Team-BHP - The iPhone Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2 (Post 2076452)

I assume you are in the US which explains AT&T and the 30 day return policy. I would suggest you make use of the policy...return the phone and get a new unit. I've been using my iphone 4 for the past 2 weeks putting it thru the paces just as I have any other phone including the 3GS, gosh knows how many high end Nokias . Believe it or not, the iPhones are better than the Nokias in RF performance.

Mods - Sorry, I saw this post after I posted a response to gowda79. You may want to merge the responses.

I have used 3gs and 2g under ATT and sony phones. No experience with Nokia here as its a dead market for them. But i didn't face problem with 3Gs and 2G, then why with iphone 4? That's my only question to Steve Jobs. It does mean something is wrong with device. I am not saying all iphone 4 has this problem neither i am generalizing, i am just telling what's happening with my iphone 4. I am neither a fan boy nor a apple hater to go around telling/shouting this problem.

Mostly i will return the phone and won't buy any phone as of now. Will wait till october when hopefully captivate has 2.2 and iphone 4 has its reception issue fixed as per rumors floating around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gowda79 (Post 2078278)

Good to know that you are working in a telecom industry :D and you did not answer Chevelle's question and that was the reason for me to put up those details and that would help a common man to know about it better.

Actually if you read my replies, I did! :D

I told him to return the iphone if he believes it is defective. To me it sounds like a network congestion problem. And since you're curious about the defect as it is called, every single cell phone made has a RF signal drop if it is held in a particular way i.e. if the antenna(e) is/are blocked. The signal drop varies with each model.

If you use Nokias, please read the owners manual where, in a diagram in the introductory pages, they shade the antenna(e) in light grey and recommend not covering it with your hands whilst using the phone.

I've been using my iPhone4 for weeks now and believe me I havent faced a single call drop even when walking parts of my office building where my N and E series Nokias would drop calls. Yes it is used in a case, but then every single phone I've had was installed in either a silicone or hard case. Am I happy with my iP4? Oh yes I am! Would I recommend it to another person? No, simply because of this antenna issue.

There are 3 solutions a customer can have to this 'antennagate' problem:

a) Use a cover/case for the iphone4 i.e. if you've already bought one.
b) If you're in the US or any other country that accepts returns, use the phone and if you're not happy, simply return it.

OR

c) For those of us living in countries with no customer friendly return policies - Just hang on a while till this month end as there are reports Apple will release a new version of the iP4. On the other hand, if they don't fix it, don't buy the iPhone and wait for the next generation that will be released in June-Aug 2011.

The choice is yours.

I trust this helps.

PS - the AT&T network is known to have congestion issues, just like Airtel and others in India

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2 (Post 2078302)

Yes, 99% i am returning the phone. And i am not going to buy another smartphone immediately, neither captivate, x10 nor iphone 4.

I have decided to opt for wait and watch policy. Atleast till end of october to see if new iphones have the same issue or not. The current one is in a case. So as per your view, an iphone in case shouldn't have drop call/antennagate issue. So when i had some 4 drop calls in a day, as per your view, its the ATT's network congestion. So it makes me confused, what to believe - that iphone has problem or ATT? i have been an ATT customer for past 3 years and never had such a issue. So why now? Why with iphone 4. That's my only concern.

I am aware that you are not entitled to answer my question since you don't work with ATT, and i am sure ATT and Apple won't answer my question too, so i guess we leave to users of iphone to determine what caused the problem - the network/ the phone.:)

I too like the phone, will i recommend it, no ways, still apple fan boys/lovers are buying it in hoards, so Apple has no issue. Moreover, they have this case program, so essentially they are trying to solve the issue so they don't really have to change hardware unless they decide too. I am sure it will be done in the next upgrade. Reportedly, when a new iphone is launched there is always an issue which is fixed during the next update. That's what i have observed, i guess its the same for iphone4.

Sorry for the long post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chevelle (Post 2078315)

i have been an ATT customer for past 3 years and never had such a issue. So why now? Why with iphone 4. That's my only concern.

Agreed. Which is why I believe there's a defect in your particular handset and you could think of returning it as you're obviously not happy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chevelle (Post 2078315)

I am aware that you are not entitled to answer my question since you don't work with ATT, and i am sure ATT and Apple won't answer my question too, so i guess we leave to users of iphone to determine what caused the problem - the network/ the phone.:)

Because I don't work for either AT&T or Apple but do work for the telecom software industry I think I am in a 'neutral or unbiased' position that would probably be helpful in taking a practical approach to an issue that many thousands seem to have faced. But given that I am also a user/customer of Apple with hands on experience of the iPhone4 it also gives me an added insight into this issue. I am sure you know where I am coming from.

To be honest I too had a slight concern in the back of my mind when I purchased this handset. The best part is that it is working without dropping calls (touchwood) so far. Talk about being pleasantly surprised. And I am NOT an Apple fanboy by a long shot. Working in the IT/telecom industry does give you that understanding of how small but seemingly overlooked technical issues can swamp a product with complaints.

So, if someone asked me if I recommend the iP4m the answer is a resounding NO!

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2 (Post 2078335)

Agreed. Which is why I believe there's a defect in your particular handset and you could think of returning it as you're obviously not happy.

To be honest I too had a slight concern in the back of my mind when I purchased this handset. The best part is that it is working without dropping calls (touchwood) so far. Talk about being pleasantly surprised. And I am NOT an Apple fanboy by a long shot. Working in the IT/telecom industry does give you that understanding of how small but seemingly overlooked technical issues can swamp a product with complaints.

So, if someone asked me if I recommend the iP4m the answer is a resounding NO!

I have read on many blogs and websites including consumer reports and att forums that the problem is more in USA under ATT network than in the whole world. I would like to believe this a little bit. WHY? Because, when i use iphone 4, 3gs and c905 at my home at a particular place, 3gs and c905 has 5 bars while iphone4 has just 1/2. And this is not with the death grip. I will take a video/photo of this and post here.

Guys, its a known issue that every iPhone 4 has the antennagate issue. Why mull over it.

It is definitely not the network, it is the design

As the comments above, why do people have issues on AT&T only on the iPhone 4 and not with other handsets?

It IS DEFINITELY a DESIGN issue, nothing to do with the network congestion etc. Though I know some networks are more congested than others.

R2D2 it probably works for you as you may be closer to the tower, the issue is exhibited more in areas where the tower is far away (hence signal strength).

Quote:

Originally Posted by gopz (Post 2080030)

R2D2 it probably works for you as you may be closer to the tower, the issue is exhibited more in areas where the tower is far away (hence signal strength).

Sorry buddy, I beg to differ with your rather emphatic statement. Have you experienced this with your iPhone4 (presumably you have one)?

My residence is not close to a cell phone tower, in fact the bars on ALL phone that I have owned (and believe me they have been many) would fluctuate between full i.e. all 5 segments and sometimes 4, some parts of my home causes the signal to fluctuate, voice begins to crack but the call does not drop.

So going by your theory I should have call drops, shouldn't I? But I am afraid it is not the case. As I said before it is NOT just the signal strength that causes call drops but other factors like network congestion as well. Chevelle has posted his experience with AT&T. So the posts below are related to my experience with an Indian carrier, the iPhone4 and the 3GS prior to that.

I've checked with a few people using an iPhone4 in Pune (different networks) and they dont have an issue either. Care to explain this rather 'unexpected' behavior?? Looks like some Indian networks have better QoS that their western counterparts!

All that said, I do not deny that the phone, at least on the outside, has an antenna related design defect. Which is the sole reason why I do not recommend it to anybody. But it works for me...and I am happy.

BTW, are Chevelle and I the only iPhone4 users on this forum? I am very curious to know about other owner experiences across different Indian cities.

PS - I want to see if this call drop problem begins to surface once the 3G service is switched on in India in the next 2-3 months.

Yes, I have an iPhone 4 (since launch day + 1) in the UK (and have had all the other iPhones before that). I have not used it anywhere in India as I am abroad for quite a while now.

Having said that, I know other people using it in India without issues/ with issues. There definitely is a problem, death grip affects my phone as well, if it doesnt affect you then good for you. Seems to be very rare though.

And I havent seen any call drops on my phone (though signal drops down if held in a particular way). I have used almost all the carriers in the UK (Vodafone, T-Mobile, Three, Orange, O2 etc) with little changes in behaviour based on which SIM I used to test. So all I can say is that the antenna is defo defective by design and there's no denying that. But how much does it affect a user is a question that depends on factors like QoS, absorption factors, distance from the tower, signal strength, the building you are in etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gopz (Post 2080179)

Having said that, I know other people using it in India without issues/ with issues. There definitely is a problem, death grip affects my phone as well, if it doesnt affect you then good for you. Seems to be very rare though.

It is that rarity of cases in India and the opposite abroad that piques my interest.

Other than the fact which is obvious i.e. Indian carriers having more congested networks than their western counterparts due to the sheer volume of subscribers, the other main differentiator is 3G or rather the lack of it here. Indian operators use 2.5G with data on EDGE.

Curious to know if you still face the issue with 3G switched off? If yes, that would be telling because once 3G arrives in India in the next few months IP4 users could begin to face issues.

R2D2, Please find my statements in BOLD below

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2 (Post 2080149)

M some parts of my home causes the signal to fluctuate, voice begins to crack but the call does not drop.

This was normal from the day i received my Iphone 4.

So going by your theory I should have call drops, shouldn't I? But I am afraid it is not the case. As I said before it is NOT just the signal strength that causes call drops but other factors like network congestion as well. Chevelle has posted his experience with AT&T. So the posts below are related to my experience with an Indian carrier, the iPhone4 and the 3GS prior to that.

Antennagate problem also affects the call quality and decrement of bars in iphone4 as told by ATT representative here. In USA, ATT is accepting returns on iphone with full refunds, no question asked till Sept 30th. After Sept 30, free case program will be closed and returns would be like before - a 20% restocking fee. Now, why would somebody stop this if the problem is current, chances are the antennagate will be fixed in all probability.

Today i returned my iphone and was told by an ATT representative to buy it after October, the problem will be fixed.

All that said, I do not deny that the phone, at least on the outside, has an antenna related design defect. Which is the sole reason why I do not recommend it to anybody. But it works for me...and I am happy.

I am sure there is a hardware problem. If there was none, why would Steve Job announce case program? He said in conference that use bumper or case and the calls won't drop, so indirectly he admitted there is a fault in iphone 4 which will be fixed if you use case/bumper. Obviously, he won't accept it on face of it as it will cause more problems, still giving away free bumper points to the issue.

PS - I want to see if this call drop problem begins to surface once the 3G service is switched on in India in the next 2-3 months.

Most of my drop calls took place when 3G was disabled, but wi-fi was on. There was no time when both - wifi and 3g was disabled.

Bottomline, as told by ATT representative, Wait till November and problem will be fixed. OR, Wait till May/June 2011 for updated version. :)