Tag Archives: Apple

Consumer Reports says they “can’t recommend the iPhone 4” due to the antenna problem

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Today Consumer Reports updated their original review of the iPhone 4 after properly testing the device’s antenna.  In their original review, CR recommended the iPhone 4: “The iPhone scored high, in part because it sports the sharpest display and best video camera we’ve seen on any phone…”  They go on to praise the improved battery life, front-facing camera, and built-in gyroscope.  During their time with the initial review test unit, they were “unable to replicate the [antenna] problems” that so many other iPhone owners seemed to be complaining about.  For some reason or another, CR decided to bring the iPhone 4 into their labs to test the antenna problem head-on.  (Why they didn’t do this in the first place is beyond me.)  Their findings:

When your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone’s lower left side—an easy thing, especially for lefties—the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you’re in an area with a weak signal. Due to this problem, we can’t recommend the iPhone 4.

The tests were conducted inside a radio frequency isolation chamber, a room “which is impervious to outside radio signals.”  After connecting “the phones to our base-station emulator, a device that simulates carrier cell towers” they concluded that all of their iPhone models were affected with the antenna problem.  They also tested other AT&T smartphones (namely the iPhone 3G and Palm Pre) and “none of those phones had the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4.”  Boom.

CR goes on to say that these tests call into question Apple’s forthcoming software quick update which promises to fix the way the signal bars are displayed on the phone.  After coming to this conclusion, they hint that the antenna problem is almost certainly a hardware issue, and a software update and blaming AT&T’s less than stellar network will not pave a way out of this sticky situation.  Speaking of sticky, CR recommends that those affected with the antenna problem can remedy it by applying a small piece of duct tape over the antenna gap.  Not only does this make the phone look downright ugly, it’s going to leave sticky residue and you just don’t want that on your hands (and mind).  Go out and get a bumper case if you can’t manage to hold your phone differently.  CR parts with these glum words: “Apple needs to come up with a permanent—and free—fix for the antenna problem before we can recommend the iPhone 4.”  If the antenna problem is truly hardware-based (and it’s really starting to seem like it is), Apple needs to come out of hiding, admit their design flaw, fix it interally, and offer those affected with a free swap-out of updated models.  Like stat.

[Via Consumer Reports]

Stop-motion teardown of iPhone 4 proves it’s beautiful on the inside, too

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The fellas at TechRestore are back with a new teardown.  Yup, it’s the iPhone 4.

1784 hi-res photos combine to make a stop-motion expose of the iPhone 4, revealing every detail of construction, from packaging, down to the chips on the logic-board. Set to a custom electronic/glitch soundtrack, with fast paced action, this is no ordinary unboxing and take-apart video!

Well said.  Now watch.

[Via Gizmodo]

iAds now living on all iOS4 devices

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Right on cue, Apple CEO Steve Jobs flipped the switch to enable iAds to pop up on all iOS4 devices.  What are iAds, you ask?  They are a new kind of ad tailor-made for mobile devices.  Apple invites advertisers to fill them with “interaction and emotion” so as to entice users to dive into them.  iAds act more like apps than ads in that they don’t take you out of your present experience (in Safari or an app) and you always have the option to exit the ad by tapping a tiny “x” that is required to sit in the corner.  Jump here to learn more about iAds.  Anyway, iAds are live today and you can take a sneak peek into how one looks in the video above.  It’s an ad for the Nissan Leaf, and it features an impressive commercial that’ll make any technology enthusiast squeal in pleasure.

[Via Engadget]

iPhone 4: 600,000 preorders, 1.7 million sold, reception & screen issues addressed

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iPhone 4 launch day has come and gone so let’s discuss how it all went down.  At WWDC ’10Apple CEO Steve Jobs called iPhone 4 “the biggest leap since the original iPhone”, piquing the interest of his most devout followers, so much so that they lined up in droves to preorder and purchase the latest gadget to come out of Cupertino.  On June 15, Apple, AT&T, and other authorized Apple retailers begain taking preorders for iPhone 4.  On that single day, iPhone 4 preorders maxed out at 600,000.  According to AT&T, that’s ten times as many orders as it took for last year’s iPhone 3GS.  Due to this insanely high number of preorders, Apple and AT&T were forced to halt all preorders until the phone hit store shelves one week and two days later.  And that brings us to launch day.  On June 24 iPhone 4 launched nationwide and in the UK, France, Germany and Japan to an excitable population ready to get their hands on the shiny, sleek new handset.  At Apple Retail Stores those who preordered waited in line to nab their guaranteed iPhone while overnight campers tried their luck at receiving the leftovers.  The latest tallies reveal that Apple sold 1.7 million iPhone 4s through June 26 (that’s just three days on the market!).  In an official PR, Jobs stated, “This is the most successful product launch in Apple’s history.  Even so, we apologize to those customers who were turned away because we did not have enough supply.”  According to the Apple Online Store, more iPhone 4 units will ship in about three weeks.  Soon enough, Apple Stores will be chock full of new iPhones for everyone who missed out on the initial launch supply.

What began as a cheery launch quickly turned into a melancholy situation when iPhone 4 users started to cry foul about reception and screen issues.  Let’s start with the latter issue that has seemed to disapate as of late.  A number of iPhone 4 users are discovering slight yellow spots at the bottom right-hand corner of their retina displays.  An AppleInsider forum poster has come up with the best explanation for this:

Apple is using a bonding agent called Organofunctional Silane Z-6011 to bond the layers of glass. Apparently, Apple (or more likely Foxconn) is shipping these products so quickly that the evaporation process is not complete. However, after one or two days of use, especially with the screen on, will complete the evaporation process and the yellow “blotches” will disappear. How do I know? I was involved in pitching Z-6011 to Apple.

Since the time this explanation was outed (just a couple hours after the launch on the 24th) the desperate cry for help has waned.  It appears that those affected with the yellow spots will notice them disappear after a day or two of use.

The same cannot go for the next (and more dire) iPhone 4 problem: the tale of reception woes.  iPhone 4 users first noticed this problem when they gripped the phone in a certain way (in a very common way, mind you).  On the affected devices, if you hold the phone in any way that covers the lower left-hand side where the black strip is located (pictured above) you will notice your signal drop almost immediately from five to zero bars.  Preposterous!, you’re thinking.  But it’s true, so let’s dive into this a bit more.  At WWDC ’10, Jobs announced that the new iPhone packs a new antenna system that actually wraps around the outside phone so as to provide better signal strength.  The metallic band that wraps around the phone contains one piece for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS and the other for UMTS & GSM.  When you cover the bottom left-hand side of the phone where the GSM band wraps the phone all signal is lost.  What’s rather ironic is that what Jobs called “brilliant engineering” has turned into an engineering EPIC FAIL in the minds of many iPhone 4 users. Continue reading iPhone 4: 600,000 preorders, 1.7 million sold, reception & screen issues addressed →

Mac mini refreshed with aluminum unibody design

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On June 15 Apple gave the aging Mac mini a much needed refresh, both in appearence and internals.  The new Mac mini comes packaged in an aluminum unibody enclosure and now fits in much better with its iMac and MacBook Pro cousins.  It’s very compact sizing in at 7.7 inches square and 1.4 inches thin.  It delivers twice the graphics performance than its predecessor with an NVIDIA GeForce 320M chip.  The base model come standard with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320GB hard drive, and 2GB of RAM for $699.  This model can be customized with a 2.66GHz processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive.  Additionally you can opt for the Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server which does away with the SuperDrive but comes standard with the faster processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 7200RPM HDD for $999.  And check this: the new models include HDMI and SD card slots!  It also features an integrated power supply meaning there’s no need for an external power brick.  Other ports include power, Ethernet, FireWire 800, Mini DisplayPort, 4 USB 2.0 ports, and headphone and audio line in jacks.  802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 get nods as well.  The new Mac minis are available today.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Apple]

Continue reading Mac mini refreshed with aluminum unibody design →

WWDC ’10: All about iPhone 4

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This year’s World Wide Developers Conference in San Fransisco *officially* introduced the world to the next super phone from Apple dubbed iPhone 4.  Want all the details from the Steve Jobs hosted keynote?  Read on.

Jobs ignited the introduction of the next phone with this choice quote: “It’s the biggest leap since the original iPhone.”  It packs over 100 new features, but per usual, Jobs offers a glimpse into arguably the nine most exciting new features.

(1) All new design

Jobs compares iPhone 4’s design to a “beautiful old Leica camera.”  The phone features a glass surface front and back for optical quality & scratch resistance (plus it’s 30x harder than plastic) and a stainless steel band around the perimeter for strength and antenna integration (plus it provides for extraordinary build quality).  The band is “the primary structural element of the phone.”  It’s used as part of the phone’s antenna system.  Jobs says this is all part of “brilliant engineering.”  There are three slits in the band; one piece is for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS, and the other piece for UMTS & GSM.  Now here’s what buttons and levers you’ll find on the phone.  Left side: volume +, volume -, mute; Right side: micro SIM tray; Front: home button, receiver, front-facing camera; Back: camera w/ LED flash; Top: 3.5mm headset jack, second mic for noise cancellation, sleep/wake button; Bottom: mic, 30-pin connector, speaker.  iPhone 4 is just 9.3mm thick, that’s 24% thinner than iPhone 3GS.  Jobs is happy to say “it is the thinnest smartphone on the planet.”

(2) Retina display

That’s the name for Apple’s latest display technology.  iPhone 4’s display contains packs four times the number of pixels into the same 3.5-inch screen found on older iPhone models.  At 326 pixels per inch, Jobs claims that 300ppi is the limit of the human retina and so iPhone 4’s display is “comfortably over that limit.”  This results in incredibly sharp and precise text, images, and video.  Jobs compares it to how text looks in a fine-printed book.  He also throws out this stat: “the retina display has got 78% of the pixels on the iPad, right in the palm of your hand.”

iPhone OS 4 (renamed iOS 4) makes it so that your apps automatically run full size on the retina display.  Apps will look even better on an iOS 4 device because the software automatically renders text and controls in the higher resolution.  So in other words, developers do not have to do any work on their apps to make them look better for the new display.  However, Jobs points out, if devs choose to open up the hood of their apps and add higher resolution artwork “then they will look stunning.”

Here’s some hard specs for you.  iPhone 4 features a 3.5 inch display, 940 x 640 resolution (4x more than iPhone 3GS), 800:1 contrast ratio (4x more than 3GS), and IPS technology for “superb color and wide viewing angle.”  Jobs: “The display is your window into the Internet, into your apps, into your media, into your software. .. We’ve got something here that’s the best window in the planet.”

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Continue reading WWDC ’10: All about iPhone 4 →

iPad finds a home in Macintosh Classic & clamshell iBook

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Let’s travel back in time, shall we?  The year is 1984 and the Macintosh Classic is all the rage.  9” (512×342) display, 8 MHz Motorola 68000 processor, 1MB of memory, no HDD, $999.  Flash forward to 2010 and you’ve got the $499 iPad.  Leave it to a mac enthusiast and do-it-yourself guru to gut the Mac Classic and shove an iPad inside it.  Which happens to fit almost perfectly where the original display would sit.

And let’s do it one last time.  The year is 1999 and the iBook classic reinvents the laptop scene with a clamshell design.  12” (800×600) display, 300 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 32 MB of memory, 3.2GB HDD, $1599.  Now it’s 2010, so why not remove the display and place a brand new iPad inside.  And while you’re at it, take out the janky old keyboard and install a current Apple keyboard in its place.

Ah, the awesome-ness that results when retro and modern unite.  Hit up the source links for more images and peek after the break for a video tour of the Mac Classic + iPad.

[Via Hirac; AppleNoir] Continue reading iPad finds a home in Macintosh Classic & clamshell iBook →

Apple sells 2 million iPads in under 60 days

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It seems like it was just yesterday when we received news that Apple sold one million iPads in a matter of 28 days.  Oh wait–that did just happen.  Time for another milestone in the history of the iPad.  Shortly after launching the iPad in international waters (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK), Apple can proudly claim that they’ve sold two million iPads in under 60 days since its US launch on April 3.  Says Apple CEO Steve Jobs: “Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do. We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”  And let the good times roll for Team Apple.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Apple] Continue reading Apple sells 2 million iPads in under 60 days →

Apple is worth more than Micro$oft, so deems market capitalization

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On Wednesday Apple did what was long believed impossible–it surpassed long-time competitor Microsoft in valuation for the first time in twenty years.  At the end of the trading day, Apple was up about $3 billion against Microsoft, sitting at roughly $222 billion.  These figures mean a lot of things, but one defining statement just rolls off the tongue: Apple is officially worth more than Microsoft; Apple is more valuablethan the tech beast that is Microsoft.  This is a very significant development for the tech company that could.  For as long as these two companies existed, heated competition paved the way for innovation.  Apple came first, but Microsoft quickly scooped up market and mind share with their leads in software.  Nowadays, however, things are quickly changing as Apple has jumped into various tech industries beyond the PC including music players, phones, tablets, and the TV.  Apple is gaining the mind share back, and according to these latest financial numbers, they have sprinted past Microsoft in the list of worthiness.  Apple fanboys, don’t get too excited though; the two tech companies are neck-and-neck in the charts and things can change on a day-by-day basis.  In fact, as of right now (5/28, mid-afternoon) Apple (AAPL) leads Microsoft (MSFT) 232.31 billion to 225.58 billion in market capitalization.  These numbers fluctuate, but for now, Apple’s in the lead.  Congratulations to Team Apple; you’ve made it to the top of the heap.

Update: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer downplays the shift in market value: “We are executing very well, that’s going to lead to great products and great success.  I will make more profits and certainly there is no technology company on the planet which is as profitable as we are.  Stock markets will take care of the rest.”  Though he does not mention Apple specifically, he does go on to say: “it is a long game”…”we have good competitors …”we too are very good competitors.”  He also went on to address the recent company shakeup with these choice words: he “wouldn’t predict any drastic changes” in company strategy and “we’ll have to accelerate plans.”  Plans for what, Mr. Ballmer?  Time will tell.

[Via Engadget, here & here; CNET; YahooFinance; WSJ]

“Get a Mac” ad campaign is officially over

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About a month ago actor Justin Long (aka Mac) hinted that Apple was done with the “Get a Mac” TV commercial series that started way backin 2006.  The latest “Get a Mac” ad was released in October 2009.  So it comes at no surprise that Apple has officially decided to pull the plug on it.  Watch the compilation video above to reminisce the good ‘ol days of PC (the hilarious John Hodgeman) and Mac.  In addition to removing the commercials from the airwaves, Apple has replaced the “Get a Mac” website (which allowed you to watch the ads on demand) with a “Why You’ll Love a Mac” page.  Head over to AdFreak where you’ll find a listing of every ad made over the years (there’s 66 in total).  Look after the break to watch my two favorite spots.

[Via MacRumors; Gizmodo] Continue reading “Get a Mac” ad campaign is officially over →