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hardware
Apple Fixes iPhone 4 Antenna With Free Bumper Case
Jul 17th
Yesterday was the Apple press conference to address the world about the iPhone 4 antenna issues. They didn’t really apologize for the issue but rather provided some information about why it’s happening. Their fix is to give out free bumpers if you are having issues and issue a refund if you already bought one. Since they can’t provide enough bumper cases they will allow you to choose from some third party cases as well.
They really wanted to stress that the iPhone 4 isn’t the only phone that has these sorts of issues. They talked about other phones and how if you hold them a certain way they will drop in signal. They even have a page setup at Apple that shows videos of other phones suffering similar antenna issues. They even provided information on their 100 million dollar testing lab.
While the information they provided is correct, it still leaves the customer without a true fix. You’re just covering up the problem. Unlike all the other phones, the iPhone 4 is worse because you can trigger it with a single finger. Even though they said it can’t be fixed with software I still think it can be. Now I don’t have advance knowledge of antenna design so this is just me thinking, having a little hope. Once you bridge the gab and connect the two antennas with your finger you are more than doubling the surface area of the antenna. The power sent to the antenna was only designed for the original surface area. By increasing the power to the antenna to compensate the bigger antenna should restore reception. If you monitor power going to wifi, and cell antennas you should be able to safely increase/decrease it without exceeding FCC regulations. That’s of course if the hardware can safely send more power out.
It’s still nice that Apple addressed the issue and I’m still giving them a break on the issue. Something like this takes time for them to understand and come up with possible solutions. The worse thing you could do is promise a hardware fix without proper testing. That’s why they gave themselves until September to either have an alternate plan or keep issuing bumpers.
You can watch the press event on Apple’s site
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iPad Update 3.2.1 Available for Download
Jul 15th
The iPad has an update to 3.2.1. Looks like the big thing is the improved Wi-Fi connectivity. If you have an iPad open up iTunes to get the update.
* Improved Wi-Fi connectivity
* Fixed an issue that stops the copy/paste of single-page PDFs in Mail
* Addressed issues that causes video playback to freeze
* Improved reliability involving the video-out using the iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter
* Added Bing to Safari’s search options
iPhone 4 Launches with Problems Being Reported
Jun 24th
The big iPhone 4 launch is today and there are already problems being reported with the device. Generally with this many devices being sold you are going to have a few bum devices but these issues seem to be design issues and bad screens.
The design issue is where the antenna is positioned around the outside of the phone. When you hold the device your hand covers the antenna and your signal strength drops. It is being reported by a lot of people and seems like holding it in your left hand is worse. I have embedded a video below showing the problem.
(via macrumors)
The other issue that is going on is bad color spots on that new screen. Gizmodo has a gallery of photos that show the yellow spots on the screen.
Apple could send you a new iPhone with a good screen but the signal degration might be a bigger issue. But it could all be blown out of proportion because there are still a lot of people with good screens and people that have no issues with signal degration. If you have the new iPhone let me know if you are having issues with either thing.
iPhone Reviews Hitting the Web
Jun 24th
The reviews starting rolling out from the bigger sites. Oh course it is a solid upgrade to the iPhone line. I have a feeling that most people visiting the site are already sold on the new iPhone, it’s the carrier that is the problem for a lot of people. Below are some of the reviews for the big guys.
Since Fedex was shipping the phone a couple days early there is already a ton of information around the web about the new iPhone.
Add Verizon MiFi to iPad
Jun 16th
If Apple won’t build you a Verizon iPad than you can just make one yourself. Well I wouldn’t suggesting doing it yourself unless you want to void your warranty and know what your doing. Over at dishtvhdstore he installed a Verizon MiFi inside of an iPad. It was actually very well done and he got it to fit with just minor changes inside. Check out the link above for all the details.
Apple Updated the Mac Mini
Jun 15th
Apple today updated the Mac Mini. This is a big updated for a computer that has been pushed aside by Apple over the years. The new Mac Mini is only 1.4″ thick and features unibody construction like the MacBook Pros. It features a removable bottom plate to upgrade memory. I’m guessing Apple was tired of people using putty knives to open up the old models. The good news for the HTPC crowd is that the Mac Mini now features a HDMI port. Having the HDMI cable built-in allows for audio and video over one cable. This could just be the first step in Apple’s move to the TV. It’s obvious with these updates that Apple likes the idea of the Mac Mini hooked up to a TV. I’m thinking if the AppleTV does survive they will act more as an extender for the Mac Mini. You buy one Mac Mini where you manage your content and AppleTVs hooked to the remaining TVs.
