Everyone knows by now that Apple had a problem with the iPhone 4 antenna – already called “Antennagate” – due to it being integrated into the outside metal band that’s part of the iPhone 4 case. It has been a real nightmare for Apple, certainly a cause for consternation with millions of iPhone customers, and perhaps a “Wait a minute, should I buy one of these?’ hesitation for a number of prospective iPhone buyers.
Fortunately, there was a very low cost solution to fixing the problem – i.e., installing a low cost rubber case around the product which Apple has decided to give to each iPhone 4 customer at no charge. My first thought when I heard this was, “Humm … seems that they should have built the rubber bumper case around the product to shield the antenna to begin with, and perhaps they wouldn’t have ever had the problem in the first place.”
The first lesson learned from Antennagate: Most SmartPhones should have some kind of bumper to protect the antenna around the phone. It would help protect the unit from physical damage and could eliminate or reduce the interference from the antenna cellular signal reception problems aused by holding the device in a particular way.
It seems clear from the big brouhaha over the iPhone antenna problems that it’s difficult to build a lot of sophisticated computing and communications capabilities in tiny, confined spaces. You see those challenges of electronic sophistication in satellites, computers, cars and airplanes – and in all handheld electronics products. I sometimes wonder why there haven’t been more problems like Antennagate in other products.
While other SmartPhone vendors might claim that they don’t have the same antenna problem as the iPhone 4, Steve Jobs claimed in last Friday’s press conference that the BlackBerry Bold, HTC DROID Eris and Samsung Omnia all demonstrated the same kind of lower signal when held in a full grip. Apple demonstrating weaknesses in other vendor’s products which naturally infuriated the other manufacturers, but I’m sure independent testing will show that all SmartPhones incur some variable signal strength based on how they are held.
The second lesson from Antennagate: The problem is systemic to the entire industry. When hands fully grip a SmartPhone, there’s lower reception. This is likely not to go away anytime soon.
SmartPhone vendors certainly have many challenges designing and then manufacturing reliable handheld products. I’ve always been very impressed when I watch a manufacturing assembly plant -- such as when I visited Research in Motion’s manufacturing center in Waterloo, Ontario where they build millions of BlackBerry SmartPhone products. Each one goes through a battery of tests and any that fail go back through a re-work area to fixed. Every vendor and every contract manufacturer takes their design and manufacturing seriously.
The third lesson from Antennagate: Apple will need to fix the faulty design of the iPhone antenna. I can assure you that the iPhone 5 won’t have that problem. It might have another problem, but it won’t continue the antenna problems in the iPhone 4. I’m confident that Apple engineering will ensure the future iPhone (and iPad) products will have antennas that work properly.
Simply holding a device should not interfere in any significant way with the network signal reception. And Antennagate will cause other firms such as HTC, Motorola, RIM and Samsung to increase antenna design capabilities to ensure that they won’t have a repeat of the same problem as Apple experienced. It should be a ‘field day’ for antenna design consultants to help all SmartPhone manufacturers fix antenna problems.
I commend Apple for stepping up and quickly addressing the Antennagate problem. They did a good job explaining the problem and to point out that the iPhone 4 is the best SmartPhone they have ever built. I’m sure that the iPhone 5, 6 and 7 will be even better.
In closing, everyone should realize that network operators need to be part of the solution to dropped calls and poor signal (‘bars’). Some of the antenna reception problems could be network related. They should build more towers and encourage a broad adoption of femtocells (small micro cell towers that customers can place in their home or office) to reduce congestion and, hopefully one day, eliminate dropped calls all together.
Written By:
J. Gerry Purdy, Ph.D.
Principal Analyst
Mobile & Wireless
MobileTrax LLC
gerry.purdy@mobiletrax.com
404-406-5309
Disclosure Statement: From time to time, I may have a direct or indirect equity position in a company that is mentioned in this column. If that situation happens, then I’ll disclose it at that time.