
Apple releases statement about iPhone reception, fix due in a few weeks - aj
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/07/02/apple-statement-iphone-4/
======
woogley
I don't understand how this explains the people who claim the iPhone 4 has a
higher drop-call rate than their 3GS.

It also doesn't explain the video which features the 3GS and 4 side-by-side,
where they cannot get the 3GS to drop the call at all.

Unless, of course, they are implying the software will drop the call itself if
it thinks there is no signal? Is that something the software should really be
doing?

------
rdez6173
I imagined the signal to UI representation would be a fairly standard
algorithm. I'm surprised this issue didn't come up in their testing.

EDIT: then again, I really don't know how complicated this can be. It just
seems like there have been enough phones released that did (perceivably)
display the bars correctly that this should be a non-issue.

------
troygoode
tl;dr: AT&T's service sucks more than we thought so we're patching the "bars"
on your phone to more accurately convey that fact. You'll still drop all your
calls.

~~~
ComputerGuru
I'm getting tired of all these reddit-style "tl;dr" posts (ironically on a
very short post in the first place!) where the reader interjects their own
(highly biased and inaccurate) interpretation rather than a real summary.

REAL "tl;dr" of the TFA: The algorithm used to convert signal strength into an
easy-to-understand bar representation is inaccurate with invalid dynamic
range. A software fix will be released soon to patch that. Call strength is OK
and not affected (drastically) by this issue.

<!-- end tl;dr -->

It's not PR bullsh!t, and calls are _not_ dropped. Go read a _real_ (read:
written by an engineer and not some blogger "rockstar") and you'll see that
the iPhone 4 antenna _is_ good, even at low db readings due to a
significantly-improved SNR with the external antenna design. (Note: Never had
an iPhone myself, still won't get one. It doesn't suite my needs.)

It's exactly as the anandtech review states. 5 bars corresponds to a _huge_
range of db strength, highly out of proportion to the range of all the other
bars. If you're on the very verge of 5 bars, gripping it will result in a
drastic _UI change_ of reception quality. In reality, it's just a badly-
written algorithm.

~~~
troygoode
You are correct that my post was highly biased, though I'm not certain that I
can agree with your notion that it was inaccurate. My post mentions three
things:

1) __AT &T service sucks. __This is obviously a subjective opinion; but it is
one I believe I have a right to hold as an AT &T subscriber and iPhone owner.

2) __Apple is patching the phone to more accurately convey #1. __This is a
snarky way of expressing the fact that the upcoming patch will cause the phone
to express a more accurate report of your signal strength, which in _all_
cases will cause the phone to have equal or less "bars" than you would have
had in without the patch.

3) __You'll still drop your calls. __Fact: _If_ you are currently dropping
calls, this patch will do nothing to address that issue.

I'm sorry you don't like the TLDR meme. Similarly, I happen to dislike your
use of a fake HTML commment. Perhaps we can work together to construct a list
of which memes are and are not acceptable for public consumption.

