You're holding it wrong.
If you’ve been cruising the interwebs over the past couple of days, you can’t have missed the plethora of stories, some factual and some not-so-much, about the problem with the iPhone 4′s antenna. In a nutshell: the stainless-steel rim of the iPhone 4 is actually two antennae. The two antennae are separated via notches in the rim, one of which (on the lower-left of the phone) is positioned where many people (particularly lefties) ‘bridge’ the notch with their fingers or palm. This ‘flesh-bridge’, if you’ll forgive the term, connects the two antennae and causes loss of signal. So what can be done about it? Read on.
1. Don’t hold it that way.
In one of his famously short emails to a customer who contacted him about this issue, Steve Jobs rather flippantly explained that the problem is easy to avoid: you simply change the way you’re holding it so that you don’t bridge the notch with any part of your hand. This is a pretty arrogant response and it’s the kind of thing that stokes the apple-hater fires, so we kind of wish Steve had considered his reply a little more carefully before hitting send.
If you’re a lefty, there’s little you can do to avoid holding the phone in such a way, and even if you’re not you should be able to hold your phone any damn way you like. Whether Steve Jobs chooses to admit it or not, this is a pretty serious design flaw in our humble opinion.
2. Get a cover.
The problem goes away if the notch is bridged by something non-conductive, like latex or rubber, so a case or one of Apple’s own bumpers will solve the problem. But you shouldn’t have to spoil the aesthetic of your beautiful new iPhone 4 to solve a rudimentary engineering problem, so although this is a foolproof ‘fix’, it’s far from ideal.
Word on the street, though, is that despite the industrial-grade glass used in the construction of the iPhone 4, the glass is still prone to scratching (particularly the back), and it has not fared well in drop-tests, so perhaps a case should be on your shopping list even without the antenna issues.
3. Sign Gizmodo’s petition.
Click to go to petition
Look, it’s a long-shot but Gizmodo have organised a petition urging Apple to supply their US$29 bumpers for free. In their words “this is an Apple design problem, they should fix it for real or give out cases for free.” It’s hard to argue with the logic and unless the issue can be fixed via a miraculous firmware update, I have to agree: the onus is on Apple to fix this one. Gizmodo is a high-profile and influential blog, so they could just make a difference if enough people pledge their support.
Will the antenna problem put me off buying an iPhone 4? Hell no. But I am now starting to dread the inevitable “make sure you hold it properly” snide comments from my friends who choose to mock the iPhone (but who are actually just jealous of it). Apple: Please fix this either physically or by software. You can do it! Either way, let’s hope the issue has gone away by the time the device lands on our shores.
Got an opinion on this whole debacle? Share it with us in the comments.
@ yum9me: The extremely impressive 1.7m units sold on opening weekend and best ever Apple product launch figures I would say would mostly be made up of pre orders, people queuing for a week and die hard Apple fans, what I mean is people bought before the issues were made public, the tell tale sign will be how it sells from now on. I don’t think it will have any noticeable affect on sales though. The people who were sat on the fence “shall I, shall I not buy the new iPhone” I’d say would be the only people put off by the issues……Time will tell.
Still no official word on rest of world release dates but lets hope as you say it’s not delayed!
(Paul has made 323 comments)
Omad wrote:
Good spotting Omad
Who needs an iPhone 4? The software upgrade once applied to a 3GS gives it unified email, multitasking, grouped apps, camera zoom etc, etc and I can hold it any damn way I like!
(rossito has made 4 comments)
Nice post and sum up of the issues Steve.
As I have 2 iPhone 4's on order from UK which should ship Friday I have been following these issues with great interest (and nerves). My friend who got my iPhones for me online actually picked one up himself on Launch day at the Apple store. I am pleased to report he has zero issues regardless of how he holds it, this isn't saying there are no issues but they are not even close to putting me off buying the new iPhone and even getting them from the UK.
I Couldn't agree more though, this has been poorly handled by Apple and the Steve Jobs email, the Apple haters are loving it, even if Apple were to release a software fix now I think the damage has been done with regards to how they handled it. Although apple are usually immune to major issues with new devices it is happening more and more now with the iPad WIFI issue and now this, possibly rushing the product out to make release dates who knows. Bugs and glitches on new devices are not unusual but it's how companies deal with it that matters.
I also think there is an element of Tech blogs blowing it all up just to increase traffic on their sites. Anyway I might be able to let you know next week with a bit of luck. The plus side of course is it may put people off buying and NZ may get it's launch quicker
Keen to hear what other think and if it has put them off buying.
(Paul has made 323 comments)
Regardless of the antenna issue or the yellow screen problem, people haven't been put off from getting the iPhone 4. 1.7 million plus units sold already proves that point. I just hope that the iPhone 4 doesn't end up with the same fate as the iPad in New Zealand, delays!
(yum9me has made 28 comments)
Apple are still saying it will be released by the end of July here, it is mentioned in their press release regarding 1.7m units sold.
I'm not an expert but based on what I've been reading I think the issue is to do with the way the phone tries to grab whatever band on the network is less congested or less affected by interference so should be able to be fixed with a software update.
This would explain why people are getting the same issue with 3g & 3gs phones after updating to iOS4.
I guess time will tell.
(Omad has made 65 comments)
@ rossito: So the Retina Dispaly, 5mp camera, HD video, front facing camera, flash (albeit LED), faster processor, increased RAM, better battery performance, 802.11/n and FaceTime don't appeal?
(Daniel Burgess has made 613 comments)
lakeview01 wrote:
Yes it is… you’re talking about the one in the screenshot at the Engadget link, right?
but that isnt even steve jobs email address
(lakeview01 has made 198 comments)
@ Paul: I look forward to hearing your own reviews of the Iphone 4 once you have it (or any of the team here as I believe I read one of you was getting one shipped from the UK as well?) Will be good to just get some real world "NZ" experiences
(camtab has made 468 comments)
I can’t help wondering if a simple strip of protective clear adhesive plastic tape over the area might alleviate or remove the reception problem. Break the conductivity between the hand and the antennae.
(djrichard has made 19 comments)
Yup it should do. A bumper / case is the way to go.
Sorry Steve but I just can’t agree with you. One of the main selling points of the iphone 4 is it’s cool design and amazing features. Does it not strike you as a bit odd that you would need to cover it from day one or not be able to use it’s most basic function: the phone.
Furthermore, to add insult to injury, you would have to purchase that case out of your own money despite this being an obvious INDUSTRIAL DESIGN FLAW.
This only reinforces this obscene trend of releasing unfinished products and then accusing the user that they are using it wrong. It would be the equivalent of someone going to a hardware store to buy a hammer, receiving one with a cardboard handle and then being told by the manufacturer that if they want to use they will have to purchase a proper handle separately.
(xescuy has made 22 comments)
@ djrichard: I just went for an experimental drive with my iPhone 4. I went to an area where the signal fluctuated between 4 and 5 bars. When I put my hand over the gap the signal to dropped to 1 bar in about 20 seconds. A strip of clear tape over the area made no apparent difference. Three layers of the tape helped just a tad. It was hard to measure accurately since the signal kept fluctuating over time.
And as arrogant as “don’t hold it that way” sounds, it’s great advice. When I hold my phone in either hand it’s quite easy to avoid the bottom left centimeter. Keep in mind that other phones have similar problems now that antennas are incorporated in the body of phones. They’re just better disguised. I had essentially unusable service on my iPhone 3G. I love my iPhone 4.
Full disclosure: long AAPL.
(IntrepidCoward has made 2 comments)
Try the best solution and see if it suits you too. Do nothing
I can confirm that the iPhone 4 has better reception at my house than the 3GS.
Previously the phone (3GS) had to be on the window ledge to get any service and that was marginal, at best. In the event that it actually rang I had to go outside to the back gate to have a conversation.
The iPhone 4 works throughout our house and so far (2 days) does not drop out.
Moreover in Tuakau the 4 gets 3G service where the 3GS does not.
Despite several tries I can’t get the number of signal blobs to change by covering the ‘black lines’ even with moist fingers. For me this seems to be a non issue.
(kiwibob has made 1 comment)