News
Apple on iPhone 4 reception issues: don’t hold it that way
By Charles Starrett
Contributing Editor
Published: Friday, June 25, 2010
News Categories: Apple, iPhone
Apple has issued a statement on the reception issues some iPhone 4 users are reporting when holding the device in their left hands, with their palms bridging the small gap between the upper and lower steel plates. According to Engadget, Apple said, “Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.” Notably, a large portion of Apple’s promotional material for the phone up to this point has featured people holding the phone in the exact same manner, and while the service changes do not appear to be as severe as the loss in service “bar” indicators suggests, the issue is gaining media attention and could become a larger problem should it become more widespread.
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21
I think the relevance of the phone’s physical design is a needed software upgrade, which comes as early as Monday.
Posted by Mavvey on June 27, 2010 at 6:27 AM (PST)
22
Allan (15) “The only people who can comfortably hold a phone in their right hand are left-handed.”
Where the devil do you get THAT idea? I’m right handed, and I’ve never had any discomfort holding a phone in my right hand - nor have any other right handed people that I know.
Posted by Cinnamon on June 28, 2010 at 8:55 AM (PST)
23
Pitmonster said:
“I was holding the phones in all sorts of positions, for minutes at a time (the videos show the signal being lost after 20-30 secs) but I never saw the signal drop by even one bar. None of the phones had cases. I did this to 5 or 6 phones, to the eventual annoyance of my partner.”
If there is a stong nearby signal source the manner in which the unit is held won’t matter. Is their a cell repeater/booster in the building? This is common practice in buildings where there is a need for excellent coverage.
Posted by Charles Farley on June 28, 2010 at 10:40 AM (PST)
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