Today in iOS Podcast - The Unofficial iOS, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch News and iPhone Apps Podcast

Update 2: No Recall. Apple will give free cases to everyone that buys an iPhone through September 30th - if you already purchased a bumper case they will refund the purchase....

Update 2: No Recall. Apple will give free cases to everyone that buys an...

Update 2: No Recall. Apple will give free cases to everyone that buys an iPhone through September 30th - if you already purchased a bumper case they will refund the purchase. More about the meeting on ep 138 early next week.

As the title of this post suggests and conventional wisdom is now indicating an iPhone 4 recall announcement is all but a certainty when Apple has its special media even tomorrow at 10:00 AM PT. However when it comes to conventional wisdom and Apple - history is not on the side of conventional wisdom. Remember the iPod Touch 3rd gen with a camera, or the iPad that was not going to be called an iPad or that said iPad would be on Verizon. Those were all conventional wisdom that Apple did not go along with. And what about the time of the event - 10:00 AM PT when the markets are still open in NY. That timing seems odd - especially for a major recall announcement from a company with regards to its biggest individual product. Why not push the event out a couple of hours until after the markets close. That seems even more obvious than the issues from touching an exposed antenna.

If you are not aware iOS 4.0.1 is officially out for the iPhone 4 and its effect on fixing the Antenna bars dropping issue is negligible at best. I can with a tight death grip get the iPhone 4 to drop 3 bars - however now that the first bar is so much bigger I don't seem to feel as bad. It is however now much harder to get 5 bars on the iPhone 4.

There are some very good posts out there on what to expect tomorrow and one in particular from MG Siegler from Techcrunch is very well done.

But what if Apple throws conventional wisdom out the window and Steve gets up there and shows data on the iPhone 4 having 10 to 15 dB better reception performance than the 3GS when not held with the death grip and only 5 to 10 dB worse performance when held tightly with the death grip. Then Steve offers up a free bumper or gift card for all iPhone 4 owners. And then does the completely unexpected and announces the iPhone 4 will be available in XX days on Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. I just heard from a good friend in the electronic components industry that his good friend told him Fox Con is already building the CDMA versions of the iPhone 4. Yeah I know a friend of a friend - almost sounds like something from Digitimes or BGR. Not that I really think this will happen - just throwing it out there as a possible anti-conventional wisdom possibility.

If you have thoughts on what will happen tomorrow or if you have upgraded to iOS 4.0.1 please share your experience / thoughts below.

Update: Some listener email feedback

Hi Rob,

Just thought I'd share an experience I had this morning while eating
breakfast at a McDonald's in my area. I was sitting with my girlfriend
when I pulled out my iPhone 4 to check the weather. A group of elderly
people were sitting at the table next to us. One of them saw my phone
and asked me if it was "that new apple phone that was going to get
recalled". I said "well it the new apple phone but I'm pretty sure it
isn't going to be recalled". This group then began asking about the
antenna issues that had been in the news and were curious if I had any
problems. I told them that yes the signal does appear to drop but that
rarely results in a dropped call. Another group at a table also
nearby, this time with a group of 30-ish age people then joined the
conversation saying that they ha gotten android phones because of the
reported issue with the iPhone 4.
I guess I hadn't realized just how big of a public perception
problem this antenna thing is. Apple is in some serious trouble if a
group of random people of various ages are all aware of the reported
issues. Anyway, I hope apple can do something to alleviate the
problem.

Regards,
Jason

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Tii - iTem 0137 - Consumer F-ng Reports

Tue, 13 July 2010

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Links Mentioned in this Episode: Apps Mentioned in this Episode: Keynote

Links Mentioned in this Episode: Apps...

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Apple - iPhone - Tips and Tricks

Apple releases troubleshooting article updates for iPhone and iOS devices - CNET

Ducati Commercial Shot with Apple iPhone 4

iMovie App Works Perfectly Fine On A Hacked iPhone 3GS - iPhone Hacks

AppleInsider | iAd report: Apple's iOS 4 will reach iPad in November

iPad blasts past Android in usage share | ZDNet

How To Install iMovie on iPhone 3GS | Cult of Mac

AppleInsider | Apple issues iOS 4 fix for Exchange ActiveSync issues

Apple - Support - Discussions - 3G data speed on iPhone 4 is painfully ...

Bugs & Fixes: Seven iOS 4 troubleshooting tips | Macworld

Slow iOS4 runs faster on iPhone 3G with no Safari web pages open : Beatweek Magazine

Dev-Team inching closer to carrier unlock for iPhone 4 | MacFixIt - CNET

Apple Pulls Apps Citing Fraud - WSJ.com

Apple releases iPhone OS 2.1

iPhone 4 exceeds talk time promises | iPhone Atlas - CNET

indie's Adventures on the Pacific Crest Trail 2010

YouTube Mobile Site Launches for HTML5-Capable Devices - PCWorld

UPDATED: Best Buy to iPhone/Evo video guy: Welcome back. But he'll pass | Dollars & Sense

YouTube Mobile Site Trumps Dedicated iPhone App - PCWorld

Facebook | AT&T

AppleInsider | Apple's new iPod touch rumored to have 5MP camera, FaceTime

Gadgets -Dell's Streak Set to Arrive in the U.S. - But When?

Fring update approved for iPhone, does video calling with front cam over 3G -- Engadget

How To: Use iPhone 4 data plan with iPad 3G

Why I Can’t Kick The Apple iPhone Habit

Introducing Jawbone ICON™ The World’s First Intelligent Headset

Apple - Support - Discussions - Iphone 3G OS4 problems ...

Consumer Reports Electronics Blog: Lab tests: Why Consumer Reports can't recommend the iPhone 4

Faster Forward - Consumer Reports can't recommend iPhone 4

YouTube - consumerreports's Channel

Apps Mentioned in this Episode:

Keynote

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Tii - iTem 0136 - Bars and Weeds

Tue, 6 July 2010

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Links Mentioned in this Episode: ...

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

How to Get Your Address Book Birthday Calendar on Your iPad Using MobileMe - wikiHow

Place Your Bets - Gadgetwise Blog - NYTimes.com

New Uses For Your Old iPhone

How to sell your old iPhone

Jailbreak How-To: Back Up Apps in Rock and Cydia | TiPb

iTunes 9.2: The iPhone cannot be synced

The parents of five children think the iPad ads are gendered.

AppFest Lets iPad, iPhone App Fans Meet Their Maker

Downgrade iOS 4.0 [Final] to iOS 3.1.3 Gadgets DNA

Lawsuit Claims Apple, AT&T Promoted ‘Deceptive’ Data Plans | Wireless Week

Bloomberg: Verizon iPhone coming in January? | Signal Strength - CNET News

Verizon iPhone coming in January? | Technology | Los Angeles Times

Verizon will finally offer the iPhone in January (report) | VentureBeat

iPhone on Verizon: 5 Reasons to Doubt the Latest Rumors - PCWorld

Hulu Launches Premium Video Subscription Service -- Online Video -- InformationWeek

Apple Sued Over New IPhone Reception Problems by Consumers - BusinessWeek

Here come the iPhone 4 antenna-gate class-action lawsuits - Computerworld Blogs

Apple hiring iPhone antenna engineers for some reason -- Engadget

Steve Jobs Is In Serious Denial Over iPhone 4 Antenna Issue (AAPL)

Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4

Daring Fireball: Translation From Apple's Unique Dialect of PR-Speak to English of the 'Letter From Apple Regarding iPhone 4'

Apple denies iPhone 4 e-mail exchange claim - Technology & science - Wireless - msnbc.com

Antenna Expert: Apple is Right, iPhone 4 Signal Woes Overblown - PCWorld

Apple's iPhone 4: Thoroughly Reviewed - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

Puzzlement for iPad on the iTunes App Store

Best Buy Firing Employee Because He Makes A Funny Video That Doesn't Even Mention Best Buy | Techdirt

YouTube - tinywatchproductions's Channel

Apple Dumps iPhone 4 Restocking Fee | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

iPhone 4 defenders debunk reception, 'grip of death' issues

iPhone 4 Retina Display Vs Motorola Droid X Vs Droid Incredible Vs EVO 4G | Gadgets DNA

HowTo Tie a Tie for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

YouTube - iPhone 4 Antenna Tech Support Call

Unlock iPhone 3.1.3 05.11.07 Baseband with Blacksn0w | Redmond Pie

Boy Genius Geller Paid 4 iPhone 4 Steve Jobs' Death Grip Emails- Yes-Buts, Source of iPhone 4 Exchange Named - WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

App Store chicanery powered by iTunes account fraud

iTunes Accounts Hacked [WARNING]

iTunes accounts hacking more widespread than initially thought. The facts, and what you should do.

App Store, Hacked. (Updated: iTunes Accounts too.)

I think my iTunes account was hacked? - Page 5 - Mac Forums

iTunes accounts hacked by shady developer? | alexbrie . com

Apple’s app store, filled with “App farms” being used to steal. [Examples]

Apps Mentioned in this Episode:

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iTunes Walled Garden is full of Weeds

Mon, 5 July 2010

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There are a lot of posts popping up this past weekend about iTunes being "Hacked". While "Hacked" does not appear to be an accurate description - as it appears no rouge hackers...

There are a lot of posts popping up this past weekend about iTunes being...

There are a lot of posts popping up this past weekend about iTunes being "Hacked". While "Hacked" does not appear to be an accurate description - as it appears no rouge hackers broke through the walls and stole passwords from users randomly. What it does look like is in Apple's "Pristine" walled garden there are lots of weeds. I for one have said iTunes and Apples ability to control what goes on in iTunes is in the long run a key advantage over the Android eco system. However that is only true if Apple does their part - and right now that does not appear to be the case. The current incident appears to be where some less than reputable App developers have taken purchasing / account info from users of some of their apps to purchase their other apps.

See the following for more info:

The Next Web - Apples App Store Filled with "App Farms"

TUAW - App Store Chicanery powered by iTunes account fraud

Mashable - iTunes Accounts Hacked

The Next Web - iTunes accounts hacking more widespread than initially thought

Alexbrie - iTunes accounts hacked by shady developer?

Again I don't think from what I read that "Hacked" is an accurate description - I think "Shady developers mis-use iTunes accounts" would be a better description. Reading through the one post from The Next Web - they mention some of the developers doing App farms and if these developers are responsible for the illegal activities and Storm8 is one of the guilty parties as mentioned by The Next Web - then I think Apple has shown they have not done their job in policing the iTunes App store. Back on Episode 104 I mentioned a post on Boing Boing - iPhone game dev accused of stealing players phone numbers - At the time I had this to say on the show:

Ok - what I am not sure on this next one is what shocks me / surprises me the most - And this is per the story about how the company storm8 is being sued for harvesting cell numbers of the iPhones where the app was installed. What I am not sure on which surprises me the most - is one that they did this after what was reported earlier this summer with a company in Switzerland doing the same - or that Storm8 and their games are still in the App store - and some were free ones I even talked about in the past - World War, Vampires Live, Ninjas live, iMobster and more - although I think I only talked about World War. Which by the way sucked and I removed from my iPhone long ago. I am really shocked apple has not just kicked them out. They are claiming it was a bug - you know they type of bug where you accidentally climbed up on a chair and reached up on the fridge and were reaching into the cookie jar when your parents turned the light on - type of bug. Yeah. And Boo boo boo storm8

I am not saying Storm8 has stollen users passwords and put false charges on users account - I don't now that one way or the other - but to even see them mentioned and one of their Apps mentioned in some of the posts on this subject leads me to think where the is smoke there is fire. And if they do in fact prove to be one of the guilty parties - Apple had been given warning about these guys back in 2009 and did NOTHING. Just like they have done nothing with the App developers that have paid for their reviews.

Bogus iTunes App Reviews

More Bogus App reviewers and reviews

That's right Apple having it brought to their attention of bogus paid app reviews in iTunes back on April 30th has done nothing and taken no actions with regards to the App reviewers taking payola for app reviews or the ones paying for the App reviewers. Apple was made aware of Storm8 in 2009 and did nothing. Apple has weeds in their walled garden, those weeds have been brought to their attention and it sure looks like Apple is not interested in yanking out those weeds. This in my opinion is a bigger issue than anything that may or may not be wrong with the iPhone 4. It is the eco system stupid and it sure looks like Apple is not on top of their developers.

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Tii - iTem 0135 - iPhone 4 The Good, The Bad and the Pretty

Thu, 1 July 2010

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