Consumer Reports: Apple’s free Bumper case does not earn iPhone 4 our recommendation

Mac Daily News ^ | Friday, July 16, 2010 - 07:09 PM EDT<

[stripes1776]

The people who have a problem with the iPhone 4 are people who don’t own one.

Bingo!

[RachelFaith]

Oh Boy, we ARE going to do some fuzzy math.

Wait.. we don’t HAVE a baseline!!

Oh No....

Now what? I mean if it’s 1 outa 10 calls then it’s nearly zero and if it’s 1 in 10,000 its HORRIDLY HIGH.

When I had my old Blackberry, it seemed like it was one out of every three calls....

Hmmm, what to do now...

[stripes1776]

But it's still... more. For every 100 calls, the iPhone 4 is dropping less than 1 more call than the 3Gs. So, to make things easy to count, lets say it's exactly one more call. If the 3Gs drops 3 calls every 100 calls, the iPhone 4 is dropping 4 calls. That would be 3% compared to 4%. An increase, but not a huge increase. But it could be 10% compared to 11%. Use whatever figure you like. But anyway you slice it, it's not much of an increase.

What happens when people have cases and bumpers for the i4? Will the rate go down? We'll have to wait and see. But as the guy in the song said, if you don't want an iPhone 4, don't buy it. If you bought one and don't like it, take it back.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Apparently you’re not interested in an adult discussion?

[RachelFaith]

Apparently you’re not interested in an adult discussion?

Now why would you go off and say something mean like that?

I haven't call you a lair, or implied that Satan owns your soul or nothin!!

I've been very serious and asked questions and explored the options...

But, like you said, there is NO BASELINE...

"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2wFaaPAzI"

so, that's just it...

WE DON'T KNOW !!

Maybe something bad, maybe something good...

I guess we'll never know...

[RachelFaith]

But, what if they bought a Droid Incredible ????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaDE941PzQk

[RachelFaith]

Something was wrong with my first link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2wFaaPAzI

[Swordmaker]

Basically, what is the actual rate of drops? That’s never been given, only an acknowledgment that the iPhone 4 drops more calls than the previous iPhone model.

Gizmodo reported last year that AT&T was dropping 30% in New York City, That was as a network, not just for iPhone 3Gs. I can't find anything more specific.

[RachelFaith]

30% !!

WOW...

So my 1 outa 3 for my old Nextel was right on the money.

And 1 outa 3.... would be on the WAY WAY low end...

Hey Pug...

YOU LOSE AGAIN !!

I think he was really hoping to see some 1 in 10,000 numbers so he could have his 300% math.

Now he’s gonna need a beer or somethin’ to get over this one...

[RachelFaith]

Now where did he go....??

Just like that? POOF?

Not a very reliable troll if you ask me!!

Humph!!

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Rachel,

You’ve called me liar so many times I’ve lost count. Satan and diabolical are relatively new. So when you want to grow up let me know...

[RachelFaith]

No, I think I will have fun with you for a while now.

I used to take you seriously.

But, since you will just change whatever you posted from one day to the next, why bother with digging your old posts? You just claim you didn’t say what it says you said.

So, my turn.

I did not even type this.

How’s them Apples?

LOL

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Thanks Swordmaker. So we don’t know how many were AT&T, and how many were the phone. There are basically three general cases:

If they were predominantly the network (AT&T), then the 3GS was doing pretty good, meaning the increase in drops from the iPhone 4 is significant (going from 1 per 100 to 2 per 100, still small but a doubling in the number of dropped connections, NOT an improvement from a magical antenna).

If they were equally the fault of the phone and AT&T, then you get about 15 drops per 100 from the 3GS unit, and about 16 per 100 for the iPhone 4. Both are quite bad numbers, but the iPhone 4 is only 7-8% worse than the 3GS.

If it was predominantly the phone, then the iPhone 4 is about the same, but both are incredibly bad, with about 30 per 100 calls dropped.

I don’t think your stats show the “gotcha” that Rachel thinks it does...;)

[PugetSoundSoldier]

See your post 69 - you’ve proven you don’t understand basic numbers. I can help you if you’re not mentally restricted, but you’d have to want to actually LEARN a little something about logic.

But then again, you’re a lawyer, you have no need for logic!

Oh, and them Apples would be interesting if you could actually make a phone call with them...;)

[RachelFaith]

My post 69 was INTENTIONALLY FUNNY.

1/2 of 1% isn’t worth the energy to debate.

You said RECALL.

You said FATAL.

YOU LOSE.

Anything else is for the sport, sport!

Only liberals have no sense of humor.

It’s funny to watch you spin and twist and I admit for the last week, I took you seriously. And when this antennagate began, I even posted you MIGHT be right.

Then of course, reality set back in and I saw you not only go way over reaching but fall flat on your ass and I just had to laugh as you got up and pretended it didn’t happen that way.

So now... now whatever you post... I am going to mock and not even bother discussing. Cause it won’t matter. Win lose or draw, you will just SAY you won.

Ha Ha Ha Ha

“G’nite, See ya in another thread brotha”

[PugetSoundSoldier]

I’m sorry, was this a contest? Is that your idea, just games?

Rachel, you haven’t shown anything close to logic or reason, just anger and hatred and rage. Amazing, actually!

[NVDave]

Here’s some data that gives you a fuller picture:

http://www.changewave.com/assets/alliance/reports/cell_service_20100427/cell_service_20100427.pdf

Executive summary: AT&T would be dead without the iPhone in terms of customer satisfaction, and dropped call rates are a big piece of that dissatisfaction.

If Apple had an iPhone on Verizon, you’d see a bunch of people jump ship from AT&T. Heck, if the iPhone were available on Verizon’s network, I’d buy one tomorrow. Because the iPhone is limited to AT&T, I won’t buy an iPhone.

And mind you — I could get a subsidy to get into an iPhone in the next six months by just staying where I am: on an Alltel network area that has been acquired by AT&T. Instead, our household has had such crappy experience with AT&T Wireless in the past that we’re jumping ship to Verizon and (most likely) Droid phones.

[Swordmaker]

So again - no answer? How much worse is the call drop rate of the iPhone 4 versus the 3GS? We know it’s worse (that is not in dispute), but how much worse?

It's less than one additional dropped call in every 100... For me, my 3Gs maybe dropped one or two calls in every hundred calls. . . Usually when going through a cell tower change in rush hour. I do know that I am getting better reception from my 4 than I did with the original, the 3, or the 3Gs I had before it.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Thanks for the data!

I hear you on Verizon, too... I use them, and I cannot remember the last time I had a dropped call - we’re talking months here, and I’m not a light user (2100 minutes a month, and usually push that limit).

I know every year at CES and NAMM and AES the guys with iPhones are always complaining about dead connections, dropped calls, no data bandwidth, and I’m just humming along with my Verizon HTC phone. Even open up my built-in WIFI router so they can at least use Skype to make VOIP calls out...;)

[PugetSoundSoldier]

So, if it was less than 1 per 100, then with an iPhone 4 - per Steve Jobs - it would now be less than 2 per 100. About twice as often. Still a small number, but for a magical antenna configuration, doubling the number of dropped calls doesn’t seem all that special...;)