Apple says iPhone 4 calculates bars wrong, software fix forthcoming

Edmund Pirali wrote:

ed2020 wrote:
I haven't dismissed anything. I don't doubt that there are people who are experiencing genuine problems and I'm sure they are not all posting in these groups. It is still the case that some of these threads have had a few individuals racking up a couple of hundred posts in the space of a few days - the majority of them saying no more than "me too" or "I agree". At first glance this may make it seem that there are far more complaints than there actually are.

I know what you mean. I just try to ignore the repeated posters on BOTH sides. There are others who just keep shouting down anyone who is trying to get info. Both of it is just mud, doesn't enlighten or educate.

That can't be leaving you very much to read. 😉

I've learned quite a bit from the couple of people who have posted to these threads with engineering backgrounds. It's quite clear that there could well be a hardware design flaw in the phone that Apple either failed to spot, or chose to ignore in the hope that it wouldn't be noticed by the majority of people. I'm a software engineer, so I can see that it's not out of the question that all of this can be rectified in the device's software and firmware. The debates and hypotheses have been interesting to follow. The statements of absolute fact such as "this is obviously a hardware fault that affects every single phone" from people with zero expertise have been frustrating to follow. 🙂

There is another basic idea in customer service that people are a lot more likely to make the feelings known when they are unhappy than when they are happy. It is perfectly possible that there are many more happy iPhone 4 owners out there than there are people experiencing problems.

Absolutely, no argument. People show up here or contact customer service BECAUSE they have issues, not to call and say "all is well."

Just to reiterate - I really didn't mean to sound like I am dismissing the problems people are experiencing. I'm just not convinced they are as widespread as some people believe.

Respect your opinion on this, mine is different. I think its widespread, but masked by factors such as good signal strength, use of bumpers, and lucky people whose skin conductivity is low!

I also respect yours - I think either of us could be correct.

Also as an engineer I have had a chance to play with mine and my wife's. They behave identically, but obviously I am the common factor and the location is common. But they are not anywhere near each other on serial number. She loves her IP4, and the way she holds her phone naturally causes no issues for her.

She could make a fortune by giving lessons. 😉

Okay, I didn't think I had any reception issues. Bars seemed nice and strong no matter how I held the phone at my house in Naples Florida. (Just the proximity sensor not working which does drive me nuts but that's another thread.) Then my girlfriend and I went and stayed at my mobile home that I use for boating in Bonita Springs. Cell phones never work very good in there because the place is a metal shell. I loved the iPhone 3G that I had (or AT&T's signal was better) because I was able to use the phone indoors. My old Blackberry and Sprint required a trip outside to talk. Over the last years I had spent many evenings lying in bed with my 3G surfing the internet and doing data related tasks. Now I was lying in bed and I keep getting error messages that I was not connected and yet my girlfriends 3GS was fine with 3G signal. My iPhone 4 would show good signal and 3G data and then suddenly fall off to Edge and then back to 3G and then searching and then back to Edge. It was very disheartening to see that it indeed was not performing at this location like my girlfriend's 3GS or the many hours I spent in the past with my 3G. I know how my 3G worked because I was always on it. I know every dead spot etc. Now I have to admit that my beloved iPhone 4 is not the same. Even though I didn't want to believe it. I love Apple products and still stand behind them as a good company. I know that they are not happy about these issues and I'm sure they will be addressed. They just have to really look at an issue and decide what to do before making statements. As for now I am going to wait till the last minute to see if software fixes the two big problems I am having with an otherwise awesome phone. If it is not fixed before my return deadline then I am sadly going to have to return the iPhone 4 and go back to my 3G which did work very well in my mobile home. (and never muted or hung up on my clients while they were talking)

It's all over the news. Consumer reports won't recommend the iPhone 4 as the result of a design flaw. They lab tested and proved it. 😟

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/consumer-reports-says-iphone-4-has-desi gn-flaw/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Michael Seelye wrote:
It's all over the news. Consumer reports won't recommend the iPhone 4 as the result of a design flaw. They lab tested and proved it. 😟

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/consumer-reports-says-iphone-4-has-desi gn-flaw/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Yes. This is indeed bad, BAD news for the iPhone 4. Consumer Reports is a venerated source. They give it a thumbs down. Uh-Oh. I love APPLE, but they sold me a defective phone and I'm returning it.

There's definitely a glitch in the phone's reception - I'm getting an unacceptable number of dropped calls.

A free bumper isn't going to cut it - I want blood! Or a new iPhone; OR BLOOD!! Jokes aside - The new iPhone is a significant jump in terms of hardware, but if it can't function as a basic phone I'll be returning it before my 30 days are up...

Dan Slocum wrote:

Michael Seelye wrote:
It's all over the news. Consumer reports won't recommend the iPhone 4 as the result of a design flaw. They lab tested and proved it. 😟

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/consumer-reports-says-iphone-4-has-desi gn-flaw/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Yes. This is indeed bad, BAD news for the iPhone 4. Consumer Reports is a venerated source. They give it a thumbs down. Uh-Oh. I love APPLE, but they sold me a defective phone and I'm returning it.

Good one Dan.

You're all ....returning your phones, but haven't yet.

Why haven't you? Apple is only fixing the antenna signal indicator, not the actual signal.

So why aren't you returning your "faulty" phones?

Do you own iPhone 4s to begin with?

I purchased two and have returned one. I may try the CR fix iDuct tape before returning the second one....

You didn't say why yet. I'm all ears.

The first iphone 4 had issues with transmit voice quality (poor and choppy) and dropped calls due to reception issues. The replace unit fixed the first issue but still had reception issues and the screen was defective (yellow spots) in the bottom right corner. Given that, I returned it. The second unit that I purchased is my son's and it will be going back in the 30 day period because of the antenna reception issues....

Thanks for asking.... any other smart *** questions?

Zebra1 wrote:
You're all ....returning your phones, but haven't yet.

Why haven't you? Apple is only fixing the antenna signal indicator, not the actual signal.

So why aren't you returning your "faulty" phones?

Do you own iPhone 4s to begin with?

Waiting out the 30-days to see if Apple does the right thing.

Jobs: "And now I'd like to introduce the iPhone 4 signal enhancement kit. Once again we've outpaced the competition to market with this as well as demonstrated our innovative prowess." Big applause.

Jobs: "And I bet you're wondering what this kit contains? Well here's a picture."

Audience: "OOOOOOHHHHHH." Long applause.

Jobs: "Here we have the iTape and iScissors that make up the kit. I bet they'll try to copy
us but you know we are the orginal and best." Long applause.

Jobs: "Be sure to visit your local Apple store asap to grab one up. The're only $50.00."

I spent 30 years at the executive level for 2 fortune 50 companies, so it is not difficult for me to read the signs of a brewing calamity if Apple does not initiate a genuine response to consumer concerns. Our company has 12 iPhones to upgrade at this time. We will wait for a short period of time to see what actions Apple will take to correct design issues and mitigate customer issues. If nothing happens we will move our business to one of the other bright stars in the phone market. I would encourage Apple to act quickly. The doors will slam shut on the amazing opportunities they have created up to this point in time if they choose wrongly. It could be such a simple recovery if they do the right thing.

writeye wrote:
I spent 30 years at the executive level for 2 fortune 50 companies, so it is not difficult for me to read the signs of a brewing calamity if Apple does not initiate a genuine response to consumer concerns. Our company has 12 iPhones to upgrade at this time. We will wait for a short period of time to see what actions Apple will take to correct design issues and mitigate customer issues. If nothing happens we will move our business to one of the other bright stars in the phone market. I would encourage Apple to act quickly. The doors will slam shut on the amazing opportunities they have created up to this point in time if they choose wrongly. It could be such a simple recovery if they do the right thing.

I agree with you totally. This is the GOLDEN moment for Apple to do the right thing.

But they won't because it will cost too much. I find it offensive that 1.) they have offered this bulls**t response and 'fix' hoping that it'll quiet the media storm. 2.) that they tried to bilk an additional $30 out of every customer with that piece of sh*t case that serves little purpose than a meager attempt at covering up this egregious flaw.

How much could that piece of sh*t cost per unit?? $30/customer is absolute theft. It covers the one part of the phone that you cannot actually break. HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE APPLE?? Oh yeah, it's not meant for that...