iPhone 4

iPhone 4 Recall. Is This An Option?

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 5, 2018

The iPhone 4 antenna issue is becoming a big problem for Apple. Not that it wasn't before, but at least until then, this wasn't an "advertised" issue. With Consumer Reports saying yesterday they do not recommend the iPhone 4, the antenna problem has been brought to the mainstream.

Until today, Apple's stance had been pretty clear: "YOU create the antenna issue. The hardware is fine, you just don't know how to hold your iPhone." But can they maintain this? While fanboys easily drink the Apple Kool Aid, I doubt the average person will...

Crisis Communication expert Pr. Matthew Seeger tells Cult Of Mac:

Apple will be forced to do a recall of this product. It’s critically important. The brand image is the most important thing Apple has. This is potentially devastating.

A recall on several millions iPhone? Ouch! It's going to cost them a lot... Seeing how Apple lost 9 billion dollars in market capitalization today on the stock market in the wake of what TechCrunch call the "Antennagate", a recall might reveal more "cost effective". Doing the right thing might prevent Apple from losing more money and stain their brand forever.

At this point, I think Apple only has 3 options.

I doubt Apple will do a recall of the iPhone 4. A recall means they will fix the issue and so far, they don't know how to. So let's assume they recall your iPhone. What are they going to do with it? Put some tape around it? No. There is no fix but removing the antenna and sticking it back inside the device, but we know this isn't an option as there is no room for it inside.

The other thing Apple can do is to offer a free Bumper to every iPhone 4 owner. This will cost them a couple dollars per iPhone, which I assume is the production cost of one Bumper. Even if Apple has to give away 100 million Bumpers, it's still much better than what it's losing right now on the stock market... Sure the Bumper won't fix the antenna death grip, but at least it will appease angry or frustrated customers.

Finally, Apple's last option is to keep silent as it usually does, hoping people will be tired of trashing the iPhone 4, and see it as what it really is: the best communication device out there.

What do you think Apple will do? Will they acknowledge their mistakes and come clean? Or will they stay mute?

Looks like I now have an unlocked iPhone 4 :)

Sébastien Page ∙ July 13, 2010

These are PlanetBeing's own words, talking about the iPhone 4 unlock on Twitter. The Dev Team has been working on the iOS 4 and more specifically the iPhone 4 unlock for quite a while now and it seems we're not too far from an official release, as we talked about yesterday.

Looking at MuscleNerd's Twitter activity, one can only assume that the famous ultrasn0w iPhone unlock will be updated soon to give access to an iPhone 4 unlock to the masses. However, we need a jailbreak first, and the word going around is that Spirit for iOS 4 will be released as soon as the unlock is ready.

With Apple rumored to push an update to iOS 4, the Dev Team might want to wait a bit before releasing a jailbreak and unlock. We'll see.

iPhone 4 Unlock Ready for Release?

Sébastien Page ∙ July 12, 2010

While GeoHot is teasing us with fake jailbreaks for iPhone 4, the Dev Team is hard at work on an i4 unlock, and they seem to get closer.

In a tweet sent out his morning, Dev Team front man MuscleNerd confirmed that they are one step away from being done with the iPhone 4 unlock:

Full i4 bars with custom "steve" background task spitting out "One more thing" http://is.gd/doJXt - all pieces in place:)

If I understand this correctly it might mean they just have to package UltraSn0w and put this on Cydia... If that's really what's going on, it also means the release of Spirit for iOS 4 is right around the corner as well.

Stay tuned!

Consumer Reports: We Can’t Recommend the iPhone 4

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

We knew the iPhone 4 had some serious antenna issues. The reason? We're holding it wrong, or at least that's what Apple is telling us.

After carrying out several tests, Consumer Reports actually think the problem doesn't come from the way we're holding the phone but from the phone itself.

Our findings call into question the recent claim by Apple that the iPhone 4’s signal-strength issues were largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software that “mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength.”

The tests also indicate that AT&T’s network might not be the primary suspect in the iPhone 4’s much-reported signal woes.

So apparently, the problem is indeed related to the hardware and not to AT&T or even the software, as Apple wants us to believe.

The signal problem is the reason that we did not cite the iPhone 4 as a “recommended” model, even though its score in our other tests placed it atop the latest Ratings of smart phones that were released today.

If you want an iPhone that works well without a masking-tape fix, we continue to recommend an older model, the 3G S.

Although the iPhone 4 is a great device, Consumer Reports can't recommend it because of the huge antenna flaw.

As for me, yes the antenna issue really bugs me but if you ask me, I'll say go for it! Get yourself an iPhone 4. Although I am already at my 3rd iPhone 4, I think it's the best iDevice I've owned so far.

What do you think?

False Alarm: GeoHot Doesn’t Have An iPhone 4 Jailbreak

Sébastien Page ∙ July 12, 2010

A few days ago we talked about GeoHot and the amazing fact that he seemed to have a jailbreak for iPhone 4. It turns out the picture he gave us was actually a fake. Bummer!

In an update to his last blog post, the wonder kid destroyed the few credibility he had left. He says:

Sorry, this post was probably a bad idea. Next time I won't say anything. I miss when this blog was actually about technical things(I've been reacting too much to the feedback, which led it to the place it's in now). I didn't fully realize most of the current scene don't care unless they are getting something. Now I do. It's late tonight, I'll think about what to do about this in the morning.

The real reason behind no release isn't technical. It's just that it will never stop, after blackra1n, people demand unlock, after blacksn0w, people demand untethered. I miss the days when jailbreaking and unlocking were difficult, it attracted a much higher caliber crowd.

Also, to the haters, the picture is quite obviously fake :D

I have a lot of respect for GeoHot's work. The guy is clearly a genius (let me remind you he was the first to unlock the first iPhone back in 2007), but like everyone notices, he's just too cocky and egocentric, which is probably why some call him EgoHot.

So what now for jailbreakers and unlockers? The good news is that the Spirit jailbreak for iPhone 4 will be released soon. In the meantime, the Dev Team is working on an unlock as well.

The world is not going to stop but it's just too bad GeoHot won't invest himself in what he's obviously good at. Oh well, after all he's free to do whatever he wants.

What do you think?

How I Went Through 3 iPhones in 3 Weeks

Sébastien Page ∙ July 11, 2010

I've had my iPhone 4 for less than 3 weeks and I've already been through 3 of them...

As I had mentioned in a previous post, my first iPhone 4 had 3 issues that seemed to be hardware-related. The home button was loose, there was a rattling sound when you would shake the phone, and finally, the screen was yellowish overall.

So I took it back to the Apple Store on Michigan avenue in Chicago. The "genius" said although she couldn't see the yellow screen, which was pretty obvious but anyways, she did replace it because of the loose button and rattling.

She gave me my new iPhone 4 and I went and sit somewhere in the store so I could sync my new iPhone with my laptop which I had brought with me. I synced everything and as soon as I picked it up and went to the home screen, I could see the screen was still yellowish.

I asked an Apple employee walking by if he could see the difference between my yellowish iPhone and a perfect iPhone used in the store for demo purposes. He acknowledged that mine indeed had a yellow tint to it. He advised me to make yet another appointment to change the phone again.

A few days later, I made another appointment at the Apple Store for exchanging my 2nd iPhone. I went there, explained everything, the genius entered my info into his iTouch and told me that he'd want to exchange my iPhone but he had no replacement units in stock. Great! I drove 30 miles and spent 1 hour sitting in traffic for absolutely nothing.

Back in California, I made an appointment at the Apple Store in Century City where I had to explain my problem again. This time, I also added that when I take pictures in a dark room for example, the picture gets all yellow, and apparently I am not the only one with this issue. However, the camera works great during bright day light.

She gave me a replacement iPhone, my third one. I checked the screen and it's definitely not yellow anymore. It's now perfect. The problem is I still have the yellow picture issue when using the camera in darker places.

#4?

I'm going to wait for Apple to come up with iOS 4.1 or 4.01 and see if they can fix the yellow pictures issue. If they can, then great. If they can't, I will have to return it and get my 4th iPhone 4.

It's great to be an early adopter but it sure comes with its downsides...

What about you? Have you had any issue with your iPhone 4? Did you have to return it?

Confessions Of A Jailbreaker With No Jailbreak

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you probably know by now that I am a firm believer in jailbreaking the iPhone. To me jailbreaking opens up all the doors that Apple intentionally closes on the iPhone.

Thanks to the jailbreak community, we had copy/paste before Apple introduced in with iOS 3. Thanks to the jailbreak community, we were able to run multiple apps in the background a year before Apple introduced this new feature in iOS 4. Well, you get my point.

Before getting my new iPhone 4, I was stressing out about not having a jailbreak on it, thus not being as productive as I used to be. I was hoping the Dev Team would release an iPhone 4 jailbreak within a day or two of the i4 launch but even though they confirmed Spirit will work on the latest iPhone, the jailbreak has yet to be released.

It's now been about 2 weeks since I became jailbreakless and to be honest with you, I don't miss it as much as I would have thought. I am actually doing pretty well without my jailbreak.

What jailbreak apps am I missing the most?

MyWi - Not being able to tether my iPhone 4 is almost painful. How am I supposed to get internet access in airports if I can't tether my iPhone?

Winterboard - Even though iOS 4 lets you customize your home screen, I am really dying to get rid of this ugly dock, change some of the icons (mostly the folders icons), and get my matte UI mod.

InfiniDock - That's another app I'm missing a lot. I love having 5-6 apps in my dock so I can easily get access to them from any page on the home screen.

ActionMenu - I kinda replaced this app with PasteBot, which is doing the job pretty well but it's not as convenient as ActionMenu.

Xpandr - I use PasteBot as well to replace this application. Again, it's working ok but it's not as convenient as using Xpandr as I have to switch back and forth between apps to do things I was able to do in 3 taps before.

At first I was missing ProSwitcher but I got over it. Sure I like being able to choose what apps I want to run in the background but I'm getting used to Apple's way.

I am still anxiously waiting for an iPhone 4 jailbreak and I'll sure be right on it as soon as it comes out but in the end, I'm doing much better without a jailbreak than I expected.

What about you? How are you doing without a jailbreak? What apps are you missing the most?

GeoHot Jailbreaks the iPhone 4

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated July 25, 2014

Geohot, the little genius behind blackra1n and blacksn0w is back at it again. In a blog post he wrote today, Geohot showed us a picture of a jailbroken iPhone 4 running Cydia.

Geohot says that he won't however release the jailbreak to the public and made it clear that the limera1n jailbreak we talked about before was nothing more than a website with no specific goal.

Got one of these in the mail today and figured I'd give it a shot.

As far as a release goes, it probably won't happen from me. limera1n is little more than a raindrop on a website; it was never mentioned by me previous to this post. pwned4life is a complete invention of some blogger in a basement somewhere. When I said pwned for life, I was referring to the original iPhone, 3G, and Touch; which of course are, by the aptly named PwnageTool.

Again, please don't ask for release dates. Every person that does makes me want to release a little bit less.

Did you read this last sentence well? I understand Geohot doesn't want to harassed with questions about a possible release date, which lets us hope he might be willing to release an iPhone 4 jailbreak one day or the other.

If I had a guess, I'd say that Geohot is working on this jailbreak right at this moment and that he will do everything he can to release a jailbreak for the iPhone 4 before the Dev Team or Comex do..

What do you think?

Your Charging It Wrong! iPhone 4 Catches On Fire Because Of Defective USB Port

Sébastien Page ∙ July 9, 2010

BGR reports that an AT&T customer brought this fried iPhone 4 back to the store for obvious reasons. Apparently, the iPhone caught on fire because of a defective USB port. BGR's source at AT&T said the bezel got so hot it actually burned the hand of the iPhone's owner.

After telling us that we're holding it wrong, maybe Apple is now going to tell us that we're charging it wrong! More seriously, there is nothing to worry about as this is just an isolated case.

iPhone 101: How to Tether Your iPhone 4

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated August 31, 2010

With the release of iOS 4, AT&T finally allowed internet tethering on the iPhone. Because there is no jailbreak for the iPhone 4 yet, we cannot use apps like MyWi to tether your iPhone or even turn it into a wireless hotspot.

So far, if you want to tether your iPhone 4, you're gonna have to play fair and deal with AT&T. Tethering on your iPhone 4 will come at a hefty price of $20/month plus $25/month for the 2 GB DataPro plan by AT&T. That's a complete rip off but that's the only solution to date.

If you're not turned off yet, here is what you have to do to set up internet tethering on your iPhone 4:

UPDATE: This post is outdated. Check out this page for the latest information about iPhone tethering.

Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Network > Set up internet tethering.

Step 2: A message will show up telling you that you have to call or visit AT&T's website to enable tethering. Either call them or go to your account online to activate the option.

Step 3: Reboot your iPhone.

Step 4: Plug your iPhone in your computer.

Step 5: Go to Settings > General > Network > Internet Tethering > On. Now either choose to tether via USB or Bluetooth.

Step 6: Choose "iPhone" from the list of available networks on your computer.

Step 7: Enjoy the interweb!

As I said above, AT&T prices for this option are outrageous. If you're on a jailbroken iPhone 3G or 3GS you can always tether your iPhone for free using MyWi.

Worth Watching: iPhone 4 Stop-Motion Disassembly Video

Sébastien Page ∙ July 6, 2010

TechRestore has published a pretty impressive video of the disassembly of an iPhone 4. What's really amazing about this video is that it was made with 1784 high resolution photos combined to make a stop-motion expose of the iPhone 4, revealing every detail of construction, from packaging down to the chips on the logic-board. Enjoy!

Dev Team is One Step Closer to An iPhone 4 Unlock

Sébastien Page ∙ July 6, 2010

MuscleNerd has been teasing us quite a bit lately on Twitter. One of his most recent tweets suggests that although the new baseband OS is giving them a hard time, the Dev Team is indeed one step closer to an iPhone 4 unlock, which requires a complete rewrite of the unlocking tool UltraSn0w.

Now that the Spirit jailbreak is ready and the Dev Team is being this close to finish up the work on the iPhone 4 unlock, we can only imagine (and hope?) that both the jailbreak and unlock will be released in a few weeks when Apple ships an update to iOS 4 in order to fix the antenna issue.