In an unusual move, it would seem Apple has decided to acknowledge at least one of the reported issues with the iPhone 4 and address them in public. Today the company issued a statement regarding reception issues with the new device.
The statement, which is in the format of a letter, cites the “formula” Apple uses to “calculate how many bars of signal strength to display” being “totally wrong.” It also went on to say that most mobile phones would have their signal strength affected and reduced by “one or more bars” when they are gripped in certain ways.
Finally, the company promised a fix for this issue via a free software update, which will come “in a few weeks.” Well, for a company that rarely, if ever, says it has problems with anything it produces, this is a move of a different sort. I guess Apple really does care about customers, right? Right.
Check out the full press release after the break and if you’re an iPhone 4 user with signal issues, help is apparently on the way. The real question is, do you believe it?
Dear iPhone 4 Users,
The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.
To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.
At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?
We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.
Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.
To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.
We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.
We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same- the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.
As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.
We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.
Thank you for your patience and support.
Apple
Chris Ullrich
July 2, 2010 at 4:25 pmUsing a Droid device myself. Never had that problem. Of course, I'm on Verizon. It must make Apple angry that they have to defend AT&T's crappy network all the time.
The Flickcast
July 2, 2010 at 4:22 pmI like most of Apple's products and use them daily. In fact, I'm using one now. But damn are they arrogant sometimes.
Cortney Zamm
July 2, 2010 at 4:22 pmI like that Apple is acknowledging this issue and rectifying it. But I am the only one that has owned a Droid device and have NEVER lost reception by holding it a certain way? I really dislike them saying that “all” devices have this issue. If that's true, why has Android never had to release a software update specifically to fix the issue?
Cortney Zamm
July 2, 2010 at 4:20 pmI like that apple
Chris Ullrich
July 2, 2010 at 9:25 amUsing a Droid device myself. Never had that problem. Of course, I'm on Verizon. It must make Apple angry that they have to defend AT&T's crappy network all the time.
The Flickcast
July 2, 2010 at 9:22 amI like most of Apple's products and use them daily. In fact, I'm using one now. But damn are they arrogant sometimes.
Cortney Zamm
July 2, 2010 at 9:22 amI like that Apple is acknowledging this issue and rectifying it. But I am the only one that has owned a Droid device and have NEVER lost reception by holding it a certain way? I really dislike them saying that “all” devices have this issue. If that's true, why has Android never had to release a software update specifically to fix the issue?
Cortney Zamm
July 2, 2010 at 9:20 amI like that apple