Consumer Reports CONFIRMS existence of hardware related antenna problem

First post...shame it all starts as a negative...

Picked up my iphone 4 on release day - this is my first apple product ever and I have been happy with most elements of the phone.

Its easy to use and the touchscreen is fab but I am a little annoyed with the brush under the carpet antics apple seem to be using with regards to the signal issue.

I know alot of people are saying it might well be software related and although it may play a part I don't see how if it being a exclusive software issue why using a case or otherwise fix the issue people are having? Surely a case only affects the hardware prompting this is indeed a hardware issue.

I'm a right handed person but have always held my mobile in my left hand...its stupid to be told I am holidng the phone wrong...i find it even sillier to suggest buying a case to resolve the issue. Alot of individuals by the iphone for the design and for me, size. Adding a cover may fix the antenna issue but at the sacrifice of other positive aspect of the phone.

My phone will go from 5 bars 3G connection to 1 bar 2G when holding without a case. Fine the software update may change this from 3 bars 3G but the underlying issue of losing a decent signal is still there.

I wish apple will do something about this and take some sort of responsibility. It's great they are selling loads and maybe thats why they don't see it as an issue, it doens't affect their bottom line.

For the time being I will just ruin the nice aesthetics of the phone with some minging case until apple take their time in deciding what to do...I just hope it is the right thing - I don't want to be stuck with phone prone to call dropping for the next 2 years!!

I'm not telling you it IS software. I'm merely not drinking up all the BS of these "tests" and "experts" which say, without ANY PROOF that it's hardware.

Until such time as someone separates the antenna from the influence of the iPhone software, NO ONE CAN PROVE IT'S HARDWARE!!

Do you get it now? PLEASE tell me you get it.

This is a isolated issue because not everyone who owns the new iPhone 4 is having this problem including myself unless you are trying to suffocate your phone a course you are going to lose bars in any wireless device we are not going back to a stub on our phones. When I hold the phone on either hand sometimes I lose a bar or two and most times its not affected at all in my case it all depends on my signal strength in my area. You can't make technology perfect their are going to be that percentage of defect's that Apple is going to have to handle like in any company. But people and consumer report can't say this is in all manufactured iPhone 4's because it's clearly not the case.

You are a piece of work. There's just no other way to say it. You are in constant denial, constant name-calling of those that express their issues and you add NOTHING to the discourse. CR does NOT recommend this phone, what else about that do you find confusing? There IS a design issue. What part of THAT don't you understand?

Stop muddying the waters with your Apple babble. There IS a problem, many people ARE afflicted with MANY issues and you sit there in denial. You are repeatedly attacked for this childish behavior and you just babble on. Post in the 'love' threads, don't post here. These comments bother you? Go over to the love threads with your buddy Phil.

Shutup.

You keep repeating yourself.

If you don't like what I post, post something that refutes it. Just stop whining.

It is hardware and it is has been proved to be so. Not sure why you have problems with that. When your light bulb burns out, do you think that's software related? When you hard drive fails, is that software too? When an antenna is located on the EXTERIOR of the phone where a finger can cause the signal to degrade to such as extent that the call is dropped or data is stopped, is that too software.

We shall agree to disagree.

Im glad to see yet another article reflecting this issue, i love the iPhone but im hating Apples _arrogant,condescending silence_ on this matter!
I plan on purchasing a "bumper" so im not too worried about the death grip issue but one thing is for sure, the bumper I purchase WONT be from Apple.

Go away. You add nothing but 'noise' to this forum. Say something constructive instead of attacking people. You have some serious issues my friend. What causes such insecurity that you need to attack anyone with equipment problems. I've been on the internet for years and have never seen anyone so utterly worthless as you.

Keep in mind that you're really not having problems, you just think you are. Just read some of the inane posters here and you'll see that. We just don't know how to 'use' or 'hold' the phone.

So when I floored my accelerator on the my car and the performance was terrible, the problem was the accelerator pedal?, the engine?

No, it was the ECU firmware.

You want something worthy?

Here:

http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20100712/consumer-reports-by-the-way-the-ipho ne-4-is-also-the-best-smartphone-on-the-market/

Can't complain now.

Apple has said they'll issue a fix. No one knows really what the result of that is going to be really. They certainly are aware of some people having different issues, so I'd wait and see what the fix actually will do before opening mouth and inserting foot.

You don't expect Apple to issue daily communiques as if we are in a desert war or something, do you?

BTW, the "bumper" IS an Apple product. No matter where or whom you buy it from, it is Apple all over it.

I do experience problems at home, where the coverage is about 3 bars, I lose service when applying the death grip. However when im downtown(work, coverage is awesome)i lose a couple of bars but never dropped any calls.
Some people love to feed of the negatives,regardless this phone is the best phone ever, i would not part with it ever. But the issue is there and it needs to be addressed.

"When your light bulb burns out, do you think that's software related? When you hard drive fails, is that software too?"

Herein lies your problem ... a more accurate analogy would be "if the lighbulb doesn't light up when you flick the switch on, is it the lighbulb at fault?" .. it could be the switch, the wiring etc etc.

How about "if your PC doesn't boot, is it because the hard drive has failed" ... well no, it could be the BIOS, memory, drive cable, power, OS etc etc.

You could prove the lighbulb is duff by moving it to a light socket which had a bulb in it which lit when the switch was on.

You could prove if the hard drive was at fault by moving it to another PC and testing it.

It's all in the PROOF.

"You don't expect Apple to issue daily communiques as if we are in a desert war or something, do you?" What?!!
"BTW, the "bumper" IS an Apple product. No matter where or whom you buy it from, it is Apple all over it."
*So youre telling me that all of these "http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=961305" are an Apple product.*

LOL easy there, its not personal.