What is perhaps most intriguing here, especially about the antenna problem is that in the field tests they were probably using that iPhone 3G disguise case that Gizmodo revealed Apple testers were using. What's interesting there is that that case would impede discovery of this hand contact problem because the hand wouldn't thus short the two side antenae together as a case would be over it. I'm hoping that these were thoroughly tested on Apple's campus without case because on the surface this looks like a deep flaw in what Jobs vaunted as a revolutionary product design, signaling that Apple was it's own worst enemy in providing inadequate testing conditions in pursuit of it's trademark secrecy.
You only hear people complaining about something on the internet when it doesn't work. So it always sounds like every product launch, ever, is a complete failure. Apple's especially, since they're high-profile.<p>So here's an opposing anecdote for you: my iPhone 4 is completely fine. No problems at all.
The original iPhone had an aluminum backing, with a small black band that ran horizontally along the bottom of the back of the phone. If you covered this area while using the phone, you'd find that your EDGE speed would drop dramatically, and you would lose signal strength. Once you knew this, you had the choice between avoiding this area with your hands for maximum network performance, or holding the phone exactly how you liked and having reduced performance.<p>The iPhone 4 (mine, at least) has the exact same issue, and it's almost in the exact same place, the only difference being the reasoning behind why it happens (in this case, it seems to be about bridging two pieces of metal with your hands), and how it can be avoided (buying a case might help with the iPhone 4, whereas it didn't with the iPhone 2G).<p>I've owned many other phones that were sensitive to where you held them, in fact I think every phone I've ever owned without an antenna that sticks out is sensitive to this problem to some degree. I had to "train" myself not to cup my hand behind the top-backing of the Nokia I had before my iPhone. And now I'm already "trained" from holding my iPhone that I don't touch the bottom left of the phone when I talk anyway.<p>It's not a big deal, just something to get used to (and it might turn out that a case will resolve it, which can't be said about many other phones with this issue). It is a legitimate "con" when determining whether to buy the phone, but it doesn't deserve all the ridiculous comments about how the phone is somehow flawed because of this.<p>(And just to give some more specific details of how this affects my phone: if I put pressure on the bottom-left corner of the phone with my hand where the seam is, the signal strength drops: by 1-2 bars if I hold it normally, or all the way to 1 bar if I give it a death grip. In either case, the calls don't seem to drop).
Good video on Mac Rumors showing this issue:<p><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=948533" rel="nofollow">http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=948533</a><p>Phone 4 Drops Calls when Left Corner is Touched
from the folks who could not reproduce the reception issue, i would be curious to know whether your body was grounded or not. for example, were you wearing sneakers with a rubber sole. did you have your free hand in your pocket or not touching something conductive? what would happen if you tried the same activity barefoot, or while you were touching a faucet or anything else that may be grounded. i'd be curious if individuals body's are, in-fact, changing the impedance of the antenna and rendering it less effective, or if its a combinaton of factors that contribute to the issue.
Another demo video, using a more stable, conductive test sample, a key: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvH-i7rKPJc" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvH-i7rKPJc</a>
So lots of reports of defective phones that haven't even been released to the general public? Let's wait at least a week for a few tens of thousands of people to have them in hand across the US and can report in.
I do not have this issue. In fact, I think it is a software problem. I made a call with perfectly clarity with 0 bars.<p>It's fine, people. Quit making a huge deal about nothing.<p>I bet more than 50 percent of the people voting on these answers are people without friggen iPhone 4s. Wanna know where the people with iPhone 4s are? They're playing with their new toys.