iPhone 4 Death Grip

iPhone 4 Death Grip

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Overview

iPhone 4 Death Grip refers to a widely experienced problem of reduced signal strength or dropped calls when holding Apple's iPhone 4 by the bottom of the device. On the same day of its release, the issue snowballed into a trending topic and a target for online mockeries after the transcript of a brief e-mail exchange between an iPhone user and Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs was published by various tech news blogs and social bookmarking sites.

Background

On June 24th, 2010, Apple released its fourth generation smartphone device iPhone 4 amidst high anticipation. Shortly after its release, tech news blogs and review sites began reporting on the phenomenon of reduced signal strength or dropped calls when touching the lower edge of the phone. The issue was apparently caused by the device's new design which incorporates an uninsulated stainless steel frame that dual functions as the antenna band.


Utizes Settings Phone Sofael Pod 0 The external antenna on iPhone 4 is located in the stainless steel band. The attenuation weak spot is the black strip in the lower left corner of the band.

Notable Developments

Steve Jobs' E-mail Response

On the day of the release, an iPhone user named Aram from Arizona State University sent a brief message addressing the issue to Steve Jobs' company e-mail address at sjobs@apple.com.

Hi Mr. Jobs,

I love my new iPhone 4 (nice work) but when I put my hand on the steel bands I lose all reception.
It appears to be a common issue. Any plans to fix this?

In an unexpected move from the CEO of Apple, Jobs personally responded to Aram's e-mail with a terse message that read:

Just avoid holding it that way.


Online Reaction

Within hours of the e-mail exchange, a screenshot of the e-mail transcript began circulating across the tech news blogs like Engadget and Gizmodo, as well as Apple product-related forums like Apple Insider, where Steve Jobs' response was largely criticized as an inadequate solution to a widely experienced technical issue.


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In the following days, many iPhone users began uploading video clips onto YouTube in order to demonstrate the problem. Soon, iPhone 4's reception bug was dubbed by the news media as "the iPhone death grip."



Troubleshooter Parodies

Discussions surrounding the issue of iPhone 4 continued to surface on social bookmarking sites like Reddit and Digg, where many users began sharing mock tutorials and self-guides on how to properly hold the iPhone 4, as well as makeshift and DIY solutions to strengthen the signal reception.


OW Phone roperly. Make sure your middle finger iS not Sticking out. Otherwise, you may fliP over a wrong person, and he or she may beat you. Moreover, your index finger should be place on the iPhone In Japan, it may look like "Gwashi” Fo "Gwashi. please refer to http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Makoto-chan Your Pinky Should Your thumb should be placed be Sticked out upward. on the right Side. Now you can easily SPot 4 ers, but Somet imes it could be Some one with a different sexual preference. Store Mac iPod iPhone iPad iTunes Support Q Search iPhone 4 FeaturesDesign Apps for iPhone Hand Gallery Tech Specs Notify Me Browse All Features iHand 9:41 AM 7 Give your new iPhone the reception it deserves Weak signal in your iPhone 4? Let Apple give you a hand. Now you can put iPhone to your ear without the harmful effects of epidermal contact. When staying connected is important, iHand is just the right touch. Ped Grip without fear. iHand is made from European beechwood and does not interfere with iPhone's finicky antenna watch the iHand demo iHand Caucasian Hand Black iHand Hispanic iHand Asian Hand Indian iHand KermitH
iHandle 50 980 Think Different, Hold It Different The magical one-stop solution to your iPhone 4's reception problems l 36 9:1 AM 7 Mess Pod Store Mac iPod iPhone iPad Tunes Support Q Search iPhone Features Design oS 4 Apps for iPhoe ery Tech Specs Buy iPhone iPhone 4.1 - In so many ways it's a first. While everyone else was busy trying to make a mobile phone that actually makes calls, we were busy obsessing with the design to make the iPhone more sleek, ridiculously glassy and thinner than Steve Jobs. The result is iPhone 4.1, with the biggest antenna ever used for a smartphone, giving you the best reception ever on a smartphone. Even on AT&T.

Apple Slogan Parodies

Meanwhile on Twitter, Robert Taylor (@RJamesTaylor) took a jab at Steve Jobs' response by tweeting "Apple: Hold Different," a parody of the company's 1996 advertising campaign "Think Different." Taylor's tweet quickly gained momentum after it was picked up by American blogger Robert Scoble, leading to a flurry of parodies and satire images utilizing the same slogan on the microblogging platform.


Hold different. Think different.
CB Hold Different iPhone 4 Hold Different. curtprice.com Hold Different っ

Photoshopped Images




Apple's Response

On July 2nd, 2010, Apple announced a software patch that could ameliorate the issue when using the device, along with an explanation that the sudden loss of signal was caused by a software mistake. That same day, Gizmodo published an infographic article titled "Why Apple’s iPhone 4 Update Won’t Fix Your Reception Problem" to better illustrate the issue as described by Apple:


Bar display The effect of holding Actual signal -50 Perfect signa -60 an iPhone 4 Best case scenario starting with five bars . Phone 4 display stllshows . Actual signal is still good, E -70 . Perfect signal. five bars. C-80 Regular signal communication works normally Worst case scenario starting with five bars Regular signal 100 iPhone 4 quickly drops from five to one bar. Actual signal degrade, causing serious drop in data and voice qualitv 110 Bad signal Graphic: GIZMODO.COM Sources: Richard Gaywood/Anandtech No signal 120


"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."

Search Interest

External References

[1] Gizmodo via Wayback Machine – iPhone 4 Loses Reception When You Hold It By The Antenna Band?

[2] Engadget – Apple responds to iPhone 4 reception issues: you're holding the phone the wrong way

[3] Gizmodo – How to Get Full Bars With the iPhone 4

[4] The Next Web – Hey Apple, you’re holding it wrong!

[5] Los Angeles Times – Steve Jobs' iPhone 4 holding technique [PHOTO]

[6] Apple Insider Forums via Wayback Machine – Some iPhone 4 launch units lose signal when held with left hand

[7] New York Times – The Mystery of the iPhone Death Grip

[8] Reddit – Really? I'm holding it wrong?? [pic]

[9] Reddit – How to hold the iPhone 4G: [PIC]

[10] Reddit – I fixed the iPhone 4 "holding" problem

[11] Reddit – iPhone

[12] Digg via Wayback Machine – The Complete Idiot's Guide to Holding the iPhone 4

[13] Digg via Wayback Machine – iPhone Testing

[14] Digg via Wayback Machine – iPhone 5 preview

[15] Twitter – Robert Taylor's Tweet

[16] Twitter – Faruk Ateş's Tweet

[17] Twitter – Search Results for "Hold Different."

[18] Zazzle – search for Apple Hold Different T-shirt

[19] Wikipedia – Think Different

[20] Twitter – Robert Taylor's Tweet

[21] Tumblr – Tumblr

[22] Reddit – Apple: Hold Different

[23] Engadget – Apple telling reps to smooth over iPhone 4 reception complaints, not to offer free bumpers?

[24] Engadget – iPhone 4 antenna woes contextualized by dude in the know

[25] TechCrunch (formerly MobileCrunch) – Doing my part for the iPhone 4 “death grip” meme

[26] TechCrunch (formerly MobileCrunch) – iOS update to ship early next week, fix death grip issue?

[27] Nokia via Wayback Machine – How Do You Hold Your Nokia?

[28] Gizmodo – Apple: iPhone 4 Reception Problem Is Explained by “Incorrect Signal Display”

[29] Gizmodo – Why Apple’s iPhone 4 Update Won’t Fix Your Reception Problem

[30] Apple – Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4

[31] Scoopertino via Wayback Machine – Apple introduces iHand: the right way to hold your iPhone

Recent Videos 2 total

Recent Images 95 total


Top Comments

Fun Police
Fun Police

Wow. This is pretty interesting. I'm surprised that I've never seen this before online.

+1 Confirm, and hopefully the iPhone 5 doesn't have this same problem.

(By the way, who else laughed at Steve Jobs' response? It seems rather unprofessional to me, coming from a billionaire CEO, no?)

+15

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