Installed a zagg complete coverage last night, I'll make a review thread later but just wanted to add it covers the gap and I can still reproduce the dropped bars... A case is the only way to prevent it...
LoL, it's all good seeing as I use a case and the Zagg shield is nice! But pretty lame apple couldn't release a phone that doesn't require a case to operate fully...
That's pretty much it. But it's not like other companies don't do the same. RIM took its Apple blasting opportunity to both claim "world leader" status in antenna design and fail to deny that their phones have similar attenuation issues. Jobs' ultimate point though was that all phones experience these issues to one degree or another.
Apple missed a great opportunity to show some humility and to strengthen its customer base. The company really is on a slippery slope right now in terms of its reputation. These things have a tendency to snowball, and lately, I've been hearing about the iPad as well. After spending more time with the iPad, I've started hearing comments from Apple fans and otherwise that are beginning to question the iPad's utility. To be honest, I use my iPad to surf the Web on my couch or play a few games in general, but I would hardly say that it's replaced my laptop. And, even with the iPads that have sold over the past few weeks, you have to look at the long-term viability of it all if the iPad and the rest of Apple's product line doesn't evolve. Apple products have always been known as innovative, but you do have start questioning what's actually so innovative about it all. In the scheme of things, the iPhone hasn't changed much. Yeah, you can talk about videoconferencing and the retinal high res, but that's all marketing. I found it a bit ironic that Jobs said the antenna problem was overhyped. If anyone knows anything about that and used it to his advantage, it's him. What Apple has done is repackage and re-marketed many of its innovations, but as I've said before, the company has the potential to go down the wrong path just as you're seeing with Microsoft. And being arrogant or dismissive of customer complaints regardless of what percentage they account for is both risky and ill advised. I hope Apple has some new ideas coming up because the iPhone line will eventually run its course and it's going to need that customer loyalty.
The iPad was never designed to replace a laptop though. It was designed to be a kind of bridge between desktops and laptops. I'll agree that its utility in that regard is somewhat limited, and it isn't like tablet PCs are in any way a new idea, but the combination of the iPad connected to the App Store and iTMS is really what it's all about. If you took the iPad and put it in the old school PDA space -- fragmented market with online stores all over the place for music and apps -- it would be a big flop. The innovation was not the iPad -- or even so much the iPhone or iPod Touch. It was the ecosystem. The iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch are all great devices with easy, intuitive UIs and great design philosophies, but without the ecosystem they wouldn't be nearly as innovative. That said, the ecosystem is now becoming commonplace. Apple's App Store model is being copied by pretty much all of the major players -- though as yet none of them are nearly as robust. In time though the market shift that Apple started will level off and Apple will have to find other places to innovate, as their advantage will slip away as the competition manages to get to where Apple is today in terms of design and ecosystem. But it's impossible to say where Apple will go from here. They have a history of managing to leap forward in design, be it software or hardware, so only time will tell where they can take their current devices that will maintain the lead they have right now. You are right though that Apple is in a precarious place right now in that their position in the market can still go either way if they're not careful. Problems like this can cost them momentum they can't afford to lose. They've got some damn good momentum right now, but issues like the antenna, and how Apple is handling the issue, can be a big speed bump, and momentum can take twice as long to regain as lose. That sort of loss is something the competition will take complete advantage of whenever possible, and Apple's a big target right now. We'll see how it goes.
Valid points Mindfield. The issue will come down to how Apple manages itself. It's easy to stay on top of things well, when you're on top. But, a company's true colors shows when things aren't going well. Ever since iTunes took off, I would say that Apple sort of fell into that success in many ways. Even today, it hasn't handled developer relations very well, and the hacking incident a few weeks ago related to the ebooks rankings, while small, shows that the kinks are still being worked out. Not that I want to bash Apple, but its corporate arrogance has been all too apparent lately. It's probably a good idea for the company to remember where it was just five years ago and adjust the attitude a bit.
I can see why their arrogant though. I can't tell you how many "apple fanboys" stick up for them time and time again. Why do they care about anyone else when their main customer base allows them to be trampled on and they love it! I can't tell you how many of these apple fanboys still claim the iPhone 4 as the best device ever and that the antenna issue isn't a big deal. They repeat jobs verbatim, "all phones do that" "but look at the display" mine works good enough" etc. I'm guilty to an extent because I own an iPhone 4 and probably won't return it as I'm in a bit of a pickle and almost trapped to say the least. But I at least have brains enough to admit the iPhone 4 out of the box DOES NOT WORK as intended and I will never stick up for apple because of some blind loyalty like some people around here.... Using a case yes it's a great phone. BUT apples selling points are in form and function and sadly with this phone you cannot have both. I'm just so disgusted that jobs would point fingers at every other phone manufacturer before admitting a mistake. Working in cell phones for 6+ years now I can honestly say I have only experienced 2-3 devices that had similar issues and I'm talking a few years back now. Before everyone claims the whole WTF are you talking about all phones do this, yes all phones do have SOME signal degradation when being held, but the iPhone 4 loses signal completely. And those that say that theirs don't, at this point I don't believe it. I have tested 5 ip4's and every single one has done the exact same thing regardless of who's holding it. I almost think the people saying their phone is fine are too embarrassed to admit their precious phones are broken without a case. Well I'm manning up and admitting I spent $300 on a defective product. And I'm part of the problem that contributes to the arrogance that apple has. Q: I can't get my Bold to drop right now, maybe you can show me how to do it? Steve: You may not see it in certain areas.
Jobs explained why you cant see it there. They have AT&T, Verizon towers on campus so its not possible to loose signal with death grip even on the iPhone 4 there. Anyways, I think this is blown too out of proportion too. I havent got the chance to use an iPhone 4, but lets assume the antenna issue is as bad as its reported. So what? They've been pumping out great products year after year and one defect and Apple is crap now?
John Gruber: Do any of you use the cases? I don't. Steve: Well I don't. And I get better reception, I hold it like this [death grip] and never see problems. This made me so freaking pissed off, really steve?! Really?! How about I make a phone call with you holding it like that and see how long that call lasts, assuming it even goes through you freaking douche bag!!!!!!!
^^^ Jason snell asked why he reproduce the death grip for iPhone 4 there http://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/16/verizon-cell-towers-on-apples-campus-likely-mean-little/
I live 3 streets away from a 3G cell tower and have perfect signal with a case on. Case off Zero service bars... The phone is broke. And my point was I have used a bold 9000 and 9700 and neither lose signal completely like the ip4 does. Jobs is just trying to pass blame...
Well, I'd rather have an iPhone 4 in a case than some other mobile without a case. Its still the best phone acc to you yourself. It has a signal issue, which solves with a case. So why is there any problem anymore?
I agree, and I have said using a case makes it a great phone, but for apple to deny any mistake and give out cases because of what they call unwarranted complaints is what makes me so upset. If they would have came out and said "yes iPhone 4 doesn't work properly without a case so we will rectify the problem and give free cases from here on out" but instead they made it into "This is an industry wide problem but since some of you are whining so much here's a stupid case now STFU or return your phone." any other company would either issue a recall or stop production and release an updated model or abandon said model altogether. Just like nokia did with the e71x.
