DeathGrip posts

If you didn't see the thorough reports from AnandTech and Richard Gaywood on the behavior of the iPhone 4 in low-signal areas, one of the conclusions they came to is that 'bars are bogus.'

The behavior of the signal indicators on the phone is wildly shifted toward the optimistic, with over half the available signal range displayed as a cheery five bars. This contributes to the death grip problem: users who are giving up some antenna sensitivity when they grab the phone may not realize that their signal was iffy to begin with.

Guess what: Apple agrees with them, at least in part. The company posted a letter/press release today (unsigned, rather than the attributed-to-Steve past Thoughts on Music and Thoughts on Flash; they could have called this one Thoughts on Bars, but that would have been a little cruel) that admits "We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising." The letter continues: "Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong."

Totally wrong? Golly.

Apple says it will be releasing a software update to recalibrate the signal display so that users will be aware of the low signal that they didn't think they had, and as a result the problem of not being able to make calls when they hold the phone 'the wrong way' will be less evident. I guess.

We're all for clarity in signal displays, but what's not clear is how a more sophisticated formula for computing the "more bars in more places" will help users who have bought bumpers, or returned phones, because their iPhone 4s could not make calls in places their 3GS phones did. As Apple notes, there are plenty of users who are not having problems, and in fact get better reception and fewer dropped calls than they did with previous generations; all that does not invalidate the issues that are causing grief for Death Grip Nation.

In their review, Anandtech acknowledged that the iPhone 4's antenna capabilities and performance in low-signal areas are much improved over the earlier generation, with the ability to hold calls in conditions where the 3GS would have dropped them. Still, their conclusion is sound and straightforward: "At the end of the day, Apple should add an insulative coating to the stainless steel band, or subsidize bumper cases. It's that simple."

Note: Whether you are having reception issues or not, please be respectful and constructive in your comments.

Earlier this week were discussing the Death Grip and comparing how we hold our iPhones. I thought we should pose the question to you. Several readers added photos of their preferred method to our Flickr pool, and we noticed two main styles among them: the Cradle and the Death Grip.

The Cradle is pictured at right. The iPhone rests on top of the pinky while the other fingers support it like a stand. The thumb is then free to reach and tap.

The Death Grip is any hold that contacts the lower left-hand corner of the phone and bridges the gap between the two antennas, as that's what appears to trigger the signal issue. The results were nearly split: 9 of you used some variant of the Cradle, while 8 employed a full-on Death Grip. One fellow followed Apple's suggestion to a T, as you'll see in the gallery below.

Thanks for sharing your photos with us, everyone. Now ... who's got antenna issues? Take our poll from earlier today and let us know.

As Erica demonstrates in the video above, for some iPhone 4 users it's not that hard to show how the phone's reception is affected by holding it 'wrong.' BoyGeniusReport has a copy of what they claim is AppleCare's internal troubleshooting procedure for iPhone 4, which boils down to "the iPhone 4's antenna is great; avoid holding it that way; and no, you aren't getting a free bumper." BGR also points out that if this is the official line, notably absent is any hint of a software fix coming (counter to what AppleInsider suggested last week). Of course, if there isn't a problem, then why would Apple be planning to fix it?

To an extent, Apple (and Steve Jobs who was widely reported to have told a user not to hold their iPhone a certain way) is right. All cell phones have this issue. Yes, Nokia, even yours. But Apple's blasé response to this issue is going to give it legs, especially when Apple's solution is to buy a $30 bumper that they just happened to have started selling to coincide with the iPhone 4 release.

Speaking as someone who remembers when iPhones used to come with a dock in the box, and who assumes that the actual production cost of a bumper is probably closer to $5 than $30, I'm surprised Apple isn't trying to avoid the seemingly inevitable class action lawsuit by throwing in a bumper to anyone who has the problem and brings their iPhone 4 into an Apple Store. After all, Nintendo put a wrist strap on the Wii Remote but still gave away plastic grips to help people who were losing control of them. And the story died.

There's no doubt that this issue is clouding the iPhone 4's release, even if the issue is only affecting a small percentage of iPhone 4 users (and we don't know what that percentage is). My friend Richard Gaywood posted a detailed explanation of the issue and why it is more likely to be discernible in areas of weak coverage (which AT&T customers refer to as "just about everywhere"). AnandTech posted a detailed explanation as well. MacRumors reported the experience of one user who resolved reception problems with a reseating of the iPhone's MicroSIM, which is easy enough to try on your own.

So our question to you iPhone 4 owners is: have you seen it?

Ever since the iPhone 4's announcement we've been waiting for the Talkcast where we could say "Hey, how is everyone enjoying the new iPhone 4 magic?" Little did we know that it would be a discussion centered around the precise grip patterns of the average mobile phone user and the conductivity of human skin. Guess that's just the way things go sometimes -- and we're all hoping for some updates tomorrow that may alleviate the issues.

Meanwhile, whether you're a new iPhone 4 owner or not, you're welcome on the Talkcast! We'll be live at 10 pm ET, taking your calls and questions as best we can.

To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantage of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8.

If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free X-Lite SIP client; basic instructions are here. Of course, the full TalkShoe client includes its own 'Shoephone' VoIP tool as well. For MP3 streaming on iPhone or iPad, you can try this link once the show starts (may or may not work).

I suppose, in a world where one of the most successful CEOs replies personally to customer emails complaining about their new phones, it's not entirely outside the realm of the credible that the same CEO might announce a possible product recall on Twitter. By bypassing his entire corporate communications infrastructure, this CEO would defuse a tricky support situation and regain the trust of the marketplace.

No, wait -- it's not credible. Despite the fact that @ceoSteveJobs is 100% fake, which a casual reading of the account timeline shows, Britain's Daily Mail newspaper still ran with a story yesterday that quoted the Twitter account as saying Apple might have to recall the iPhone 4. The story has been removed from the DM's website, but it's still posted on multiple syndication sites and scraper pages.

Meanwhile, MacRumors cites a newly received SteveMail that says "There is no reception issue. Stay tuned." This lends credence to the AppleInsider post that anticipates an iOS 4.01 release to correct the signal problems associated with the 'death grip.' Never a dull moment!

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.