Iphone 4 Discussion

[nikster]

Another interesting take on the reception bug: A guy tested 20 phones in a shop, and found that 4 of them showed the problem, whereas 16 did not!

To me, this whole thing is a non-issue. I am going to get a bumper. A bumper-less iPhone 4 is even more gorgeous than one with bumper, but if a bumper is what's required to make reception good, then it's still a really amazing phone. To me the whole issue comes down to this: I have to pay $30 more, and I have to put a bumper on the phone. Regrettable, yes. But not a big deal.

Yep. I'm hoping to get lucky that mine wont have that death grip issue since I'm not really into using cases for my 3GS. On the event that it does have this problem, then a case would be fine. I'm hoping though not to be plagued by the proximity sensor bug. Now that will be a nightmare especially if can't be addressed by a reset.

Proximity sensor bug sounds very bad indeed. Hoping for a software fix for the affected devices. This is something that Apple wouldn't normally screw up - they got it dead right since the first iPhone. One of those things that nobody really notices, but that are crucial for the device to work. I am sure a fix will come very quickly.

[Fore Man]

Lads, just curious...but can one buy an IP4 in Singapore and use it here or are you always wedded to a SingTel or other account?

Are there any other countries near Thailand where an unlocked IP4 can be bought at a decent price?

Same issue--how about a 3G iPad?

Does anyone know the offical Apple Thailand debut date?

Thanks gents.

[kblaze]

Hey guys, I'm in california for a wedding this week and I just picked up an iphone 4 from an Att in Sacramento. 32gig. I'm trying to get 2 more, one to sell, and one for a buddy in Bkk. I'm coming back on the 14th. I've had people check the prices continuously at Wave Phone MBK and some other shops and it is still currently in the 50,000 baht ++ range which is a go to sell for me. If it drops under 40 then it's not worth selling imo. But here's the problem, they are saying they don't have an unlock yet for the U.S. iphone 4...the one's i'm bringing, and one shop even said they didn't want it (im guessing because they can't unlock).

Can anyone confirm this?

[negreanu]

You will have a hard job selling a US iphone 4 in MBK. Even if you can the price they will offer you will not be that great. Would not bother to be honest. Even unlocked US phones when it is possible will not be as attractive for MBK sellers. Most people now do not want to be dependent on jailbreaks for their unlocks anymore.

UK phones now thats a different story.

[HDRIDER]

Hi

US phones is not good in Thailand, AT&T have them locked i would stay away from US phones

[TheLaughingMan]

ya kblaze those US phones are currently simply paper weights here, they will do nothing at all but look shiny in Thailand. Nobody will buy that unless you offered an incredible price that would make it worth it to hold onto it for possibly 4 months until an unlock is developped.

[nikster]

Buying a US iphone for sale = FAIL

I have 2 coming from the UK. If prices are still crazy when they get here, I'll sell one. If not, I'll give it to the wife. Definitely keeping one Shipping in the UK is 3 weeks now, then it takes a few days to get to the address in the UK, then another 10 days to get to Thailand. So this will take a long while!

[kblaze]

Buying a US iphone for sale = FAIL

I have 2 coming from the UK. If prices are still crazy when they get here, I'll sell one. If not, I'll give it to the wife. Definitely keeping one Shipping in the UK is 3 weeks now, then it takes a few days to get to the address in the UK, then another 10 days to get to Thailand. So this will take a long while!

Wow you guys are pretty sure they can't unlock the 4g...distressing news, but why were they able to unlock my 3gs last year...whats diff about the 4?

[negreanu]

Nobody is saying they won't be able to. Just that it has not been done yet. Why pay 40k + for a phone that you cannot use in thailand JUST NOW. it could be weeks or months before you could use it.

Edited July 10, 2010 by negreanu

[kblaze]

This is why I don't understand why you guys are so absolute in saying I won't be able to sell/use my iphone 4 from US. They take longer but they will eventually crack it...

http://news.techworld.com/mobile-wireless/3229821/iphone-4-close-to-being-hacked-says-iphone-dev-team/?olo=rss

The link (from a day and half ago) says its almost unlocked..

[negreanu]

This is why I don't understand why you guys are so absolute in saying I won't be able to sell/use my iphone 4 from US. They take longer but they will eventually crack it...

http://news.techworl...v-team/?olo=rss

The link (from a day and half ago) says its almost unlocked..

Point is who is going to buy your locked iphone 4 when if they really want one at a price they can go to MBK and get a officially unlocked one. It's an expensive paperweight until that unlock comes dude.

And when they do release the unlock/jailbreak its just a hassle when new software updates come out then wait again for the jailbreak/unlock. Waste of time just buy the official unlock ones. saves hassle now and in the future.

Edited July 10, 2010 by negreanu

[HDRIDER]

Hi

When i buy an iphone i want to connect to itune and update and go to itune store and get app, you cant do that with a US phone

[RKeith]

Because NOBODY will buy it, mate. Who wants to pay for something and WAIT (who knows how bloody long) for it to be used and have the patience with all the headaches of a jailbroken device. Perhaps only if you'll sell it for a very cheap price (less than 3,000 baht) and lose the money you paid for it in the first place. And whoever will have the pockets to pay for that price and not be able to use the phone now. Yes, a beautiful paper weight. Good luck.

This is why I don't understand why you guys are so absolute in saying I won't be able to sell/use my iphone 4 from US. They take longer but they will eventually crack it...

http://news.techworl...v-team/?olo=rss

The link (from a day and half ago) says its almost unlocked..

Edited July 10, 2010 by RKeith

[TheLaughingMan]

Hi

When i buy an iphone i want to connect to itune and update and go to itune store and get app, you cant do that with a US phone

Yes you can.

You mean you cant if you have a locked phone right? Because I have a US iphone (unlocked on 3.13) and I connect to itunes and buy apps and all that.

[TheLaughingMan]

This is why I don't understand why you guys are so absolute in saying I won't be able to sell/use my iphone 4 from US. They take longer but they will eventually crack it...

http://news.techworl...v-team/?olo=rss

The link (from a day and half ago) says its almost unlocked..

Almost unlocked is not unlocked. Sometimes people have waited months.... nobody would risk buying your phone until there was a guaranteed unlock already available. I have been unlocking my US phone for 3 years.... I know all about waiting for the next unlock so I can upgrade softwares.

[sushi5734]

I used my uk 3G in Thailand for a couple of years and was reliant on unlocking and jailbreaking- trust me it was a real pain in the backside. I ended up with a phone I couldn't use with a Thai sim for months!!!

A jailbreak and unlock for the iPhone 4 will come eventually but it's does seem that it's taking longer for the unlocks to be released, I waited ages for the 3.1.3 unlock.

[anotheruser]

This is why I don't understand why you guys are so absolute in saying I won't be able to sell/use my iphone 4 from US. They take longer but they will eventually crack it...

http://news.techworl...v-team/?olo=rss

The link (from a day and half ago) says its almost unlocked..

Almost unlocked is not unlocked. Sometimes people have waited months.... nobody would risk buying your phone until there was a guaranteed unlock already available. I have been unlocking my US phone for 3 years.... I know all about waiting for the next unlock so I can upgrade softwares.

Actually this guy would probably buy it.

Sorry just goofing around and couldn't resist.

[kblaze]

This is why I don't understand why you guys are so absolute in saying I won't be able to sell/use my iphone 4 from US. They take longer but they will eventually crack it...

http://news.techworl...v-team/?olo=rss

The link (from a day and half ago) says its almost unlocked..

Almost unlocked is not unlocked. Sometimes people have waited months.... nobody would risk buying your phone until there was a guaranteed unlock already available. I have been unlocking my US phone for 3 years.... I know all about waiting for the next unlock so I can upgrade softwares.

Actually this guy would probably buy it.

http://www.thaivisa....-new-apple-3gs/

Sorry just goofing around and couldn't resist.

aww poor guy!

makes me feel a little better about myself I guess..

so anyways I still have the one phone I'll be bringing back...haven't gotten the others..

cmon dev team!

[TheLaughingMan]

I forget if this was mentioned, how much are the locked iphone 4's in the US right now?

[kblaze]

I forget if this was mentioned, how much are the locked iphone 4's in the US right now?

199 16 gig, 299 32gig

total price with activation fees ends up around 370

no contract (but still locked) 700-750

[nikster]

Wow you guys are pretty sure they can't unlock the 4g...distressing news, but why were they able to unlock my 3gs last year...whats diff about the 4?

You will be able to unlock eventually. But the last 5 months have told us one thing: It's possible that there is not an unlock for a pretty long while. In this case, people who had jailbroken U.S. iPhone 3GSs and inadvertently updated to 3.1.3 got locked out for 5 months. Do you want to buy a phone that could possibly disabled for 5 months at a time? No you don't because for the same price or a fraction more, you could buy an officially unlocked one which doesn't have this problem.

Apple will see this dynamic. I once thought they're not going to play hardball like this but they have proven that yes, they do. They will lock out customers who bought jailbroken phones. Jailbreaks threaten the security of the Apple platform, and, thereby, the entire Apple business model. So they will not relent.

As we have now seen in the cat and mouse game between devs and Apple, Apple is now the cat. Apple can release firmware updates that are very difficult to break. At the same time, they are offering the iPhone unlocked in more and more locations, and they have official partners in more locations too (China). Therefore the incentive to jailbreak phones (in order to unlock them) gets smaller, while the hurdles get bigger.

I'd say, sad as this is, that Apple is on the verge of making Jailbreaking an absolute niche market. Something techies do with their phones, and nobody else even knows about.

[nikster]

I forget if this was mentioned, how much are the locked iphone 4's in the US right now?

199 16 gig, 299 32gig

total price with activation fees ends up around 370

no contract (but still locked) 700-750

Out of interest: If I buy one of these with intent to resell - what's the early termination fee? If it's low then that might explain why you can still make money selling AT&T iPhones overseas..

[HDRIDER]

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/phones-mobile-devices/index.htm

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-12/apple-iphone-4-fails-to-get-consumer-reports-backing.html

[negreanu]

It's strange I have 2 UK sourced iphone 4's in front of me on AIS network here in BKK and for the life of me I cannot reproduce the signal drop. Tried for ages doing exactly the same as people on you tube and above links demonstrate. Perhaps might be due to AIS only 2G or different frequencies in Thailand to the USA?

Will try and reproduce it with 3G true sim card on their 3G network.

Edited July 13, 2010 by negreanu

[TheLaughingMan]

You mean the deathgrip? It supposedly only afflicts like 20% of the phones, most dont have the problem.

[HDRIDER]

Hi

I wonder where it say around 20%, i saw a site where a high school class went around town and tried a lot of iphone 4 and they say that 75% had the signal loss, i think they did it in LA but i can’t find the site now, they tested around 100 iphones.

I have a friend coming from UK he got one and tell me he get the signal loss in UK so he will try when he get here and see if its the same, but again Apple say its software problem

[TheLaughingMan]

Ya I just read a blog of a guy that went and tested all the display models at a mall. Seemed like 20% but thats not really good testing.

[anotheruser]

It seems there is beginning to be some discussions of a massive recall. I like Apple products but it seems crazy to me that peopple would pay so much for a phone and think having to buy an add on product to make it function is acceptable. Having to buy a bumper that somewhat diminishes the appearance of such a cool looking phone to allow it to make calls is a bit of an embarrassment in my opinion. Consumer Reports suggest duct tape is a cheap alternative. LOL

Apple is supposedly known for the "it just works" philosophy. I am astounded at how easily Apple fans shrug off obvious defects and justify doing this. For those that will say it is the risk involved with buying a brand new product- this is hardly the first phone Apple has made now and it is the 4th production run of the iPhone. Their earlier phones had reception issues as well. Apple just sort of ignored them and they went away over time. This time I don't think Apple will get away with that. My 3GS has good reception but my original iPhone and the 3G had reception issues. I wonder why on earth can't apple make a phone that can make calls as well as a 500 THB Nokia?

Steve took the stage at the keynote and waxed on about the great engineering design of the antenna. In the weeks after the launch when it then performs as it does he should be held accountable. It is an amazing device and people want one so bad that they seem willing to tolerate and even deny this flaw. Consumer reports is extremely Apple friendly and always rates Apple quite high every year. Even they do not recommend purchasing the new iPhone at this point. It seems that addiction to new tech is clouding people's judgement at times.

I want an iPhone 4 but will probably hold off on buying one until there is some further response from Apple on this issue. It is looking like it isn't a problem that can be solved with a software fix. Apple's first official statement went on about the bars not being displayed correctly but i don't think most people are buying this. They already played that card before on their last phone that had reception problems.

If they are recalled then it seems the grey market buyers in Thailand will not have recourse to trade theirs in. Even the legitimate buyers that imported theirs from places such as the U.K. won't be able to take advantage of it easily. iPhones are simply not eligible for any type of service outside of the country of purchase. There are also reports of the proximity sensor malfunctioning. If yours comes through customs with this problem you will also not be too happy. I am sure somebody in Thailand can probably fix it but this will void your warranty entirely. No authorized Apple service center is going to touch your import if they want to remain one.

So potentially that means shipping it back to where it was bought, having a friend ship it to Apple, then having it shipped back to them and then shipping it back to Thailand. The no warranty outside of the original country of purchase has always seemed ludicrous to me. That however is another issue. I will stick with my 3GS for now and buy when it is launched in Thailand so I can easily return it if it doesn't meet my expectations or isn't functioning properly.

For these reasons I would not buy an iPhone 4 blind at this moment. I would need to see it out of the box and reassure myself that it has no defects before dropping that kind of money. If you are having a friend ship it, I would ask them to take it out of the box and verify it is in good working order. Surely if you trust them enough to ship it to you then trusting them to test it's performance shouldn't be an issue.

No idea if the recall will happen or not. I am thinking it won't unless it is in conjunction with some legal action that gives Apple no choice but to do so. I hope in the future people will actually stand up and call Apple on things like this. It seems to be becoming the norm at Apple to not admit production defects in their products and even go as far as intentionally concealing them. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

LOL I have too much time on my hands as I am writing such a long post about a phone I don't even have.

[nikster]

It's strange I have 2 UK sourced iphone 4's in front of me on AIS network here in BKK and for the life of me I cannot reproduce the signal drop. Tried for ages doing exactly the same as people on you tube and above links demonstrate. Perhaps might be due to AIS only 2G or different frequencies in Thailand to the USA?

Will try and reproduce it with 3G true sim card on their 3G network.

How are you going to reproduce it if you have great reception? You can't. The phone will show 5 bars from 50 - 100% reception. Say you have 90% to begin with, and you lose 20% with the death grip, you will never see anything but 5 bars.

Bottom line, you can only reliably reproduce this if you have 4 bars or less to start out with, you also need to wait 10 seconds.

Here's what I heard - there's a lot of vested interest in beating Apple stock down (AAPL). The theory behind this slingshot effect is this: Beat down a stock that has nowhere to go but up. Sell it off, anticipating a drop in price (recall!!). Then once the stock is a bit down, buy as much as you can and watch it go back up. You know it will go back up because the company is so strong there's very little risk.

Seeking Alpha says that that's exactly what hedge fund managers are doing. They only need a few % to make _tons_ of money. The slingshot effect.

If you do have the issue, then please for the love of God, get a 100 baht case and be happy! Too bad this exterior antenna design didn't work out so well. But nothing to lose sleep over?!

[nikster]

LOL I have too much time on my hands as I am writing such a long post about a phone I don't even have.

Yeah you do. This isn't a car. You are not going to die if you don't return your phone in a recall. Worst case scenario - read this, horror of horrors - is that you need a case. OMG. A C A S E.

Cheap chinese cases start at 80 baht....

That's the worst case scenario. Scared?