Inside Apple's iPhone 4S and its improved antenna: 'S' is for Signal

The new iPhone 4S features a redesigned antenna design that allows for better reception and faster wireless data speeds, a tweak that should further distance Apple from the "antennagate" controversy that occurred around the launch of the iPhone 4.

Leading up to Friday's launch of the iPhone 4S, AppleInsider will offer a closer look at some of the features of the next-generation handset. Given that the 'S' in the device's moniker was never officially defined by Apple, we offer five potential definitions. Today: 'S' is for Signal, with a newly redesigned antenna.




'Antennagate:' A brief history

Soon after the release of the iPhone 4 in 2010, it was discovered that covering the bottom left of the phone, where two separate antennas meet, could reduce cellular reception with the device. In low-signal situations, this could result in a dropped call.

The ensuing media firestorm prompted Apple to uncharacteristically hold a special press conference last July, where the company announced it would give away free cases to iPhone 4 customers for a limited time.

The controversy stemmed from the fact that the iPhone 4 has a unique design where the metal edges of the device also serve as its antenna. Any reception issues could be resolved by adding a case to the phone, which prevented users' skin from touching the antenna and causing signal attenuation.

Apple also noted that competing smartphones experience similar issues with reception, and shared videos on its website showing decreased reception when holding a BlackBerry Bold 9700, HTC Droid Eris, Samsung Omnia II, and even the iPhone 3GS.

For all the noise around it, the so-called "antennagate" didn't prove to be much of an issue for consumers. Apple eventually removed its website created in response to the controversy, and ended its free case program. The iPhone 4 went on to become Apple's best selling smartphone in the company's history, achieving a record 20.34 million sales last quarter alone.

With "antennagate" now well behind it, Apple has introduced a tweaked antenna on its iPhone 4S handset -- a modified, multifunctional design that promises better reception and even faster data transfer speeds.




An 'intelligent' antenna

In its promotional materials, Apple has stated that the iPhone 4S is "the first phone to intelligently switch between two antennas to transmit and receive, so call quality is better." However, the company has not gone into great detail to explain exactly how the dual-antenna system works.

In his review of the iPhone 4S, Jim Dalrymple of The Loop noted that the dual-antenna design is exclusive to Apple, and in his experience it boosted signal not only on calls, but also general reception.

"To be perfectly clear -- this is an Apple-only technology," he wrote. "While other companies can receive on dual antennas, no other company can transmit and receive on dual GSM and CDMA antennas."


Scpencer Webb, CEO of antenna design firm AntennaSys, told Gizmodo that he thinks that Apple may have come up with a unique algorithm for distributing antenna signals for the iPhone 4S. With this, Apple could implement a selective processing method where the handset would choose the better signal offered by the phone's two antennas, all while meeting radio-frequency emission requirements from the Federal Communications Commission.

While Apple has promised the new antenna will improve reception and call quality, it won't be a fix-all for network woes. For example, Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal found in his testing on AT&T's network that he still experienced a number of dropped calls. However, a colleague testing identical iPhone 4S hardware on Verizon's network experienced no such problems.

But Edward Baig of USA Today said he din't experience any dropped calls in his testing of the iPhone 4S on AT&T's network. He described call quality with the iPhone 4S as "generally quite good."




HSDPA speeds, world phone for GSM roaming

Improvements to the iPhone 4S antenna don't stop with its proprietary dual-antenna technology. Changes to the design of the phone have also made it HSDPA compatible.

That means that maximum download speeds on an HSDPA GSM network are up to 14.4Mbps. That's double the maximum speed of 7.2Mbps possible with the iPhone 4.

HSDPA speeds can, under the right circumstances, be comparable to some true 4G LTE networks. In his testing of the iPhone 4S, Mossberg said he experienced 4G speeds in areas where AT&T has deployed its HSDPA network.

"In numerous tests at three different locations in the Washington suburbs, I averaged download speeds of nearly 7 megabits per second -- better than in prior tests on Sprint and T-Mobile 4G phones," he wrote.


While 4G-like speeds may be possible in some areas with GSM carriers like AT&T, the upgrade does not apply for customers of CDMA carriers, like Verizon and Sprint in the U.S. Verizon customers who upgrade from an iPhone 4S, for example, will achieve the same speeds as with the iPhone 4.

Because of this, AT&T is believed to be pushing Apple to add a "4G" indicator to the iPhone 4S status bar. However, AT&T's HSDPA network is not "true" 4G long-term evolution, or LTE.

Beyond additional speed for some, the new iPhone 4S design and accompanying antenna will allow for more flexibility. The iPhone 4S is a "world phone," which means that both GSM and CDMA customers will be able to roam worldwide on GSM networks.

Previously, if a customer bought the CDMA-only iPhone 4, released on Verizon's network earlier this year, they could not roam outside of the country, such as in Europe where CDMA networks are not common. The inclusion of both GSM and CDMA radios in the iPhone 4S will allow those customers to use their handset worldwide more easily.


Source : Apple Insider | By Neil Hughes
Original Content: Inside Apple's iPhone 4S and its improved antenna: 'S' is for Signal

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iOS chief Scott Forstall profiled as a 'maddeningly political' mini-Steve Jobs

Apple senior vice president of iOS software Scott Forstall is hailed in a new interview as a polarizing genius, and potentially what company needs to continue its remarkable growth story in a post-Jobs era.

In a comprehensive look at how the company's youngest senior executive rose through the ranks at Apple,Businessweek contrasts Forstall's many attributes with, what the magazine calls, his "polarizing" features. He is a man who has both won the loyalty and respect of his staff, and the ire of several current and former Apple executives. The magazine describes him, in many ways, as a mini-Steve Jobs.

The magazine notes that while Forstall is brilliant at identifying what he wants, and how to get it, the senior VP is difficult to work with, and has allegedly prompted the departure of several high-ranking executives over the years. Similarly frustrated engineers from his iOS team have also quit, said one magazine source.

"I once referred to Scott as Apple's chief a-hole," said former Apple software engineer Mike Lee. "And I don't mean it as a criticism. I meant it as a compliment. You could say the same thing about Steve Jobs."

Businessweek argues that Forstall possesses the charisma, managerial skills, and tireless negotiating tactics that Apple needs to help lead Apple following the passing of its co-founder.

Forstall grew up in a middle-class family in Kitsap County, Wash., the second of three boys born to a nurse and an engineer. He excelled scholastically, participating in various clubs and contests, and had a knack for computer programming. Forstall graduated co-valedictorian from his high school, boasting a perfect 4.0 GPA. His valedictorian counterpart is now his wife, Molly.

After receiving and undergraduate degree from Stanford University in symbolic systems, an interdisciplinary department that combined classes in philosophy, linguistics and computer science, followed by a master's degree in computer science, Forstall joined Jobs' NeXT Computer. His job entailed work on the company's operating system, and led him to design user interfaces for the retooled Macintosh line when Apple bought NeXT in 1996. This was the year Jobs returned as interim CEO of Apple after being ousted in 1985 from the company he had co-founded in 1976.

By 2000, Forstall was a leading designer of Aqua, the Mac UI that featured water-themed visuals such as translucent icons. Later he would manage the group of developers that created the Leopard version of the OS.

A critical stage in Forstall's career came in 2005, when Apple and Jobs were in the process of creating the first iPhone. Jobs was faced with the dilemma of choosing which software would run on the future device, being either a Linux-based system from the team that built the iPod, or a stripped-down version of the Mac OS. Businessweekdescribes Jobs' choices as either shrinking the Mac, or enlarging the iPod. According to the magazine, Jobs preferred the former because it would give Apple a highly customizable mobile OS, able to be used in future products.

In classic Jobs fashion, he pitted the two teams against each other, with Forstall leading a 15 member team in the Mac approach, against then-iPod chief Tony Fadell and his team. Inter-office politics flared as Forstall was reported to have stolen top talent from the opposing team, and refused to share early versions of what would become iOS. He religiously followed Jobs' obsession with secrecy, even among company departments.

With his OS shipping on the first iPhone in 2007, and Apple's goal for software to be completely integrated with its hardware, Forstall's strength grew within the company. Because of Apple's mantra of seamless software and hardware co-existence, hardware engineers couldn't add new features without going through Forstall's engineers. Thus, if he didn't like the idea, it was vetoed.

By 2008, when he was promoted to senior vice-president, Forstall had the reputation of making sure his accomplishments were noticed, blaming others for failures, reportsBusinessweek. According to the magazine, some former associates say Forstall routinely takes credit for collaborative successes, deflects blame for mistakes, and is "maddeningly political. "


Though even critics are quick to point out that Forstall is a great troubleshooter, citing the introduction of an ecosystem for third-party developers to create apps for the iPhone. The device was initially closed and Jobs viewed the device as a standout, as it combined a phone with an iPod and a web-browser. The thought then was that Forstall's team would partner with market leaders such as Google to create apps built specifically for the device.

When consumers began unlocking their iPhones to run unauthorized apps, though, Forstall oversaw the creation of a software developer's kit and would is now the App Store, so that Apple could leverage the new trend. He was first earnestly thrown into the public eye in June 2009, when he was tasked with delivering a large portion of a keynote during one of Jobs' medical leaves. Although not as charismatic as Jobs, he did prove to be capable of holding his own on stage.

The 2010 iPhone 4 prototype fiasco forced Forstall into a corner, as he was responsible for persuading Jobs to allow the prototypes to be tested in public. To add to the serious breach of secrecy, the main reason behind Forstall's idea to let the phone out in the open turned out to be unsuccessful. The iPhone 4 dropped calls due to an alleged flaw with the software and antenna design, and turned into a target for customer complaints.

Forstall survived that debacle and Apple has since given him authority over quality assurance and testing.

The company has good reason to lay so much faith in the iOS chief, as over a quarter billion devices running his iOS have been sold to date. The devices account for 70 percent of Apple's revenues.

It's also suggested by Businessweek that Apple may have more need for Forstall than he does for them. Over the past ten years, he sold about 237,000 shares worth over $42.5 million, according to regulatory filings. On the other hand, Apple needs Forstall's gravity in the development community to draw programmers toward iOS, and not competing platforms like Google's Android. He has control of the development tools and processes that make iOS so popular, and thus has the ear of many developers.

In the end, Forstall is seen as an asset by many, though the magazine profiles him as a young Steve Jobs, "scorching the earth behind him while retaining a remarkable ability to come out ahead."

Jobs and Forstall were close, remarks the magazine's sources, with Jobs taking pride in the young executive. Forstall may be Apple's best hope at preserving the legacy of Jobs, and it's suggested that perhaps Jobs saw that as well. At Apple's World Wide Developers Concerence in June, Jobs referred to Forstall's software as the "soul" of Apple's products. Later in the keynote, Forstall detailed the latest version of iOS, and when passing by the late CEO as he walked off stage, the audience could hear Jobs say, "good job."


Source : Apple Insider | By Mikey Campbell
Original Content: iOS chief Scott Forstall profiled as a 'maddeningly political' mini-Steve Jobs

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