iOS 4.0.1 update next week? Possibly Monday?
by Justin Horn on Jun 25th, 2010 @ 7:05 pmReaders report that Apple’s tech support forums originally confirmed that a iOS 4.0.1 software fix addressing the issue would ship early next week (as early as Monday), before the comments were subsequently taken down along with all the other related discussion about the matter.
The fix is expected to address a issue in iOS 4 related to radio frequency calibration of the baseband. Readers who saw the original forum discussions say that the issue is believed to occur when switching frequencies; because the lag is allegedly not calibrated correctly, it results in the device reporting “no service” rather than switching to the frequency with the best signal to noise ratio.
iOS 4 introduced some enhancements to how the baseband selects which frequencies to use, so it makes sense that the error may have crept into those changes. Additionally, this explains why iOS 4 has also caused similar problems for iPhone 3GS users.
Additional readers have shared other related experiences that also corroborate the idea that the issue is related to iOS 4′s software control of the baseband, including the fact that the issue seems easily reproducible when connecting to a WWAN 3G network but does not appear when connecting to a Microcell 3G. If the problem were simply hardware related issues of the antenna design, it should only affect iPhone 4 units with that new design and should occur at all times, regardless of the tower type. That is not being observed.
I hope this is true, but I’ll believe it when I see. Also, it’s a fact that when the signal is at 1 bar, it’s not just a misreading…I have tested this myself. I didn’t do a dropped call test, but using the Speedtest.net app I can tell you, naked phone with bottom left covered with my hand, resulted in the app not even being able to complete the latency test.
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Walt Mosspuppet on all the iPhone 4 issues
by Justin Horn on Jun 25th, 2010 @ 5:46 pmGood stuff!
(via Walt Mosspuppet)
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Video: iPhone 4 signal issue and how it varies by network coverage
by Justin Horn on Jun 25th, 2010 @ 5:07 pmI first noticed this effect while doing my bumper test yesterday. Basically while in the sweet spot of my house my signal starts and stays at 5 bars even while holding the iPhone 4 in my left hand. When I walk about 10 feet away from this spot my left hand degrades the signal to 1 bar.
Even though this is a very small scale test, just moving from room to room in a house, I believe the same effect is happening on a larger scale. The people that aren’t experiencing the issue get this “sweet spot” everywhere they’ve been with the phone so far. I explained this theory in more detail in my last post on the issue, iPhone 4 left hand signal loss dependant on the quality of your 3G coverage.
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iPhone 4, Speculation
iPhone 4, it blends
by Justin Horn on Jun 25th, 2010 @ 2:28 pmIt’s hard for me to watch technology getting dropped and banged up for no reason, but for some reason I still love these videos.
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Looks like I was right again…no iPhone 4 coming to Verizon
by Justin Horn on Jun 25th, 2010 @ 1:35 pmAnd the second part of the meeting (and most important to us) was to announce that they will not be interested in the iPhone 4 (as of now) and are putting full effort behind Android and the new lineup of Droid devices. From what I’ve gathered, the Droid X promo video that was shown at the launch was played again plus the announcement of an August release of the Droid 2.
They basically called it the “Summer of DROID.”
About a week ago I wrote an article called Economy of Scale, disputing the latest batch of iPhone 4 on Verizon rumors. I’m usually wrong, so I needed to take this opportunity to point out I was right.
(via 9to5Mac)
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iPhone 4 left hand signal loss dependant on the quality of your 3G coverage
by Justin Horn on Jun 25th, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
UPDATE The final answer on why some see the drop and some don’t, spoiler alert: What I said below was dead on.
I know I touched on this already in my bumpers help prevent iPhone 4 signal drop post, but I thought it warranted highlighting this in it’s own post.
From my bumpers post:
I then tested in another room with less electronics. In this room I started with a strong signal of 5 bars. This time around, with or without the bumper, the signal held pretty much at 5 bars. This may explain why some people don’t seem to notice this issue. If you have really great AT&T service where you live, the in hand signal drop may not be as noticeable.
In addition to this sweet spot, last night I tweeted:
Out for a late snack, first time out of my house since getting the phone and nothing I do lowers the 5 bars. Very strange.
And then tweeted when I got home:
Back home and back to touching bottom left corner and losing signal.
John Gruber also believe the signal strength could be the cause:
My best guess at this point is that the issue pops up in areas with spotty 3G coverage. With nothing covering the antenna, the improved reception of the iPhone 4 gives you more bars, maybe even up to 5. But when you cover the antenna in these areas with poor coverage, the phone is unable to get a strong signal. I’ve seen several reports from people who can reproduce the problem, but only from certain locations.
I think the problem is “the bars”. They serve their purpose for the most part, but when trying to do a test involving signal strength we need more detail. I would argue that 5 bars in one area is not necessarily equal to 5 bars in another. Start with a “weak 5 bars” and you can see the signal loss represented by the bars dropping. Start with a “strong 5 bars” and the signal may be getting weaker, but never below the 5 bar threshold. In this case it appears to the user that they still have the same signal strength and it goes unnoticed.
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