Read this after press conference, what do you think?

Question

Okay here's the deal. Apple had a press conference today, and they have thoroughly addressed the antenna issues or apparently lack of with the iPhone 4, now dubbed as "antennagate". 
Now, I will just throw a "light" breakdown of thoughts on this and also leave the live blog provided by Endgaget down below for you to read for yourself.
 So apple changes the design of the iPhone. It's beautiful. It's suppose to run better and perform better than previous models. But wait, what's this?
An antenna on the outside of a phone? Wow!  
Guess What? 
Now, people know exactly where the antenna has been placed and can visibly see and can physically touch it on the outside of the phone. They are now aware of it more than with any other phone and can manipulate it by covering it up with their big meaty, greasy, stinky, sweaty, hands. 
Or clean, manicured, dainty hands.
So they do, as they should be able too. 
Then they watch the signal drop!
Oh no!  
You see, with other phones, internal antennas have never really been in the publics "eye"  and has escaped the general public knowledge of how cell phones work and can be affected by holding or covering up the antenna area.
Apple created the first (that I've known of) external antenna that is located in the same place an internal antennas. Therefore causing you to actually grip it while in use. 
What does this mean? Does it actually hurt it's signal more than internal antennas? Has Apple done their homework?
Ultimately it seems they have. As you should and would expect a multi Billion dollar company who is considered the world over as the best technology company out there. Why wouldn't  they?
So what's the problem?
Now I think this report basically says (with out Apple outing their business partner AT&T) that the main issues are within the signal provider, area signal strength. Then there is fact that they basically but a big "X marks the spot" or "cover this up with your hand to make signal worse" area on the phone made aware to everyone when they had their keynote stating that the frame was doubled as an atenna.
The media doesn't' help either.  As new customers are made and switch over from other companies such as Verizon for the iphone 4, then they come home to read or see this "antennagate" on you tube, they begin to  attribute all their AT&T issues (dropped calls) to the design of the iPhone 4. Yet, studies, actual scientific studies have shown to have better reliability than older models of the iphone. 
Here I think Apple proves this, and one must read between the lines on what they can and cannot say about the business and their relationship with AT&T.
 But, I think they have proven the point they have a great phone for making calls. They have done their homework and yet still had to answer to this media sensation. They had to make some remedy despite that all the testing and statistics about the iphone 4's performance states that there is no antenna issue. That it isn't significantly much different than any other antenna placed out in todays current cell phone market.
Not to mention the sheep, and Apple haters or competitors who join the fray. 
Does Apple have sheep followers? Sure. But they also have people who for whatever personal or business reasons despise them. 
But, the sheep I refer too, are the people who just hear of, or read one report on this "antenna gate", and do no research for themselves to actually understand the issue or intelligently assess their problems with phone properly. Then they start to raise **** over something that may actually not an issue.
 For example, many people have complained tirelessly over this "death grip" and how they drop calls all the time, only to find out that the whole time it must have been AT&T dropping them because they have been using a bluetooth device or a case around the phone which prevents this issue from coming from the antenna
Sheep. 
The decision to apply and antenna icon on every phone in the cellular market was made to let consumers rate or judge their signal strength and calling area. 1 bar doesn't mean a call cant be made. just as 5 bars doesn't mean "superduper great signal you'll never drop a call ever ever". 
Many specialists believe that the cell phone market should drop this antenna signal strength meter, because of its subjective nature, and tthe fact hat it doesn't actually work like a "gas tank meter" in a car, nor functions like one. 
Anyone who's ever studied this "signal meter" knows that you can go from full 5 bars to no bars in less than a microsecond with no feasible reason, on any network. It's not about, "my network never drops calls" it's about consistency. 
So why mislead consumers? Why not just have a green light, red light?
Back to Apple's choices. 
They had to do something, had too. No matter what tests show, statistics, fanboys, haters, or competitors. They had too, without slapping AT&T in the face. 
Enter the Press Conference. 
Below is the blow by blow.
In the end I feel a bit sorry for how things turned out. Apple looses millions on basically an issue that every company, and carrier has. Block the antenna, loose some signal. 
Call it what you want but they are giving away free cases that costs millions of dollars to Apple, unnecessarily just to cool this thing down.
To all those who complain I say try this. Just use your phone naturally, don't try to "death Grip" the mother. Just use it and if you get dropped calls, try a case or bluetooth, or a headset, and if you get dropped calls, be open to the fact that it's probable AT&T, or just the nature of cellphones. Not an antenna issue that Nokia, Sony, Apple, Motorola, HTC, Samsung and every other maker faces . . . despite what they say. 
Apple loses, because they  currently are considered to be the king of the hill in the smart phone market (and others for that matter) and they told everyone "HEY! EVERYONE! Our antenna is on the outside, and it's right 'X' here!"
They Still apologized and gave away millions to make any and everyone happy.
Had their been and actual Hardware defect, I would have said RECALL. As things sit I think Apple handled things correctly. Had you anyone asked me earlier in the week, I would have scoffed at the idea of a bumper fix. But it's not a fix, there is nothing to fix, it's an act of good faith. 
Maybe it's also a way to get more cases out their so when September rolls around they can have a better call drop ratio to the 3GS.
After the meeting I couldnt help but think, had I made something that wasn't broken, and people said I'd have to try and fix it, I think that all you would have seen from me would've been the middle finger.
It's a ish snow ball thrown down hill, and Apple is saying sorry you got hit on the way down but we didn't' toss it.
Here's something for your trouble.
Remember you can return it, and Apple is having a "case is sill open" approach and will continue to work on it. As for now, it appears that they really is nothing wrong with your antenna on your iPhone 4.
Maybe you should start to smile, or go to Verizon?

Answer 1

Hello everybody.
I am a would-be Iphone 4 user, which will now surely not become one.
I did read all the fuss about the antenna, and I did watch the conference, and here is what I think.
Saying that, even with the issues, “it is still useable”, is in my opinion ridiculous.
Guys, we’re talking about a 650 € mobile here.
The Iphone 4 is a top of the line phone. It’s not a 29 € mobile bought at a supermarket.
And if a 29 € can work as a phone perfectly, I expect that a mobile that costs 20 times that, can at least give me the same functionality that the cheap one gives.
Yes, the Iphone offers so much more, and that’s the reason why I wanted to buy it (so I am not an Apple naysayer, in fact I really wanted to buy an Iphone, and even defended it in front of friends in discussions), but really I need it first and foremost for work, and I NEED to be able to receive and make phone calls, and can’t afford to have dropped calls in bad reception areas.
This is an issue ALL smartphones have? To be sincere, I highly doubt that.
But even if it were, then I would go on with my non-smartphone mobile, until this thing is solved, because seriously, I think before adding in all kinds of gadgets and whatsoever, making sure you can use a phone to make phone calls everywhere without dropping calls should be the priority number 1.
There is no possible hardware solution? Now, I am not an expert, but if you look at the pictures of the antenna, and without making any particularly intelligent change… why not just rotate the antenna position 180°? So that the black band is on the top right, where nobody holds it, rather than on the bottom left, where most people hold it? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist in my opinion.
What I think is that we WILL see a hardware solution, in my opinion Apple already knows what needs to be done. But you can’t just change production from one day to the next. Apple has a lot of phones ready yet, and lots are being built, that it can’t just throw away.
So, until 30 September (or until these models will be dispatched) we’ll get this model with a bumper.
When the stock will be over, we’ll get a new model with the magical fix.
Until then… +“if you don’t want an Iphone 4 – don’t buy it”.+
Smart suggestion mr. Jobs gave, I’ll follow it.
Have a nice day.