consider that for most iPhone 4 users, an iPhone is much more than just a “phone.” A lot of the commentary from people who are NOT actual iPhone users seem to place deal-breaking importance on this so-called “antenna issue.” That is understandable, because every other smart phone is a phone first, then other things. An iPhone is a hand-held personal computer first, and it happens to have a built-in phone.
So to summarize, for the vast majority of REAL iPhone 4 customers, the “antenna issue” really is a NON-issue because it has no noticeable effect on their iPhone’s performance. If there was no media hysteria, most would not have even noticed; the attenuation effect existed on their previous iPhone and they did not notice. For the few who do notice some effect in actual use, most are more than willing to do something minor to optimize their iPhone’s antenna performance, as needed.
My iPhone 4 won’t work when I put it inside a toaster oven inside my refrigerator. As Adrian Kingsley-Hughes pointed out in a post of his own, it’s a design defect. I mean, dude POSTED it. It must be real.
Two words:
Douche.
Bag.
The extent of stupidity is astounding.
First, I’m an Apple fan and loyal customer. I own an iPhone 4 and love it. Antenna problem? I bought a case because I was going to case the phone anyway. No problem from my end. But after reading the above blurb MDN chose to show you, I see nothing untrue or wrong or desperate about what it states. Yes, there was more wrong with Vista than will ever be wrong with a single Apple product, but the comparison from a PR perspective is warranted because any other perspective is comparing apples, ah-hem, to oranges. Apple does not have a satisfactory answer to the problem. Other phones have that same problem? That’s not an answer, that’s an excuse and a dodge. No one really noticed the issue with those other phones and made an issue of it. I never did with my 3G, that is, up until I experimented as saw it for myself. So why didn’t Apple address it in the redesign? I’m not happy with there excuses and lack of solutions with this at all and, frankly, it’s a bit alarming, because it sounds like the typical Microsoft approach to such things. Does this mean that Apple is now in the business of perpetuating problems as such or solving them?
There is now a big FUD campaign underway by all the Apple haters and Android fanboys.
Nevermind that Anandtech’s careful technical analysis of the issue, which proves the new iPhone is in fact a better phone than the last – even with this antenna attenuation effect – has been available for a week:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review
these guys don’t care about the facts. nor do they mention the effect disappears if you simply put the iPhone in a case, which the large majority of owners do ANYWAY.
it’s propaganda, pure and simple.
Don’t worry about it, if it wasn’t this it would be something else.
So, can anyone tell me, does a clear coat of something (non conductive) over the side antenna have any affect?
Isn’t this something Apple most likely will implement in a next production run?
That’s bullshit!
Those Apple hater just trying hard to make iphone 4 looks bad, keep projecting some minor issue, in hope to strengthen their stupid debate.
So is it an antenna problem or a problem with the display of the signal strength bars? If only journalism had not died, maybe someone might check.
wow…such a generic form of rhetoric and invective from the fanboys…
Doesn’t matter if the antenna issue affect on 1% of people, it’s still there and impeding the usage of something people have paid for. Buying cases is not a solution either unless apple provides them gratis for people who request them. The problem is that the iphone has a design flaw and should be fixed. So say what you like and trying to manipulate made-up, nonsense statistics but the bottom line is it is there, it is real, it is a problem to some and apple needs to fix it. Simple. However, given that is isn’t THAT big of a problem, the hysteria surrounding it does need to be turned back to an appropriate level of say about 1. Watching both sides is like watching a bunch of fundamentalist extremists spray illogical, ill considered, and utter nonsense crap at each other, neither of whom is listening, when the more appropriate course of action is chillax and get the issue fixed.
OMG !!!!! que estupido eres SAMUEL DIAZ!!!!
What is going on in the head of this guy? some hundred dollars bills from Microsoft or what? There is a lot of less humiliating ways to call the attention of the news, like drugs, jokes, spreading oil in the sea….
@ BluefinPro
These guys tried to reproduce the problem before and after using a piece of electrical tape over the area
http://www.pcworld.com/article/200453/antenna_expert_apple_is_right_iphone_4_signal_woes_overblown.html
They saw no difference either way. I seriously doubt Apple will make any physical changes to the iPhone 4.
@ Brulek
Many people who are really experts in this field have said that this so-called “defect” exists on all modern mobile phones, by design. If you put something, including human flesh, around the radio emitter it will have an impact on performance. That seems like common sense, even to a non-expert.
I think the “general public” should be thanking Apple for bringing attention to a modern mobile phone’s antenna. Years ago, the antenna was clearly visible extending out of the case, but it disappeared into the case over time and became invisible. Out of sight, out of mind. Most people did not know or care that the antenna in modern mobile phones are located at or near the bottom end of the case, to place it as far away from the brain as possible. I knew there was an antenna in there somewhere, but did not know where.
So consider… Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation, and a mobile phone antenna is a fairly powerful and concentrated emitter of such radiation. If the antenna is placed at the bottom end of the phone’s case by design, there is obviously concern that strong electromagnetic radiation from a too-close radio emitter may be harmful to brain tissue with long term exposure. Therefore, it must be harmful to some extent to any human tissue, including the tissue in your hand and fingers.
So knowing what you know now, are you really going to insist on gripping the iPhone 4, or any modern mobile phone, by the bottom end, intentionally wrapping your human flesh around a powerful and concentrated radio wave emitter?
Or are you NOW going to consciously hold your iPhone, or any mobile phone, in a way that optimizes antenna performance and minimizes potentially harmful effects from your hand and fingers absorbing the radiated radio waves for hours per month?
Apple has indirectly raised public awareness of antenna placement. I have always held “candy bar” style phones by the edges at the upper part of the case, because that was natural and comfortable for me. But even if my habit was to grip it at the bottom end, I would now (with the knowledge this “controversy” has provided) be motivated by self-interest to change where I hold any modern mobile phone, to (1) maximize the phone’s antenna performance and (2) minimize potentially harmful side-effects. That’s just common sense.
Thanks Apple…
No, the iPhone 4 is becoming “Newtonized”.
This mishap is blown up because Apple and the iPhone gain a lot of media attention. There is always a lot of hyperbole associated with Apple and their new products.
Obviously there are few thongs that need to be fixed and hopefully this can be done with the software.
Remember Apple have screwed up before. No product launch is perfect and however much testing is done some flaws can be expected.
In many ways Apple’s product launches are far more successful than they ever have been. Recalls are rare, product availability is great and the response from the public and critics are better than ever.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my iPhone 4. It is better in every way than my iPhone 3GS, which was better than my original iPhone. I can see the bars go down when I hold the phone in a death grip manner, but I would never hold my phone in that manner. The RAZR that I owned prior to the original iPhone had similar issues.
Why is this issue being blown so out of proportion? Apple is not seeing massive returns…
I was tired of CNET for it’s over blown and sensationalized reporting of this issue, so I removed the bookmarks and no longer go to CNET, their CNET owned Mac counter part, which I’ve already forgotten, and I’ve unsubscribed to their podcasts (CNET is also adding ads before and after the podcasts that are just about as long as the actual podcast itself).
Maybe if they get hit in the pocket book by decreased hits, they’ll change their sensationalized reporting habits.
@Larry:
apropos TR quote, but here is Woody Allen’s version of your “those who can” quote..
“Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach; those who can’t teach, teach gym.”
Sure hope they fix he fast battery drain problem. Suddenly all my devices have half the battery life they had before – especially the 2nd Gen iPod Touch which I loaded iOS4 on just for Folders.
@ken1w
The iPhone is not a very powerful an emitter of radio waves, otherwise the battery would be a lot larger. The output of an iPhone 4 is very small, for instance, when compared with a ham radio, commercial radio tower, or an MRI. I concede that the distance squared effect is somewhat of an equalizer on actual flux. But the radio frequencies in question are not ionizing. No reasonable scientific article that I have read on the subject has found any connection with cell phones and adverse effects on humans.
@ KingMel
The antennas on mobile phones used to be on top, either as an extending one you pulled out or as a short stub. Now, they are mostly located as part of the case at or near the bottom end of the phone, even through that location makes it more likely to be covered by part of the hand, reducing efficiency. I think there is some real concern about the LONG TERM effects of having a concentrated radio wave radiator pressed up against the side of your head, right next to the brain.
How many phones have been returned? Apple has a pretty generous return policy, one that would certainly allow these folks who are upset to have taken advantage of. Returned phones would have a much larger impact. Or is it not bad enough to return, just bad enough to complain about?
Complaining got everyone a discount on the first iPhone, even though it was the best phone on the market at the time. Maybe that’s the real goal, to get a little something more out of Apple.
“Just don’t hold it that way.”
Works on my 3G as well. The meter doen’t fo up of down but the download speed certainly seems to change.
that would be “doesn’t go” up or down/