Real iPhone 4 issues non-existent; just signal bar display: Apple

This is probably going to go over far worse than the "don't hold it that way" comment attributed to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Apple has written an official letter to users, and the iPhone 4's problems are just a problem with the display of the signal strength, not an actual drop in signal strength. Uh huh.

Indeed, that's what Apple's open letter on Friday morning said. The problem is "not real" after all, but simply a matter of signal bars being displayed improperly on the screen. Here is the most pertinent part of their letter:

“Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.”

Of course. That explains users dropping calls and seeing data transfer slow down or even halt, right? Wait, what?

It's not just about the display of signal bars. An actual detailed examination of the issue, using real numbers and comparing it to the iPhone 3GS and Nexus One, shows it's not just signal bars, but actual signal being dropped. This does not sound like it will fix the issue.

Meanwhile, hardware antenna experts seem to believe it's an actual hardware issue, not a software one. One predicted the issue publicly before the device was released, saying that the external antenna design was bound to have issues when touched.

Apple claims the miscalculation in signal level was present “since the original iPhone.” Given that, while it is true that the iPhone 3GS, for example, does exhibit actual (not bars) signal loss when gripped, why is it there are no disconnected calls?

This is likely to go over very poorly. Here is the full text of their letter.

Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4

Dear iPhone 4 Users,

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

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. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same— the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Apple