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02 Jul 2010
Apple has owned up to errors in the way signal strength is displayed in the iPhone 4, a flaw that the firm blames for user complaints regarding fall-off in signal reception when using the device. A software fix is to be made available to address the issue within weeks.
In an open letter to iPhone 4 users, Apple claimed that reception on the iPhone 4 has actually been improved against the earlier iPhone 3GS model, so the company was puzzled when reports of reception problems started to surface almost as soon as the new device went on sale.
An investigation has revealed the reason, according to Apple; an incorrect algorithm for calculating how many bars of signal strength to display means that the handset was misleading users into thinking they had a good signal, when this was not necessarily the case.
"Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays two more bars than it should for a given signal strength … 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 four or five bars," the letter explained.
"Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place."
Incredibly, Apple said that the issue goes right back to the original iPhone.
The company has now changed the way it calculates the number of bars to display, and will issue a free software update within a few weeks that will be available for the iPhone 4, and also the iPhone 3G and 3GS.
Earlier, the problems were ascribed to the steel band that encircles the new handset and which doubles as the wireless antenna. Users were said to be smothering the signal when grasping the phone, especially those holding it in their left hand.
Apple said that any users still not fully satisfied can return their iPhone within 30 days of purchase for a full refund, providing it is undamaged.
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Do you agree?
err, what can we say?
Interesting, so in some cases people have no signal when the iPhone says full bars. Yeah right Apple, you work out by how much the new iPhone antennas loose in signal and adjust your algorithm to hide the problem. Another question how did your testers miss this? either you knew about the antenna issue or the algorithm issue, either way you must have knew
Posted by: Hayden 02 Jul 2010
So it looks like they have had this software fix since the first iphone!
A bug which was on the original iphone that showed two bars more signal strength than was actually available, Hang on, that means that all along the phones have been missleading consumers into thinking that the siganl was better than it actually was, and that the handsets were better than rivals in low signal strength areas where they clearly wer not. That looks to me as though they have been caught with their pants down, using simple built in errors to fool the users. Is this not called lying, or embellishing the truth, or fraud even?
Posted by: Darren Edwards 02 Jul 2010
Sooner Or Later
Sooner or later Apple Will Have This Issue Sorted..... i do still belive that apple Should Give Away A Free Bumper of a See Through Colour And if then the consumer Wants a Different Colour Then They should Fork out for it, But with the Pending Law Suit on the Company, they should be working fast. i have still got my Iphone on Order And Really Looking Forward to getting it, Any Bugs Within products our days Are Quickly Mended within a couple of weeks So i am always happy to wait :D
Posted by: Rhys Forrest 02 Jul 2010