Dear iPhone 4 Users,

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. 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.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same— the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

Thank you for your patience and support

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI9np8CZ95A&feature=youtube_gdata

Sent from my iPhone

This is the new iPhone 4...

Apple's share of the smartphone market is growing quickly enough that it could overtake Nokia's in as little as four years, according to data from Generator Research. The analyst group sees the market almost reversing itself from its situation today and believes Nokia will tumble from about 40 percent share today to just 20 percent in 2013. iPhones, meanwhile, should accelerate and hit 33 percent of the market at the same point. Apple would match Nokia's share sometime in 2011 and ship as many as 77 million phones that year.

The apparent flip is expected to come about both through ideal conditions for Apple as well as an inability for Nokia to pay attention to smartphones as much as it would like. Generator sees Apple as entering a "golden age" of fast growth both because of the combination of the iPhone and the App Store, with one driving sales of the other. It also has the benefit of selling both to smartphone users as well as to existing iPod owners. A crossover device appealing to high end media phone users, such as the $99 iPhone 3G, should also give the company a boost.

Nokia, in turn, is seen as a victim of its own emphasis on low-cost phones. As it makes most of its current money selling budget devices in developing countries where there's still room to sell phones in that category, the company doesn't have an actual financial stake in keeping smartphones at the top. The Finnish giant is likely to try and defend its territory but may be only half-hearted in funding its efforts as the smartphone business won't be where Nokia makes its true profits.

Much of Nokia's already ongoing decline in share is commonly attributed to its own slow response to competitors. While it responded to the BlackBerry's popularity outside of work relatively quickly with the E71, the company took a year and a half to react to the iPhone's debut with its own touchscreen phone, the 5800 XpressMusic, and has only just launched its second in the form of the N97. The rapid expansion of the iPhone's App Store also pushed Nokia to launch the Ovi Store as a central portal for software despite running its N-Gage and music stores with modest success for considerably longer.

Generator is convinced that Apple could speed up its sales further by more tightly integrating the iPhone app ecosystem with carriers, which the researchers believe would let developers target specific networks and perform feats that aren't normally possible with Apple's carrier-neutral strategy. Apps could be written to send individual or group SMS messages for alerts, for example, or could establish calls and customize ringtones.

1. Tablet computer is the best mobile PC solution.

A Tablet PC is compact and convertible which allows you to use your computer in places it would be awkward to use a laptop. You can even use it while standing up. With the wireless Internet support a Tablet PC is extremely convenient to use while being about town.

2. Write notes rather than type.

You can interact with people sitting across from you while writing notes, rather than having a computer screen between you. It’s great because you can use technology and still have that personal interaction with others.

3. Taking notes — easier in meetings or classroom.

Tablet PCs are especially great for students, or in a classroom situation. They are also great in meetings. You can quickly write notes — and then organize and search your notes later. You can even include audio files, or presentations with your notes.

4. A Tablet PC is more personal.

Write emails using your own handwriting. Send messages to friends and family (even those without a Tablet PC.) It brings back the personalized touch of handwritten cards, rather than the impersonal feel of regular emails. Your family will love it.

5. Make comments easily.

Tablet PCs make it easy to make comments (like sticky notes, and highlighters). Personalize what you are reading. Make notes in margins. Draw right on the screen while making presentations.

6. Convert handwriting to text.

Once you have your handwritten notes — your Tablet computer can easily convert those notes into typed text.

7. Search handwritten text.

You can also search your own handwritten notes. This is the coolest feature. You will be the envy of your friends once you show them how you can write their name and then find it just by searching your notes.

8. It’s the next generation of notebook computer.

Windows XP has a version just for Tablet PCs — with some additions. Get all of the security and features of Windows XP — and carry it with you on your Tablet PC. The new Apple tablet will likely have customized functionality specific to the new platform.

9. Tablet computer software.

The cool thing about a Tablet is you get the cutting edge technology of the latest software. There are hundreds of third-party software applications for the Tablet.

10. Multi-Language Capability.

The Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 comes in 20 languages. No specific announcements on the Apple Tablet but based on past performance from Apple, we are certain to see multi-language capability.