iPhone 4
Okay you Droiders & EVO'ers, you can laugh all the way to the bank on this one.
I got my iPhone 4 and while it's not the most gigantic change from my 3GS, it is definitely an improvement. Bright screen, VERY fast and the new shape feels comfortable. The camera is really sharp, and the forward facing camera is a welcome change. Video chat only available on wireless on the other hand...meh. Battery life is ridiculously long, even with multi-tasking getting added with the latest iPhone OS.
First things first: transferring all my files, apps and settings was the easiest transfer I've ever experienced on any computing device. I synced my old 3GS, plugged in the iPhone 4, activated it, synced it and it was exactly like my old 3GS...and my 3GS was de-activated. Took less than an hour. Was amazed.
ANYWAY, we all know the big problem and that's the whole "antenna interference" issue. So the first thing I did once I transferred all my apps/settings, was to grip the phone like they say not to and see if I lost any signal. Within 30 seconds I'd gone from 5 bars to 3 bars. 30 seconds after that I'd gone to 2 bars. Shit. This is how I grip my phone all the time when I'm on it. The good news is that it hasn't affected any of my phone conversations. I've never dropped a call or heard interference, but the fact that it exists is bullshit.
The biggest surprise for me is that (to me) this is not the Apple way. They have become just another gigantic corporation that saves money by skimming on the testing phase, following the new model of "just patch problems later". Not what I was expecting from Apple. And the whole "you're holding it wrong" and/or "it's a problem with the software calculating how many bars you have" is just total bullshit spin. Come on.
They estimate it would cost $1.6 billion to recall these. That's 3% of Apple's CASH. I'm not surprised that they haven't done a full on recall, but I have a feeling that with all the class action lawsuits, the complaints and the overall negative reception of this otherwise sharp device, that Apple's probably going to do a recall someday.
Apple announced today that they're offering a free bumper to anyone who has purchased an iPhone 4 already (all the way up to September 30th), but for someone like me who just spent $60 on iPhone docks from Apple, that defeats the purpose since they can't dock with the bumper on. Plus people don't like these bumpers. I went to the mall and had an invisible shield put on the screen and back cover so I can protect my device without having to bulk it up with a case. So this bumper solution is a short term fix for a long term problem IMO.
Consumer Reports says that a small piece of clear tape covering that corner of the device fixes the problem, and I'll be doing that tonight. Hopefully that fixes the problem, but it still irks me that Apple would put their users in this place. What are the 6 P's? Proper planning prevents piss poor performance? If they would have tested this they would've found it and been able to address it before it became the PR nightmare they've got now, and the iPhone 4 will always be marred by the antenna. Even if the iPhone 4 is the best iPhone that's ever come out, which it appears that it should be, it will forever be a failure.
But it's still better than that stupid fuckin EVO.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks