iPhone 4 Super Thread: iOS 4.2 Released. Find my iPhone now free

[FanIn80]

Consumer Reports: By the Way, the iPhone 4 is Also the Best Smartphone on the Market



What a shock. Pastiche spreading only the parts of the story that he likes. Gee, we haven't seen that before. In actual reality, according to the same Consumer Reports he linked about, the only competition the iPhone 4 has is the iPhone 3GS (Edit: Well... also Random Robot Phone #452 or whatever it's being called).

Edit: On a side note... if people complain about the battery life of an iPhone... What the hell to Android users do? Do they carry around a spare battery and their wall charger? (Looking at the battery ratings.)

[psicodude]

^ The only thing that proves is that Consumer Reports can't be trusted as a reliable reviewer of consumer goods. how can they not recommend it because it drops calls, but then rate "phoning" as Very Good? Isn't that a complete contradiction?

What a joke from both points of view.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Azure

Or they could re-engineer the thing and fix the actual problem instead of just employing a quick fix solution.

I don't think coating the antenna with a clear non-conductive coating would be a quick fix at all, it's an ideal fix. Way better than offering a free case.

It isolates the antenna from the skin, doesn't add bulk like a case, and doesn't require huge changes to the phone design. Would basically be an extra step in the manufacturing. Would even minimize the cost of a recall (because if they do it that's basically what they're facing).

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by psicodude

^ The only thing that proves is that Consumer Reports can't be trusted as a reliable reviewer of consumer goods. how can they not recommend it because it drops calls, but then rate "phoning" as Very Good? Isn't that a complete contradiction?

What a joke from both points of view.

The people who are able to predictably force calls to drop are in areas of the US with very low signal strength. We're talking about places like NYC for example. Otherwise, the iPhone 4 has the lowest dropped-call rate amongst all the iPhones.

This has been covered already in this thread, with links to some pretty reliable websites... Like Anandtech for instance.

The one thing I'm actually on board with, and the one thing that people haven't linked yet, is the class-action lawsuit springing up in the US to force the end of that ridiculous AT&T exclusivity deal.

Open up the iPhone to some other networks, and most of this crap goes away.

Also, coating the antenna system is a very good idea. As I've already stated, the antenna system gives the phone its best reception yet... Why re-engineer that? It's not broken, it works very well. It just needs to be insulated with a coating.

Edit: To be clear, I'm not saying that the death grip thing doesn't exist. I'm saying that its impact has been completely blown out of proportion. Yes, I would like it addressed. Will it really affect me here in Calgary with excellent signal strength? Not likely.

[psicodude]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Since you've apparently not read any of the unbiased, fact-based research stories written about the issue... The iPhone 4 actually has better reception and fewer dropped calls than any other iPhone made to date.

The people who are able to predictably force calls to drop are in areas of the US with very low signal strength. We're talking about places like NYC for example.

This has been covered already in this thread, with links to some pretty reliable websites... Like Anandtech for instance.

The one thing I'm actually on board with, and the one thing that people haven't linked yet, is the class-action lawsuit springing up in the US to force the end of that ridiculous AT&T exclusivity deal.

Open up the iPhone to some other networks, and most of this crap goes away.

Also, coating the antenna system is a very good idea. As I've already stated, the antenna system gives the phone its best reception yet... Why re-engineer that? It's not broken, it works very well. It just needs to be insulated with a coating.

Edit: I can't believe you said Consumer Reports can't be trusted. Who has a better chance of being wrong? You or Consumer Reports?

What's next? The Better Business Bureau can't be trusted to rank customer service? Fortune can't be trusted to tell us which company makes the most money?

Edit: To be clear, I'm not saying that the death grip thing doesn't exist. I'm saying that its impact has been completely blown out of proportion. Yes, I would like it addressed. Will it really affect me here in Calgary with excellent signal strength? Not likely.

This is why you get picked on so much. Your blind love for all things Apple has resulted in you completely missing the point of the post.

The point was that their review and "do not recommend" rating completely contradict each other. In fact, my guess is that they didn't recommend it on purpose just to drive traffic to their website. Hence, in my opinion, they cannot be trusted.

I didn't even say a word about Apple, so put it away big fella.

[FanIn80]

To be fair, I actually edited all that stuff out before you posted, because it was irrelevant to the point I was making. Admittedly, it was over the top and unnecessary.

Moving on...

To make it even more clear, they didn't remove their recommendation because it "drops calls." They removed it because they were finally able to duplicate the death grip by having someone in a different office with a weaker signal try it.

They did the same thing they do any other time a product has a flaw with a replicatable side issue: they pulled their recommendation. It was the right decision to make, but it doesn't change the facts. Other than when you go out of your way to hold it in the "death grip," it has better reception and less dropped calls than other iPhones.

Now you can keep calling me a fanboy, or you can read some of the articles that have been linked to by other people than myself. The fanboy thing is probably a lot easier though.

[Pastiche]

1984

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/0...=Google+Reader

[FanIn80]

Fandroids unite!

[Azure]

You do realize that a lot of 'other' people have also talked about the antenna problem?

This isn't something Consumer Report just made up.

[Azure]

[Azure]

In case Apple has somehow managed to perfect the art of selective disremembrance across a wide population, here's a refresher: Consumer Reports has thrown down the gauntlet, stating that it "can't recommend" the iPhone 4 until the antenna issues are fixed, issues that its labs and ours have verified quite substantially. Apple apparently isn't happy about that, and has taken to deleting threads about the Consumer Reports article from its support forums. Now, Apple deleting threads from its support forums is nothing new; outside of "regular" moderation, the company routinely deletes discussion of hardware flaws that it's not ready to 'fess up to, or just generally negative lines of thought about its products. Good thing the internet's a big place, and if Apple's not going to admit the antenna issue, there are plenty of ways to gripe about it.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/12/a...-4-piece-on-f/

lol.

[Phaneuf3]

oh boy.
My contract on my current phone is up and I'm due for an upgrade soon. I've been kicking around the idea of a smart phone but I'm not quite sold on it yet. Decided to come in here and take a peek to see if some of the issues with the I-phone are fixed yet and boy... discussions about other people's choice of telephones sure seem to get heated and personal fast.

[Azure]

Apple stock taking a hit due to the antenna problems.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/13/in-...k-takes-a-hit/

[photon]

Antennagate? Le sigh.

Even with a hit in stock price, I bet Apple will still decide that the negative press now is better than it would be if they admitted the problem and did a recall.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Azure

You do realize that a lot of 'other' people have also talked about the antenna problem?

This isn't something Consumer Report just made up.

Who said it was made up? That doesn't even make any sense.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Who said it was made up? That doesn't even make any sense.

You're trying to make it seem like it isn't such a serious problem, and yet lots of people are complaining.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Azure

You're trying to make it seem like it isn't such a serious problem, and yet lots of people are complaining.

I've done nothing of the sort.

Like I've already said, the easy way out is to just discredit me... but the facts are still the facts and they've been posted in this thread by other people with links to very credible, unbiased (on either side) websites.

Feel free to read them. They're only a few pages back.

Edit: Since it's more than just a few pages back, here's one of the best reviews... http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/t...one-4-review/2

As a warning, it's remarkably unbiased. This means that it will say the same things I've been saying, "Yes the problem exists, yes it should be fixed, no it won't really affect me in Calgary where we have excellent signal strength." I know, I know, YouTube videos of a guy in NYC making his call drop by squeezing the bottom corner of the phone are more exciting, but... sometimes facts are boring.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

I've done nothing of the sort.

Like I've already said, the easy way out is to just discredit me... but the facts are still the facts and they've been posted in this thread by other people with links to very credible, unbiased (on either side) websites.

Feel free to read them. They're only a few pages back.

You're doing exactly that in this next post. The whole thing is blown out of proportion? Really? The problem has been reported from numerous sources, tested by a lot of different people, and you say its blown out of proportion?

Not everyone lives in Calgary and happens to have excellent signal strength from top-notch networks like Telus, Bell or Rogers.

Originally Posted by FanIn80

The people who are able to predictably force calls to drop are in areas of the US with very low signal strength. We're talking about places like NYC for example. Otherwise, the iPhone 4 has the lowest dropped-call rate amongst all the iPhones.

This has been covered already in this thread, with links to some pretty reliable websites... Like Anandtech for instance.

The one thing I'm actually on board with, and the one thing that people haven't linked yet, is the class-action lawsuit springing up in the US to force the end of that ridiculous AT&T exclusivity deal.

Open up the iPhone to some other networks, and most of this crap goes away.

Also, coating the antenna system is a very good idea. As I've already stated, the antenna system gives the phone its best reception yet... Why re-engineer that? It's not broken, it works very well. It just needs to be insulated with a coating.

Edit: To be clear, I'm not saying that the death grip thing doesn't exist. I'm saying that its impact has been completely blown out of proportion. Yes, I would like it addressed. Will it really affect me here in Calgary with excellent signal strength? Not likely.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Azure

You're doing exactly that in this next post. The whole thing is blown out of proportion? Really? The problem has been reported from numerous sources, tested by a lot of different people, and you say its blown out of proportion?

Not everyone lives in Calgary and happens to have excellent signal strength from top-notch networks like Telus, Bell or Rogers.

Do you realize that it's only in places with very poor signal strength? Do you actually realize how small that is, when compared to the rest of the planet?

Yes, it sucks for people living in downtown NYC. I feel bad for them, and as I have said at least 6 times in the last two pages APPLE SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM (both by coating the antennas and by dissolving the AT&T exclusivity deal).

However, the rest of the planet doesn't suffer from the same issues as the people in the US living in areas with low signal strength. So yes, it is blown out of proportion... as evidenced by the fact that Consumer Reports STILL rated it the #1 smartphone on the planet, in spite of the design flaw with the antennas. Yes, if you bridge the antennas at the bottom left corner of the phone, you will lose signal strength all over the world... but in places like here in Calgary, you won't drop the call because you'll have very good signal strength to begin with.

I get that I'm a fanboy, but I'm not making this up. This isn't coming out of my head. You can read all of it yourself from some very distinguished websites, if you feel inclined.

[FanIn80]

Moving on...

Recall looming?

Consumer Reports is a well-respected publication with a long history of being impartial and fair, Dr. Barton noted. “Their advisory is a serious one.” he said.

Dr. Barton is a former professor at Harvard Business School, Penn State, University of Nevada at Las Vegas and Boston College. He was Vice President of Crisis Management at Motorola from 1995 to 1999.

Crisis communications expert Chris Lehane, the “Master of Disaster,” a nickname earned managing bad PR for the Clinton White House, said Apple dug itself into a deep hole with its software fix response, which was obviously rushed.

“It’s the ‘half-loaf’ approach,” he said. “Apple was under tremendous pressure to respond. They pushed out some information that wasn’t really baked.”

Lehane said the statement only raised a red flag for organizations like Consumer Reports to take a close look at the issue.

“They found themselves in a hole, and they dug a deeper hole,” he said.

Lehane contrasted this to Apple’s response to the price drop of the original iPhone back in 2007. Faced with a backlash from early adopters, Steve Jobs quickly published an apology on Apple’s website and issued a refund.

http://www.cultofmac.com/pr-experts-...evitable/50565