New iPhone 4 reception problem is good news.
June 2010. Apple’s new iPhone 4 is a marvellous invention for those who like portable computers. Video quality and still image capture are superb. Applications rival that of a portable computer. The most intriguing news is that iPhone reception is poor if you hold it in your left hand, better if you hold it in your right hand, and best if you don’t hold it at all.
In response to reception complaints, Steve Jobs says “don’t hold it that way.” Apples’ official statement says it’s best not to hold the phone at all if you want good reception. This comment captured worldwide attention and stunned millions who bought an iPhone the day it was released.
Is this a design disaster or a safety feature in disguise? Perhaps Jobs is paying attention to the governors of San Francisco.
San Francisco just passed a law requiring that the SAR (specific absorption rate-the amount of microwave radiation absorbed by your body from the aerial) of the cell phone be posted clearly in sales material. The iPhone manual says for safe use the phone must be at least 5/8th of an inch away from your body at all times. Is your hand a part of your body? How can you hold a phone and have it be 5/8th of an inch away from your body.
Doctors on CNN demonstrate how to talk on the cell phone without touching it. They place the phone on a desk and use the speaker phone mode or an airtube headset or you can use the new Roots retro phone thats included at the end of this article. In fact, this is what cell phone activists have been advocating for years.
The new iPhone “flaw” may be one of the biggest design blunders or the safest cell phone ever made. Perhaps Steve is listening to what scientists are saying about cell phones and is trying to make the safest cell phone in the world with the lowest SAR readings (as long as you don’t touch it).
To hold or not to hold . . . that is the question! Now we know the answer.
Here is an email from Steve Jobs.
CBC Radio – The Link – KILLER CELLPHONES?
Do you have the new iPhone 4? Have you been disappointed by its lack of reception? Before you return it, consider the fact that you might own the safest cell phone on the market! Dr Magda Havas, an expert on the biological effects of environmental contaminants, thinks that Apple’s so-called design flaw is a blessing in disguise. Because she says your regular cell phone might be killing you. Literally.
Listen to the iPhone 4 interview with Magda Havas on CBC Radio
If you can’t hold the phone and you want to have a private conversation – Here is a retro headset that reduces the radiation. Buy the phone – It’s from Roots