iPhone 4: "Antenna of the Future"

Apple must really enjoy bending over and screwing their faithfuls!!

The latest iteration of Apple's iPhone smartphone has had various feature upgrades plus a redesign. The iPhone 4 now sports a flat, stainless steel band running all around its edge. The metal strip is used to make the handset more robust but also acts as part of the iPhone's antenna system. Steve Jobs explained its function during the official unveiling of iPhone 4 at WWDC earlier this month:

"This is part of some brilliant engineering which actually uses the stainless steel band as part of the antenna system," he said during the keynote. "One piece [of the band] is Bluetooth, wi-fi and GPS and the other is UMTS and GSM and so it's got these integrated antennas right in the structure of the phone."

"It's never been done before and it's really cool engineering," Jobs added. Really Mr. Jobs?

However some users of the new iPhone have noticed that network reception appears to drop off when the device is held in certain ways. I mistakenly believed Apple put their products through extensive testing before throwing it out to the masses, yet there's always either a signal/reception (iPhone 3G, iPhone 4) or Wi-Fi (iPad) issue.

You may argue that all new devices have their glitches, and you would be correct as well. So why call Apple out on their glitch? Simple, Apple is arrogant about their devices and blame the consumer for user-error!

When confronted about the antenna issue on the new iPhone 4, Steve Jobs had this to say:

"Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

An iPhone 4 user by the name of Aram emailed Jobs:

Hi, Mr. Jobs,

I love my new iPhone 4 (nice work) but when I put my hand on the steel bands I lose all reception, It also appears to be a common issue. Any plans to fix this?

Thanks,
Aram

The kid actually got a response from good ole Steve Jobs, but the poor bastard won't be getting any kind of fix. Steve's reply?

"Just avoid holding it in that way."

If you're planning on getting the iPhone 4, better add that $29 rubber case so the phone is usable, at least as usable as a phone can be on AT&T.

Interesting fact: Go to www.bing.com and type in "iPhone" and see the suggested choices that pop under, the top two are iPhone 4 Problems and iPhone 4 cases, respectively.

Apple's FaceTime Worth the Time?

FaceTime is going to fizzle and pop.

In case you missed it, FaceTime offers Skype-like video calling via the iPhone 4's front-facing camera. It's not entirely Skype-like, though; for now, FaceTime works only over Wi-Fi networks, not 3G.



I admit that video calling sounds cool on paper. But you know what? I'm not interested. And I suspect that after the novelty wears off, few people will spend any long-term face time with FaceTime. Here's why:

1. It's physically uncomfortable. Holding an iPhone at arm's length for more than a few seconds is really uncomfortable. Go ahead, try it now. Hold your phone out in front of your face for, say, 30 seconds. Oh, and keep it really steady so the "camera" doesn't shake too much. Are you having fun?

2. Video calls are awkward. I've done my share of Skype-ing, and it's always weird. After you get past that initial "wave hello" and inevitable discussions about the quality of the audio and video ("How do I look at your end? I can hear you OK, but the video's kind of choppy"), you're left with the awkwardness of trying to communicate in a totally foreign, largely unintuitive way. Maybe we'll all get accustomed to this form of communication over time; however, for the moment, I can think of only a few occasions when I'd really want two-way video calling. (Obviously seeing faraway family members is a big draw.)

3. The Wi-Fi requirement. Currently, FaceTime doesn't support making video calls over 3G, which means that I'm limited to holding video calls at my home (where I already have a Webcam and a much bigger screen, thanks) or at a public hot spot, where I'm going to feel even more awkward about holding my iPhone in front of my face and talking to it. According to Apple, FaceTime won't support 3G this year, which is strange given that Fring, Skype, and other VoIP apps offer it.

What do you think? Is it too soon to pass judgment on FaceTime? Will I end up eating my words? Or will Steve Jobs' "one more thing" ultimate amount to one bore thing?