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An Engineer Fails the Consumer Report Test

This is from this blog - http://mobileanalyst.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/iphone-4-report-consumer-reports-s tudy-is-full-of-crap/
I pass it on to bring another side to the story.
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Consumer Report iPhone4 study flawed
Posted on July 12, 2010 by Bob
Let me start off by saying that for much of my career, I worked as an electromagnetic engineer working on exactly the kind of issues that now face Apple on the iPhone4. But this isn’t about me. It is about Consumer Reports and its not so scientific testing on the iPhone 4.

Consumer reports “RF” engineers should know better than to think they can run an engineering grade test for an issue like this in a shielded room. And certainly not one with people in it.

To even reasonably run a scientific test, the iPhone should have been sitting on a non-metallic pedestal inside an anechoic chamber. The base station simulator should have been also sitting outside the chamber and had a calibrated antenna plumbed to it from inside the chamber.

I have not seen CR’s claim directly that the finger effect reduces the iPhones sensitivity by 20db as reported elsewhere, but unless CR connected to a functional point inside the iPhone that number is fantasy. Even the way they seemed to have tested the change by varying the base station simulator seems assume the iPhone receiver and/or transmitter operate in a linear fashion (the same way) across all signal strengths – bad assumption.

Bottom line. From what I can see in the reports, Consumer Reports replicated the same uncontrolled, unscientific experiments that many of the blogging sites have done.

I’m not saying that Apple has no h/w problem and they surely have a s/w issue. But I’m still wondering that if the software signal algorithm was not AFU’d in the first place how many if anyone would talking about this “problem”

I also don’t know what part of this problem is Apple’s and what part is related to the AT&T network.

And we don’t know how the observed effect is, or is not similar to other devices.

We also don’t know if placing a finger on the antenna bridge is detuning the antenna or detuning the receiver itself.

And neither does Consumer Reports.

Oh. Mr Job’s; right now. Silence is not golden. I’m quite sure Apple has these answers by now… If not, send me a few more iPhones, I’ll find a chamber and get you some answers in a day.

Ps. Blogged from my Iphone4 in a rest area on my way home from work, cause I just couldn’t help myself!
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Dell Intel quad core Win7 - 27" iMac I5, Mac OS X (10.6.4), MacMini - iPhone 3G - iPhone 4

Posted on Jul 12, 2010 8:04 PM

69 replies

Jul 13, 2010 12:40 PM in response to 51Cards

Two points:

1. The exact same antenna issue affects my Nokia e71 which has served me well for 3 years all over the world, and is one of Nokia's most successful models. You can see user groups showing how to avoid cupping the phone at the bottom. It's a pain, but the real problem with my e71 is the poor coverage of the ATT network. The signal is weak in many places near Boston, and that's where cupping the e71 drops calls. I'll bet Apple does a fix, but I use many, many wireless phones all over the world, and this is a fairly common problem even on the best phones that I use. YMMV.

2. I've been watching Consumer Reports for 30 years, especially on automotive. They will run a "reliability" conclusion in their annual vehicle issue with very few data points. They also clearly say that they have an editorial point of view - biased toward a "middle class" target audience (whatever that means). They are pretty good overall, but trying to pick winners from thousands of products is still pretty much an editorial, not a scientific, process.

boxer95

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Jul 13, 2010 12:55 PM in response to MrCourtney

MrCourtney, its quite alright for him to question our qualification, as the "title" can easily be overstated or easily used on the internet nowaday. Besides, anyone can call themselves engineers. But what's more important is for them to take these intellectual discussions and to digest the materials, not to troll around.

Jul 13, 2010 1:19 PM in response to MrCourtney

My iPhone 4 with its Bumper wrap case fits in my original iPhone Marware leather hip/belt clip case just fine.

Jul 13, 2010 3:19 PM in response to boxer95

boxer95 wrote:
John, I'm a BSEE specialized in communications from Cal Poly Pomona. Whether you believe me or not, that's up to you.

I'll take you at your word, but a BSEE is not specialized graduate work in this field. A MSEE or higher is the required minimum qualification for working at Apple on this particular project. [(link)|http://jobs.apple.com/index.ajs?BID=1&method=mExternal.showJob&RID=5584 9&CurrentPage=1] In other words, you would not be qualified to work at Apple based on the minimum requirements alone, or make precise judgements on Apple's engineering practices.

You might be interested in looking at what other experts in the field have shared as well, contradictory to your 4-year degree statements... [(link)|http://mobileanalyst.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/iphone-4-report-consumer- reports-study-is-full-of-crap>

fixed link

Jul 13, 2010 3:27 PM in response to JohnBradshaw

You know, I wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone 4 has it's own dedicated episode on Mythbusters real soon.

Jul 13, 2010 3:32 PM in response to stevessvt

stevessvt wrote:
You know, I wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone 4 has it's own dedicated episode on Mythbusters real soon.

LOL! 🙂 So true!

guhansub

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Jul 13, 2010 3:37 PM in response to MrCourtney

Your argument is flawed and seem biased. I am also a reseacher in manufacturing technology, working on PCBA assembly technology. Although my expertise is not signal transmission, I know how testing are done. The test conducted by CR is a simple test. What it proves is touching the phone lowers the signal comparted to not touching it. Its a relative number and proves that touching the phone, reduces the signal.

So don't confuse us with scientific terms. Its simple logic. I performed a simple test. Initially I had five signal bars in my Iphone. But after I touched the bottom left corner of the phone, the signal drop from 5 bars to 2 bars. If its a software calcuation issue, the bar should remain same irresptive of where you hold the phone. You see it's all relative.

MrCourtney Author

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Jul 13, 2010 4:30 PM in response to MrCourtney

To all:
The person who wrote the study referenced in the first message critical of the CR tests has updated the information he provided. Here it is. (Remember, I didn't write this...)
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Update: Egan added, "Curiously the Consumer Reports 'engineers' seemed to have completely overlooked a potential very large new problem observation: you cannot measure the 'receiver' antenna problem by monitoring the output power of the phone as they did.

"Bridging the antenna gap so as to make cell phone receiver deaf (or more deaf) would normally cause the output power of the cell phone to go up to compensate, not down. Eg. the cell phone thinks its further away from the tower.

"If what we see in the video is true – the received single strength went down- it would suggest two things; 1) touching the gap is actually making the cell phone more sensitive – not less, or 2) the problem is not a calibration of the signal strength software calibration as admitted by Apple. Instead suggesting there is a malfunction in the cell phone power control system, or some other screwy situation.

"Of course if Consumer Reports did even a reasonable job of controlling the conditions of the test there would be some authoritative data. As I said, their work is not authoritative, and is on par with many 'blogger' tests, including my own 'trash can' tests cited elsewhere."
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Jul 13, 2010 4:58 PM in response to Bostonimann

So this Report is what one day old?

Could we give Apple a chance to respond maybe?

Jeez

An Engineer Fails the Consumer Report Test