iphone 4 just announced.

[tenbaseg]

Just updated as well. I only get about 1 bar at home and that's all I have after the update. No harm, no foul.

[MiamiE]

Check this badboy out:

http://www.elementcase.com/

[Smokin Gator]

Just finished the update... I can't imagine it will affect anything major.

[Samsquanch]

Apple press conference tomorrow, 10am PST. Should be interesting how they spin this.

[rack04]

Originally Posted by Samsquanch

Apple press conference tomorrow, 10am PST. Should be interesting how they spin this.

Interesting indeed.

[newcigarz]

Originally Posted by Samsquanch

Apple press conference tomorrow, 10am PST. Should be interesting how they spin this.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is not planning on issuing an iPhone 4 recall at tomorrow's press conference.

Apple's iPhone 4 has been dogged by reports of antenna-reception problems since its launch last month. The company has called a news conference to discuss the issue Friday. Apple doesn't plan to recall the phone, a person familar with the matter said.

[Blueface]

I have yet to have any issues with the antenna.
I must be lucky I guess.

[Sauer Grapes]

Guy at the genius bar today said he wouldn't be surprised if the conference was just to announce the white version of the iPhone 4. I doubt it and I'm sure that's what they tell them to say, if he even knows the real reason.

I'm guessing free bumpers and an extended exchange period, maybe, 30 days or so. Maybe a store credit in the amount of the bumper, but probably not.

[mithrilG60]

Originally Posted by rack04

I have a real hard time believe that the whole dropped call debate is due to the formula used to determine how many bars of signal strength are displayed.

It's a hardware design flaw, there's no question about that. All the revised calculation formula will do it let you know a more accurately what signal level you have so it doesn't look like you have full signal just before it cacks out on you because you touched the antennae.

This is a major mistake for Apple, but ultimately it doesn't affect anyone that isn't trying to use the phone without a case. If the iPhone 4 is like all the others the first thing most people will do it start looking for a case to protect their nice shiny new toy.

[newcigarz]

Originally Posted by mithrilG60

It's a hardware design flaw, there's no question about that.

Maybe not. Report this morning from MacRumors.

Despite the fact that today's release of iOS 4.0.1 addressed only the display of signal strength on the iPhone and not actual signal attenuation issues caused by touching the antenna in the side of the iPhone 4, a software fix may yet still be possible.

According to The New York Times, the signal attenuation issue is the result of an interaction between communication software within the device's operating system and the antenna, an issue that could presumably be addressed with a software update.

One person with direct knowledge of the phone's design said Thursday that the iPhone 4 exposed a longstanding weakness in the basic communications software inside Apple's phones and that the reception problems were not caused by an isolated hardware flaw.

Instead, the problems emerged in the complex interaction between specialized communications software and the antenna, said the person, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.
The source also indicates that Apple CEO Steve Jobs did not learn of the signal issue until after the iPhone 4 began shipping, seemingly refuting a report from Bloomberg earlier today claiming that Jobs had been tipped off early in the design process that the antenna design could cause a problem.

The person said the problems were longstanding but had been exposed by the design of the iPhone 4. All cellphones can be affected by the way a hand grips the phone, but well-designed communications software compensates for a variety of external factors and prevents calls from dropping, the person said.
The issue is reportedly unrelated to the signal display issue already addressed by Apple in iOS 4.0.1.

If the source's claims are true, the information could shed some light on recent comments made by Jobs in an email to a customer claiming that the "facts are different" than has been portrayed by blogs and the media, which have positioned the issue as a hardware problem possibly necessitating a recall.

Apple has scheduled a press conference for tomorrow at 10:00 AM Pacific Time to address the iPhone 4, and the company is widely expected to discuss the signal issues. Sources indicated earlier today, however, that Apple is not planning a recall of the device.

[mithrilG60]

I saw that too, the reality is that Apple has instructed the factory which makes the iPhone to install an internal device to better insulate the antennae from bridging interference (ie. your finger/hand touching two antennae's at once). Combine that with the fact that installing a bumper (ie. physically preventing your finger/hand from touching two antennae's at once) also solves the reception issue completely and it's plainly obvious that the fundamental issue is a flaw hardware design and a failure in Apple's hardware QA/QC process.

They may be able to mitigate the severity of the problem via software tweaks, but the core issue is still the hardware itself and no amount of publicity from Apple or it's fanboi horde (not saying you're one of them) will change that. Proof yet again that being an early adopter has it's perils.....

[MiamiE]

So basically you need a metal case or not use a case at all for this problem to be solved?

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by MiamiE

So basically you need a metal case or not use a case at all for this problem to be solved?

Erick,
If you use a bumper or a case of some type, no issues.
I like the use of a case on mine.
I have the Belkin which is a very soft and flexible case and it works very well to not only protect the phone but also maintain the streamline of it and it does not bulk up the phone as other cases have with the 3 series.
So for me, the issue is there is no issue.
I downloaded the new update that corrects the bars and drove around town this morning with all full bars. Only place I have seen a drop of one is in my home. However, all calls are as normal. Have not lost one today at all.

Again, I guess I am truly lucky.

[MiamiE]

So this problem is for the users without a case be it plastic or metal. Who uses an iPhone without a case anyways?

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by MiamiE

So this problem is for the users without a case be it plastic or metal. Who uses an iPhone without a case anyways?

Not I, hence no complaints here.
Go back on this thread and you will find Tony posted the Belkin cover he and I use.
I truly like it.

[newcigarz]

[newcigarz]

or




oh and

[MiamiE]

Excellent!

[poker]

Originally Posted by MiamiE

So this problem is for the users without a case be it plastic or metal. Who uses an iPhone without a case anyways?

As true as this may be, I think it comes down to principle. One would think that it should work fine without a case if one chooses not to use one if it was engineered correctly to begin with. The fact is that it does not work fine without a case (for many) which means there is either a software or hardware flaw, or both. A bumper case is really not a fix, but rather just a band-aid covering the actual production flaw. I believe this is what pissed many folks off the most.

Originally Posted by MiamiE

Who uses an iPhone without a case anyways?

Most of them. People generally buy accessories like this with the phone, and Apple's numbers show that only 20% of uses bought a case with the iPhone4. If you have to buy a case separately to make a device work correctly, there's a problem.

The press conference was kind of funny, Jobs kept saying that every other smart phone has the same issue, but none of them have the problem with the exposed antennas like the iPhone 4. Apple and oranges.