back to article Apple iPhone forums gripped by deleted thread paranoia

The iPhone 4 antenna debacle has upped the paranoia levels in Apple's support forums as moderators reportedly nix any mention of Consumer Reports' volte face on the talking light slab. Consumer Reports had previously given its blessing to the iPhone 4, but did a U-turn yesterday. The news started to spread like wildfire …

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  1. Pirate Peter
    FAIL

    BT forum mods moved to apple?

    have the BT phorum moderators been employed by apple?

    seems to be a complete image of what BT did over any mention of phorm etc

    seems to be a common line now by any big corp

    if we don't like it we will just delete any thread and threaten / ban the user because we can

    peter

    1. Displacement Activity

      Not Just BT and Apple...

      ...as the title says. I've posted maybe 30 or 40 comments at El Reg, and 2 of them were rejected or deleted without explanation. One of them was even listed in my posting history for several months after rejection. At least Apple can claim that posts are "in violation of the Apple Discussion terms of use".

  2. jason 7
    Go

    No one quite screws up like Apple.

    Keep it up, nothing helps drive a company into the ground like arrogance.

    S Jobs...the man most in need of a blowjob.

    Which is odd as I bet there are plenty out there that would pay to give him one.

  3. DZ-Jay

    Just curious

    How is the CR report related to "support" for Apple, especially on a post supposedly to ask or answer a question?

    -dZ.

    1. Greg J Preece

      Also curious

      Where exactly within Apple do you work, DZ?

    2. Doshu

      Well, here's one possible way....

      If you posted a thread about fizzy phone reception on the forums and you got the "Jobsian grip" or "Reception bars" response, you might want to mention a source of information that potentially exposes the alleged lies you've been fed.

  4. Number6

    Answer the Question

    Looking at the missive from Apple Central, the obvious work-around is for one person to ask a question about the antenna and for another to post all the information as an answer to it. Ts&Cs complied with...

  5. envmod

    works for me

    well, i've got an iphone 4 and it works alright for me. yes, i have not got as many reception bars showing as on my old 3G, but i can't say i have noticed any actual difference in call quality, or dropped calls, or browsing speed. so i'm happy.

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Works for you...

      Do you hold your iPhone like a teacup? Two fingers daintily holding the edges with the pinky pointing out into space. Or do you hold like a phone? A brick of metal and plastic squashed into your forpaw as you get on with your day and try to get some work done.

      Apple: Hold Different.

      1. Spoonguard
        Thumb Down

        why hold it at all?

        If you hold it in your hand then there is a slight chance that people might not see you have an iphone

        1. hplasm
          Happy

          You need to hold it

          In that odd way they hold things on QVC, so that you can get a good look at the tat.

          Like picking up a turd without gloves.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    how sad

    They're desperate to stop their own customers from finding out that a problem they already know they have, is real.

    When Microsoft releases a shoddy piece of hardware (hint: xbox) at least they do you the courtesy of admitting it and sending you a free replacement. I can't imagine how much money that's cost them, but they knew what had to be done and they did it. I don't recall Microsoft using weasel words like "I guess your house is just too warm for the xbox, not our problem"

    In that respect it seems that Microsoft treats its customers a lot better than Apple does.

    1. tom 24
      Stop

      I don't rightly recall...

      Really? You don't remember Microsoft offering solutions like "you shouldn't plug it into a power strip because this can cause it to overheat"? And so on. Microsoft squirmed like a captured wild animal before finally admitting it.

      It was some time before MS admitted that a real problem existed. I remember people were upset over buying replacements before Microsoft extended the warranty length, so it was at least a year after the initial release.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Revisionism ?

      Not strictly true. To begin with MS argued the failure rates were within the parameters of any electronic advice.

      A fair while after launch they held their hands up. Said sorry. Extended the warranty. Whther this was anything to do with threatened class actions is another matter.

      Incidentally - while they were very positive about exchanging broken ones, many people ended up with a refurb. Which itself failed after a few months.

      So - some people got through 5 or 6 xboxen. which is actually quite funny.

      1. Annihilator
        Happy

        re: Revisionism ?

        "So - some people got through 5 or 6 xboxen. which is actually quite funny."

        But it only counted as one failure according to the MS stats as I recall, which was even funnier :)

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    Threads that were deleted last night seem to have been undeleted now

    Oceania is at war with Eastasia. Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia. Eurasia is our ally.

    1. Capt John Yossarian
      Thumb Up

      har de har

      Excellent - post of the day!

      1. Doshu

        Wholeheartedly

        Seconded

    2. Patrick O'Reilly
      Big Brother

      Not Thom York.

      I always thought that was Thom York in that picture, now I realise it's really Big Brother

      1. Spoonguard
        Big Brother

        woah

        Thom Your is Big Brother???!

        B B B B

    3. Veldan
      Jobs Horns

      I'm watching you!

      WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

  8. CADmonkey
    Jobs Horns

    Don't get your toes wet.

    Steve Jobs is now officially King Canute? (or at least a partial anagram of 'Canute'...)

    silly man....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Canute analogy bad

      Actually the Canute analogy isn't a good one. Canute only tried to turn back the tide to prove to his sycophantic courtiers that he WASN'T a deity.

    2. The Beer Monster
      Headmaster

      I believe....

      that the proper spelling of the King's name is Cnut.

      1. Arctic fox
        Joke

        Not exactly but almost......

        ......the correct spelling would in fact be "Knut", however both versions are amusing as anagrams!

    3. Gordon is not a Moron

      That would be the anti-Canute

      King Canute was a very sensible, pious and humble ruler who was surrounded by sychophants and toadies who claimed he could do anything. To prove these half-wits wrong he went down to the beach and then got a bit wet to demonstrate that he wasn't more powerful than the seas or God that commanded them.

      St Steve is surrounded by the sychophants and toadies (customers) but lacks piety, humility or any common sense by the look s of it.

      1. Arctic fox
        IT Angle

        A good point

        Allegedly a Roman general who had been granted a "triumph" or parade through Rome was followed by a slave whose job it was to whisper in the general's ear at regular intervals ""Respice post te! Hominem te memento!": "Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!" Apple could perhaps (once they have succeeding in employing enough antenna engineers) consider hiring a new PA for Jobs whose duties would consist soley of whispering regularly in the aforementioned's ear "remember, even you can be a plonker!"

  9. Gannon (J.) Dick
    Pirate

    Terms of Service

    change announcement ...

    "Terms of Service" is now "Letter of Marque and Reprisal"

  10. Velv
    FAIL

    Deleted Posts - excuses

    I've attempted to post on the Apple forums (iTunes 9, when they screwed up the timezones), and most of my posts were deleted to rejected as I was "not being constructive".

    When something is blatantly wrong the noise is what gets it fixed quickly.

    Apple is now the laughingstock of the world. "Not holding it right", "firmware fault", "wind is the wrong direction". I can just here Delboy now - "ah, the statelite must have gone out of alignment"

    1. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD
      Jobs Halo

      Not a big deal.

      Change your posts content. Not that big a deal.

      Steve

      Sent from my iThrone.

  11. shade82000

    Don't worry

    It could be worse.

    At least Steve Jobs is only running a company and not a country.

    He's like the 21st century Hitler.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yea But...

      If he was running the UK we wouldn't have a deficit.

      1. hugh

        We'd still have a deficit

        he'd just get someone to reprogram how the deficit was calculated

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Joke

          Would we have a deficit...

          ...if we held it in our left hand?

      2. Velv

        Perhaps no deficit, but...

        there would only be 300 beautiful people. Everyone else would be swept under the carpet and never talked about.

    2. The Fuzzy Wotnot
      Happy

      Yeah!

      And the trains would run on time too!

  12. neb
    Jobs Horns

    aha!

    godwins law in action...

    1. JEDIDIAH
      Linux

      The Godwin Conspiracy.

      > godwins law in action...

      It's all just a fanboy plot to cut the discussion short!

  13. Paul E

    at least..

    "At least Steve Jobs is only running a company and not a country."

    At least it would be a nicely designed country and have Steven Fry as Prime Minister (Prime Ministers QI's..?!).

  14. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    1st Rule of Cult Of Jobs

    is you don't talk bad of Cult Of Jobs.

    2nd rule of Cult Of Jobs..........

    1. Player_16
      WTF?

      2nd rule of Cult Of Jobs..........

      (refer to 1st Rule.)

  15. hugh
    Jobs Horns

    An Apple user cooked his dinner in the microwave?

    Is it safe to cook tofu salads like that?

  16. Brian Tabone

    Works for me

    I have had the iPhone 4 for about a week now, no dropped calls or weird signal issues. Proximity sensor works fine, screen has even color. I do have the bumpers but wanted them anyhow since they make the phone more comfortable to hold for long periods. My only complaint would be the absurd price for the bumpers. Since the antenna problem is repeatable on naked iPhones, I do think Apple should offer the bumpers free with the phone. They have enough profit margin to make that happen. With bumpers on, phone is problem free.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Free bumpers aren't good enough

      Whilst free bumpers would help I use my phone in a car cradle and a dock, and Idon't want to have to be fitting and removing a jumped-up rubber band umpteen times a day. If there's demostrably a problem then the only real answer is to engineer a fix and issue a recall.

      That's how responsible companies behave.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        You're right.

        So how do we know if they are doing that or not?

        I'm not sure about timescales, but I would expect that they would need to:

        - Investigate the problem once it is discovered by using actual engineers rather than just some YouTube videos and a selection of forum comments about how crap Apple and it's products are.

        - Test a series of fixes that can be applied in the field for those already sold and change the manufacturing process for future phones.

        - Have the "fixed" hardware re-certified by all the relevant bodies.

        - Manufacture "fix packs" for use in the field and train maintenance staff to apply them.

        And once all of that is done, they can issue a recall.

        I'm going out on a downvote limb here, but that's quite a lot to do in the three weeks since launch - especially as it's more like two weeks since it wasn't immediately clear how widespread the problem is.

        I do find it odd that a few weeks ago Consumer Reports supposedly couldn't be trusted as far as you could spit their bleached bones, but now they are the people's champion because they're going after Apple.

  17. Gil Grissum
    Jobs Horns

    Only one Fanboy responded??

    So only one Fanboy who's "magic toy" just "magically works", responded to this? I suppose there aren't any excuses that can be made when CONSUMER REPORTS changed their rating of the iPhone and actually came out and said what we all know- that it is a DESIGN FLAW, not "held wrong", not "Software glitch making the signal bars appear improper", or that there is "light coming through your ears" to mess with the sensor. THE POS PHONE HAS A DESIGN FLAW. Apple should in fact FIX IT FOR FREE at worst or at the very least, GIVE ALL OF THEIR i Phone 4 customers a free rubber bumper case. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      RE: Only one Fanboy responded??

      "So only one Fanboy who's "magic toy" just "magically works", responded to this?"

      ...and there were no posts by people whose iPhones didn't work. Doesn't that hint at something?

  18. Graham 25
    Megaphone

    To all the excitables out there ....

    Sorry to rain on your parade, but Apple pretty much only deletes posts that get the thumbs down from other users. I am sure they have been quite proactive at the moment, but the majority of the deletions will have been for simple infractions such as 'not answering the question' or 'not helping the situation'. The delete recommendations, by and large, come from other users, not from Apple.

    The rules are clearly spelled out in the T&C's and a lot of posted get deleted every day as Level 3, 4 and 5 users clear out the whines, the trash and the incorrect.

    It happens every year at this time when a new product comes out - its just not news any more.

    1. Jimbo 6

      <sarcasm>

      I'm sure Apple would never do anything so underhand, as to have a load of flunkies with multiple user-ids log on and down-vote anything they wanted an excuse to delete.

      </sarcasm>

    2. Doug Glass
      Go

      Yes Men

      So the forum will accept only posts that are acceptable and likeable and agree with the king of the posters? They stay if a majority of fanbois agree? Wow, definitive group-think at work. Which btw got several US astronauts killed in a shuttle explosion.

      Not only group-think at work, but this practice is the very worst kind of social incest. No wonder the Sacred J thinks he's, well, sacred. All he hears and reads is just the good stuff about him.

      I have to admit The Register's posters are first class. The bad stuff stays but they get rebutted. Apparently unlike the Apple forums which seem to believe there's only one side to any debate. But then I guess that's one definition of a fanboi.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        RE: Yes Men

        You miss the point entirely. It's a support forum. You go there with problems and look for answers.

        If other users (who are looking for answers) don't find your post useful then it'll get downvoted.

        Pointless posts, posts that just say "me too", spam or abuse get downvoted pretty quickly.

        (You may also note that a previous poster indicated that the stuff Apple allegedly deleted was still available when he looked)

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      sounds fun

      "level 5 users" reporting newbies for minor infractions of the T&Cs?

      Sounds exhilarating. Do I have to wear my own swastika or will they send me one?

      1. Someone Else Silver badge
        Big Brother

        When you get to Level 5...

        ...the decoration are free

    4. Steven Knox
      FAIL

      "not helping the situation"

      Of course, when you leave the definition of "helping" and "situation" to fanbois...

      Shifting the responsibility from the corporate to the cheerleaders doesn't mitigate Apple's liability at all. Apple owns the forums, Apple maintains the forums. Apple is therefore responsible for use and abuse of the forums -- and that extends to the abuse of delete recommendations as well.

      Regardless of the reason for the majority of deletions, it only takes one arbitrary or ill-meaning deletion to cross the line from content management to censorship -- and regardless of your personal desensitization to it, censorship is always news.

    5. Gordon is not a Moron
      Jobs Horns

      Is it just me...

      or does the level 3,4 and 5 users guff sound like Apple have been taking advice from the Scientologist on how to organise thier followers?

    6. Anonymous Coward
      Big Brother

      Re: Apple Scientologits... err.. Scientologists

      It would appear that another page is lifted from the (copyright/confidential/secret/insane) playbook of another hopelessly-happy and addicted-to-white-everything religion.

      Perhaps there was some cross-pollination... maybe that's why the US commercials are getting better (yes, both companies... err.. churches). Lord knows they seem to have the same secrecy management consultants.

      Appears OT-4 throught OT-5 are standard soldiers in the coming Jih... Holy War against Misinformation, eh?

  19. Doug Glass
    Go

    So ...

    ... is the Sacred J a stinking damn liar, and idiot who is easily led by the ring in his nose or just another corporate crook trying to screw the fans out of their cash any way he can?

    1. Baskitcaise

      So ...

      Yes.

    2. Geoff Campbell Silver badge
      Jobs Horns

      So...

      Any reason why he can't be both?

      (I bet this one gets down-voted. But the fanbois do seem remarkably quiet currently, don't they?)

      GJC

      1. Arctic fox

        Funny you should say that but.............

        .............the same thought had recently struck me. Normally in this type of thread where Applebois versus the rest is the "game" the upvote/downvote ratio reflects substantial activity from both parties. Currently what we apparently are seeing is a degree of "shyness" from one of the aforementioned parties. Interesting.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Headmaster

          RE: Funny you should say that but.............

          Maybe they're too grown up to get involved in arguments that are meaningless and pointless.

          I mean who actually has got involved in a real-life "I can piss higher than you can" contest? Not many of us, we're all too grown up. Happens all the time on El Reg's forums though, doesn't it?

          If the Apple fanbois have dropped the pre-teen mentality that the bashers seem to favour so much then maybe you should move onto something else?

          (Microsoft seem like a nice easy target)

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    the wonders of apple...

    "The rules are clearly spelled out in the T&C's and a lot of posted get deleted every day as Level 3, 4 and 5 users clear out the whines, the trash and the incorrect."

    Why catch the dirt for deleting posts that you don't like yourself when you have an army of 'it works for me' fanboys to do it for you....

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

    Oh no cult tries to hide truth from decibels .. I´m so shocked....

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

      Heh heh. That took me a second to work out.

  22. JaitcH
    Jobs Horns

    FCC non-compliance may cause RECALL

    Apple is obviously applying ICrap 4 App principles to the Apple forums. It will rebound against Apple. Obviously they don't accept that honesty id the best policy. All the censorship is achieving is to exacerbate the problem as people will figure that Apple is trying to hifr something.

    Consumer Reports carries a lot of weight in the US, far more than Which? in the UK, and CR's negative reports is headline news all over the US this morning. Apple shares were down over 3% so the great unwashed public knows what is happening.

    Toyota found out, at great expense, cheating the American public can cost big time.

    Now it's Job's turn. Every handset requires FCC type-approval and undoubtedly the Radio Frequency defects are likely to take so long to recalculate and issue a patch is because fiddling with such equipment requires approval by the FCC.

    Obviously the manufactured product defects can't be properly remedied, unless free bumpers are handed out, without a recall. Then they have to comply with all the other regulatory authorities in other parts of the world.

    Hopefully one of these government agencies will require ALL the defects be fixed.

    1. hahnchen

      This won't happen

      The FCC have already OK'ed it, hence it's available for sale.

      The 3% drop in share price is massive and overstated, this will pop back and more when they announce their earnings.

      A drop in market cap by $5 billion? You have got to be kidding.

      1. Geoff Campbell Silver badge
        Jobs Horns

        Well, maybe....

        I'd say Apple shares were *way* over-valued already by any sane financial measurements, so I wouldn't necessarily bet on today's drops being reversed.

        GJC

    2. Doug Glass
      Go

      Fox Charlie Charlie ...

      ... has no criteria for poorly operating antenna systems on the receiving end. You can home build the poorest receiver you want and the FCC will say nothing. The moment you build a transmitter that has a too high spurious, out-of-band, transmission you have problems. But the problem here is receive sensitivity which has nothing to do with transmit legality.

      Under your logic every battery powered device would be in violation every time the batteyr ran down and receive ability was lowered. That's NOT an FCC concern.

      1. hplasm
        Boffin

        So you can't-

        actually talk TO people on the i4?

        It's worse than I thought...

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Muddled though the post is....

        I think the suggestion was that a physical modification to the handset antenna/transmitter/receiver setup (giving iPhone4a) would need FCC approval.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Not quite...

      "Toyota found out, at great expense, cheating the American public can cost big time."

      Only if you are a foreign company. If you are an American company you are generally protected by the American media. (look at the Xbox RROD Debacle for further proof - Almost all Xbox owners have willingly bought replacements).

  23. Graham 25

    Hey whiners ....

    Its a technical support forum for solving problems , not Facebook. Thats why the support forum is so successful at solving things - it doesn't allow childish kiddies trying to start flame wars or all the other things that are wrong with other Forums. Its not for "debate" - its for solving technical support problems.Nobody cares about Mr Annoyed from Tunbride Wells saying how his life has been affected. I just couldn't give a stuff nor could anyone else Its not 'social engineering' but sticking to the point, something that people somehow find difficult to do these days.If you want to whine and complain about having a problem that many oterhs do, go elsewhere where people actually care about your opinions, as your whining will not actually solve the problem..

    Repeated posting ranting at other users solves nothing and 99.99% of the deleted posts are just that - utterly pointless and completely unhelpful.

    1. Steven Knox
      Stop

      In order to solve a problem...

      ...you have to first admit that the problem exists. So when a company adamantly denies that a problem exists, a reasonable and responsible reaction is to provide evidence supporting the existence of the problem.

      Apple has repeatedly tried to deny this problem and to cast it as something other than what it is. So posting about it, referencing new supporting evidence has a very helpful point. Complaining about people using forums in a slightly different way than you want them to is pointless and completely unhelpful. Removing their posts because you don't like what they said is censorship.

    2. penguin slapper
      Jobs Horns

      flamewars?

      You spend the best part of £500 on a phone and it's so badly designed that you have to hold it in a special way or it doesn't work, leaving you with the choice of paying a further £25 for a rubber band or going without and when you complain on the manufacturers website your post is deleted as a useless whine or a shot in a flamewar?

      I'm SO glad I sold all my Macs.

    3. Doug Glass
      Go

      The Sacred J ...

      ... has you by the balls huh sonny. And mommy's pockerbook foots the bill.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      @ Graham 25

      "If you want to... complain about having a problem that many oterhs do, go elsewhere"

      Is that the standard Apple support process?

      "I'm sorry, sir, but as another person has already reported an identical problem, your specific complaint is none of our concern. Please go elsewhere."

      Silly me - I didn't realise that if someone else already has the same problem as you, your own problem immediately become invalid.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        RE: @ Graham 25

        "Silly me - I didn't realise that if someone else already has the same problem as you, your own problem immediately become invalid."

        Silly you indeed. Have you ever wondered why there is only one post per problem? The rest get amalagamated together. Then if someone adds something that doesn't clarify the problem or doesn't provide a potential solution then they're not adding anything useful are they? So their post gets downvoted and eventually removed.

        The problems don't disappear from the forums but if 200 people start new threads, it'll rapidly be turned into just one thread...

        That sounds like a pretty good way to save users the hassle of wading through hundreds of "me too" posts before finding a handful of answers, any (or none) of which may be correct.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      RE: Hey whiners ....

      I like the way you've been rapidly downvoted - for telling the truth.

      Sounds to me a bit like the Gallileo claiming the world might be round!

  24. Joe User
    Flame

    Apple's rules of existence

    Rule #1 - Apple is always right.

    Rule #2 - If Apple is ever found to be wrong, see rule #1.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      RE: Apple's rules of existence

      You obviously didn't read their forum rules. If you did then you'd realise that it's a very sensible way to run a support forum.

  25. Stuart Halliday
    WTF?

    Eh? Who?

    OK, who are 'Consumer Reports' and why should I care what they say?

    Never heard of them before.

  26. Annihilator
    Coat

    Conspiracy theories!

    This post has been deleted by a moderator

    1. Mephistro
      Happy

      Re:Conspiracy theories!

      Tee hee hee!

    2. Ian Stephenson
      Pint

      I've always wondered...

      ..given some of the rabid fanboi flames that are accepted, just what it takes for Ms Bee to bring down the banhammer on a comment.

      All hail the Moderatrix!

      1. Arctic fox
        Joke

        Free debate?

        The fact that our beloved Moderatrix has a high threshold is something we should welcome IMHO. Much more fun all round, nudge nudge drool.!

        1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

          Re: Free debate?

          Silence.

  27. bart

    Funny thing

    Funny thing is, I went to an Apple store the other day, because I had to replace the dead graphics card in my "obsolete" ("early 2008") Mac Pro. A story in itself, suffice it to say I dodged their blather about needing a “powerful card,” and how the cheapest card ($150 for what would sell for $30 in the PC world) would only work in the “newest” (2009) Mac, so I would need at least their next card, a nearly 2 year old technology POS they sell for $350, or one of their last two offerings, one at $450, or an $1800 Quadro. The “cheap” one works just fine, thank you.

    From perusing Apple’s “discussions” it seems that they are particularly good at hoodwinking flush fanbois into forking over big cash for extra cards to drive their extra displays, when even the most anemic card they offer can drive two monitors perfectly well. Many ‘bois seem to be under the notion that having extra cards actually accelerates their overall computing experience, as if any mainstream developers had already rolled out OpenCL apps (good luck on that happening anytime soon . . .)

    Anyway, while I was there I couldn’t help but play with shiny objects & checked out some phones. All of the ones I picked up had all 5 bars of signal strength, regardless of how it was held. Isn't it interesting that the well documented antenna strips-conductance problem seems to not exist at all on their demo phones.

    Apple wouldn't load their "store" phones with "special" software that gives false high-signal readings, would they? Maybe it’s a question that their “geniuses” can answer.

    Maybe not . . .

    1. nsld
      Paris Hilton

      Femtocell

      Probably have a femtocell in the store to boost the local signal strength to full in an indoor environment so even a few bar drop thanks to the iGrip wont hamper performance in a demo.

      Paris, always full strength indoors!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      RE: Funny thing

      "Isn't it interesting that the well documented antenna strips-conductance problem seems to not exist at all on their demo phones."

      ...and that the ONE poster in this forum who actually HAS an iPhone has experienced no problem at all.

      Why do the words "mountain" and "molehill" immediately spring to mind?

  28. RTNavy

    Nothing new here, move along

    People are just now figuring out that Apple censors their own product forums? Same thing happened in 2001 when OS X first came out with version 10.0.0-10.0.9. Then when their 10.2.7 update actually damaged LOTS of external firewire drives. And then when they switched from Motorolla to IBM chips. And then when they switched from IBM to Intel Chips.

    I bet you won't find any entries for those problems and complaints about poor response, or even questions by loyal fans for "workaround" solutions to some of these problems before Apple admitted making mistakes.

    One reason why I don't rely on vendor supported forums for all of my technical advice, ALL VENDORS throw the baby out with the dirty bathwater in order to "look" clean and simple.

  29. Bobsch
    Paris Hilton

    Wrong grip

    I haven't heard such a flap about the proper grip since I was twelve and that was a totally different subject.

    Paris because... well, it should be obvious.

  30. slooth
    Stop

    Steve says "No!"

    That is all

  31. JP19
    FAIL

    The End of Apple!?!?!

    It would seem that all of the bad press is mounting on apple link an avalanche. Check these out:

    http://www.lieconomy.com/fourm/index.php/topic,641.0.html

    http://www.lieconomy.com/fourm/index.php/topic,643.0.html

    And with security holes like this, who in their right mind would buy one?

    http://www.lieconomy.com/li/columnists/daveg/hist/060710.htm

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      RE: The End of Apple!?!?!

      "It would seem that all of the bad press is mounting on apple link an avalanche. Check these out:

      http://www.lieconomy.com/fourm/index.php/topic,641.0.html

      http://www.lieconomy.com/fourm/index.php/topic,643.0.html"

      Two forum postings. The replies look like they were written by teenagers. Less than ten replies each as well. That hardly consititues "an avalanche".

      "And with security holes like this, who in their right mind would buy one?

      http://www.lieconomy.com/li/columnists/daveg/hist/060710.htm"

      Well, considering you have to steal the phone and then plug it into a computer running Ubuntu (that has the correct software installed.)

      Then you have to perform the hack and somehow put the phone back without anyone noticing.

      Besides which, how are you going to get any software onto the phone without jailbreaking it (and making it immediately obvious what has happened)?!?

  32. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Apple could've been more...

    Apple could have been so much more of a company. It's sorry to see them go, but I'm glad to see so many products surpassing them and making them a memory. Goodbye apple, it was fun laughing at you when you were around.

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    How about another angle?

    I wonder if this could be the turning point for Apple. The part where their loyal customers look at what they're getting for what they're paying and decide they've simply had enough. This isn't like fuel or food; the iPhone is an optional luxury product that people are free to buy or, more importantly, choose NOT to buy.

    Arguments about fanbois and gullibility aside I have to wonder if this is the point where the scales fall from the eyes of a sufficient number of prospective or exisiting Apple customers who simply think "iPhone? Oh, that's the overpriced one which doesn't do much. The one they sold knowing it wasn't working properly." Stranger things have happened and products have vanished simply because public perception has shifted subtly.

    I think this is why Apple are now behaving the way they are. At the peak of the iPhone hysteria Steve Jobs got away with treating developers, customers and loyal fans of his products like dogshit. He could do this, of course, simply because the iPhone's primacy was unquestionable. No criticism of the device was brooked without the brandishing of sales figures or mantras about stuff just working in the Eden that was the iPhone walled garden.

    Now that something in the garden stinks, a problem which even Apple can't pretend doesn't exist, the classic sniffy indifference might be losing them more customers than they think. I'm sure in the long run, though, it won't be that big of a deal...

    1. John Bailey
      Happy

      Quite possibly

      The fanboys are immune to reality. But they are not a big enough group to keep Apple in huge profits from mediocre gear. If Apple were selling three units a year, they would still see them as dominant.

      Once the association goes from "just works" and does everything, to " Oh.. the one that doesn't do flash" despite the fair game attack on Adobe over recent months, and "Ohh.. isn't that the one you have to hold in a special way to get it to work?"

      Apple have lasted years selling ordinary stuff to the ignorant for a premium. It will eventually end. Just a matter of when..

  34. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Pot meet Kettle

    El Reg has been guilty of this also so I don't think you can go mud slinging

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Signal strength bars are designed to look good

    The reason the signal strength software needs to be updated is because the current version is designed to maintain the symmetric design and visuals with the bars adjusting to keep the iPhone looking good :-)

  36. Michael Brown
    Flame

    It's hillarious...

    ...to see all the RegTard Apple haters revelling in this issue and smugly proclaiming the end of Apple etc, etc. Unfortunately for you lot, the iPhone 4 is already and will continue to be a massive success and make vast amounts of money for Apple, even more so than previous models.

    The antenna "flaw" has been blown totally out of all proportion, and is only even an issue for the tiniest minority of users. For the overwhelming majority the iPhone 4 has overall excellent reception and call quality regardless of how you hold it. When the iPhone 3G came out there was a huge commotion about it dropping calls and having a "design flaw", "recall required" etc. etc. but that soon evaporated. The same thing will happen to the iPhone 4 antenna non-issue, at which point all you RegTard Apple haters can crawl back into your caves where no one can here you whine.

    Lastly, it's somewhat disingenuous of Consumer Reports to say on it's freely accessible blog that the iPhone 4 "can't be recommended" when on it's proper ratings page, only accessible to those who pay for it, it still rates the iPhone 4 as the "best smartphone available": http://bit.ly/dnvexa

    Now I'll sit back and wait for a sack full of downvotes on my post. After all, it's much easier to do that than argue with reason.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Megaphone

      You've got it bad

      Alright, Captain Flash Heart, calm down.

      Perhaps if you were using reason then it could be argued with but I suspect you're equal parts troll and fanboi. An antenna flaw where the system has been designed to look good rather than work well can't be fixed via a magical and revolutionary software patch which Jobs would most likely charge you for anyway. This is something which has to be fixed in a lab and then tested thoroughly with existing customers either getting a replacement or a refund. Hiding behind snarky one liners isn't going to save them this time. The world now knows they released a defective product to market. I believe Apple's share price was adjusted accordingly...

      Now, in true flame-war style; kindly fuck off.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        RE: You've got it bad

        "Perhaps if you were using reason then it could be argued with "

        He was.

        "Now, in true flame-war style; kindly fuck off."

        Impressive argument, I suspect you are equal parts "troll and fanboi", just not an Apple fanboi by the look of things.

        You've used bad language though, so I'm telling teacher.

  37. James Whale
    Happy

    Steve Jobs walks into a bar...

    ... which disappears because of the way he's holding his iPhone.

  38. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This post

    has been deleted by the moderator.

  39. Turtle

    Nothing new here

    Apple mods have been deleting critical threads on the forum for their Logic audio applications for years now. (Not all threads but many.) So this is not new behaviour at all.

This topic is closed for new posts.

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