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Apple to hold iPhone 4 press conference this Friday

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Z

Zinga

Banned
This conference only shows how arrogant Apple are, handing out a band aid solution like this is disgraceful for a company that prides itself on charging a premium for 'quality' and 'it just works' but what is usually a technically inferior product.
 
S

SnakeswithLasers

Member
Haven't been keeping up--are our warranties extended or still the same 30 days from initial purchase?

I originally waited to send it back to see what Apple's response would be, and I won't receive my bumper until sometime next week or even the week after, so I'm not sure if that is going to be enough at this point.

(I dislike cases in general, so I'm not sure I want to use one, or if I'll just stick with my 3G until they have a new phone release or somebody else manages to match the iPhone for features.)
 
D

D4Danger

Unconfirmed Member
SnakeswithLasers said:
Haven't been keeping up--are our warranties extended or still the same 30 days from initial purchase?

I originally waited to send it back to see what Apple's response would be, and I won't receive my bumper until sometime next week or even the week after, so I'm not sure if that is going to be enough at this point.

(I dislike cases in general, so I'm not sure I want to use one, or if I'll just stick with my 3G until they have a new phone release or somebody else manages to match the iPhone for features.)
Click to expand...

it's still 30 days
 
hyp

hyp

Member
the 3GS is actually a great alternative for those who want to stick it out with the iphone. i would've probably kept mine and not have upgraded to the 4 if the resale value wasnt so high (i got $300 on ebay for my 1-year used 3GS)
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
You're not paying $30 to Belkin, Griffin, etc. so...?
Click to expand...
At retail they charge $30. Now that I think about it Best Buy should cry. Anyway what do I care.. I'm not complaining. Free case.
 
S

Sullichin

Member
Zinga said:
This conference only shows how arrogant Apple are, handing out a band aid solution like this is disgraceful for a company that prides itself on charging a premium for 'quality' and 'it just works' but what is usually a technically inferior product.
Click to expand...

What did you want them to do? Engineer and release a new design and instantly have it available for customers to exchange?

Do you own an iPhone 4? Do you have this problem? Not everyone who has one experiences this problem in daily use (I know I don't). I'm happy to be getting something for free, but I don't even know if I'll use my bumper. I've been using my phone quite happily without one.

I really don't know what some people were expecting from this conference...
 
J

Jamesfrom818

Banned
BocoDragon said:
At retail they charge $30. Now that I think about it Best Buy should cry. Anyway what do I care.. I'm not complaining. Free case.
Click to expand...

I didn't even think of that. Other retailers won't like losing case sales because Apple fucked up.
 
G

Gary Whitta

Member
Jamesfrom818 said:
I didn't even think of that. Other retailers won't like losing case sales because Apple fucked up.
Click to expand...
More room for Wii shovelware and Geek Squad displays offering in-home installation of my copy of Gears of War 2 for only $50.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Jamesfrom818 said:
I didn't even think of that. Other retailers won't like losing case sales because Apple fucked up.
Click to expand...
Some retailers have more iPod/iPhone case shelf space than they do for blu-rays.... they are pure profit.
 
T

Tobor

Member
I know you dont need a case, but you definitely want one of these new Monster brand iPhone sync cables with gold connectors, they're only $99.99!
 
B

Blackhead

Redarse
Ice Monkey said:
This is a company. You can't have expected them to say while the iphone is selling like hotcakes "yeah maybe all those internet rumors are true, better not buy our phone....we'll know more after we run our own tests and get back to you in a couple of weeks". They have a 30 day return policy that's still in effect so it's not like they bait and switched anyone.

Fact is every smartphone does exhibit the death grip problem, and they DO point out the iphone 4 antenna strip is the weak spot. Stop acting like they are evil people for not poking at the strip on stage laughing at themselves "LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF ENGINEERS ARE GETTING FIRED LOLOL!" What company in their right mind would ever do something like that?

They are an effing company and they've done more with this press conference than motorola or HTC would ever do. The thing is, if HTC or someone had a problem like this, they are more faceless so everyone would have just expected them to keep quiet, or have some quick press release email months later mentioning they fixed the problem and are shipping the fixed units. Either that or they would have written it off as a failure and just released a new handset a month later like they already do. It'll be another year until Apple has a new phone to offer.
Click to expand...
iPhone 4 antenna: unanswered questions, unearned trust
John Siracusa said:
If I were at the Apple press conference today and was called upon during the Q&A session, this is the question I would have asked:

"You've shown some demonstrations of other phones experiencing signal loss when they're held or touched in certain ways. All cell phones have this problem, you claim. But there's a difference between the iPhone 4 and these other phones. The iPhone 4 has an antenna that the user can actually touch. The other phones have, at the very least, some thin piece of plastic or other non-conductive material between the user's hand and the actual antenna. My question is, by choosing an external antenna design, has Apple made the iPhone 4 more susceptible to signal loss due to contact with the user's hand than other phones with internal antennas?"

Here's what I suspect Apple's answer would have been (paraphrasing):

"The external antenna gives the iPhone 4 better reception than earlier iPhones that had internal antennas, as well as many non-Apple phones with internal antennas. Overall, the iPhone 4 gets better reception than its predecessor iPhones."

If I were allowed a follow-up question, I would have pointed out that Apple didn't answer my original question:

"I'm not asking about the overall performance of the iPhone 4's signal reception. I'm asking about one specific design choice and once specific aspect of the Phone 4's radio performance. Again, my question was, by choosing an external antenna design, has Apple made the iPhone 4 more susceptible to signal loss due to contact with the user's hand than other phones with internal antennas?"

If Apple didn't just reiterate its first (non)answer (which is what I suspect it would have done), it might have tried something along the lines of pointing out that an external antenna is not very different than an internal antenna that's just below the surface of a thin cell phone. Apple might have again cited the videos showing signal loss due to touches, grips, etc., on other phones.

Were I allowed one more follow-up, I would have pointed out that Apple's proposed solution, its bumper case, provides just a thin layer of rubber and plastic between the antenna and the user's hand. If that actually mitigates the problem, as Apple claims, then it's clear that even a thin layer between the user's hand and the antenna can make a big difference.

But I doubt I'd get that second follow-up, and I'm sure Apple would just reiterate a few of its talking points and move on to the next question.

Thus ends my pretend Apple press conference.

I would really like these questions to have been asked—not to play "gotcha" or make Apple look bad, but to keep it honest. Maybe Apple's answer would have been that it doesn't believe the iPhone 4 is more susceptible to this problem due to its external antenna. Fine, let it go on the record with this answer.

My hunch is that the iPhone 4 is more susceptible to signal loss from hand touches due to its external antenna. I also believe it does get better overall reception than earlier iPhones. What bothers me is that Apple, living up to the worst stereotypes of large corporations, hammers on the latter while never addressing the former. Maybe it has something to do with liability in all the class-action lawsuits, maybe it's just "how things are done," I don't know. But it's a shame.

Steve Jobs said the following at the press conference:

"Apple's been around for 34 years. Haven't we earned the credibility and trust from some of the press to give us a little bit of the benefit of the doubt, of our motivations, the fact that we're confident and will solve these problems? I think we have that trust from our users, but I didn't see that in the press. This thing was blown so far out of proportion. But I'm not going to say we're not at fault. We didn't educate enough."​

Apple would have earned a lot more trust if it'd been more forthcoming about what I consider to be the obvious questions about the iPhone 4's use of an external antenna. Apple did point out the "easy target" created by the black line between antennas, but didn't go a step further and talk frankly about any possible trade-offs of the antenna design itself. "We didn't educate enough" is not much of an admission of fault. Dave Nanian summarizes:

"So, in sum: there is no problem, all phones have this no problem, a case fixes this no problem, free case to fix your no problem. Got it!"​

This is a small example of how and why Apple has failed to completely earn the "benefit of the doubt" Steve Jobs wants for his company.
Click to expand...
 
G

Gary Whitta

Member
Tobor said:
I know you dont need a case, but you definitely want one of these new Monster brand iPhone sync cables with gold connectors, they're only $99.99!
Click to expand...
Fuck yeah, I don't want signal degradation and my movies and music looking shitty on my phone because I bought an inferior cable.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
They wouldn't be buying them from retail stores so...?
Click to expand...
What's hard to understand about this? :lol Some businesses are going to lose money on this.
 
M

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
Stats displayed confirm what I saw around me: the drop call issue is almost a non factor.
The reason why this has become mainstream has a lot to do with competition/technology religion war/media looking for hits.

iPhone 4 is a beast, best device I have ever owned.

Please quote my avatar as much as you like, I'm a happy customer.
 
J

Jamesfrom818

Banned
marc^o^ said:
Stats displayed confirm what I saw around me: the drop call issue is almost a non factor.
The reason why this has become mainstream has a lot to do with competition/technology religion war/media looking for hits.

iPhone 4 is a beast, best device I have ever owned.

Please quote my avatar as much as you like, I'm a happy customer.
Click to expand...

Stats presented at Apple press conference are pro-Apple. News at 11.
 
G

Gary Whitta

Member
marc^o^ said:
Stats displayed confirm what I saw around me: the drop call issue is almost a non factor.
The reason why this has become mainstream has a lot to do with competition/technology religion war/media looking for hits.

iPhone 4 is a beast, best device I have ever owned.

Please quote my avatar as much as you like, I'm a happy customer.
Click to expand...
This. Fuck, maybe I should get a crazy-eyed Apple avatar too!
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
Ice Monkey said:
Fact is every smartphone does exhibit the death grip problem...
Click to expand...
then explain why putting duct tape around the edge of every other smart phone (earlier iPhone's included) doesn't magically make their reception increase?

apple realised this was an issue, which is why they're giving out the bumpers, and why you'll see a revision that fixes this supposedly impossible to fix phenomena (which is fixed by a rubber band! IMPOSSIBLE!)
 
E

evil ways

Member
marc^o^ said:
Stats displayed confirm what I saw around me: the drop call issue is almost a non factor.
The reason why this has become mainstream has a lot to do with competition/technology religion war/media looking for hits.

iPhone 4 is a beast, best device I have ever owned.

Please quote my avatar as much as you like, I'm a happy customer.
Click to expand...

steve-jobs-3g-iphone.jpg


"Yeah baby, oooh, don't forget the balls"
 
G

Gary Whitta

Member
It is weird when you think about it that the majority of people bitching about this in this thread and others like it are not iPhone owners, just people who enjoy hating Apple. At least the fanboys on the Apple side are invested in something, they buy and use the products. Bitching about a product you don't even own (and probably never will because of your high-tech holy war beliefs) is just hate for hate's sake. What a waste of energy.
 
N

neojubei

Will drop pants for Sony.
Dreams-Visions said:
unlearned question: for those who bought their iPhone from AT&T, do we have to go through AT&T to get a bumper, or can we mosy on into an Apple Store?
Click to expand...


I think just at Apple stores. Do they have bumpers at AT&T stores?
 
S

speedpop

Has problems recognising girls
marc^o^ said:
Do you experience terrible issues with your iPhone 4 or are you part of the circus?
Click to expand...
This is seriously what people need to ask themselves. I'm not a huge phone owning person but I've been keeping tabs on the iPhone 4 since my partner is planning on getting one, yet it seems that the real issue of dropped calls or whatever is so miniscule compared to the painted canvas that so many people are rampaging about.
 
D

Dartastic

Member
I'm really interested to see what other cases we can get through this case program that Apple is doing. Anyone have any ideas of what is going to be offered?
 
D

D4Danger

Unconfirmed Member
Gary Whitta said:
It is weird when you think about it that the majority of people bitching about this in this thread and others like it are not iPhone owners, just people who enjoy hating Apple. At least the fanboys on the Apple side are invested in something, they buy and use the products. Bitching about a product you don't even own (and probably never will because of your high-tech holy war beliefs) is just hate for hate's sake. What a waste of energy.
Click to expand...

you know, people are allowed to talk about Apple (the biggest tech company in the world) if they want. Just because it's not all unicorns and rainbows doesn't mean they're haters.
 
G

Gary Whitta

Member
D4Danger said:
you know, people are allowed to talk about Apple (the biggest tech company in the world) if they want. Just because it's not all unicorns and rainbows doesn't mean they're haters.
Click to expand...
Of course but when it comes to Apple the level of vitriol is often way above the norm. It speaks to a level of passion that seems out of kilter with being simply an impartial observer.
 
S

spwolf

Member
Gary Whitta said:
Of course but when it comes to Apple the level of vitriol is often way above the norm. It speaks to a level of passion that seems out of kilter with being simply an impartial observer.
Click to expand...

not at all... but sometimes shit becomes ridicilous
 
I

Ice Monkey

Member
Charred Greyface said:
iPhone 4 antenna: unanswered questions, unearned trust
Click to expand...

interesting points, but my response, and i hate to say this, is that apple's response to that would not have served to do anything but to sell newspapers. You can bet if they answered that straight on, it would be used front, back and sideways to poke more fun at apple.

It goes with what I previously said, they HAVE pointed out that the line between the antenna bands causes signal loss. It's on their website now, and they pointed it out in the presentation. That's all we can expect them to do. You can't expect them to answer a gotcha question like "heyyyy....even though the 4 gets better reception than the 3GS, ISNT THE ANTENNA DESIGN WORSE?!?" which would translate into a news headline of "Apple admits iphone 4 is worse than the 3GS! Details inside!" when this wouldn't be true in the slightest.

I'll reiterate, no good company policy would be to ridicule themselves. No company would just blatantly say their older product was a safer design. They'd get eaten alive more than they already are.

The whole death grip thing is common with all phones. That's why they even brought it up. The whole exposed antenna bridge thing is unique to the iphone 4. They aren't going to point it out and ridicule themselves. They aren't going to just start being emotional and say "sorry...please forgive us". They are saying sorry the way any other company would have, with something free to people who want the phone but have to do something about their problems. They even let you give up the phone with no cost. They are a company. Every other company would have done the same or less, or they wouldn't have done anything at all. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

The minority of educated people in the marketplace are the only people who would react positively to answers/statements like that, all the uneducated would be like "WHAT? the iphone 4 is worse than the 3GS? Gimme an EVO then!" The free bumper and the return policy are the gifts given to appease the informed minority.

I'm not trying to pass this off as the proven truth, it's just the way I see it. IMHO and such.

I think we all need to realize that Apple is and has always been a company just like microsoft. I've disliked microsoft for years but still choose to use windows because it fits my needs the best. Same as I keep using iPhones because I like their positives more than their negatives. I don't like Apple for probably more reasons than microsoft (FIX YOUR DAMN APPLE STORES AUGHHHHH! GIMME A CAMERA CONNECTION KIT PLEASE!)

I'm surprised more people can't be calmer about this and be realistic. The iphone 4 has a problem, we all know it, apple admits it, just be an informed consumer and make a decision based on the positives and negatives! Of course Apple is going to try and spin it in a positive light, you expect them to get up on stage and be negative? "We made a piece of shit, just return your phones and let us die a slow death"
 
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