Also, for your enjoyment, the other banned promos.

(via techgadgetx.com)

UPDATE 2 As execpted Nike+ HRM support did not appear in iOS 4.1 GM, but there is a strong chance it will be in iOS 4.2.

We reported a couple weeks ago that iOS heart rate monitor (HRM) support was coming this fall. Logically I assumed (or wishful thinking?) this would fit nicely with the final iOS 4.1 release. As of beta 3, released August 3, there was no support, but I was hoping to see it introduced in beta 4. It’s been almost a month since beta 3 was released and with the fall event scheduled for tomorrow, there is basically no chance we’ll see this in iOS 4.1.

If not in iOS 4.1, I thought we might be waiting till iOS 5 for support. Remember there was no iOS 3.2 release last year (not counting the special iPad only version) and this isn’t something you’d see in a small iOS 4.1.1 update. However, I did suggested there was a small chance for an iOS 4.2 release later this year, which could definitely include HRM support.

John Gurber suggest, due to the lack of iOS 4.1 iPad beta, there is a good chance for a 4.2 update later this year:

As for the iPad, no, I don’t think 4.1 is going to be released for it. iOS 4.2, coming late in the calendar year, is a more likely unification release for all iOS devices. Think about it — how can Apple release iOS 4.1 for the iPad next week if they haven’t released a single beta for developers?

This makes sense a lot of sense and backs up my hopes for a possible iOS 4.2 release for iPhone, iPod, and iPad. This update would happen before years end and still fits in with the fall prediction, which covers from early September (labor day) through late December (around the 20th).

Nike+ over air syncing first appeared in iOS 4.0 beta, but was removed early on in the beta cycle. Even when it was still active, it never was able to send the data to Nike’s servers.  Over air syncing made its triumphant return in first iOS 4.1 beta and has stuck through yesterday’s beta 3. Also, as you can see from the video, on iOS 4.1 beta it actually works.

So the fact that it’s still in beta 3 and the Nike+ servers are now ready to accept the data, there is a strong chance this update will make it into the final iOS 4.1 release.

Test Conditions

• Started with completely dead iPhone.
• Wall outlet charged on standard US 120 Volt / 60 Hz using Apple include plug adapter and USB cable
• USB charged on late 2008 13″ aluminum MacBook.
• iPhone was checked quickly (1-2 seconds of screen time) every 5 minutes for it’s current charge. This was done for both test so even if it had a minimal impact on charge time, the comparison would still be equal.
• iPhone screen was kept at very dim level to lessen the impact of checking charge.
• WI-FI was kept off.
• iPhone 4 was active on AT&T  3G during charge. I had some activity on the phone while charging, but it was very minimal and should not impact the results.
  • During outlet test I received 2 text, a phone call (canceled call), and 1 voice-mail from the canceled call.
  • During USB test I received 1 text.

Click to enlarge

Conclusions

Stating the obvious, the iPhone 4 takes longer to get a full charge on USB than an outlet. What you may not have realized is how big the difference was, an extra 30 minutes! That’s 23% longer to get a full charge on the USB. If you’ve ever had a completely drained iPhone, you know it takes a bit of time before it turns back on. Plugged into an outlet, it took 3 minutes 11 seconds to come back to life. On USB it took almost 2 minutes longer, 4 minutes 49 seconds.

Obviously the convenience of USB charging is great, but if you’re in a rush to get charged and get out of the house, always go for the outlet.

Compared to the 3G

The 3G took 90 minutes for a full charge on outlet, about 31% faster than a full charge for the iPhone 4′s 130 minutes. On USB the 3G took 140 minutes, about 13% faster than the iPhone 4′s 160 minutes. Keep in mind that the iPhone 4 has about a 20% larger battery, so it makes complete sense that it takes longer to charge.

The short answer…it does, you just don’t see it in “the bars”.

I first thought this could be the answer way back on the June 24th during my bumper testing:

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.

After reading John Gruber’s post backing up my idea, I did a more specific follow up post on the issue:

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.

Turns out the “not all 5 bars are created equal” was dead on. It was hard to prove this before because the old field test app that showed these numbers was removed from iOS 4. That didn’t stop Anandtech though, with a neat hack job they were able to get the numeric signal number back on iOS 4 instead of the bars:

However, you can see just how little dynamic range iOS 4 has for reporting signal; over 40% of the range of possible signal levels (from -99 dB to -51 dB) is reported as 5 bars.

They go on to test the drop in signal by how it’s held:

Tight grip in hand: 24.6 dB
Holding naturally in hand: 19.8 dB
Holding naturally with case: 7.2 dB
Open palm: 9.2 dB

Now let’s revisit my bars and bumper test with the dB numbers provided by Anandtech:

Strong 5 bars (Naturally held)

You start with the strong 5 bars at -60 dB (-51 dB would be strongest 5 bars), then you hold it in your left hand, lowering the signal to -79.8 dB (-51 dB – 19.8 dB). Even though you have a significant drop in signal, it’s still above the -99 dB threshold for 5 bars, so it goes unnoticed in the bars. If you did a speed test before and after, you would be able to see the difference…try it.

Weak 5 bars (Naturally held)

You start with the weak 5 bars at -90 dB (-99 dB would be weakest 5 bars), then you hold it in your left hand, lowering the signal to -109.8 dB (-90 dB – 19.8 dB). This now takes you past the 1 bar threshold of -107 dB. With 1 bar you can still make calls, but have a better chance of a drop. The bigger issue, at least for me, is the 3G data speeds drop dramatically.

Bumper (Naturally held with case)

I know I was starting with a signal that was on the lower end of 5 bars because every once in a while it would drop down to 4 bars. For this example let’s assume it was -95 dB. Holding naturally with the bumper it would drop down to -102.2 dB (-95 dB – 7.2 dB) putting it in the 3 bar range, exactly what I got during my test.

Another way to think about it in terms of bars would be to add 5 more bars on top of the 5 that already exist. Not as an average, but just adding more detail to the high end. The user that claim they don’t have an issue are really starting out with 9-10 bars in this 10 bar and dropping to 5-6, but those that start with 5 are dropping to 1.

So those of you that were counting yourself lucky are just starting off better, but when you aren’t holding your phone you still have a stronger signal.

I started having some issue with Nike+ on my iPhone 3GS running the iOS 4 betas and even still on the GM. They weren’t show stoppers, but pretty annoying:

- Not getting verbal updates most of the time when pressing the home button
- After stopping to refill my water bottles on long runs, Nike+ clock kept running but would stop counting miles. This would happen if I paused the workout or just left it running

I just accepted the loss of verbal updates and would just end / begin a new workout well it stopped tracking miles. I was excited to try my luck with the iPhone 4 yesterday, but  I couldn’t even get it to find my shoe sensor. No matter what the Nike+ app wouldn’t detect my sensor and had to fall back to using my old 3GS.

UPDATE The fix below may also resolve the other issue I mentioned above in addition to just syncing the sensor.

The Fix

After contacting @NikePlus I was told to do a general iPhone settings reset, reset the phone, and try again.

1) Settings > General > Reset (all the way at bottom) > Reset All Settings. This will not remove any data or mess up any stored passwords for apps and such.

2) After the iPhone boots back up, restart it again. To do this press and hold the lock button on the top of the phone and then press and hold the home button…do not let go until you see the black screen with the Apple logo.

3) Once the iPhone boots back, go to Settings > Nike + iPod and click on Sensor to try syncing it again.  You may also need to give the little button on the bottom of the sensor a series of quick presses.

The first time I tried the above I still couldn’t connect. So I left the Nike+ settings and returned the home screen. I then pressed the little button a few more times, went back into Nike+ settings, threw the sensor back in my shoe and gave the sync another try. This time around it worked! Hopefully this get’s it going for you as well.

Also, according to reply I received from @NikePlus, Nike and Apple are aware of ALL the issues I’ve highlighted here (included the 3GS ones):

Thanks for the feedback. We and Apple are aware that some users are having both problems. Hoping for a quick fix!

Please keep in mind that Apple is control of creating the app for Nike+, as it requires more access than a standard third party app. So don’t blame Nike, there is nothing they can do directly. They can only work with Apple to get it resolved.

I looked into how the bumper case affected the signal loss problem earlier. It helped lessen the signal loss, but still lost a couple bars. I’ve been thinking about this issue all day and decided to dig a bit deeper to see what I could find.

UPDATE For those of you that don’t have this issue, my best guess…I wrote earlier today in my bumper case 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.

Watch the video of this phenomena.

Gruber agrees with this and here is my post explaining it in more detail.

I definitely have the signal loss issue and more specifically, the left hand covering the bottom left corner problem. Engadget points out that this is where the Bluetooth / WI-FI / GPS antenna meets the UMTS / GSM antenna. This is true, but there is also another meeting point at the top of the phone as seen in the antenna diagram.  Holding the top of the phone doesn’t produce the same effect as the bottom left.

I decided to take it a step further to see if the 2 antennas were “electrically separate”. I pulled out my handy multimeter and got to measuring. I started as an electrical engineer in college, but later switched to computer engineering, so if anything I’m saying sounds off, let me know @justin_horn.

UPDATE @armadsen tweeted the following:

DC resistance measurements are not valid for antennas, it’s RF impedance that matters. Much more difficult to measure.

Guess that pokes a whole in this theory?

No resistance between the two antennas

Control showing no resistance when shorted

Control showing 100% resistance when open circuit

As you can see from the pictures above, there is basically zero resistance between the two antennas. This means we aren’t bridging “the gap” and shorting the two antennas because they are already connected. Ruling out this bridging effect explains why the top gap doesn’t suffer the same issue.

UPDATE Continuing to test this, it’s hard to argue with the bridge theory. I just place one finger (you know which one Apple) right on the separator and the signal starts to drop. What I don’t get is how this doesn’t effect the upper gap, theoretically it should be the same right?  Check out Marco Arment’s solution, spoiler alert: masking tape.

It’s obvious something is going on here, so next I checked out Daring Fireball. John Gruber doesn’t have the issue (lucky bastard), but linked to an article by Jim Dalrymple of The Loop who adds:

According to people I’ve spoken with, it could be that moisture from your fingers is causing the iPhone 4 to believe that the antenna is receiving interference and losing its wireless signal

So the best I could come up with to test this is the good old rubber glove test!

I’m like a doctor!

Rubber glove, same result. This was only testing the moisture idea, but I’m thinking it has to do more with the fact that the human body is a conductor. Somehow this conductive nature of the human skin is sapping the signal or just disrupting it somehow.

I remember back in olden days, touching rabbit ears for an analog TV broadcast actually improved the signal,  but with the iPhone 4 it’s worse. I’m not really sure why, but I have a few guesses:

1) It doesn’t work the same for digital signals
2) Cell phone frequency range  reacts differently to human conductivity than TV (analog or digital)
3) iPhone is a transmitter and a receiver, not just a receiver like a TV

The rubber glove I used was thin enough that it didn’t stop the flow of electricity, so to test this I needed something thicker. I decided it was time to bring out the big guns…The Ove Glove.

This phone is hawt!

This test produced the best results with zero signal loss, even trumping the results I got with the bumper earlier! Another plus, the Ove Glove is half the price of the bumper [Buy your ove glove on Amazon].

Even though I’m not sure why human conductivity would weaken the signal, after this last test I believe it’s cause. At this point I really don’t think there is anything Apple can do to fix this, so go buy your Ove Gloves!

UPDATE The final answer on how the signal is affected in hand vs in case.

After some tests this morning, it looks like the bumper case helps with the antenna issue we reported on yesterday. Keep in mind that I used the main 5 bar signal indicator as a reference, not sure how to get into field test mode on the iPhone 4. Also, as the signal can change anytime, for any reason, the results were not always the same. I just kept repeating (many times) the test and this was what I got on average.

No Bumper
Hands off: 4-5 bars
In hand: 1 bar

With Bumper
Hands off: 4-5 bars
In hand: 3 bars

So the bumper did keep the signal at 3 bars compared to it plummeting to 1 bar shortly after picking up the naked iPhone.

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.

Check out this video of this strong signal room.

The fact that the signal still dropped down to 3 bars even with the bumper on and that I saw no drop in the “strong signal room”, leads me to believe that a software update to boost the output power (like we got in the 3.x days) may help resolve the issue. Apple said a software patch was coming, so I guess we won’t have to wait long to find out…when will iOS 4.0.1 be released?

When I first heard of the new antenna system on the iPhone 4, I thought it would increase the signal by getting the antenna out from behind all the other electronics. It later crossed my mind that by actually touching the antenna, with conductive skin, it could cause a weaker signal. I figured Apple wouldn’t have gone with this design if it was a problem, so the thought left my mind.

Things changed today…I’m hearing reports from a few different users that this is actually an issue. Not a big enough sample group to call it a major issue, but we should find out soon enough tomorrow when a ton more iPhone 4s hit the street.

Jeremy Sikora tweeted to let us know that Apple is claiming it’s a software issue. When I asked where he heard that and if there was an official press release he replied:

@justin_horn no but WM talked about same issue in his review. Apple claimed a software patch is coming.

NOTE: Jeremy isn’t just some random guy on Twitter, when he says something Apple related he is usually correct.

In response to our tweet earlier about the issue a little while ago, Loyal Moses tweeted:

Same Problem!

Loyal posted some videos of the problem on his blog.

Joe Wilcox tweeted earlier:

iPhone 4 first impression: Delightful device. Network sucks worse. I had better 3G on iPhone 3GS. “Searching” frequently.

Later, Joe Wilcox confirms this is an issue:

@justin_horn LOL, my mistake. Flat down on my desk, I see full bars. I hold the phone in my palm, bars slowly go down, like video.

Further evidence is one user who posted a video of the issue in action

Gizmodo is all over this, guess they are mad they didn’t get a test unit

(via @tarungangwani)

From Wikipedia:

Economies of scale, in microeconomics, are the cost advantages that a business obtains due to expansion. They are factors that cause a producer’s average cost per unit to fall as scale is increased.

These three words sum up why we will not see a Verizon iPhone until 4G LTE is a reality.

Before we get into economies of scale, just think about how many hours of R&D go into the development of the iPhone every year. To make a custom iPhone for one carrier, in one country, seems like a wasted expense. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they have looked at or even done some limited R&D on what it would take to get a CDMA iPhone out the door, but it’s not a main focus.

Take the R&D expense out of the equation and the Verizon iPhone still doesn’t make sense. As Apple’s manufacturing partners ramp up production of the iPhone, the cost per unit is going to drop and Apple’s profit will go up.Why would they want to have a production line just for Verizon? Verizon is a huge company, but compared to AT&T and the rest of the world, they aren’t. They would have to make far fewer CDMA iPhones raising the average cost and cutting into their profits.

Continued from Wikipedia on Economies of scale:

Economies of scale may be utilized by any size firm expanding its scale of operation. The common ones are purchasing (bulk buying of materials through long-term contracts), managerial (increasing the specialization of managers), financial (obtaining lower-interest charges when borrowing from banks and having access to a greater range of financial instruments), and marketing (spreading the cost of advertising over a greater range of output in media markets).

I highlighted purchasing and marketing as these are the main factors that would influence Apple. They’ve put strains on world supplies of flash chips due to the huge production of their latest iDevices, so we know they can get some bulk buying discounts. To build the Verizon iPhone they would need to purchase CDMA chips on  a much smaller scale increasing their cost. The marketing might overlap a bit, but they would need to tweak ads to make sure they didn’t advertise a feature, like talk and surf,  as Verizon’s CDMA network can’t support this.

Go beyond the cost of the manufacturing and think about supporting the phone. This is one reason why Apple only makes one iPhone per year, compared to Motorola’s and Nokia’s hundreds.

What about that special Chinese iPhone? In this case all Apple had to do was disable WI-FI. I’m not an Apple engineer, but common sense tells me disabling a feature is monumentally easier than swapping out the main radio chip that makes up the phone part of iPhone. I’m betting the WI-FI chips are  still in there and disabled via the hardware. As for support, it’s the same phone with one featured disabled, so one less thing to break.

What about AT&T’s generous early upgrade policy this year? You’ll remember last year they did almost the same thing, but only extened the upgrade elgible window through September. This year they only exteneded it an additional 3 months. The other difference this year is AT&T raised the ETF from $175 to $350 on all their smartphones, matching Verizon’s somewhat recent ETF rate hike. I know some make a case that these two events mean they are trying to get more people hooked on AT&T with a bigger penalty for leaving. It’s very logical argument, but I just think they raised the ETF to match Verizon and are offering the early upgrade to iPhone owners for the same reasons as last year.

We will see an iPhone on Verizon when Verizon is on the same wireless network technology as the rest of the world. This will happen when everyone goes to the 4G LTE networks. When the 4G network will be deployed on a large scale is another question. I’ve heard rumors of 2011, but something tells me we are still a 2-3 years away.