Why Apple’s iPhone 4 Update Won’t Fix Your Reception Problem
This graphic shows why some people experience the iPhone 4 signal drop problems while others haven’t been able to reproduce it. It also explains why Apple’s incoming software update—which promises more accurate signal bars—won’t fix the antenna problem.
Which is sad, because I was hoping for a real fix to the antenna problem itself, not just the signal display (I want this phone badly, but I want it to work well at all times). After talking with some wireless engineers, it seems that this is not going to be the case. Michael Anderson, who used to work at Motorola’s FCC testing lab, points out that “it’s a fundamental flaw that can only be fixed through a redesign. If that is redone, all the FCC will have to be completed again. This may be a long slow process to fix.”
In his reply to Apple’s letter, Richard Gaywood—PhD on wireless network design from Cardiff University—thinks the signal display fix is a good step to fix user perception, but it won’t fix the antenna interference problem that exists in the iPhone 4:
But if there is no design issue at work here, why did Anandtech and I both show significantly different attenuation when holding an iPhone 4 in a bare hand compared to holding it in a case? And why did Apple themselves recommend “using a case” as a possible solution to the problem?
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