Apple has informed select media that the company will hold a press conference to discuss iPhone 4 on Friday, July 16 at 10am PDT in Cupertino.
MacDailyNews Take: Looks like Apple is finally going to grab the bull by the horns and take control of this issue.
As we wrote earlier today: “You either take control of an issue or you get run over by it. We wonder, who has the worst PR people, Tiger Woods or Apple?”
Hopefully, the answer this Friday will be a decisive “Tiger Woods.”
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Two iPhone 4’s got married. It was a lovely ceremony, but the reception was awful. Apparently they held it in the wrong place
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I’ll get me coat…
=:~)
What really pisses me off is that I can’t receive calls when my phone is turned off!
thank you Consumer Reports for pressuring these arrogant pu*ks at apple to address the defective iphone issue, especially steve jobs.
btw. i have 3 iMacs, 1 macbook & 2 ipods & will buy the iphone4 when the defect(s) are fixed!
This isn’t a problem that only affects a few.
I charge that anyone who says their signal doesn’t drop to nill when they hold their phone with their hand over the bottom left corner is a liar.
There will never be Any Recall. “Mark My Word”
No matter what, sincerity, honesty, trust can never or shall never be blown away by some crap reporters/so called users that undermine the revolation that Steve Job has crafted in the mind and heart of millions in the world… Shafiq From Singapore
@ Notahippie
It depends greatly on how strong the signal is at your current location. I tried as hard as I could, at an Apple Store, even covering the entire bottom HALF of the iPhone with BOTH hands (definitely touching that corner), and could not get the bars on the screen to drop. Many others here (who actually have their own iPhones to try a more than one location) say the same thing.
But if the signal is marginal to begin with, just covering the bottom end of the iPhone (4 or earlier) and intentionally NOT touching that corner on the edge, will probably produce a drop in displayed signal strength.
A case fixes the issue. Who in their right mind would use the iPhone without a case, it’s glass on two sides? Get real people. Nobody uses an iPhone without a case, even the 3G versions. Buy a damn case and lighten up, I get better reception with this iPhone 4 than any cell phone I have ever used. I hope that apple responds by giving everyone a 30 dollar credit, then maybe people will relax. The rumor mill is in full effect.
They better not tell people to hold the phone differently.
@ Brau
The phone is made out of two panes of glass because Apple is paving the way for multi touch input on the back of the phone. You’ll learn to accept it when that actually happens.
Also, a case is not a fix.
since there are only two being compared you should have said who has the worse p.r. people, not worst.
@Pleasestopthedrama
If a case is a fix, then Apple should never advertise or display the phone without a case again. It’s ridiculous that people think apple will say, “the phone has to be used in a case so you can have one free.” No way. It’s too beautiful. Do you have plastic on your couch too?
The damn trolls piss me off!
Trolls, you give away your motives when you start your rant with a fictional list of Apple products you say you own. Only trolls with an anti-Apple agenda do that. Come on, be more creative with your bullshit.
@jaundice
“Does anyone really believe Apple is going to call a press conference and only say that they only think all the of the complaining owners, bloggers and tech mags are just full of crap?”
I don’t believe they will do that, even if it’s true (which I think it is, except for those few owners who are actually having a problem).
But if they did, I would laugh my ass off.
@ Smile
> They better not tell people to hold the phone differently.
It is perfectly sound advice, if given properly.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> How about…
“The iPhone is designed with the antenna located at the bottom end of the case. If you happen to be in a location with a weak signal, try adjusting your grip to ensure that the bottom half-inch of the iPhone is not being touched or covered by your hand or fingers. This allows maximum performance from your iPhone’s antenna, and your reception will be as good as it’s going to get at that location.
“Also, holding the iPhone this way will minimize the electromagnetic radiation that is absorbed by your hand and fingers. The antenna is located at the bottom of the iPhone’s case for a good reason – to maximize the distance of a concentrated radio transmitter from your head. Note: Intentionally covering the antenna with your human flesh to partially block radio waves from the antenna has NOT been proven to be harmful, so please feel free to hold the iPhone any way you want for hours and hours each month.”
(That’s not actually a quote from anywhere.)
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Or alternately, you could show motivated self-interest and common sense; hold your iPhone (or any modern mobile phone) in a way that maximizes antenna performance and minimizes electromagnetic radiation being absorbed (blocked) by your flesh that you probably carefully protect with sunscreen and anti-oxidents. We should all be thanking Apple for bringing antenna location in a mobile phone into the public’s consciousness.
Sales and reputation must be slipping. I have had all 4 iPhones and I love the iPhone 4 just as much as I hate it.
A round up of speculation over what will happen on Friday is dominated by cynicism – most don’t believe Apple will actually put the matter to rest by acknowledging the accuracy of tests done by highly regarded (except for MDN) tech firms such as CU, Endgadget, CNET, and others that show the phone is poorly designed and cannot be fixed by anything other than major modifications. Such would certainly result in a recall and replacement program.
Most doubt Apple is anywhere close to doing that and, as such, will only compound their problems when they try to sell something less as the fix to this historic blunder.
People will reject anything such as being instructed about how to hold the phone (name one mobile phone manufacturer that ever did that), or told to get a case or promised a reconfiguring of the bar display that has absolutely nothing to do with the problems of receiving, sending and supporting phone calls. And, we’re past the point of satisfying very many by giving away bumpers or store credits.
What we want is an un-compromised, fully functional, top of the line, most expensive phone on the market.
Hopefully everyone will shut up after this.
Or go buy a droid x.
Or a blackberry.
Or a my touch.
Or an evo.
Choices people. You got the best and for some ungodly reason you hate it. So go buy a wannabe and realize that every piece of technology is going to have some defect. Or don’t and apple will fix the problem for you. Unless their PR has made every family member of yours commit suicide by shoving their nonresponsive and useless iphone 4s so far up their behinds that it ruptured vital organs. Then there will be nothing that apple can help you with.
That was an extreme statement intended to shine light on how extreme people are taking this “PR issue”. Stfu holy moly.
One Word on Friday: RECALL
Too bad Apple didn’t test the iPhone4 on a few lefties first.
@ JL:
Actually “we’re” perfectly happy to complain about everything, thank you very much. We may keep our iphone4 and still complain all the time. Apple may even fix our iPhone4’s and we’ll still complain about it. Being quiet and satisfied is no fun at all. Sorry. We are a country of complainers. We hate everything and everyone. Obama, Congress, Apple, Microsoft, Google, HP, Dell, Canada, Europe, etc, etc.
*If* the iPhone 4 reception truly is superior to previous generations and other comparable phones by other manufacturers, then I’m sure Apple would be more than happy to demonstrate this at the press conference. It could be easily demonstrated with a local basestation which steadily decreased its power, showing which phones dropped calls first.
However, I doubt this will happen. Far more likely that Apple will release a software fix that simply displays bars showing signal when there is none – then tell everyone that the problem is solved. And, Apple fans being what they are, they’ll all be delighted and start ranting about Android again.
Next up from Apple, the new Emperor’s Clothes, in which Apple fans proclaim the magnificence of Steve Job’s latest revolutionary invisible turtle neck…
@ Speculation
The “speculation dominated by cynicism” generally is not from actual iPhone 4 customers. Because Apple extended the return-for-full-refund to 30 days AND waived the restocking fee, ALL existing REAL iPhone 4 customer can do their own “recall and replacement” right now. Even the earliest iPhone 4 customer has until end-of-day July 23rd to do it; return the iPhone, get a refund, wait for their “perception” of this problem changes, get another iPhone 4…
But in the real world where customers act in their own self-interest, there have been no huge lines of angry iPhone 4 customers waiting to return their iPhone 4 and get a refund. Even 1% of one million is 10,000 – a noticeable large number. By now, Apple has sold multiple millions of iPhone 4’s. Where are all the irate customers? Answer – the vast majority of them are silently and happily using their iPhones and not paying too much attention to the media “noise.”
Apple is in business to exceed customer expectations. You can bet that if they are actually holding a press conference, they will do something remarkable to turn this situation on a dime, into a major WIN. You don’t need a press conference to release a software update.
Anyone who actually knows Apple knows that Apple is all about perception versus reality, and manipulating the media to its own ends. Steve Jobs knows how to orchestra an event to change perception better than any CEO. My bet is that Apple will emerge in BETTER shape, and that the conspiracy folks will start saying Steve Jobs orchestrated the whole controversy to bring more attention the iPhone 4 launch. The iPhone 4 is still sold out with a waiting lists, so actual sales have not been hurt; and actual customers are not complaining and returning iPhones en masse.
Seriously, all Apple needs to do is:
(1) Issue some type of software and hardware change that resolves the perception that a real world problem exists. But carefully state that there was a problem, thanks for pointing it out, here’s how we fixed it…
(2) Make the early adopters fan boys and girls (folks who already have the iPhone 4) feel special and appreciated.
(3) Emphasize that ALL existing iPhone 4 customers who are not completely satisfied are still eligible for a full refund.
I “speculated” in an earlier post how Apple might go about doing those things. But Apple and Steve Jobs are much better than I am at such things, so I have no doubt that Apple will exceed my expectations on Friday. And if they do it, Apple comes out looking better than ever, with more “non-fan” people interested in iPhone than ever before. And once the perception of an antenna issue is resolved, NEW perception is that iPhone 4 is absolutely perfect, right? Who wouldn’t want one?
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Jeez, what passion here denying the reception problems. Look, I’m a big Apple fan. I still am, sort of. But I simply DO have reception problems with my iPhone 4. And I’m in Japan, where returning the phone is not an option. To be honest, I don’t know if I would even if I could. I like the phone, but it is a bittersweet romance. I often lose my internet connection, I’ve had a few calls drop, and the proximity sensor had been a bit of a pain. Now, before you begin denying everything I said, getting yourselves all worked up, maybe go out in the hall and breath into a paper sack for a while.
This wouldn’t even be an issue if the iPhone wasn’t AT&T;only. Can’t wait for the day another carrier is announced and the immense data traffic isn’t concentrated on one network anymore.
@ D
If you really have an iPhone 4, it is always possible that you have an actual manufacturing defect, especially with something like the proximity sensor not working properly. So why don’t you “breath into a paper sack” and take it to an Apple Store to get it checked out and possibly replaced, under the one-year warranty?
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> But do it after Friday to see if there is a software update; any software update at this point is going to have more than just “reception issue” fixes.