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It doesn't seem to matter how many industry heavyweights line up against them, Apple is steadfast in its determination to keep up its drive by smear job on competitive smartphone antennas. The latest victim of Apples ire is the Motorola Droid X which they demonstrate falls victim to the same “death grip” reception problem as the iPhone 4.
Apple might think they are “educating” consumers with these clips, but a closer inspection of the Droid X shown in the video demonstrates a phone being held in a rather unnatural fashion, with the hand in question trying intentionally trying to cup the bottom. Everyone holds a phone differently, we get that, but the hand in this clip is practically covering up the microphone.
We have no idea where Motorola located the antenna on the Droid X, but can we all just agree that putting an antenna on the side of a phone with no protection, regardless of the manufacturer is a bone headed idea and just move on?
Check out the video for yourself below.
Comments are closed on this article
geenie
December 13, 2011 at 8:18pm
Really awesome gadget.However,though the cell phone has brought so many convenience to people,some are disturbed by the spam signals.More and more ares are considering the use of cell phone jammer.There are actually numerous jammers producers online at present, which a single do you select, it can be seriously difficult to make a decision.
wlballplayer
July 29, 2010 at 11:37pm
not gonna lie those are definitely more bars than at&t will ever get
verizon FTW <(>.<)<
smsherman613
July 27, 2010 at 7:00pm
I honestly wondered so I tried the same test and the bars on my Droid X here in the basement of my home, did not change one bit.
Sounds like Apple is resorting to trying to pull the proverbial wool over our eyes instead of fixing their bad design choice.
bart3385
July 27, 2010 at 5:58am
I think the government should step in. And put a stop to this Apple misinformation and deception. It's not helping anybody. It's not even helping Apple fans or iPhone fans.
bart3385
July 27, 2010 at 5:55am
Everybody knows cellphones has weak spot. Starting from the old Nokia days in the late 90's, it's clearly written in every instruction manuals, that tells consumer to avoid touching certain parts of the back portion of the phone, to avoid degredation of signal. With sketches clearly showing where the antenna is and explaning the effect on signal if the hand covers this weak spot. Unless you never take a look at the manuals.
Nothing new here. No Apple revelation. No Apple educating the people.
What Apple contributed here is only DECEPTION. By cleverly selecting an area of weaker signal, to make sure Droid X reception will fall low enough to zero bar. Not only that. The deceptive Apple video clearly showed the Droid X without attenuation when HELD IN THE MOST COMMON WAY. And then forcing the signal to drop by desperately grasping the phone in the most UNNATURAL and UNCOMFORTABLE way. Such way that will not even allow you to make a call and hold the phone close to your face.
In comparison, when iPhone 4 is held in the most common way the Droid X is shown held, iPhone 4 will surely lose all signal, even starting from full bars.
What Apple is doing is PLAIN DECEPTION.
xchrissypoox
July 27, 2010 at 3:05am
So I have a Droid X and I just tried to do exactly what they did in the video, and it didn't affect my service. Even wrapping my hands around it didn't affect it.
gothliciouz
July 26, 2010 at 3:14pm
thanks apple for opening our eyes that not all cellphones are perfect and the iphone 4 never really had a problem!..now if you excuse me i'm going to run off to the store and get another iphone 4!!
Caboose
July 26, 2010 at 10:53am
I love how many people have voted down that video! I think I too shall make a video about my HTC Magic, and holding it in a death grip and how many bars I don't lose!
Bender2000
July 26, 2010 at 8:27am
When did Apple have time from counting their money and increasing production to shoot this video? Really, what do they have to gain? The iPad and iPhone are sold out. The competition is sold out too so its not like they are losing sales. So the rationale behind this is....
Take aim at the competition and shoot your foot. Quit wasting time Apple and get back to designing the next magical device that changes everyting.
Nycromes
July 26, 2010 at 6:05am
The difference being that most people are oblivious to the redirection. Politicians pick unrelated subjects to whatever they are trying to hide, apple went out and "found a similar issue." It puts the focus back on Apple and Antenna Problems rather than distracting the public with some other phone's issues. Redirection is a great technique, but Apple is doing it 100% wrong in this case. It looks like childish "they do it too" rather than implying that their product's antenna reception is par for the course.
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the_brink
July 25, 2010 at 7:08pm
In no way does holding the Droid X kill the signal. I just tried doing what apple did, and i didn't have any signal lose. The 3G service can die sometimes, but not the signal. So Apple go screw yourself for being little dbags!
kjrviking
July 25, 2010 at 6:02pm
Has anyone noticed that if you hold the Droid X like they do in the video, one would most likely miss-press so many buttons and possible accidentally call some people
Michael Ellis
July 25, 2010 at 5:14pm
I like how holding the iPhone in the first position (the one where the droid has good reception) would have killed the signal.
Also, I agree that no sane person would hold a phone in that manner (the second position).
Taz0
July 25, 2010 at 2:31pm
It's not really fair showing these videos out of context. Watch the full video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diuQJ3-ZHsw&hd=1
The thing is that, even if all smartphones have the deathgrip issue, the iPhone 4 probably has it worse.
paradissis.1
July 25, 2010 at 4:37pm
WHY wouls anyone still consider Iphone when the Samsung Galaxy is going to be out with all major USA carriers? Oh lets not forget the Droid X too.
nadako
July 25, 2010 at 2:30pm
its no real surprise that people cant comment on this vid but its still funny that most people had thumbed down the video. Apple is just deminstraing how childish it is and who the heck holds their phone like that? And a true droped phone would showing something like roming service?
PS I tried doing this to my droid and i got a better siginal >.< Aint that awesome. And coupling your phone like that hurts your hands after a while.
Abstract
July 25, 2010 at 5:12pm
The funny thing is that i thought the same. Then I go to the youtube vid and see comments are disabled.. That is childish. And I LOVED how everyone disliked the video.
LatiosXT
July 25, 2010 at 1:17pm
You have to wonder who Apple caters to exactly.
And it only caters to its fans (whilst eating their wallet at the same time).
Avi8or
July 25, 2010 at 1:08pm
Just demonstrating that other phones have the same result doesn't accomplish anything. Its like "see...see you do it too." It's very childish.
BTW I bet that video was shot with an iPhone 4. Part of the reason why it doesn't get 4 bars. LOL.
neatuser
July 25, 2010 at 11:29am
Jobs reminds me of a spoil childish bratt.
Teacher: Little Stevie, you shouldn't make fun of others.
Stevie: But all the other kids are doin git too.
Grow up Stevie!
oconnellkj
July 25, 2010 at 11:22am
I liked the 'i' products though never owned one. This whole thing with the iPhone4 is really ruining it. Now the open practices of the company are turning a maybe one day to probably never...
Finger pointing, especially at the customer, and even though it's typical the competitors is just poor practice anytime. I doesn't make anyone look bad but the finger pointer and it offers no solution but avoiding the one pointing the finger to begin with.
I say... Apple... manufacturer of my very first computer... PUT DOWN THE SHOVEL AND GET YOUR SH*@ TOGETHER!! Mud slingin' is really just diggin' you a deeper hole.
By the way, I've got the DROID X... and tried to duplicate the signal blocking grasp with NO affect on an excellent signal... so I call this B.S.
quickone
July 25, 2010 at 11:11am
Apple is starting to sound like North Korea. Socialist business model, and the complete denial of their problems, using propaganda to distract everyone from their real issues.
I Jedi
July 25, 2010 at 11:04am
I am really sad to see that Apple is resorting to such dirty play because of their own downfall with their phone, so that they have to make everyone else look bad, too. It upsets me that instead of acknowleding the issue existed to begin with (iPhone 4 antenna issue), they proclaimed it was some sort of mess up in their coding. What really upsets me the most is that they failed, as a company, to reassure their customers that they were going to fix this problem, and that everything would be alright in the end.
Personally, f*ck Apple... I know there are some loyal fans to Apple, and I realize that what I said above is an opinion about Apple;however, to treat your customers in the fashion Apple did with the iPhone 4 screw-up, and then bash other phones, too, just so they look as bad is just downright low.
Oh, and I am a PC, not a Mac.
Amvious
July 25, 2010 at 10:54am
LMAO.. Steve Jobs needs to stop his shxt! Now we really see how Apple can get so pety, because of their faults.
mattman059
July 25, 2010 at 10:24am
Customer : " So why does the antenna on my Iphone4 suck???"
Apple : " Well...um....hmm...The DROID antenna sucks too"
Customer : " O_O omgwtfbbqpwnd "
PawBear
July 25, 2010 at 9:51am
All magicians use this slight of hand; it's called redirection, don't look here, look there. It can be very successful.
Come to think of it, politicians do the very same thing. Unfortunately, also very successfully.
IFLATLINEI
July 25, 2010 at 9:42am
I have no doubt that Apples antenna issue couldnt be demonstrated on other phones but thats not really the problem is it? Its the antenna issue combined with a horrible network thats creating the problem. All in all none of this really matters anyway. It doesnt matter to me if some iPhone customers are having great experiences all that matters is Apple rep has sunk. Steve jobs proved to be a fool, a liar, and most of all has no concern for Apples customers. Not that I would have purchased an Apple product anyways but it definitely wont happen now and where as before I may have recommended an Apple product to someone non tech savvy I can no longer do that.
With that all being said this Captcha system is really getting on my nerves. Im not a spam bot and I am getting sick and tired of having to prove it. Get it through your heads Max PC. Mods are the only way to go you cheap bastards.
preytofailure
July 25, 2010 at 9:22am
Iphone 4's problem is antenna detuning do to bridging two separate antennas. Not the same as any other phones attenuation. Apple was foolish to place the exposed metal gap near the bottom of the phone where sweaty palms can connect the strips of metal.
keithfreitag
July 25, 2010 at 9:04am
So I've never owned one nor do I know how quickly they work. Will a signal jammer cause a slow drop in signal or will it be instant? Is it possible fruity co. is attempting to make the Droid X look bad? It wouldn't surprise me if that's what they did. The amount of time making that video could've been used to fix their big problem. Oh well.
Steve Jobs is the Devil and has a windowless house, it's just doors only!
Keith
MY RIG
Asus P7P55
Intel Core i7-860
6GB Corsair XMS 3 DDR3 (dual channel mode)
XFX Radeon HD5850 1GB PCIe
Creative X-Fi Elite Pro
Mr_Histamine
July 25, 2010 at 8:46am
For one, they should be holding the phone the same way they do in the iPhone 4 video. In the video they show of the iPhone 4, it looks like a natural grip; whereas in the DroidX video, they go out of their way to block all the antennas on the DroidX.
I agree that they should just admit it was a bad design decision, and move on. Their current solution of trying to pass the blame around makes them seem kind of childish.
kiaghi7
July 25, 2010 at 8:05am
Bare in mind I don't have any smart phone, as I have no need for them, I support neither nor do I hate either.
So Apple's solution to the bad press and the clear advise of "DO NOT BUY the iPhone 4" from various consumer product review groups is to ignore their own problems and reason they are saying "do not buy", to rededicate themselves to pointing the finger at an entirely unrelated (and competing) product to say:
"Yeah sure our phone is poorly engineered, but other phones have problems too, see!"
Now to the iPhone 4 owners, does that make you actually feel better for the product having an inherent flaw for no other reason than an exceedingly quesitonable design decision? There is something to be said for the formfactor of a product being appealing, but at no time should the form impare the function, and this goes for any maker of anything.
Apple needs to tend its own house and set its own problems right before pretending like they are doing a public service. It's obvious to anyone that's even heard of the iPhone 4 that there needs to be an iPhone 4.1 with either the antenna designed in the upper part of the phone much less commonly covered by the user's hand, or here's a crazy thought, have two antennas one in its present location and again another at the top of the phone to allow for stereoscopic reception.
It's really kind of sad that any cell phone maker would make a phone that retails for $600 or so, and "cheap out" on what is essentially the simplest and cheapest component. Antennas can be made thinner than paper or even a human hair, they can quite literally be "printed" through a process similar to electro-plating via a print-head that deposits conductive ink. For pete's sake a length of hair thin wire hardly pennies in cost could perform the task. To tell you how easy it is to make an antenna, or extension there of, one of the most common solutions to the iPhone 4 problem is a pice of DUCT TAPE!!!
Granted Duct tape can fix anything in the universe, but you have to admit it doesn't initially scream out to you that it's a material for making an antenna out of.
majorsuave
July 25, 2010 at 7:44am
Is it just me or RSS feeds have been broken for a few days?
Since a couple days (maybe since Wednesday but am not sure) the RSS feed from MPC appears to be broken. Posts are all repeated. The text itself is repeated within a single post and a single article gets posted 2 to 4 times. This occurs at least when reading them with Google Reader and it does occur both in IE8, Firefox (whichever is the current version) and Chrome 5.
Justin.Kerr
July 25, 2010 at 8:42am
We hope to have a fix for this soon, our apologizes for the mess!
SuperCoffee
July 25, 2010 at 7:33am
Is it just my browser being strange or are the links in this article all mailto: links? When I click them they open up my email client with an http address in the TO form.
Justin.Kerr
July 25, 2010 at 8:41am
Not sure how that happened, but it was an easy fix. Sorry, and thanks for the heads up!
