Competitive antenna tests now gone from Apple site

Some of our observant readers have noted that the Apple web site is no longer showing videos of competing cell phones dropping bars and signal when held in a 'death grip' like the one made infamous on the new iPhone 4.

CNET got a comment from Apple PR on the change: "We constantly refresh the content on Apple.com. If you'd like access to [the videos], you can find them archived on YouTube.com/Apple." [Never mind the irony that in order to see Apple's competitive marketing efforts, you go to a Google-owned site. –Ed.]

Was Apple frightened off, perhaps by potential law suits, or did the campaign run its course? I'd be betting on the latter. I think Apple accomplished what it wanted to, by raising awareness of reception issues on other smart phones. Apple resorted to the tests only after Nokia, Motorola and others criticized the Apple design either in public statements or in ads.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that some people were seeing the issue, while others reported that everything was just fine. Some of our readers told us their Blackberry, Nokia and Motorola phones had problems just like what was shown in the Apple videos, while others said they could not duplicate it.

The competitor tests Apple posted to YouTube are still there, but it's probably safe to say that Apple is now out of the antenna testing business, at least for cell phones the company doesn't make.

Thanks to our sharp-eyed readers who noticed the change on the Apple web site.

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Source: http://www.apple.com/antenna/

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Some of our observant readers have noted that the Apple web site is no longer showing videos of competing cell phones dropping bars and...

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Patrick

That picture's no antenna testing room! It's a torture chamber built for Jason Chen!

August 10 2010 at 7:53 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

sockatume

"Apple resorted to the tests only after Nokia, Motorola and others criticized the Apple design either in public statements or in ads."

Nokia's blog quip pre-dated the antenna vids, but all of the public statements and ads came after the "antennagate" conference where Apple showed the videos.

August 02 2010 at 4:20 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Buzz

Hi ya Steve,

Joe Samsung here. Just an update on how late those screens and memory chips for your iPads are going to have to be...

August 02 2010 at 2:02 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jay

Please stop with these reception issue stories.. please.. stop..

August 01 2010 at 11:36 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Alejandro

...will not... let...story.... die...

August 01 2010 at 9:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

LEA

I had the 3G, 3GS and never had any issues. I am as well with Rogers in Canada and was able to get the phone to go to "no signal" without really trying. I was using the phone naked, now I am not.

If you read the blogs many, many people were able to reproduce the issue just after receiving the phone.

My phone had 4.0 ... did yours ?

August 01 2010 at 5:50 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Rdnymllnsktr

Thank goodness for the observant readers, because it seems that you wouldn't have noticed this if not for them. This has been on all other Apple related sites since the morning.

August 01 2010 at 5:46 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Rowdehaj

I'm still waiting to try the 'Death Grip' in Holland before deciding whether I want an iPhone 4 or not.

August 01 2010 at 5:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

3 replies to Rowdehaj's comment

Mike

I think Apple took them down after releasing the phone in many other countries besides the initial 5 and the percentage of users able to do the death grip is much smaller. Got my iPhone 4 on Friday on Telus in Canada, in a Rogers-controlled town with known poor reception for Telus/Bell, and I can't lower my bars at all with it (even though I could with my 3G).

August 01 2010 at 5:17 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to Mike's comment

Mike

(my iPhone 3G was on Rogers' network too, btw)

August 01 2010 at 5:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Charli

You have a point. There have been perhaps 10 reports outside of the US of this 'design flaw' which just backs up that it's an ATT issue and not something defective with the phone.

And even in the US the occurrences are only something like .5% of users, only perhaps 1% of those actually being in areas with perfect ATT coverage.

Add this to the fact that they probably have continuing record sales numbers after the press conference and that they made their point that other phones have signal issues from time to time as well and they don't need to continue with this 'campaign'. Unless someone brings it back up on them via an ad etc. In which case they might or might not respond.

August 01 2010 at 6:15 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply