Apple and Steve Jobs have stirred up more trouble regarding antennas just when we all thought the drama was over. It all started about a week ago at the Apple press conference to address the iPhone 4 problem. Ole Steve Jobs started out his presentation not with an, “I’m sorry for all the antenna issues,” but with a “We’re not perfect.” By we he meant all smartphone creators. He said the Blackberry Bold 9700, HTC Droid Eris, and the Samsung Omnia II all have the same problem and proceed to show footage of each one’s signal dropping.

That was a little underhanded, but he was trying to make a point. If you missed the conference or weren’t following along online, Apple created a page on their website dedicated entirely to antenna failure among all smartphones. The website has footage of the iPhone 4, BlackBerry Bold 9700, HTC Droid Eris, Nokia N97 mini, Samsung Omnia II, and iPhone 3GS each dropping signal strength when a finger or a hand cover the antenna.

Blackberry maker RIM decided they won’t sit back and let Jobs get away with pointing fingers at them. RIM’s Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie released a statement here saying, “Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple’s claim about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation.” They go on to say, “One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity.”

Just after that statement, where RIM is very clear that their phones do not have any antenna problems, a video leaked of someone playing around with the new BlackBerry 9800. The video, which has already been removed, showed the unreleased phone to have some serious death grip issues. Sure it was a pre-release version of the phone, but should be the final design.

Since this huge blowup with the iPhone 4, new smartphones are going to be under a magnifying glass when it comes to antenna performance and “death grip” symptoms. Something that (if Apple’s right) has been going on since the beginning of smartphones will be noticed and talked about more than ever. So this is a heads up. We’re going to be hearing a lot about cell phone antenna performance… as if we haven’t already heard a lot.

Steve Jobs just got done slapping the wrists of a room half-full of tech news reporters. In the first forty minutes or so, Steve talked about all the alleged problems with the iPhone 4 and gave out some data to prove his point that the problems with the iPhone 4 are not all that awful. The remainder of the conference was made up of a question and answer session.

Jobs was clear that the problems with the iPhone 4 had been blown way out of proportion. He backed up his argument with many different statistics. First he looked at the percentage of all iPhone 4 users who have called AppleCare to complain about antenna/reception issues. That number was less than a half percent. Sounds convincing, except that I wouldn’t call AppleCare with my reception issues with the iPhone 4, I would probably call AT&T. Also, AppleCare deals with complaints and issues with all Apple products. The iPhone 4 takes up a tiny sliver compared to all the other products Apple has on the market.

Jobs went on to say that AT&T’s return rate for iPhone 4s was 1.7%, which is much less than the iPhone 3GS. And he concluded his numbers part of the session with the statement, “The iPhone drops less than 1 additional call per 100,” as compared to the iPhone 3GS.

Steve Jobs, and Apple, decided to solve the reception problem by giving free cases to any iPhone 4 user who wants one. They must apply online to have them delivered and it must be done before September 30. Also, Apple and AT&T will be giving full refunds to anyone who returns their undamaged iPhone within 30 days of purchase.

After hearing Jobs’ opinion, it appears the media is what’s making this issue seem so severe. He kept saying over and over, “We’re not perfect.” Poor Steve loves his customers more than they know. We love you too, Steve!

So all the negative media has finally gotten to the heart of Apple Inc. and good ole Steve Jobs. Apple is planning a press conference for Friday at 10 A.M. (Pacific Time) at Apple’s headquarters in California. The conference is expected to address the problems with the iPhone 4 exterior antennae. Finally, some Apple is recognizing that there is a problem with the iPhone 4.

For a while now, Apple has been in denial about all the problems with the antenna on the iPhone 4 saying it was a software problem. Once Consumer Reports revealed that the exterior antenna did in fact affect the phone’s reception, doom and gloom surrounded the iPhone 4. Now, Apple has decided to address the problem and hopefully take steps to fix it.

The iPhone 4 sold 1.7 million units in its first three days of availability. So I have concluded that the public was too mesmerized by the excitement of the new iPhone to care about its major problems. Or maybe no one noticed its multiple problems until they had already bought it. I know a few people with the iPhone 3Gs that will be waiting for an updated iPhone 4 before they upgrade.

The exterior antenna is definitely the most talked about issue, but it is not the only problem with the iPhone 4. I listed a few of the other problems back in June and just recently a proximity sensor glitch has been discovered. Even though Apple will be addressing the main problem with the phone’s antenna at this conference, it is still highly unlikely for a recall to be the answer to the problem, especially in the eyes of Apple executives. However, there has been talk of Apple giving away free iPhone cases to all iPhone 4 buyers.

Too bad Woopi already destroyed hers.

Microsoft’s Chief Executive, Steve Ballmer, told attendees at Microsoft’s annual partner conference that Microsoft was serious about a Windows 7 tablet coming out soon. At the conference in Seattle, Washington, on Monday, Ballmer tried motivating attendees by telling them that the tablet is being constructed by about twenty manufacturers right now.

Reuters says Ballmer said:

“New Windows-powered tablet or slate devices — small, hand-held, wireless computers — are in the pipeline from Acer Inc, Dell Inc, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Toshiba Corp, Sony Corp and a dozen other PC makers,”

Ballmer also claims that the Windows 7 tablet will be the most important product they come out with recently. The slate or tablet is probably their most important product because the iPad might seriously affect Microsoft’s PC desktop or laptop sales. In just about three months Apple has already sold 3 million iPads. However, Ballmer wants to take Microsoft in a different direction by playing up its board room compliance as well as fun multimedia features. CrunchGear reports that Bill Gates said the iPad was :not quite there yet.”

Microsoft didn’t say anything about the number one PC maker, Hewlett-Packard Co., or their plans to build a tablet-like device running a Palm operating system. Nor did they acknowledge any of their own recent problems with projects like the Kin cell phone.

Consumer Reports tested the iPhone 4

Engineers ran a series of tests on the phone and other comparable smartphones. They found that the iPhone 4’s reception dropped dramatically when the bottom left corner was covered by a hand or finger. This is especially problematic for left handed people. The signal drops so much that it is very possible for a call to be lost.

These results disprove Apple’s claim that there is no reduction in signal, but that the signal is weak to begin with. Apple released a statement at the beginning of July claiming they found the source of the reception problems:

“Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.”

Not only did Consumer Reports test comparable smartphones, but also multiple iPhone 4s. However, they cannot conclude that all iPhone 4s have the signal problem based on their sample of three iPhone 4s… That sample size is just too small to make any definite, final conclusions.

Consumer Reports’ engineers recommend using a strip of non-conductive tape wrapped around the bottom-left corner of the phone for a quick fix. Apple also suggested using a case or just trying to avoid holding the phone with your hand over the sensitive spot.

The App Inventor software is still just in Google labs, but is ready and available for use. It allows a user to create an application for Android powered devices. Released on July 12, the App Inventor makes cell phone owners more involved in the applications. As cell phones become more and more advanced, they become more and more like computers. So, it is important to increase user involvement and user knowledge.

Google is proud of this new tool’s easy to use features for all ages. It has been in development for a year already and tested on students, professionals, non-programmers, even sixth graders. Google believes the tool is a good first experience of computer programming for these children. Exposure to simple and fun computer programming is beneficial to kids in the long run.

Also, Google hopes that by opening up its applications’ invention to more and more creators, it will even up with Apple’s app store and maybe even surpass it. Android phones are definitely a forerunner in the smartphone market, but they are also well behind the iPhone. And while Apple’s app store has strict rules and regulations on the apps they provide, Google does not. They are hoping this access and freedom will attract more users and app inventors.

Apple has had a lot on their plate lately. IPad shortages, tons of iPhone 4 problems, and now a lawsuit thanks to the iPhone 4′s awful reception. The last thing Apple should be worrying about is iTunes, and yet there is a rumor that Apple is planning to move the music marketplace to the cloud.

The Boy Genius Report cited some “reliable Apple sources” when reporting a story on iTunes’ plans to move to the cloud. The move would be very beneficial for the service and its users. Being on the cloud would provide easy streaming from Apple’s server to any computer or device. Basically, that just means listening to music or watching movies wouldn’t take up storage space on your computer.

The cloud server would also allow streaming from one home computer to another, and also to any remote devices. Any Apple product with wireless access can be connected to each other for a sort of mini network. The same connection will allow for wireless syncing between computer and device. Think about that one for a minute. Yes, automatic syncing between your iPod Touch and iTunes library on your laptop. Even new apps for your iPhone will automatically transfer to your desktop computer library. Boy Genius says, “Changes to your calendar, or notes, or contacts will automatically update on your computer as well.” Sounds pretty awesome to me.

All the changes sound beneficial to Apple and their customers, and I know I would enjoy iTunes a lot more with that wireless syncing advantage. Too bad Apple has not confirmed this rumor yet. However, some past business decisions may suggest some validity to the rumors. Remember when Apple bought music streaming service Lala back in 2009? Well that service shut down at the end of May. Its shut down made everyone suspect that iTunes would be getting a major improvement or even be moved to the cloud… OH! Sounds like that part might be coming true! We’ll keep you posted on the topic.

Yesterday I asked around the office what each Keystone employee thought was the best technology gadget to change its market in recent years. I got a few off the wall answers and a few I-don’t-know’s. One of our experts on the web development side, Jeremy Scott, suggested the iPhone. I almost rolled my eyes at this response because it seemed like such an obvious and overused answer. But then he expanded on his answer and said, “Everything before the iPhone was basically a phone with email capabilities and some crappy web browsing. Everything after the iPhone is about apps and mobile computing and app stores and so on. It completely changed the marketplace.”

He was right. Until the development of the iPhone and the app store in 2008, smartphones really weren’t that smart and app developers didn’t have any good way to get their product into the hands of consumers. Smartphones in general changed the cell phone market forever, but the iPhone had a particular impact because of its combination of music, phone, and Internet access. Smartphones before the iPhone had extra memory space, a decent camera, video capabilities, Bluetooth, limited WiFi access, and probably Windows Mobile 6 as the OS.  Let’s flashback to some examples… the Motorola Q, the HTC Advantage, (one of the better ones) the Blackberry Curve, etc. Unlike these other smartphones, the iPhone was released with a touch screen, its own operating system, and its own application store.

Apple created a closed market of applications available to all iPhone users when it created the app store. The closed market provided advantages for both Apple and the app developers. Apple got all the credit and the creativity recognition. The app developers got to avoid the cheap carriers they had to settle with before and were able to reach a huge audience directly. Even in 2008 Wired Magazine recognized the potential in the app store when it said:

“Apple’s App Store changed [everything]. It made creating and distributing mobile applications for cell phone users easy — jumpstarting the mobile-app development market and creating clones such as the Android Market. It even forced Research in Motion to offer a BlackBerry Application Storefront. For thousands of programmers, the cell phone is the new PC.”

The iPhone changed phones like the iPod changed music. The iPod and iTunes made the music industry sweat because it allowed listeners to buy individual songs as opposed to an entire album. Music artists started relying more on ticket sales at concerts than record sales for income. So how will the app store affect smartphones? Well we have seen a major growth in applications since the app store gained popularity (there is even an app for skee-ball now!). Others continue to mimic the app store (like Android) but none will ever be as large as Apple’s original.

On the radio this morning, I listened to a long winded story from one of the 107.5 personalities about long lines to the Apple store in Green Hills Mall yesterday. Out the door and through a main hallway of the mall was a line about six people wide and hundreds deep. Yesterday, June 24^th, was the first day for the iPhone 4 to be available in stores. If the long lines weren’t enough to make me feel bad for these people, the newly discovered iPhone 4 defects will definitely do it.

Like every other Apple product, a seemingly small mistake has turned into a huge annoyance. The arrangement of externalized antennae, which was supposed to be a huge advantage of the iPhone 4, has caused some major aggravation in the Apple following. Holding the iPhone in the natural way, and covering the bottom left corner, drains the network connection and will drop calls almost instantly.

It seems like Apple needs better product testing. Testing in the sheltered Apple office would maybe account for a user’s head, but not for the hand. For right-handed users, the problem may not be as obvious as media is making it out to be, but for left-handed user it is apparent. What’s even better than this inconvenience is Steve Jobs answer to so many people’s complaints… Users should either avoid holding the phone that way or buy a case for their iPhone 4. What? Hold is differently? That’s not a solution. Apple’s own iPhone 4 ads display the phone being held the wrong way! There are even a few pictures of Steve Jobs himself holding the iPhone 4 the wrong way at his WWDC demonstration! Maybe that was the reason behind the mysterious network problems at the conference.

Other mistakes being reported are starting to pile up and make Apple look incompetent. The volume buttons are backwards on many iPhone 4′s, the rear-facing camera refuses to work, and the screen displays yellow spots in corners. Apple has not recommended any solutions to these problems yet.

There were reports of numerous pre-orders being canceled by mistake. Unsure of how many were affected, but numerous customers received an email from AT&T saying, “Your recently placed AT&T order was cancelled. If you believe your order was cancelled in error, please call us…” Apple admitted it was a mistake on their end and said people in this situation needed to either go to a physical store the next day or try ordering through a different outlet. Both options would end up with a much later arrival date than initially promised.

Apple did issue a statement apologizing for all the waiting and blamed all the malfunctions on the high demand and its failure to be prepared. How could they blame it on not being prepared? Apple took pre-orders for more than 600,000 iPhones. Sure that is more than ten times the pre-ordering rate for the 3Gs, but you should have anticipated the huge demand.

Once again, AT&T failed to redeem itself from the shadow of doubt hanging over its wireless network. This AT&T/iPhone fiasco shows how AT&T really cannot handle the huge volume of iPhone users like we’ve always thought. Apple, I hope this makes you realize how much more business you could do if you got rid of the exclusivity contract with AT&T and opened up to other wireless providers.