Consumer Reports CONFIRMS existence of hardware related antenna problem

tell me how this does not clearly show a failure and not just a software glitch? The internet completely stops working when the area is touched.


http://gizmodo.com/5575347/video-clearly-shows-antenna-defect-on-iphone-4-web-br owser

The firmware has misreported the signal and has told the file transfer subsystem that it is receiving (incorrectly) no signal ?

I think you may be off by one level. To my understanding in working in the past with assembling ROMS for other cell phones it's the radio hardware that reports the signal strength, not the firmware. The radio firmware (next layer up) talks to the radio and manages changing bands, etc. but it still just reads the signal strength from the hardware layer. If this turns out to be a problem with the radio hardware not being able to work with the antenna when it's 'detuned by touch' then whether the firmware reports X signal strength won't make any difference.

Consumer Reports states the problem can be solved with a bumper case ... Why doesn't apple just give all iPhone 4 purchasers a free bumper case?

First of all, why is it only misreading the signal when the antenna are bridged? Second of all, the reported signal strength has nothing at all to do with how well/quickly data is transported. Finally, if it were truly a software issue, don't you think it would be reported by apple as much? Instead they blame the carrier and tell their customers to hold in a different way. There is no doubt this is a hardware issue.

Really?

http://gizmodo.com/5575347/video-clearly-shows-antenna-defect-on-iphone-4-web-br owser

so your saying that if the phone says it doesn't have signal (even though it does) it wont work? The video shows otherwise. The phone in some moments has full bars(therefore it thinks it has a strong signal) yet it stops completely downloading the page the moment it is touched. Go back and look.

Logic and evidence won't work with him... he drank the koolaid and has been fully assimilated.

Which is a thought, but not likely. I'm under the impression that the baseband hardware is actually out of calibration making it wicked susceptible to interference. If I'm right, a software fix can remedy the issue. If I'm wrong, then this thing is a paperweight if I'm not at home.

Wonder why Apple posted three (3) job postings for Antenna Engineers - iPad/iPhone the day before the release date? Apple needs to come clean and admit an issue; supply users with a free or discounted bumper case; and move on...saving some pride and customer loyalty.

Don't worry about Steve's pride. He NEVER looses that...

It's not surprising there have been no Apple mod responses to any of these threads.

I think they stopped deleting them because of all the attention it was getting but if the mods answer to the questions then in part its acknowledging the problems exist. Their way of sweeping the problem under the rug.

Apple mods NEVER respond to posts as a matter of policy. So it certainly isn't surprising that they didn't respond to this one. They do remove posts, and occasionally edit them, though...

"Yet to acquire a case would admit defeat. This aesthetic—industrial glass and steel—was meant to be the iPhone's public face. It was never supposed to be stifled by plastic to spare it from harm, or wrapped with rubber to shield the antennas from human interference. If the iPhone were meant to have a case, it would ship with a case. Attached. Out of the box." Jason Chen - Gizmodo