Not sure you understand why your iPhone 4 drops signal bars? There's a web page for that, and it's on Apple's website. The photos and videos posted on this page will demonstrate how different grips cause attenuation on many popular smartphones, including iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS.
Sébastien Page
Sebastien is the Founder and Editor in Chief of iDB. Once a BlackBerry user, Sebastien instantly fell in love with the iPhone when it was first announced in 2007. Shortly after, he decided to start sharing his knowledge of the iPhone and its nascent ecosystem, which led to the creation of this blog. Sebastien currently owns 14 iPhones, 4 iPads, a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, a MacBook Air, 2 Apple Watches, 3 Apple TVs, countless HomePods and AirTags as well as a few pairs of AirPods.Apple Says “We Love Our Users”. I Say They Hate Bad Publicity
At the conference about the iPhone 4 antenna issue today, Apple announced that it will be giving away free cases to iPhone 4 owners. Even though they don't admit that the iPhone 4 has a problem with the antenna, Apple said they do all this because they love their users.
If you look at the transcript of the conference, it's actually clear that "we love our users" was the message Apple wanted to get across.
When asked if Apple had learned anything from this debacle, Steve Jobs replied:
There are some things we know that we did learn here. One thing is how much we love our customers and how we are going to take care of them. We were stunned and upset and embarrassed by the Consumer Reports stuff, and the reason we didn’t say more is because we didn’t know enough. If we’d have done this event a week and a half ago, we wouldn’t have had half the data we have today.
Hmm. I have a hard time believing Apple would have done anything if Consumer Reports hadn't brought the antenna issue to the mainstream. After all, Steve was pretty quick at telling people the iPhone had no problem at all and that we were holding it wrong. He didn't seem to need any "data" at the time.
Besides, what kind of data does Apple have right now? The fact the iPhone 4 drops only one call per 100 more than the iPhone 3GS? Did it take Apple 3 weeks to figure this out? If anything, this data should prove that the iPhone 4 antenna is worse than the 3GS'.
When Ryan Block from GDGT asked how does touching the corner with a single finger seem to cause this issue? It’s not just a grip, it can just happen by touching a single finger. Bob Mansfield replied, completely avoiding the answer:
Your body is a pretty effective signal absorber. When you make contact with that phone, its performance in contact with you is less than its freespace performance. It’s a way to attenuate the signal by some amount.
This doesn't answer the question. Apple can demonstrate how other smartphones drop signal by gripping them but you don't need to grip your iPhone 4 to make it drop signal. You just need to put one finger on it.
To me Apple didn't address the issue at all today. They didn't admit their product was flawed. All they are doing is calming people down with free cases.
Today, I don't believe Apple when they say they care about their users. Ultimately, the only thing they care about is putting an end to this publicity massacre.
What do you think?
Will Apple Change the iPhone Antenna Design?
Asked if Apple will change the future design of the iPhone antenna, Steve replied:
We’re still working on this, we’re happy with the design. We’re getting a lot of reports from customers that it’s way better than the 3GS. I don’t know what our next antenna design will be — maybe our wizards in the antenna lab will come up with something better. But looking at the data, we don’t think we have a problem.
Does it answer the question? Not really. Only time will tell.
White iPhone Will Ship At the End of July in Limited Quantities
At an emergency conference about the iPhone 4 antenna issue, Steve Jobs announced today that the White iPhone 4 will start shipping at the end of July in limited quantities.
Apple previously said the White iPhone would be available mid July. Even though the sales numbers are impressive, I think the iPhone 4 launch has been disastrous and very sloppy.
Apple Giving Away Cases to Every iPhone 4 Owner
I guess I was right... once again. In a move aimed at pleasing every iPhone 4 customer, Apple just announced they are giving away cases to every iPhone 4 owner.
Apple doesn't make enough Bumpers to satisfy the demand so instead of giving us Bumpers, they will give us the option to choose from several cases (including the Bumper). If you bought a Bumper before, guess what, you will get a refund!
You'll be able to apply on Apple's website to order your free case starting at the end of next week.
[Image Engadget]
Apple Invested $100 Million in Antenna Testing Facilities
Steve Jobs demonstrated that all phones have weaknesses. Apple is trying to lead the industry in term of antenna research. To get there, they spent over 100 million dollars on a state of the art testing facility. They also hired 18 PhD scientists and engineers. They sure made sure they wouldn't screw up this whole antenna thing... [Image: Engadget]
iPhone 4 Signal Drop Compared to Other Phones
After starting the conference admitting Apple is not perfect, Steve Jobs went on demonstrating that the death grip is not only iPhone-specific. He showed us how the bars would drop on a BlackBerry Bold, an HTC Eris, and the Samsung Omnia 2. Conclusion: phones aren't perfect. [Image: Engadget]
Apple: We’re Not Perfect, Phones Aren’t Perfect
At the emergency conference called by Apple today, Steve Jobs started his presentation saying that Apple is not perfect, and phones aren't perfect as well. The fact is Apple wants to make its customers happy and that's what they're going to talk about today.
The iPhone Antenna Song
Just minutes before Apple's emergency press conference, this song will put us in the right mood...
Review: Case-Mate Gelli Checkmate for iPad
I don't like cases. I really don't, especially on Apple products where the design and the look and feel are a big part of the experience. However, I've been changing my mind about cases over the past week after I received the Case-Mate Gelli Checkmate case for iPad.
Although I've never wanted to stick my iPhone into a case, I feel it's a bit different with the iPad. Unlike my iPhone, the iPad is big, doesn't fit in my pocket, and goes around many hands. For these reasons, I felt my iPad was actually much more vulnerable than my iPhone was so I decided to give it some protection.
The Case-Mate Gelli comes in 3 translucent colors and gives your iPad case a funky design that will definitely set it apart from the rest. I got mine in grey which actually is more "clear" than "grey". You can also get it in a flashy green or blue, but these colors are definitely too much for me.
Not only do I like the look of the Gelli but I also like the feel of it. It feels really good in my hands as the thermoplastic material used gives me more grip and prevents my iPad from sliding off my hands or off my legs, depending on my position.
It's very simple to put on, and once on, it obviously gives you easy access to every port or button. The case goes all the way to the front of the iPad to cover just about a millimeter past the bezel. This way, even if the iPad falls flat on the screen, it will be protected, that is assuming the ground would be completely flat of course.
I feel a little let down that Case-Mate didn't throw in a free screen protector in the box. That's no big deal though, we will use the InvisibleShield for iPad.
Pros:
Perfect for every day usage Light Stylish, elegant Not "bulky" Feels good in your hands Adds grip Provides great protection Relatively inexpensive ($36.95)Cons:
Not a heavy duty case Doesn't come with a screen protectorIs the Case-Mate Gelli a heavy duty case for iPad? No, it's not. It is however a light and stylish case that will do a great job at protecting your iPad in average every day usage. The Gelli completely sold me on iPad cases and I'm glad I now have it to protect my iPad from those awful scratches I would get from putting it on the coffee table.
I'm still not sure I would want it for my iPhone because I don't feel my iPhone needs protection. However, my fiancee Tina will be getting the Case-Mate Gelli for iPhone 4 as soon as she gets her white iPhone. She's much less careful with her devices than I am and will need something like this to protect her iPhone.
At $36.95 from our iPhone Store, the Case-Mate Gelli case for iPad is a product I highly recommend. You can order the Case-Mate Gelli here.
How to Unlock the iPhone 3G iOS 4.0.1 with UltraSn0w
The latest firmware update that brought us iOS 4.0.1 did not update the baseband which remains at version 05.13.04. This means that if you have an iPhone 3G, you can jailbreak iOS 4.0.1 and unlock your it with UltraSn0w.
Step 1: You will have to jailbreak your iPhone 3G iOS 4.0.1 first.
Step 2: Then simply add this source to Cydia: http://repo666.ultrasn0w.com. More details here.
Step 3: Finally, search for "UltraSn0w" in Cydia and install the application. Reboot your iPhone, and you're done. You can now use your iPhone on a different carrier.
There is no iOS 4 jailbreak for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 yet but I guess it's just a matter of time now.
How to Jailbreak iPhone 3G iOS 4.0.1 with RedSn0w
iOS 4.0.1 for iPhone was released a few hours ago and those of you who have an iPhone 3G are already able to update and jailbreak iOS 4.0.1 using RedSn0w 0.9.5b5-5. Note that RedSn0w will jailbreak the iPhone 3G only. At this time, there is no jailbreak for other devices on iOS 4.0.1, which is why you should not update if you rely on your jailbreak.
Instructions to jailbreak your iPhone iOS 4.0.1 with RedSn0w remain the same except you must update to iOS 4.0.1 and point RedSn0w at the 4.0 IPSW even though you're at 4.0.1.
The Dev Team and Comex are expected to release an update to Spirit sometimes soon. This new version of Spirit will most likely jailbreak all devices on 4.0.1.
Stay tuned for more info!