On the iPhone 4 and Antenna Issues

[Required reading: Apple iPhone 4 Antennas... (by AntennaSys, Inc.)]

A lot of people have been mentioning how horribly terrible the iPhone 4's 3G antenna seems to be, due to an issue that has affected somewhere around half of iPhone 4 users (according to this MacRumors poll) so far.

Wanting to see this issue for myself, and knowing an iPhone 4 is on its way already, but will be delayed another week, I went to my local Apple Store, and tested five different iPhone 4's. All five exhibited the exact signal loss problem: If you grip the iPhone rather tightly with your wrist pressing against the lower-left corner of the iPhone, the 3G bars gradually diminish to zero, and the signal is lost.

However, based on further observations, I don't think this will be an issue for 99% of iPhone 4 users, ever. While I was in the store, the only time I observed this issue was when I intentionally held the iPhone in that position—during normal use, I never pressed my wrist against that area of the phone.

And, looking around at the 16 iPhone 4 display models, none the people touching them to look at various functions of the iPhone were holding them in such a way as to cause signal loss.

I think it's a bunch of media alarmism. I'm extremely pleased with how well the iPhone 4 functions in every other regard, and I can't wait to receive mine next week!

The camera test shots I took were good enough that I will probably never carry my Canon G11 on another trip with me, even though I love the pictures I can get with it.