ie8 fix
madison

Hardware 2.0

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Apple continues with the "our antenna sucks as much as the competition" campaign

By | July 24, 2010, 5:29am PDT

In an attempt to prove to us all that the iPhone 4 is no worse (or better) than any other smartphone, Apple has posted a video of Motorola’s Droid X having the life-force squeezed out of it.

Now, I’ve written about the failing of these “Gorilla Grip of Death” tests that Apple is doing before, and this test is no different except that it attacks the one handset that is seen as offering strong competition to the iPhone.

This is nothing other than Apple trying to reframe the problem. Show me a single spot on the Droid X (or any other big name smartphone) where you can touch to collapse the signal, and we can talk again. Until then, this whole campaign is just FUD.

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Topics

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

92
Comments

Join the conversation!

Just In

Missing the point...
smtp4me@... 28th Jul 2010
@Davewrite, et al:

You and the rest of the Apple defenders are missing the point. It's not about the return rate of iPhone 4's. It's not about other smart phones having similar problems. It's not even about the fact that the iPhone may or may not have antenna issues.

It's about how Apple is handling the situation. First, they said it was a 'software error' - the bars do not accurately indicate signal strength. Next they tried deflection: 'yes we have a problem, but so do our competitors'. Finally, they went to the extreme and blamed users for holding the phone incorrectly.

My advice to Mr. Jobs and the rest of his crew: when a 'problem' is discovered in one of your products, perform your due diligence, investigate the root cause, create and release a fix, and ADMIT THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM AND TAKE YOUR LUMPS! DO NOT constantly try to shift the blame every where else EXCEPT yourself!

The result of Mr. Jobs current methods for handling the situation: alienating existing customers and users, hurting the Apple brand name, and getting his blind loyal followers to rattle their sabers in his defense.

Keep drinking the Apple kool aid and keep blindly following your leader.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
drphysx 24th Jul 2010
"This is nothing other than Apple trying to reframe the problem. Show me a single spot on the Droid X (or any other big name smartphone) where you can touch to collapse the signal, and we can talk again. Until then, this whole campaign is just FUD."

Yep.
0 Votes
+ -
Yes, FUD
honeymonster 24th Jul 2010
Apple PR was always about FUD. This thing just get sadder and sadder for each day, though.

They've lost their humorous angle and now they are being exposed as vicious losers.
0 Votes
+ -
Pretty much
Cylon Centurion 24th Jul 2010
@honeymonster

The competitor's smartphones suck, just like PC's were full of cryptic error messages and "uncool" to own.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
thiel.terry@... 25th Jul 2010
@honeymonster Think different.
0 Votes
+ -
Uncool?
Da-Man 24th Jul 2010
@NStalnecker (NS aka NutSac)
Wow and I thought ideas, individuality and personality were what makes a person cool. Now all the melvins and pointdexters (no offense to them personally) are suddenly gettin all the hot chicks and attending all the rage parties because they own Apple products? Not that I have issue with Apple, but that is a ridiculous comment. Now go play with yourself? err your ?stuff?
0 Votes
+ -
That was the subliminal message.
Lester Young 25th Jul 2010
@Da-Man

"melvins and pointdexters .....are suddenly gettin' all the hot chicks and attending all the rage parties because they own Apple products.."
0 Votes
+ -
What are you talking about?
Cylon Centurion 25th Jul 2010
@Da-Man

I was agreeing with honeymonster's comment. Those get a mac ads portrayed PC's as "uncool". That is what I was referring to. If anything yell at Apple for doing that. Not me.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
NZJester 27th Jul 2010
@drphysx
The one thing that I would like to see is the two phones held side by side for comparison of signal bar loss. Without that the video has no real merit! For all we know the test might be done in a place where the signal strenth of the nearest tower is ony good from one direction namly the direction the guys hand is facing and blocked from all the other sides by heavy building walls! You can not tell where the phone is from the blury background. Data can be manipulated to say what ever you want it to if you get to pick your own test conditions. If a republican run poll asking if the republican party or the democrate party has better policies was done by standing outside the door of a republican convention and ask those comming in and out of the door to that convention only the poll question who do you think whould win the poll as having the best policies?
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
AbredPeytr 24th Jul 2010
So now Apple isn't blaming AT+T for the lost bars?
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
Jimster480 24th Jul 2010
@AbredPeytr nope they are now onto blaming other companies!
0 Votes
+ -
Lost bars
honeymonster 24th Jul 2010
@AbredPeytr

Apple always has the consumers best interest at mind. After they were "stunned" that they had designed their software so that it lied about signal strength (and were forced to desplay fewer bars); they made up for it by providing bigger bars. Always at your service!
0 Votes
+ -
That's not even the issue...
Peter Perry 24th Jul 2010
First let me say I have a First Gen Droid and love the Operating System.

With that said, I have two friends that own a Droid X and one of them has reception every bit as good as my Droid but the other flakes out and is often 2 bars behind in the same physical location.

In other words, I think there are some bad Droid X bodies out there and Apple probably went looking for one. Also, they probably found exactly where the Antenna's end and blocked both places.
0 Votes
+ -
Not just iPhones then.
drquakingtosh 24th Jul 2010
Hold the Dorid X the wrong way and the signal collapses.

Why are you judging Apple with a different yardstick to everyone else?

FUD maybe?
0 Votes
+ -
If you are still clueless
Economister 24th Jul 2010
@drquakingtosh

then consider staying out of the conversation

And the same goes for other similar posts
0 Votes
+ -
Holding the droid x the wrong way...
Spikey_Mike 24th Jul 2010
@drquakingtosh ... does NOT collapse the signal. I just watched this video, held my Droid X the same way and my signal strength did not waver.

Every iPhone will loose signal if held where the antennae is.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
dave95. 24th Jul 2010
@Spikey_Mike

I also held the iPhone 4 the same way but it did not drop bars. Maybe you missed the facts but not every iPhone is having the issue.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
dbrebel 24th Jul 2010
@Spikey_Mike
"Every iPhone will loose signal if held where the antennae
is. "

Wrong. There are many reports from iPhone 4 owners who haven't been affected and can't even reproduce the problem if they try. I'm one of them and 6 of my friends and coworkers who own them also report that their iPhones are unaffected.

The nature of the press coverage gives the impression that "Antennagate" is an extremely widespread problem. Strange how they never find reports like mine and my friends to be newsworthy. I guess NOT bashing Apple doesn't get anywhere near the hits on sites like this as bashing Apple does.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
zdnetbtg 24th Jul 2010
@Spikey_Mike

I'm sorry spikey, you just failed the intelligence test. Whether you loose your signal or not is irrelevant.

You are one data point. Science is about looking at large numbers of data points to see the trends. One data point says nothing. That is like saying you know one girl with a wart on her nose, therefore all girls have warts on their noses.

We got past this "my experience speaks for all" attitude in the 1880s.

Proper testing sets up uniform conditions that test only the parameters of interest. Then you need at least 100 duplicate samples to get a believable trend.

Apple and all the others understand science, not emotion. That is why they have expensive testing rooms. That is why the other phone makers saying they don't have the same problems is a lie. They all do. That's like saying a my duck doesn't have web feet.

Apple is pointing out their lies and illustrating the truth. Apple is doing you a service whether you can understand it or not.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
Jeffsters 24th Jul 2010
@Spikey_Mike I can't get my iPhone 4 to drop bars in two weeks of ownership and I'm a lefty! I've tried as recently as last night when in conversation with friends. So what!
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
rhonin 25th Jul 2010
@dave95
Every iphone 4 has the drop issue "if it is in an area of low or flucuating signal strength"
All others have some form of antenuation.
I have a number of co-workers who also claimed "mine doesn't" but was able to demo it for them on every single one.
Get over it!
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
Jimster480 24th Jul 2010
@drquakingtosh you do realize that nobody holds a phone like the person in the video was holding the phone. And touching 1 finger to any spot on that phone is not going to cause signal loss unlike on the iPhone.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
I12BPhil 27th Jul 2010
@Jimster480 Your post assumes the problem can be repeated on all iPhones at all times. It has already been illustrated in other posts that this is obviously not the case. Fail.
0 Votes
+ -
Apples and Oranges
BillKilpatrick 24th Jul 2010
It's not a question of whether any phone - smart or not - can have the reception sabotaged by using some kind of death grip. I've done it on the classic Droid (and when I did it, I did it on purpose to prove the point).

The issue is in where you put the dead zone. With the Droid in this video, a person would have to be as limber as a gymnast and as dumb as a rock to sabotage the signal where, with the iPhone 4, it's a little more like falling off a log.

To be sure, Apple's dead-zone issue was overblown. Lots of people never have this issue come up because they simply don't hold the phone the wrong way when they're in the worst possible location. But for Apple to feel it needs to recreate the unlikely, with every phone on the market, it just reeks of flop sweat.
0 Votes
+ -
Why...
Brich 24th Jul 2010
would anyone defend sh*tty reception on a Droid X?? What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
0 Votes
+ -
That is if the "demonstration"
Mister Spock 24th Jul 2010
is accurate and truthfull.

With the iPhone you need only touch a particular spot to have the signal loss occur. As shown above, one must wrap their entire hand around the device in an unatual position.
0 Votes
+ -
The Driod X weak spot seem to be the back bottom...
dave95. Updated - 24th Jul 2010
Where the antenna is located.
http://www.intomobile.com/2010/07/23/apple-puts-verizon-and-motorola-droid-x-on-blast-shows-antenna-problems-on-video/

This may not win Apple any friends but this can be very effective. Everyone had phones that droped bars before, but before "antennagate" how many just blamed it on weak signal? And not in the way we may be holding the phone?
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
Jimster480 24th Jul 2010
@dave95. It's always been in manuals. If u read them then u would be aware of the issues of internal antennas. Infact I usually try to hold my phones from the sides only while taking on the phone to avoid signal loss.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
dave95. 24th Jul 2010
@Jimster480

Yeah but who spend the time reading manuals?
0 Votes
+ -
True, but at the same time
Mister Spock 24th Jul 2010
in many of those cases, it was due to weak signals, or the loss was very minimal.

With the iPhone it does appear, after testing from various agencies and people, that the issue lies in the poor design of the antenna,.

I believe you have to look at it from the standpoint that many phones suffer no loss at all, no matter how it is held. If those manufacturers can do that, why could not Apple?
plain
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
dave95. 24th Jul 2010
@Mister Spock

Not every iPhone is having this issue (depending on location, signal strenght etc). The same goes for other phones like the Droid X, not everyone will have this issue. The difference here with the iPhone is they've made it easy to identify with putting the antenna on the outside. Now most people having the same dropping bars problem with the Droid X or other phones will just blame it on the carrier weak signal. The problem spot of the antenna is not as easy to identify as the iPhone.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
View from Here 25th Jul 2010
@dave95.

Your posts in this antennagate issue are all the same. A lot of people have already pointed out the HUGE difference of a grip vs a touch of a finger, yet you still go on, which begs the question of whether you're normally slow to grasp or deliberately being obtuse.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
wzamo 24th Jul 2010
Yes dear reporter, this is truly a debacle of huge proportions and it is not going away. This slick is spreading while Apple is merely spraying dispersant. BP must be breathing a sigh of relief that someone else has taken top corporate villain spot.

What's next? What about a Senate hearing or a new UN resolution.

Meanwhile, stupid customers are voting with their wallets in a big way to buy a terrible phone with a flaw they are too ignorant to realize exists. They must just buy them to stare at them in the box. If they'd only use the phone they'd realize they got shafted.

It reminds me of the remark Woody Allen made about about how terrible the food was at a restaurant and added to his grief, "what small portions."

Methinks something is amiss here.
0 Votes
+ -
And shows also...
MuccaUgo 24th Jul 2010
how ugly is the interface...
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
Jimster480 24th Jul 2010
I don't understand why he says the droidx is the only phone that is a strong competitor to the iPhone when the HTC evo is just as good if not better than the Droid x. The evo has flash support HTC sense, more features on the hdmi output and its a bit more sleek since iy has no front hardware buttons.
And the battery life issues have been fixed. My evo lasts all day with a lot of usage. Hell I'm writing this from my evo right now.
0 Votes
+ -
One good thing came out of this brouhaha...
Steve Webb Updated - 24th Jul 2010
I don't own an iPhone. I don't even own a smartphone. I own a T-mobile Nokia 2610 candybar. It's a stupid phone.

T-mobile has the calling plan that suits me best, is why I have this phone. The call quality is okay. So much for the good stuff. I can't read the display outside, and I could not make calls inside. I could not use my cellphone while sitting at my computer desk; I needed to be within five feet of a window (I live in a 80 year old row home) -- that is, until last week.

I get three bars at my computer desk now, because I changed the way I hold the phone! I'm so happy **sniff**!

Funny thing is: I never noticed that if I set the phone down on the desk I get three bars, but if I held it in my hand I only got zero to one. Maybe I never noticed because the screensaver is set to come on after three seconds.

Anyhow, after reading all the iPhone crap, I decided to try an experiment with my Nokia 2610.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!
0 Votes
+ -
@Steve Webb

Spent 2 + years with T-Mobile with a Razr. 2 years I've went through the same problems of no signals indoors. No signals at my office desk, I have to go outside to make calls. Drop bars down to zero when I'm in a large shopping building. Needed to turn off and back on constantly just to regain the lost bars. Could have been the way I held it also. But hey who's complaining, AT&T and Apple are the only ones that have problems.
0 Votes
+ -
No, it's not about the spot...
mhartt 24th Jul 2010
On the contrary, it appears to me that you're the one trying to reframe the problem by making it about "a single spot," as opposed to the actual real-world performance of any phone when help in a particular way for that model. Other phones may have different ergonomic triggers (or spots) for their problems, but the upshot is that they still drop calls when held in certain ways. The fact that Apple's phone does this by being associated with its own particular "spot" is hardly different than another phone that does the same thing when being held in spots that trigger their failures. It's really not about "a single spot," as you suggest, except perhaps in the minds of those disinterested in conveying what's of practical importance.
0 Votes
+ -
No... you're not getting it.
TheWerewolf Updated - 24th Jul 2010
@mhartt

Yes, every phone can have a problem when you cover enough of the antenna with your hand because flesh, being mostly water, will attenuate the radio signal. This is a fact.

However, with almost every other cellphone out there - you practically have to wrap your hand around the area of the phone where the antenna is to get this effect. In most cases, it's a fairly unnatural way to hold your phone, although I'm sure some people do hold their phones that way. In the case of the EVO, they cleverly put the antenna at the top of the phone, which means you'd really have to be holding it oddly to have this happen.

With the iPhone 4, however, Apple made a surprisingly simple and obvious mistake - they put the antenna around the frame - and to separate their two antennae, they put a small gap. When you short the gap with your skin - the antennae are compromised to the point where they can be completely ineffective - causing all signal loss. By putting the gap where they did - unless you hold the phone by your fingertips in just the right way - you can easily cause this to happen.

The two situations simply aren't the same.

And worse, Apple could have prevented this in multiple ways - just flipping the frame over would have helped. Putting the seam along the top edge rather than on the side would have done it. Coating the metal in plastic would have worked as would have making the gap larger.

Every other phone maker keeps the antenna inside the phone and one reason is to avoid this issue.

That being said, Apple could have easily won this game by taking the high road and saying 'Yep, we made a mistake - here's how we fix it.' but rather took the low road by blaming AT&T, then the algorithm for bars (really - it took four generations of this phone to figure that out?) and then finally by 'proving' that all cellphones have this problem only to demonstrate this by showing an entirely different problem that simply doesn't have the same impact.
0 Votes
+ -
I want to flag this post...
GoodThings2Life 24th Jul 2010
... as awesome! happy Seriously, thank you for accurately, sensibly, and intelligently explaining the problem.
  • Flagged
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
zdnetbtg 24th Jul 2010
@TheWerewolf
"With the iPhone 4, however, Apple made a surprisingly simple and obvious mistake - they put the antenna around the frame - and to separate their two antennae, they put a small gap. When you short the gap with your skin - the antennae are compromised to the point where they can be completely ineffective - causing all signal loss."

Common Wolf. You departed from sounding rational to sounding biased. All reports say that the problem occurs only in weak signal areas, where the loss in signal strength drops you below about -95dbm. When the signal strength is higher, the loss isn't noticeable and the signal is not lost.

The only mistake Apple made was not getting a coating on the antenna that would prevent shorting it.

If you think about it, covering an outside wrap around antenna is much harder than covering one located in the palm region.

The bumpers fix this, and my guess is Apple will incorporate a coating or some other fix in the next model.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
Joe Dufflebag 24th Jul 2010
I think the problem is that for years they kept saying that premium prices are justified because we are just better than everyone else. Now they're saying "we're the same as everyone else". Common sense tells me that a good engineer should have reconized that the design could cause problems. If it was brought up why was nothing done? If it wasn't, why not. The minimum should have been that buyers be made aware that a case should be used. Apple makes great phones (my family has three) but in this case they just seem to be trying to push the blame on everyone else rather that admiting their own faults.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
zdnetbtg Updated - 24th Jul 2010
@Joe Dufflebag

For years, Apple products HAVE BEEN superior to others. Think Dell, Gateway, HP, others. Apple has always had superior consumer ratings and product lifetimes.

In fact, Apple has always had the secrecy motif, where they said nothing at all about their products. The I'm a PC adds are the only ones where Apple has taken common knowledge and spoken out about the lousy OS used on PCs.

What has actually happened over the years, is that everyone else (not Apple) have talked endlessly about Apple produces (for and against). It started in the early '90s when PC guys derided Apple products as toys, and Apple users as generally incompetent. (Kinda funny, since the scientific community has embraced Apple products wholeheartedly).

BTW, toys are defined as cheap imitations of the real thing, usually made of plastic and easily breakable, with a short lifetime. Does that ring any bells?

But I digress. It was the Apple fan base (yes, the fanbois) that commented back to the Apple bashers. The Apple Company generally said absolutely nothing. That increased their mistique.

This is very effective guerilla marketing. Let the people speak for your product because you generally don't.

So, whenever you say "Apple says this" or "Apple says that", I challenge you to come with any reference to support your assertion. Generally, Apple says nothing or almost nothing. Yes, they do product advertising, but stick to describing features of the product.

Its the fans that do most of the talking.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
fastninja12 24th Jul 2010
Just tried holding my Droid X as shown in the video and I gained a bar...go figure...I sold my Apple 3G, and switched to Verizon not because of iphone problems, but ATT's lousy network....I have not had a dropped call since I got the Droid X on its release date....I would drop several calls a day on the ATT network...Good riddance ATT.
0 Votes
+ -
PC WORLD:
"Fortunately, the iPhone 4's new antenna seemed to improve the experience considerably. In almost all the test calls we placed around the city, calls on the iPhone 4 sounded better than calls on the new Motorola Droid X. Calls sounded more natural, and were more pleasing to listen to on the other end of the line. We recorded no dropped calls on AT&T.

In our informal performance testing in San Francisco, the AT&T-connected iPhone 4 registered an average download speed of 1958 kbps (almost 2 mbps) across our five testing locations in the city. In our head-to-head tests with the Motorola Droid X on Verizon, the iPhone 4 was the clear winner in speed. "
----

"Data Speed Winner: iPhone 4



Voice Quality Winner: iPhone 4

The iPhone 4 showed an even greater advantage over the Droid X in our voice-call quality tests. In almost all the test calls we placed around the city, calls on the iPhone 4 sounded better than the Droid X. Calls sounded more natural, and were more pleasing to listen to on the other end of the line. We recorded no dropped calls on AT&T.

In test calls using the Droid X, the audio coming out of the earphone was usually clear enough, but it didn't sound as full and pleasing as that coming out of the iPhone 4. On the other end, I'm told, my voice sounded loud enough, but not as dynamic and even a bit shrill. We also noted some minor static on some calls, as well as a warbling sound in other calls. We recorded only one dropped call using the Droid X."

---
PC world Apple fanboys?
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple continues with the
kenosha77a Updated - 24th Jul 2010
@Davewrite
I just wish Adrian would have blogged about the PC World test info results that you just posted rather than this post he just penned. Wasn't it just yesterday that he criticized fanboyism? Oh well, no one wishes to travel the high road it would seem. Apple posted "this", Adrian wrote "that" .. The war continues.
0 Votes
+ -
Keep pointed out the truth Dave..
dave95. 24th Jul 2010
Some balance is definitely needed...
For example:

Operating System: iOS 4 vs. Android 2.1
Apple's multitasking is fake - apps are NOT running in the background - they are in a suspended state.

Android keeps other apps actually running in the background.

PC WORLD evaluation ? Draw. Are you, PC WORLD guys, out of mind?


Media Playback:
The iPhone 4 does not have the HQ, but Droid X. PC WORLD admitted it: "When HQ is available, video playback via YouTube on the Droid X blows the iPhone 4 out of the water."

PC WORLD evaluation ? Draw for Video. What's wrong with you, PC WORLD guys?


Still Camera:
PC WORLD: "the iPhone 4's image quality did lag behind the competition in two categories: sharpness and visible distortion." But because of brightness PC WORLD believes that the winner is iPhone 4. Do you know guys that brightness is that subject, which could be easily changed?


Connectivity:
Jobs showed the whole world that if you hold the iPhone 4 in a normal way - iPhone is dead. However, PC WORLD evaluation - Winner: iPhone 4.

The list is going on...

Logical conclusion/question:
PC WORLD guys, how much Apple paid you for this BS?
0 Votes
+ -
@Just True

Every time reviewers or others say Apple is good they get cries from foaming Apple haters like you that they are 'Apple Fanboys' so I deliberately chose PC World and not something like MacWorld or Apple Insider. And still the accusations come! Who is living in the reality distortion field?

I won't go through all the points but just pick a few.

Multitasking:
IPhone 4 multitasking is superior to Android.
Why is Android run all the time desktop type multitasking always superior? (Like those people saying a desktop OS like Windows is better than iOS for tablets. silly). Android's way is good for some tasks but generally sucks the life out of the battery and huge numbers of Android users complain they find it hard to track and switch off background apps, that's why App Managers are the number one sellers on the android app store.
Don't you think Apple could EASILY have gone the LAZY off and put in an inferior desktop type full multitasking into iPhone 4 as it's based on OsX and that Apple's own native apps always from the start could multitask? Apple's technologically superior multi tasking (so many objective reviewers not cowed by the screaming Apple haters have said so) does multitasking in an intelligent battery saving way.

CAMERA
Here let me quote WCCTECH (which has prove it as well on their site) talk about the iPhone 4 camera (a conclusion many others have reached as well).

(What I call "more plastic cupholders doesn't necessarily make a superior car" theory)

WCCTECH:

"Now Ill spare you some effort of scrolling down the screen & tell you rightaway that Apples device wins here. By a clear mile. Hows that possible, you may ask? An 8 MP behemouth versus a 5 MP dwarf & David trumps Goliath? The reason, as given by the techies over at Mashable.com, is that the no. of pixels isnt the only variant when it comes to photo quality. The size of the pixels as well the technology on which they are based is just as important. The iPhones optical sensor is based on a CMOS backlit illuminated device, which moves the wires from the front to the back of the sensor, thus allowing more light to strike the optical sensor. That naturally allows a clearer shot & warmer colors. So even with fewer megapixels the iPhone 4s camera manages to take photos with jaw-dropping clarity.

Steve Jobs is right about one thing. Trying to squeeze more megapixels onto the same space isnt the answer to the problem of getting better pictures. As you will see, the shots taken by the DROID X in both 6 MP & 8 MP modes fail to leave an impresion. That many pixels on such a small space & the quality is bound to deterioate. Theyre all blurred & the fact that it took 2-3 shots before an acceptable result was produced by the DROID X & only ONE shot for the iPhone 4 does NOT bode well for the Droid, which is an otherwise impressive piece of hardware. Maybe a software update might fix things but this is not the kind of lapse expected from the only real company from which Apple faces competition.



http://wccftech.com/2010/06/29/droid-iphone-4-camera-showdown/

So PC worlds's camera comments "Here's evidence that megapixel counts rarely matter: Apple's 5-megapixel iPhone 4 beat out the Droid X for overall image quality in our tests, serving up well-exposed, brightly colored images in our lab tests".

BOY GENIUS REPORT
Camera winner iPhone 4
"We were going to save this for our official review but we figure now is a good a time as any to air this out. We?re finding it very hard to take quality shots with the DROID X on the first try. We think what the issue may be is camera-shake that inevitably has to occur while pushing down the dedicated camera button to take a picture (there is no soft-key on the screen to press). Some of these DROID X shots were taken two or three times before we got one that was not blurry, the iPhone only needed one shot to get the images you see. It is unclear whether this can be fixed with a software update or if you just need a really, really steady hand."

Wow! I bet you say Apple has Paid them all!



-------
let I said every time people say the iPhone 4 or other apple product is good crying "Fanboy" or "Apple paid them" is too easy.
July 23
CNNmoney:

Yankee Group Survey.
"77% of iPhone owners say they'll buy another iPhone, compared to 20% of Android customers who say they'll buy another Android phone."

"73% of iPhone users are very satisfied with AT&T's service. That rating compares favorably to how non-iPhone smartphone users feel about AT&T, and even to how non-iPhone users feel about other wireless providers. The satisfaction rate of AT&T subscribers as a whole is 68%, and only 69% of smartphone users say they are satisfied with their mobile provider, Yankee Group found."
By stating that it's OK (no iPhone 4 recall) Jobs proved that he has mental problems (something like Grand delusion, paranoia, ... or simply - Stalin's syndrome).

Judge yourself:
According to Jobs, the goal of the non-isolated antenna is the beauty. Now he agreed to hide it from the eye = he indirectly agreed that the antenna must be isolated.

So, what was the point of fighting against other companies which does not have such moronic design and insane CEO? To prove insanity of the CEO and Co.?

It's interesting - will iStalin spoil new-coming Macs in the same manner or they will stay because Jobs cares only about iPhone?
0 Votes
+ -
Missing the point...
smtp4me@... 28th Jul 2010
@Davewrite, et al:

You and the rest of the Apple defenders are missing the point. It's not about the return rate of iPhone 4's. It's not about other smart phones having similar problems. It's not even about the fact that the iPhone may or may not have antenna issues.

It's about how Apple is handling the situation. First, they said it was a 'software error' - the bars do not accurately indicate signal strength. Next they tried deflection: 'yes we have a problem, but so do our competitors'. Finally, they went to the extreme and blamed users for holding the phone incorrectly.

My advice to Mr. Jobs and the rest of his crew: when a 'problem' is discovered in one of your products, perform your due diligence, investigate the root cause, create and release a fix, and ADMIT THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM AND TAKE YOUR LUMPS! DO NOT constantly try to shift the blame every where else EXCEPT yourself!

The result of Mr. Jobs current methods for handling the situation: alienating existing customers and users, hurting the Apple brand name, and getting his blind loyal followers to rattle their sabers in his defense.

Keep drinking the Apple kool aid and keep blindly following your leader.

Join the conversation!

Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]
ie8 fix
Click Here
ie8 fix

The best of ZDNet, delivered

ZDNet Newsletters

Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox

Facebook Activity

White Papers, Webcasts, & Resources
ie8 fix
ie8 fix