[Fed-Talk] Re: Consumer Reports Calling for Iphone 4 Restitution
[Fed-Talk] Re: Consumer Reports Calling for Iphone 4 Restitution
- Subject: [Fed-Talk] Re: Consumer Reports Calling for Iphone 4 Restitution
- From: "IT2 Stuart Blake Tener, USNR" <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:04:54 -0400
List members,
Please take notice that I represent only my own views here, and not
those of the US Navy Reserve, my civilian employer, or anyone I have
ever worked for.
I have been a member of this list for some time and it is a rare
occasion indeed that I have something to add of consequence (I say
that out of sheer appreciation for level of intelligence emanating
from regular posters here). However, I believe in the instant case I
do, and thus my posting as follows hereupon.
Please find my responses to a conglomerate of different commentary
from the list regarding this issue.
1) "I think the logical thing would be to give everyone a 50 dollar
apple store gift card, that way they can buy whatever case they want."
I would very respectfully submit: "wrong sir or ma'am".
The logical thing to do, acting as protectorate for the stock holders,
would be for Apple to give customers the least amount of remuneration
requisite to impel them to sign agreements not to sue Apple while
fixing the perceived problem as expeditiously as possible and causing
the iPhone 4 to be as successful a product line as it can be in
pursuit of generating profits.
2) "Software cannot fix a signal problem..."
I would very respectfully disagree again, and underscore that either
the poster of this comment is unfamiliar with certain technologies
(see below) or must have knowledge that none of these technologies are
implicit to the iPhone's design.
Perhaps the poster is presuming that there is no firmware or microcode
in the iPhone other than GUI software that you can interact with? I
mean, its totally impossible that there is software controlling
something else right?
a) No chance of software controlling an antenna tuner in the iPhone?
b) No chance of software controlling a PLL (Phase Lock Loop) in the iPhone?
c) No chance of software controlling a power amp in the iPhone (say
based on commands from the cell site tower to lower or raise it's
power), right?
d) No chance of software controlling an SDR (Software Defined Radio,
as it is not uncommon today to effectuate different modulations via
software, like CDMA, or GSM), right?
e) And I am sure you'd agree, there is ZERO chance of their being any
software that sends signaling information to the cell site commanding
it to connect or disconnect a call that could be bugulant, right?
Thus, in my view of the world, ostensibly, software certainly can fix
a signal problem (presuming it is a signal problem, and not a bug in
the software controlling call management or termination).
Software is an intrinsic part of the design of mobile phones and
communications radios today on a firmware and microcode level, and can
impact many differential portions of the hardware design. Software is
not just drawing bars on an LCD or apps you see on the iPhone.
Most likely, they are spending more time making a change to something
in the GUI, or the average consumer might not think anything changed
(even if something did at the firmware or microcode level).
Why?
Because the average consumer only understands things on a superficial
level. Now, I am not saying the poster was such a consumer. However, I
am suggesting that at the minimum the poster has clearly not
considered these possibilities, or had categorically ruled them out
for some reason. In the case of the later (categorically ruling them
out), I'd be curious what predicated that reasoning?
3) "You get people that say the signal meter means nothing.... here is
what I know... whether I have a fictitious 5 bar display, or a true
to life 1 bar, if I hold the phone on the bottom without a bumper, the
call WILL drop..."
The "bars" are a relative graphical representation to RSSI (Received
Strength Signal Indication), and have a very defined level of dB that
they relate to mathematically, regardless of if you can or cannot see
the algorithm or true dB of gain or loss in signal numerically.
Moreover, consumers see "bars" as a relative thing to actual signal
strength. Thus, if you get 5 bars constantly, and are dropping signal
all the time, you would presume the possibility of a software bug,
which might well be true, or you just might not be using the phone in
an area where receptivity of your phone or the tower is very good.
Personally, I own Apple Stock, and thus, I wish Apple to resolve this
issue in the manner that is least costly and forces people to sign
agreements to not sue Apple, and acts in prevention of taking away
from my stock value. I do not care if they give away Bugs Bunny
posters, $50, Babe Ruth baseball cards, bumpers that resolve the
issue, or if the consumer gets any choice in the resolution at all, so
long as it is the least costly and most protective solution to Apple,
as I do not want my stock to bleed value.
Lastly, I did not post with history, or use peoples name or emails to
show whom said what. The reason for this is that I did not intend a
personal attack on anyone. There are some highly intelligent people on
this list, and I think that it is incumbent upon us to not look at
this so emotionally, and to consider that there might truly be other
factors at play here.
In my opinion, software is more than likely the culprit, and likely
NOT some sort of bad antenna match based on a bug in antenna modeling
software Apple may have used or that.
Very Respectfully,
Stuart B. Tener, IT2, USNR
Computer Scientist, IBM
--
IT2 Stuart Blake Tener, USNR, N3GWG (Extra), MROP
Beverly Hills, CA / Las Vegas, NV / Philadelphia, PA / Washington, DC
mobile: (310) 358-0202
Nextel: 124*233172*14 (direct connect)
e-mail: email@hidden
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