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| Thread ID: 110882 | 2010-07-05 12:02:00 | That iPhone problem | Billy T (70) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1116244 | 2010-07-05 12:02:00 | Seems that Apple doesn't really know much about cellphones at all. As I understand it (I'll be corrected if I'm wrong:D) this new phone uses a loop around the screen or case as an antenna. Now, every radio transmission & receiving expert worth shooting knows that to make an aerial directional you need to either have multiple elements, or use a loop, and since we'd all look pretty silly with an antenna clamped to our heads, phones in earlier times used simple vertical whip aerials. Then, as receiver sensitivity and cellsite numbers have increased, the antenna has shrunk and gone inside completely. Apple have tried to increase the size of the antenna (perhaps to get more signal to counter the RFI generated by all the other gizmos they have buzzing away inside their glitzy all-purpose ear decorations) but by using a loop they have introduced a strong directional characteristic and inadvertently made the antenna rather selective about what it can and can't pick up, hence the instructions to hold it in a particular orientation. I'll bet it is at an angle of 45 degrees to the vertical, or something equally awkward. There is no simple answer to this, and I smell the possibility of a re-engineering exercise and a 100% recall of all affected phones sold to date. That won't do their profits or their share value any favours at all. Cheers Billy 8-{) (An old radio communications man from wayback) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 1116245 | 2010-07-05 12:06:00 | and they say a software algorithim is partly to blame aswell | GameJunkie (72) | ||
| 1116246 | 2010-07-05 12:40:00 | There is no simple answer to this, and I smell the possibility of a re-engineering exercise and a 100% recall of all affected phones sold to date. Nah. Apple will just release the 4gs and everyone will upgrade when they realise their current 4g is obsolete. |
bob_doe_nz (92) | ||
| 1116247 | 2010-07-05 12:42:00 | Actually the metal bezel is separated into two antennae. The problem is caused by people bridging the two. arstechnica.com |
KarameaDave (15222) | ||
| 1116248 | 2010-07-05 12:50:00 | As for the software side of things, it's basicly just misreporting the signal strength, giving you the impression you have a better signal than what you do. I've seen one of these pulled apart, it really is amazing how small they've squeezed it down. The 'motherboard' (if you will) is about the size of a baind-aid, maybe slightly wider. I guess something had to give. Reminds me of the new season of futurama, episode three... the eyePhone... oops can't talk about that here ;) |
ubergeek85 (131) | ||
| 1116249 | 2010-07-05 21:39:00 | There's a new season of futurama? wicked! But I agree with bob doe. It is just a big scam. They put out expensive, crappy phones that they claim is "amazing". Then, a year later, they put out an "even better" version of that phone, that has all the previous problems fixed. Everyone then goes out and buys this newer, hideously expensive phone, and so Apple gets twice as much profit as they would have just putting out one, good phone. | jonathan (15437) | ||
| 1116250 | 2010-07-05 21:52:00 | There's a new season of futurama? wicked! But I agree with bob doe. It is just a big scam. They put out expensive, crappy phones that they claim is "amazing". Then, a year later, they put out an "even better" version of that phone, that has all the previous problems fixed. Everyone then goes out and buys this newer, hideously expensive phone, and so Apple gets twice as much profit as they would have just putting out one, good phone. Do you think it would make commercial sense to wait and wait and wait until the technology is perfect before they released a machine?? If every manufacturer did that we still wouldn't have cellphones, personal computers, cars, or television - you name it! The development process is an incremental one - a manufacturer releases once they have squeezed in as many features as they think users want using the technology available and that is 'affordable' (this can be subjective). Then time passes, technology changes/improves and makes the previous model less desirable, so the re-manufacturing process starts again. Don't be so naive (or is it that you're just anti-iPhone?) - how many iterations of Android, Linux, Windows etc have there been. It's called a life-cycle and happens to hardware AND software and just about anything else that is made by humans. |
johcar (6283) | ||
| 1116251 | 2010-07-05 22:14:00 | jonathan is only young johcar, he has not been around long enough to to experience the iterations that take place in technology. | Safari (3993) | ||
| 1116252 | 2010-07-05 22:27:00 | Cheers Safari - perhaps he should limit his comments to things he has some knowledge of (like Futurama?) then rather than re-posting rants from conspiracy theory blogs... | johcar (6283) | ||
| 1116253 | 2010-07-05 22:57:00 | Think about it like this: All phones have that issue, even my beloved Nexus One to a small degree. It's just the *worst* ever on the iPhone4 Apple have also previously been "masking" the extent of the Cellphones signal. To a certain degree everybody knew that. They also don't show Wireless networks that are less than 15% signal strength or something along those lines I believe? People knew that, and it was fine, because it meant you weren't trying to connect to a network you were going to be disconnected from all the time. Basically by making this a "software fix", they're potentially just going to be hand-balling everything off now to AT&T by saying "Hey look if you hold your phone the right way, you've got good enough reception to make a call. We suggest you call AT&T about improving the coverage in your area". It's one possibility. The fact the iPhone Bumper can lessen the extent of the signal strength loss, yet there's been reports of an internal memo that states that staff are under no circumstances to empathize with the customer and offer a free Bumper is sad. When laptops have an issue such as a faulty battery, they are recalled by the millions. Why should the iPhone4 be any different, in that the customer must either: 1) Suffer through the possibility of poor reception when holding it in their left hand (As I do regularly, operating it with my right fingers while on speakerphone / headset) 2) Spend another 15% of the purchase price and buy something to rectify a manufacturing fault End of the day, I'm glad I waited for the announcement then spent my money otherwise. Goodbye iPhone! Can't imagine the kind of damage this has done to Apples reputation with the general populace ... |
Chilling_Silence (9) | ||
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