“We’re seeing a preview of Apple’s death today with the hardware problem vexing Apple’s new star product, the iPhone 4. Users report drastic signal strength loss if they grip the phone while touching the lower-left edge, so their hands bridge two antennas designed to be separate,” Wagner writes. “How serious is this problem? Hard to say. For some people, it’s very real, and it makes the iPhone unusable. Others love their iPhones, and aren’t experiencing the problem.”
Wagner writes, “I fall in the second camp. I’ve had my iPhone 4 since last week, and I’m very happy with it. I think I’ve been able to reproduce the grip problem, but I’m not sure, which is an indication that it’s inconsequential for me.”
Regardless, “one day Apple will face a real crisis, and when that day comes, the company will remain silent while public opinion — including investors and customers — turns against it,” Wagner writes.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As we’ve already written: The iPhone 4 in a proper case has the best reception of any iPhone to date. In fact, it beats Google’s rebranded HTC Nexus One Android phone in tests, for what that’s worth. All cell phones suffer from some attenuation when held in certain ways. The problem, as is often the deal with Apple, is not really the hardware or the software, but the company’s handling mishandling of the situation from a public relations standpoint. All that said, we reiterate: The iPhone 4 is the best smartphone/pocket computer we’ve ever used. We wouldn’t give our units up even if they had to held with salad tongs.
Anybody else want to make themselves look like an ass over this non issue?
Salad tongs. Love it. For use with a Seizure Salad – a la the new iPhone.
Hello. Hello? Helloooooooooooo.
“Computerworld’s Wagner: iPhone 4 attenuation issue presages how Apple will die”
Computerworld’s Wagner: How his lack of knowledge will lead to his ousting at the hands of former readers.
I do not when, maybe a year, or even fifty years. But, his article on Apple’s death is a vision into the future of how he will build his house of cards. Yet, will any care except his most faithful readers? Probably not, but it is the beginning of the end for this career.
As a side note: Apple now leads the world into quantum computer with multi dimension GUI, and actual time transport back to the moment just before one decided to erase the data or for when the 3D storage crystal cracked and all those exobytes of qubits vanished!
Bye bye Wagner! Maybe the painting business may be better to you.
This guy is a complete and total RETARD!!!!
This is so true and scary. I love Apple too and I am running out of things to say when people are complaining to me about iP4 problems. Apple needs to react quickly, however, giving away free bumpers equals to admitting that there is a real problem.
I agree with the article completely. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Apple is now too big to be playing these games – they need to handle this and future problems with much more competence.
If Apple allows it’s reputation to diminish, they won’t be able to sell product in the quantity and/or margins they do, and that’ll be the beginning of the end.
Groan. Does this mean Apple is beleaguered again? I hope not. I’m counting on our Apple stock paying some of my son’s college expenses.
Man, the press is fickle these days.
Mitch Wagner has an iPhone 4 and he’s not sure if he can replicate the reception problem that some people report and others can’t see, but he reckons it’s such a big deal that it might kill the company.
It seems to me that Mitch Wagner has been put on this earth to make analysts look smart by comparison.
So lynch mob mentality will be the bonna Gide way of the land Wagner?
How can a company that’s so friggin unbelievably smart at marketing, and many other things, be so deficient when it comes to PR? And not all of their PR. They’ve got some incredibly brilliant people over there (see their product launch days), but wow, they’re mishandling this…as well as the Steve Jobs emails.
Note: I’m talking about the PR, not the technical issue which *is* pretty much a non-issue. It doesn’t affect the love I have for my iPhone 4 one bit.
This is a non-issue. The media was done with it, until consumer reports said they didn’t recommend it yesterday. And even though CR “doesn’t recommend” it, it is still their top rated cell phone. Go figure.
What a joke.
I love my iPhone 4. I don’t have any reception issues whatsoever. In fact, just like Apple said, my reception is much better than my previous phones.
If the iPhone were as flawed as the media is saying today, why is it sold out everywhere? Why aren’t there lines of people returning them?
The fact is, Apple is so huge now that finding any flaw (perceived or real) in their devices is a wet dream for the media. The media is having a hay day combining the words ‘Apple’ and ‘Recall” in the same headline. Even though there is no merit to it.
So yeah, I’m basically calling all the media hit whores over this whole issue. It’s a non-issue.
I don’t think it’s customers who are experiencing problems, it’s bloggers.
And it seems the problem is “signal bars going away,” not dropped calls (not more than the usual number of them anyway) or no service.
I can squeeze my phone and make the signal bars drop, but for whatever reason the actual performance of my iPhone 4 is better than that of my iPhone 3G S whether I squeeze the phone or not. I’m less concerned with the bars display than with the actual performance of the phone, and the phone performs great.
I doubt Apple is seeing any phones getting returned because of this.
I’m not sure how Apple is supposed to respond to a non-problem. Their shipping delay is still three weeks even though the production line must be running 24/7. A few thousand blog readers vs the millions of iPhone 4s Apple is selling?
The only clamoring seems to be amongst us nerds. Well, some of us, anyway
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Oh yes the Apple will fall soon from the Profit Tree and die a certain death… Wait was this guy talking about Microsoft or Dell? Because I have the new Iphone4 and have had all the other models. I travel all over the country and yet to have a dropped call or loss of signal. I’m not one to constantly blog. But twice today I have said I have no issues. I know of 13 people who have the new unit. None have issues other then our kids or spouses wanting to take them out of our hands to use them. I live in Sarasota Florida. The big three carriers all have signal issues. But I’ve had none on my new IPhone. No death grip issue. Sure I bought the bumper. But rarely use it.
But the death of Apple? Seriously? It seems a few have issues. It also seems that some non iPhone owners just like to bad mouth Apple period. But for smart phones. This is the most solid unit on the market. Apples response is justified. They are working on a fix for the os for the bars. But until they get enough facts, not rumors they are not talking. Customer service us always excellent with Apple. So that’s bs.
So Apple won’t be around in 50 years? I think more likely the writers or so called reporters will not be around after trying to ride the coat tails of a small issue that certainly will not kill Apple. Give me a break…
Don’t know if Wagner has an iPhone 4, but I do. I don’t have any issues with it except it’s close to be ing the best thing on the planet.
WAGNER: Eat Mierda.
I agree with Macslut. It doesn’t even matter if the issues with the iPhone are exaggerated or not, or even if they are completely false or not. It is a matter of public perception, which is rarely based on facts. In my opinion, Apple can turn this whole thing around by showing how they respond to inevitable product defects by putting their customers ahead of everything else.
Every day I read about this crap and it just makes me wish all the harder that I was eligible for an upgrade so I can get one of these supposedly defective iPhone 4s. I literally would have forgotten about it since my 3GS still works great but this nonsense now rekindles my desire every day. I sincerely doubt whether this non-issue will impact sales and I could imagine it could even increase them. Right now there is a 3 week wait to even get one of these phones.
I got a chance to play with one yesterday for the first time… it was beautiful. And I couldn’t make the bars change no matter where I put my hand or how much saliva or sweat I wiped on my friend’s iPhone.
A year or 50 years? This is journalism?
And remember how the battery issue was going to doom the iPod? And how knockoffs were going to kill the iPhone? And how Microsoft is going to get a tablet out the door anyday now?
Tiring, as always, these pundits, when they aren’t so vague as to be useless.
Computerworld????
Isn’t that a subsidiary of Dinasaurworld?
Now I remember why I haven’t looks at that thing for about 20 years.
FaceTime. That’s the killer app. Too bad these hit whoring bloggers are busy writing about an issue very device has to garner those extra hits. Now CR is down their level.
Jobs: “Do you expect me to talk?”
Ballmer: “No Mr. Apple I expect you to d-i-e.”
Jobs: “You idiot, my name is… oh nevermind, it’s easier just to pretend you’re right.”
Ohh NOOO!!!!!
Apple is dead AGAIN
Scary stuff I tellya…
I agree this presages how Appple will die.
I predict that in 2,134 years Apple will become completely unresponsive to customers and will die.
I am glad I will not live to see that sad outcome.
🙁
“Anybody else want to make themselves look like an ass over this non issue?”
Gizmodo is actually making a living at it. The jackwads have banned two of my accounts for calling them out on it too.
Mitch Wagner. Someday, he will die. Could be 30, 40, 50 years from now. See, I’m as good a prognosticator as he is.
Sorry, Mitch, but Apple will likely outlive you.
Exactly. Funny thing is that Steve Jobs knows this but absolutely cannot help himself. He’s diagnosable with fatal narcissism.
Even a Wall Street intervention would not save him.