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Antenna problems-Has Jobs created a hornet’s nest for his competitors.
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In his presentation, Steve Jobs made the assertion that the effect of how you hold your phone on antenna reception is inherent in the nature of smart phones. RIMM, HTC and NOK issued non-denial denials. They can’t say it doesn’t affect their phones for liability reasons, but they use public relations speak to throw sand.
http://wallstreetpit.com/35842-rim-nokia-confront-apples-antennagate-press-conference
http://www.techweet.com/2010/07/17/htc-rim-and-nokia-challenge-apples-antenna-claimsIt seems to me logically that as fragile as reception is, Jobs assertion would be true (I can’t speak from personal experience. My tolerance of socializing is such that much as I love Apple and AAPL, I afford myself the luxury of not carrying a cell phone). Anyone who has had experience with these phones, or who owns a Blackberry or NOK phone and plays with hand position and reception will quickly smell bull. The press may never cover it, but on the ground these companies will credibility.
If they do get pressure and have to seriously address the issue they will have a major problem. Jobs has to defend one phone. He can present data and address the issue clearly, and lay out a solution that people can judge easily. How do you defend yourself effectively if you have 15 products out there?
Disney had a reputation in copyright circles, “Don’t F*** with the mouse.”
As an AAPL investor, I sleep better knowing that the competition is being put on notice the attacks may just backfire.Signature
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Yes. Competitors now have a problem. Apple’s offer of a refund if dissatisfied with a product due to a reported flaw is not one competitors will readily match.
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Yes. Competitors now have a problem. Apple’s offer of a refund if dissatisfied with a product due to a reported flaw is not one competitors will readily match.
Competitors may have two more problems: 1. Users will attempt to replicate the attenuation issue in larger #s when they weren’t likely to before. To the extent they can replicate it, users may attempt to request similar consideration from the handset manufacturer, which leads to: 2. A phone case is part of the Apple solution. It likely won’t be for the other non-Apple handsets.
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Many of the other phones out there don’t even have cases available. How can you have a case for a flip phone, for example, or one with a slide keyboard?
A quick scan of the comments on the reports of HTS’s and RIMM’s reaction to Jobs statement (and use of their phones as examples) showed that some users claimed they couldn’t re-produce a bar display drop (suggesting to me they are in a very strong signal area), while others could. Fanboys from all camps will argue this point ad infinitum. I’ve already lost interest. Both SpeedTest and the FCC app give wildly ranging results minutes apart from each other. I’m convinced that download/upload tests are too dependent not only on where you conduct the test, but also on the time of day and the resulting traffic load on the towers you connect to. Great speeds at 2 a.m., but poor results at noon on a work day.
Meanwhile I’ve never dropped a call and have no proximity sensor problems. No yellow cast to photos, no yellow blobs on my screen, no bluetooth issues. But I do have this problem where everyone who notices I have the new iPhone wants to try to death grip it.
Of course they end up remarking about the image quality of the screen, and the speed of internet loading, etc. If they already have an iPhone they invariably say they will upgrade as soon as they are eligible. Or they can’t afford it now; they want to get an iPad first.
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Well, it seems obvious from what I’ve read that the iPhone 4 has a problem. Perhaps it’s not unique, but the severity must be greater than with other phones—including previous iPhones. If it were just a matter of people beating up on Apple, we’d have heard it about iPhone 3. So, this smells like reality distortion field to me.
Having said that, I’ve never used an iPhone, Android or Blackberry. My phones have always been dumbphones. I never would have imagined an extreme case of signal loss from hand positioning, though.
Apple’s owning up to the problem, though, even if they are trying to downplay it. So, good for them.
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Well, it seems obvious from what I’ve read that the iPhone 4 has a problem. Perhaps it’s not unique, but the severity must be greater than with other phones—including previous iPhones. If it were just a matter of people beating up on Apple, we’d have heard it about iPhone 3. So, this smells like reality distortion field to me.
Having said that, I’ve never used an iPhone, Android or Blackberry. My phones have always been dumbphones. I never would have imagined an extreme case of signal loss from hand positioning, though.
Apple’s owning up to the problem, though, even if they are trying to downplay it. So, good for them.
So…what is the absolute number of people that is having this problem? -
Yes. Competitors now have a problem. Apple’s offer of a refund if dissatisfied with a product due to a reported flaw is not one competitors will readily match.
No, competitors to Apple do NOT have a problem. The “problem” does not exist. The problem is not material to the user of the Iphone or any other smartphone. Therefore, and in reality, a case fix is not needed for any of these phones. My personal experience with a naked Iphone4 is that it does not need a case.
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Well, it seems obvious from what I’ve read that the iPhone 4 has a problem. Perhaps it’s not unique, but the severity must be greater than with other phones—including previous iPhones. If it were just a matter of people beating up on Apple, we’d have heard it about iPhone 3. So, this smells like reality distortion field to me.
Having said that, I’ve never used an iPhone, Android or Blackberry. My phones have always been dumbphones. I never would have imagined an extreme case of signal loss from hand positioning, though.
Apple’s owning up to the problem, though, even if they are trying to downplay it. So, good for them.
As Apple suggested at the beginning of this debacle, the algorithm used to calculate signal strength may have been part of the problem. A displayed high signal strength will lead to frustration and anger when call are routinely dropped whereas a lower displayed signal strength will only lead to discouragement and disappointment.
For a number of reasons I use a VZ cell phone and have calls routinely drop while at my home; the signal strength can instantaneously drop from 4 bars to no signal. If I had a constant low signal, I would have been less angered at the dropped calls or would not have made them in the first place.
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“Once we roared like lions for liberty; now we bleat like sheep for security! The solution for America’s problem is not in terms of big government, but it is in big men over whom nobody stands in control but God.” ?Norman Vincent Peale
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I don’t feel that Job’s has created much of a problem for competitors. Instead I think he has handed them a golden opportunity. Here is why I feel this way. I admit that much of this is anecdotal.
1. I am a former Blackberry user and would never go back. However, the BB’s radio and antenna subsystem feels better to me. My 3GS has trouble maintaining a signal in spots that the BB did not. I think that one of the last real advantages that RIM has is this aspect of the product. They can likely back it up with data. If I was them I would do just that and embarrass Apple. This will help keep the story alive.
2. I don’t think the issue is going to disappear. Competitors have huge motivation to make sure of that. They can likely create scenarios and demos of their own to undermine the credibility of what Job’s said on Friday.
3. I think Apple is working on a permanent and better solution. They have to.
4. The belief that a better solution is coming will hurt sales. I am a huge fan of Apple products, but now I am quite content to wait for the real fix. I was talking to my son yesterday and he wants an iPhone 4 real bad, but he is going to wait for the “real” fix.
5. These purchase delays are not logical. I know that the so called flaw will likely never impact me in a material way. However, when I buy an Apple product I want the best. I don’t want the “flawed” product. Logic is not ruling the decision. Emotion is.
6. If a died in the wool Apple fanatic feels this way, then what about the rest of the world? I think that sales and more importantly the brand are about to take an ongoing hit until this “flaw” is fixed categorically.
7. Again, I don’t believe that the product has a serious flaw. However, perception says that it does and that perception is not going to disappear. So Apple must do more than they already have to kill that perception once and for all. Friday’s press conference is not going to be good enough. A lesser company would not be forced into this corner, but the irony is that great companies are held to a higher standard and are more vulnerable to perceptions getting completely out of control.
As a shareholder I wish it was different, but I don’t think my wishes are going to come true.
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Well, it seems obvious from what I’ve read that the iPhone 4 has a problem. Perhaps it’s not unique, but the severity must be greater than with other phones—including previous iPhones. If it were just a matter of people beating up on Apple, we’d have heard it about iPhone 3. So, this smells like reality distortion field to me.
Having said that, I’ve never used an iPhone, Android or Blackberry. My phones have always been dumbphones. I never would have imagined an extreme case of signal loss from hand positioning, though.
Apple’s owning up to the problem, though, even if they are trying to downplay it. So, good for them.
So…what is the absolute number of people that is having this problem?According to Apple’s numbers, about 15,000.
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Perhaps it’s not unique, but the severity must be greater than with other phones—including previous iPhones.
Well it MUST be, since all the blogs are talking about it… lol.
The severity seems greater because of the iPhone link-bait. Every phone I have ever had with an internal antenna has had this issue, but more importantly is the comparison of number of model types. Apple releases two new phones a year (same model, different capacities, but same build). The bulk of the competition releases many more smartphone during that time with a varying range of success. You don’t get the sales numbers on any of those individual models like you do with the iphone and when a random HTC phone gives a customer issues, there is another - newer - HTC or Motorola or what have you, that the customer takes on because model number eclipse themselves so easily. Case in point: Google’s Nexus One (made by HTC) is already being phased out and customers are being shepherded towards other android-based phones. Not a new, updated Nexus, other models altogether. How can enough users follow one handset in enough numbers to compare to an iPhone for long enough to find flaws when their market is so segmented? Close but different handsets will behave differently because they are built differently, having parts and in this case antennas in varying places.
The numbers still show that less have complained about the iPhone 4 then the iPhone 3GS, the problem here is that it’s just being highlighted. AT&T’s crap network isn’t helping much, yet reports from Germany are that due to their strong network the “Death Grip” is hard to replicate there. I think we may get a better idea once we have this model on more networks. After the 30th the phone will be available to more countries and we’ll get a better idea of how much of all of this has to do with bad coverage.
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So…what is the absolute number of people that is having this problem?According to Apple’s numbers, about 15,000.
I have to assume that there are a lot of people with the problem who haven’t contacts either Apple or ATT. They may vent on the internet or not, but until Apple came forward last Friday with a “solution” this owners have been waiting to see how the problem is solved. If they wait for a free case they may get pushed past their 30 day window for returns. So I’d expect some to take advantage of getting their money back now and possibly wait for Apple’s final solution in October.
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Front page links to this thread as “gauging the fallout from iPhone presser”. What’s there to gauge? We already have a perfectly working gauge in the right column of the site. AAPL down $8.98 right now. Ouch.
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Front page links to this thread as “gauging the fallout from iPhone presser”. What’s there to gauge? We already have a perfectly working gauge in the right column of the site. AAPL down $8.98 right now. Ouch.
Not to disagree but the stock price reflects a chance to whipsaw the stock price a perfect storm. Shitty review of iPhone antenna drive down price, profit on dip buy back tomorrow for earnings and make a gain on positive surprise. It just happens to coincide with antennagate.
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I think this covers everything concerning this issue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn-YesqzvNk
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Talk to you later
PAL -
In retrospect, SJ gave the competitors and geeks ammo to attack when he highlighted the antenna design during the iPhone 4 launch.
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