Replies to post #83926 on Apple Inc (AAPL)

[Heywood40]

I have a new iPhone I just picked up this morning.

I can't replicate the loss of signal others have experienced. In fact I have 5 bars at with the new phone at a location where the 3GS usually had 4.

Your speculation that "it's a hardware issue all the iPhone 4s share, and cannot be fixed with a software or firmware update" doesn't sync with reality.

[Bootz]

Laize, found this on another board. Not being a hard or software engineer myself, I simply pass it along for what it may (or may not) be worth:

We simply don't know precisely what's going on: it could be that there's feedback going on which is causing the firmware to dial down power to the radios. Or maybe the opposite, resulting in interference. Or perhaps its just an irresolvable case of interference which no amount of workarounds will address. We just don't know. The diagnosis of the trigger - the bridging of the two strips - which gives rise to the problem - the phone gradually appearing to lose its signal - is obviously correct, but this might be addressable by a simple update to the radio firmware now that Apple know there's a scenario that's identifiable, replicable, and thus perhaps avoidable.

Like I said, I'm just keeping an open mind about it: just because the phone slowly loses its signal doesn't mean it might not be possible for software to compensate for it - it may be the software itself which is turning down power to the radios rather than phone losing signal due to interference. That thing's got about 5-6 amplifiers in it, 3-4 radios and software running the lot. I would have though with everything adjustable, it should be possible to wholly or partially compensate for conditions which can now be identified as a short between the two strips.