Posted on 07/14/2010 8:09:18 PM PDT by Swordmaker
The iPhone 4 is suffering from a minor technical problem that's been completely blown out of proportion by the media.
I’m beginning to think that Antennagate -- the so-called scandal over the Apple (AAPL) iPhone 4’s reception issues -- has become the most ridiculous tech story of the year.
Let’s recap the problem.
A small number of people reported iPhone 4 reception problems related to how they held the phone. I say a "small number" because there's still absolutely zero evidence of a high return rate or widespread customer dissatisfaction.
Then, a whole bunch of media types started trying to recreate the problem themselves by holding their phones every which way, trying to get the signal to drop.
So while these techno-hypochondriacs didn’t actually suffer from or notice this problem, they were determined to do so once they saw the opportunity to jump all over Apple.
Let’s look at the conclusions from some major publications’ pre-Antennagate iPhone 4 reviews (emphasis mine):
Engadget:
“We're not going to beat around the bush -- in our approximation, the iPhone 4 is the best smartphone on the market right now. The combination of gorgeous new hardware, that amazing display, upgraded cameras, and major improvements to the operating system make this an extremely formidable package.”
CNET:
“With the iPhone 4, Apple again shows that it is a powerful player in the smartphone wars. It won't be for everyone, the call quality and reception remain sticking points, and AT&T (T) remains a sticking point, but the handset's striking design, loaded feature set, and satisfying performance make it the best iPhone yet.”
Wall Street Journal:
“Just as with its predecessors, I can't recommend this new iPhone for voice calling for people who experience poor AT&T reception, unless they are willing to carry a second phone on a network that works better for them.
For everyone else, however, I'd say that Apple has built a beautiful smartphone that works well, adds impressive new features and is still, overall, the best device in its class.”
But since Antennagate hit, everybody and their mother has some type of issue with the iPhone 4. Again, nobody knew they had problems with the iPhone 4 until they went looking for them.
In fact, the highly respected Consumer Reports delivered a magnificent troll job this week when it said it “couldn’t recommend the iPhone 4.”
Here’s its explanation:
We reached this conclusion after testing all three of our iPhone 4s (purchased at three separate retailers in the New York area) in the controlled environment of CU's radio frequency (RF) isolation chamber. In this room, which is impervious to outside radio signals, our test engineers connected the phones to our base-station emulator, a device that simulates carrier cell towers. We also tested several other AT&T phones the same way, including the iPhone 3GS and the Palm (PALM) Pre. None of those phones had the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4.
I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, but who cares about how well the iPhone 4 performs in an isolation chamber? I don’t make phone calls from my isolation chamber. No, I only use my isolation chamber to breathe in pure oxygen and protect myself from germs.
But wait, there’s more.
When Consumer Reports first looked at the iPhone 4, it said “some reviewers have reported problems with reduced reception when the iPhone 4 is being held in the left hand. So far, we’ve been unable to replicate the problems.”
Unable to replicate the problems. Unable to replicate the problems. Unable to replicate the problems. Get it?
I’d like to know: How in the blue hell does Consumer Reports place admittedly “anecdotal indications” from an isolation chamber above what it found in normal use?
Not to be a mere critic, I’ve performed my own real-world tests on the iPhone 4. I can’t find anyone who regrets getting the new iPhone. And all the Apple Store employees I’ve spoken with said they’re not seeing many returns or complaints.
What else?
Well, let’s look at exhibit A, a screenshot from Apple’s online store:
Three weeks to ship? Well, somebody is buying this phone.
Seven to 14 days? Not bad.
So Apple’s in bit of a pickle. It has a product that 1) was a media darling at release, and 2) is selling like crazy right now, but 3) is getting destroyed in the media over a technical problem that clearly doesn’t affect many people in real-world use.
If the iPhone 4 is so bad, why aren’t people lining up to return them? After all, every iPhone 4 in existence is still in the 30-day return window. And why is it back-ordered? Do people just want to be screwed?
Yes, Apple could behave better. It's censoring message boards discussing the reception issue, and Steve Jobs has appeared cold and callous, clearly underestimating how big the media storm could get.
But should Apple institute a recall, as some experts believe will happen?
Absolutely not, because the antenna problem isn’t common in regular use. All iPhones have had reception issues because of the strain on AT&T’s wireless network, so why go crazy now?
To make nice, Apple should offer free bumpers to anyone who wants them, extend its return policy to 60 or 90 days for those who want to give iPhone 4 an extended test run, and offer an “I’m sorry that you’re upset” apology.
That’s it.
This isn’t a Toyota-type issue, where people have actually died, nor is it nearly as serious as Microsoft’s Red-Ring-of-Death Xbox 360 fiasco.
The iPhone 4 isn’t perfect, but as I explained in 50,000,000 iPhone Fans Can't All Be Wrong, Apple has a long history of making imperfect (in the eyes of critics) products that sell like crazy and redefine how we work and play.
Let’s get real.
The iPhone 4 is suffering from a minor technical problem that’s been completely blown out of proportion by the media, who knows that negative Apple stories go over big.
Yes.
It’s not a “scandal”; it’s a defective product.
Cell phone makers should be striving to improve performance, not hide defects.
The test you describe sounds like it is precisely a test of the phone's ability to receve signals. Omitted was any reference to testing the affect on the signal strength of touching the antenna. Did they not test this?
Yes, they tested what happened to the visible bar display with and without being touched. It did reduce bars with being held when the gap was bridged. But that testing did show reception, only display of bars. If you started with a phone that received better with a lower signal strength, it would continue to receive better no matter how many bars were displayed. CU's test equipment lacks the handshaking ability to make a connection so one can actually test for dropped calls caused by reception issues.
Okay. They demonstrated that touching the antenna causes a measurable loss of signal. If you’re in a marginal coverage area (ATT’s coverage is not consistently good everywhere) doesn’t that have the potential to cause dropped connections?
I personally think the drop calls issue is on AT&T’s end, because everyone in my family experiences this and my husband and I have other types of phones. My kids have iphones, and my son just upgraded from the original iphone to the 4. He’s had no antenna issues.
And the camera on the new iphone is amazing.
I keep seeing these threads. iPhone people. Anti-iPhone people. Arguments abound. Death wished upon all. Geesh, I’m tired of it. It’s like the Mac/Windows wars, squared.
I was in a place to choose recently. My wife and I both wanted iPhones. We had decided months in advance. Well, we live in the Great Wild West, and out here, AT & T sucks, to put it mildly. We wanted to stick with Verizon, so Droid was the choice. We had 7-year-old Kyocera phones, so no more waiting (like to next year and the promised iPhone for Verizon).
The problem with iPhone isn’t iPhone, it’s AT & T. It’s that simple. Almost all the complaints I see here are because the network is a POS. Duh. AT & T!
Oh, PS. My laptop is MacbookPro, and my wife’s next desktop is iMac. We like the Mac platform best.
Yes, there is a lite version you can try.
Tanks!
Potential, yes. Is it worse than it was with the iPhone 3Gs? No. In fact, I'm experiencing fewer dropped calls and can get reception where I had no reception before. Real world experience trumps laboratory tests and theoretical calculations anytime.
Only if you're the one having the experience.
That's my point. The vast majority of iPhone 4 owners ARE NOT experiencing this issue. And the ones who are crying the sky is falling do not use one.
OK. How many of them are experiencing this issue, and how would a prospective buyer determine the probability that they will be one of them?
"Vast majority" is a term you see a lot, and seems to start getting used at about 51%, so just give me the numbers, and I'll take it from there.
"Vast majority" is a term you see a lot, and seems to start getting used at about 51%, so just give me the numbers, and I'll take it from there.That's my point. The vast majority of iPhone 4 owners ARE NOT experiencing this issue. And the ones who are crying the sky is falling do not use one.
It's a "dog that didn't bark" issue. Any stories about people lining up to return iPhones?Any stories about iPhone4s languishing on shelves?
To the contrary, the stories are about "problems" meeting market demand for the iPhone4.
That's the wonderful thing about markets - they actually tell you things like that.
If you're willing to hear them, of course . . .
That's not a criticism of Apple. They can do their marketing and distribution however they see fit. But I think it is a fact that has to be taken into account when you try to evaluate the situation based on what's in the news.
The numbers are out.
Vast Majority now means 99.5%.
A little bit above that 51% benchmark.
I saw that’s the number of people they say called about it. Does that include the people who just returned them to the store, or reported it to the support forums?
All Cases. They even pointed out how total returns for ANY reason were 3 times LOWER than compared to the 3GS and previous versions.
So while it may be a factual issue, that holding a low wattage compact phone, ANY phone effects signal, it seems to be one blown WAY out of proportion for Apple.
And I think 2 factors weigh into this:
1st, There ARE people and other companies OUT to get Apple and saw a weakness and went “All In”.
2nd, I think people know that some plastic cheap EVO phone running droid is expected to fall apart in your hands and people know that they get what they pay for... and Apple is EXPECTED to be flawless, so when Apple shows a real weakness, no matter how slight or how few it effects, the fact that it effected ANY is judged by a different standard.
Like Steve said, Apple is NOT PERFECT, but they do actually TRY to get closer than anyone else does or can. And I think most of this was the result of basis Disappointment 101: Having to high of an unrealistic expectation.
Apple is still king of the hill, but the haters have proven, the king does slip if you hit him hard enough.
Some people really like them, and I expect them to spin it as being as positive as possible.
I expect there's lots of games to be played with statistics on things like return rates.
I don't expect either side to love me for saying so.
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