New iPhone is here

[Gary]

Well after much fear looking at the forums yesterday my iPhone 4 is here, no orange marks on screen and signal seems to be fine on my unit, no dropping and oddities when holding  happy days, now off to play and set the rest up 

[Rik]

Bye.

[Simon]

Not that there's much to play with. 

[Rik]

Cynic

[Gary]

Not that there's much to play with. 

  Simon, its  gorgeous    lots of new features from the 3GS I'm happy and thats what counts, Justina will be bored senseless tonight by it though.

[Gary]

Not that there's much to play with. 

You can have operations to help that problem, Simon 

[Simon]

How many Ringtones have you got, Gary?  I've got about 50 on my HTC. 

[Simon]

Hold on I'm just arranging some Group Contacts.   Very handy, those. 

[Gary]

How many Ringtones have you got, Gary?  I've got about 50 on my HTC. 

I only use one ringtone style Simon I'm not and never have been into ringtones, but just setting up wireless 802n on my handset 

[Gary]

Just making a call its very noisy outside in the garden with the guys mowing today, oh my friend cant here them, just my voice it seems as I have a noise cancelling microphone  oh and i have linked it with my Macs bluetooth keyboard saves all that touch screen nonsense if i want to be lazy and the auto threaded discussions in email is great too

[Simon]

I've heard the screens go yellow if you take them outside. 

[Rik]

I go blue/grey.

[Simon]

Trust you to be different. 

[Rik]

It's the bloody medications. 

[Simon]

Bummer. 

[Glenn]

You'll have people thinking you are cold.

[Rik]

Dead, maybe.

[lozcart]

Five hour wait for me outside the Birmingham Apple Store, but now have my iPhone 4.

It's still in the box I will set it up this evening.

[Rik]

Another sleepless night.

[pctech]

Three of my colleagues were up at the Apple store at 7 this morning.

Saddos.

[Glenn]

What did they get Granny Smiths?

[Simon]

[zappaDPJ]

I'm a bit worried about the number of reports I'm reading today of people having reception problems. My daughter still has her heart set on getting one.

[Glenn]

[lozcart]

Set up my new phone with no problems. Screen seems fine and no reception problems if I touch the metal side.

One small annoyance is the phone does not fit into the new Apple dock I purchased if it has the bumper fitted. I don't want to take the bumper off each time I charge the phone.

[Steve]

Apparently a solution to the reception problems has been found



You wrap it round the metal bezel or buy one of the plastic iPhone 4 Bumpers @£25

[Simon]

So, you have to make an additional purchase to resolve a reception problem, that surely shouldn't be there in the first place?

[psp83]

Thats why I always wait a few months before buying new things.

Hopefully apple can fix this, they are saying its an iOS4 issue as it has happened on 3Gs aswell but I don't know what to believe.

[Steve]

What ever issues there are I'm certain it will be another huge success for Apple.

[pctech]

You'll probably have to pay another 500 quid for the fix and it'll be called iPhone 4.5 

[Gary]

No issue with reception on my handset, if there was it would have been straight back, no dodgy screen marks either, I think there are some bad handsets and some good ones, like any large launch its a matter of luck, for once I had lucky and I like the new phone a lot, no dropped calls, I spent a while trying what happens in the videos but I cannot duplicate it thankfully.

[Glenn]

Apparently a solution to the reception problems has been found



You wrap it round the metal bezel or buy one of the plastic iPhone 4 Bumpers @£25

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/apple-responds-over-iphone-4-reception-issues-youre-holding-th

[Steve]

They should I feel include the bumper as part of the package,its alright for Mr Jobs to say you holding it incorrectly but he may be equally guilty as the phone he was using at WWDC seemed to have similar connection issues.

[lozcart]

No issue with reception on my handset, if there was it would have been straight back, no dodgy screen marks either, I think there are some bad handsets and some good ones, like any large launch its a matter of luck, for once I had lucky and I like the new phone a lot, no dropped calls, I spent a while trying what happens in the videos but I cannot duplicate it thankfully.

I think most of the bad reception phones are in the US probably more to do with the service provider. Mine like Gary's is fine, I can't replicate the lost signal and the screen is superb.

My daughter is also happy with my old 3GS 

[Gary]

They should I feel include the bumper as part of the package,its alright for Mr Jobs to say you holding it incorrectly but he may be equally guilty as the phone he was using at WWDC seemed to have similar connection issues.

That was put down to wifi hotspot issues with over 500 running at the time, as Lozcart and myself say our phones are fine, I think its a case of first release blues, some people are having no issues others are, same in the UK, all I know is I can make calls with the left hand side of the phone cupped in my hand and have no wifi issues, as we both have said if our phones do not show the issues, and we would know if they did, then its a faulty batch out there, but not all are affected as the forums show. It would be nice is someone actually noted we don't have this problem and thought "oh must be some not all" rather than just acting like we did not actually post at all. It seems everyone wants to leap on the "its every phone" bandwagon, and if mine did have this issue it I would not be using the handset at this point, I live in an area of weak reception anyway, so please take note that two of your forum members phones are running just fine. 

[Tacitus]

......... signal seems to be fine on my unit, no dropping and oddities when holding....

Some interesting comments on the signal 'problem' from an aerial designer here.

By all accounts you can solve the problem by putting the phone in one of the many cases that are (or will be) available.  That said, I think Apple should provide a basic case, if signal strength really is a problem.  It certainly is round here as both O2 and Orange are poor.

[Steve]

A summary of connection issues is provided here whilst they admit it does not affect all users,their tests on data download were fairly conclusive.

Quote
UPDATE: We've been running a number of tests using the Speedtest.net application, and it's not good news. In the left hand, the EDGE network is constantly wheeled out by the iPhone 4, with one bar.
The speed increases about 5x in the right hand, not masking the left hand corner - but placed flat on a table the speed was much greater, flying along at around 500Kbps download speed, which is worrying.
We've contacted Apple for clarification on the matter, and we'll update you as soon as we get word – we weren't worried about call quality before, and that seems to be stable, but when it comes to data Apple needs to do something, and fast.



Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/rumoured-iphone-4-reception-issue-solved-698852#ixzz0rrHA65e8



Apple have admitted the issue http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2365658,00.asp but as the article concludes in the real world with a reasonable signal the phone will be fine.I don't think this will stop me from buying one as nothing is perfect and it maybe when my contract has expired that the iPhone ticks most of the boxes.

[pctech]

Not sure why they didn't mount the antenna at the top of the phone seeing as you are more likely to get line of sight to the mast there anyway.

[Simon]

It would be nice is someone actually noted we don't have this problem and thought "oh must be some not all" rather than just acting like we did not actually post at all. It seems everyone wants to leap on the "its every phone" bandwagon, and if mine did have this issue it I would not be using the handset at this point, I live in an area of weak reception anyway, so please take note that two of your forum members phones are running just fine.  

That's the nature of forums though, isn't it?  We've seen it plenty of times here.  People join and post when they have connection issues, but we never see most of them again once the issues are sorted.    

[Tacitus]

Not sure why they didn't mount the antenna at the top of the phone seeing as you are more likely to get line of sight to the mast there anyway.

I think it's something to do with FCC regulations that effectively mean the aerial has to be as far as possible from your head.  In practice that means it is generally at the bottom of the instrument. 

Apple's design is usually pretty good, but in any trade-off between form and function they always go for form, even when common sense says they should compromise.

[Technical Ben]

Um, the "id does not effect me" or "it's not every phone" comments are dire. If you read the actual tests and comments from the areal designer, it's obvious why it effects some not others.
Left handed people. Jobs is right handed. He has decided that Apple must be right handed, and he will punish everyone else. Including me. 

[Glenn]

It's also not only a iphone problem, other handsets suffer too, apparently.

[pctech]

I'm a lefty too so its a good job I'm not an iPhone fan.

[lozcart]

I'm left handed but I always hold my phone with my right hand, this way it leaves my left hand free for writing. Maybe that's why I've not experienced any signal drops. 

[pctech]

I think its a design flaw no matter what Steve Jobs says

[Steve]

I think his arrogance and telling people how to hold their mobile phone is not doing him or the company any favours.

[Simon]

[Glenn]

To me, he has gone from a CEO who made a public appearance once or twice a year, to an American version of Michael O'Leary.

[pctech]

Not the first time he's been that arrogant either

I have an iPod second generation and I do sometimes buy tracks I like via iTunes (as most of the labels I buy from are quite small and only sell via iTunes. Beatport and Trackitdown which is a little pricey) but I would never buy another Apple product, mainly because of him.

[Steve]

My armchair psychology suggests a former very able individual who  has become frustrated and is having difficulty in coping with his current state of health

[Tacitus]

Not the first time he's been that arrogant either

To elReg anything to do with Apple is always a 'cult'.  Anyone who buys an Apple product is a fanboi/cultist, or someone who drinks the KoolAid.  Apple products are always the 'Jobsian X' as in, 'It's part of a cult for worshippers.'

To the commenters, Apple products are always shiny overpriced tat.  They know its overpriced because they built one themselves for a third of the price using parts they got from that bloke down the pub.   The real killer is that MAC (I know) uses a toy operating system.....  

Part of the problem that seems to have happened in this case is that Apple is always pushing the limits of design.  As in any branch of engineering there are inevitably some trade offs.  In this case they seem to have got it wrong, or at least not thought it through sufficiently.

[Steve]

The article from Appleinsider is informative

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/06/25/death_grip_hysteria_may_end_monday_with_ios_4_01.html




Plus a quote from the Antenna tester who published an early appraisal of the iPhone 4 antenna

At the same time, Webb says he voted with his dollars to buy the new iPhone 4 anyway, adding, "sometimes an antenna that's not great, but good enough, is good enough."

[Glenn]

"And efficient transmission and reception while being held by a human hand are simply not design requirements!"

Surely that should be high on any mobile phone design requirements?

[pctech]

I read El Reg generally for the humourous way tech news is presented and as I support remote users I have to keep an eye on whats going on in the market.

My personal opinion of Apple and a fringe of Apple users has been mainly influenced by the sometimes rather strange exchanges I've had with them over the years.

Although the situation is changing slowly most of the software I support is Windows only and we generally advise that on the new Intel Macs it may run but does require Windows but it has not been tested.

Usually before I have got this out they are accusing the organisation of discrimination and one even tried to convince me that discrimination on the basis of computing was illegal under UK law, I replied that I do not recall that being covered and another asked how much Bill Gates was paying the organisation to practice Apple discrimination.


Do these sound like rational arguments to you?

My visit to the Apple shop where I was subjected to a 1 hour sales pitch dressed up as training conducted by a guy who had obviously had too much caffeine judging by the way he was bouncing round the room.

My request for information about possible errors and how to conduct appropriate OS diagnostics was met with the response 'we don't have any errors normally, its likely to be your software and if it isn't send them to their local Apple store' was not in the slightest bit helpful and projected a corporate arrogance that its clear comes from the top down.

Apple fans seem to forget that until 13 years ago Apple Computer was dying on its rear end and its only since they started to change the look of the case that sales have started to pick up and the platform has started to become more mainstream.

That's right, had it been left to the OS alone I doubt Apple would even exist now.

The worst thing is now that Apple seems quite happy to treat its own customers like cr*p.

I am happy to use whatever gets whatever job done and I don't doubt Bill Gates is a ruthless businessman but I've never heard him treat his customers (system manufacturers or end users) with as much contempt as Steve Jobs.

[Technical Ben]

AFAIK it's more that Apple will not let you multiplatform. Where as MS will. You can have Fire fox on windows/linux and OSX (if they make it). Windows go, "Flash? If you can make it, have it". Apple says "no flash!".

[Steve]

FF works fine on OS X and so does flash.

[Gary]

As a few people have said, the consumer demands smaller and more powerful devices and the trade off comes with form over function in the end, the intention and for me it works even with data, is that it bypassed the shrinking of the unit in a novel way, but something went wrong for some. I agree Jobs has become far to arrogant and his illness is not helping, I think its time for him to step down.

Apple make great products and design is always amazing, but if he is throttling his staff by his demands then that's an issue, as well as belittling his public, but he is a man that wanted to bring technology that was beautiful and also simple for eight to eighty year old's and with the iphone he has succeeded and the design of the new iPhone 4 is stunning and so well built. even with signal the issues some are having its getting amazing reviews for what's been crammed into that space, and the way they have tried to get it all working.

As for cell phone aerials, most are now in the bottom of the device, which is why I imagine old Nokias with them just near your brain were so good, if people want more and more in a small space with longevity of use and more function this is what will happen.  What I do not understand is why there are handsets working well, its odd  the phone for myself is great though, 720p HD at 30 fps is amazing video quality, and the screen is stunning and internet access is so much faster and above all battery life is so much improved, so I'm happy but I feel sorry for those whose handsets don't work, but I also can see this happening with more phones over time, some of the old O2 XDA's I tried had appalling signal quality just to much going on in a small space, and the aerial then becomes the odd component out almost.

On a side note, Nokia are releasing the N8 then saying its the last N series symbian phone, after that its there new MeeGo OS for all N series phones, symbian will be on cheaper handsets, how does that make sense? The N8 will be relegated almost straight away to outmoded, as it cant use the apps the new MeeGo system will have, it will be deliberately outmoded, makes you wonder why people would buy that now.  As for Apple all they needed to do was coat the stainless in resin, then it would have worked better maybe, as I said I don't know the answer, for once my new gadget works, that's good enough for me. Its about time 

[Steve]

Interestingly the iPhone shares a lot of the same hardware with the iPad so you could call it an 'iPad nano'

[Gary]

Interestingly the iPhone shares a lot of the same hardware with the iPad so you could call it an 'iPad nano'

To many i's, Steve.  and you can't fit your coffee on the iPhone, well maybe use it as an iCoaster with the iPad as the tray