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Is Apple shooting in the dark to fix iPhone 3G issues?

engadget.com — Some upgraders are actually reporting just the opposite, though -- for these lucky few, 2.0.2 seems to be making reception somehow worse than it already was, and what's more, there are intermittent reports cropping up of broken third-party apps, too.

Who dugg this? Made popular Aug 20, 2008

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  • Daniel591992, on 08/20/2008, -16/+100But I thought it "just works".
  • digitaldivinci, on 08/20/2008, -1/+61Let's go ahead and fix the keyboard while we are at it. I side by side compared my 1.1.4 phone and a 2.0.1 3G and the strokes on the 3G are definitely less accurate, the auto-correct doesn't work as well, and most of the time I had a lag in between letters.
  • supermose, on 08/20/2008, -3/+47Apple has not been on their game recently. Both the MobileMe and iPhone 3G launches have NOT been very good. The article mentions on 1.x line has been relatively stable, and only the 2.x line of software is crapping out. I know there is a good deal more going on with the app Store and everything, but it surprises me that there are this many issues. Maybe the Infineon 3G chip is bad?
  • sambapati87, on 08/20/2008, -2/+46These .0.x upgrades do nothing but create a placebo effect -- for some it's "better" and for some it's "worse". The iPhone will feel "snappier" (and i hate that word) after being updated because it's restored and rebooted, of course. In the first 5 minutes with the new firmware it feels faster and people jump onto forums and blog comments to hail Apple and all their greatness. The next day, "this update is terrible!"

    And the cycle continues.
  • Dtopler, on 08/20/2008, -2/+36I updated yesterday to firmware 2.0.2, and it effectively killed my 3G. My house, where I have always gotten 3-4 bars using 3G, now reports "No Service." Only when I turn off 3G am I able to use my phone.

    Thanks, Apple, for letting me spend $200 to upgrade my original iPhone to 3G, plus $10 a month for data, for a feature that doesn't even work.
  • inactive, on 08/20/2008, -0/+34Apple is feeling the hits and rushes of becoming a bigger company. They're rushing these things in before they're finished, resulting in many disappointments as we've come to see. Apple is going to slowly lose their touch if they don't get their game together quick.
  • inactive, on 08/20/2008, -5/+35Shooting in the dark and firing blanks.
  • inactive, on 08/20/2008, -1/+23So those Mac vs PC commercials are losing their relevance already? Say it ain't so!
  • Typhoon2009, on 08/20/2008, -2/+18Wait, *****, are the iPhone 3Gs real ***** up or something? I was planning on buying one... my nano's completely out of space, and I was inclined to get a new phone as well... kill two birds with one stone.
  • inactive, on 08/20/2008, -2/+17If this turns out to be bad hardware old steveo better get ready to ship one my way. He's got a lot of iphones to replace.
  • sleepwalkers, on 08/20/2008, -1/+15Y'know what else might help? When you release an update to the iPhone firmware and people are waiting for specific bug fixes, your release notes shouldn't just say "BUG FIXES"!
  • brenthals, on 08/20/2008, -5/+17For a majority of the people (me included) the 3G iphone is fine. I have both in my house and 3G has better reception.

    Go ahead, you'll be OK.
  • sexysindee84, on 08/20/2008, -2/+13plus you saved your mother a lot of money, which is always a plus
  • cosmictap, on 08/20/2008, -5/+16I think Apple is a great company and has a well-deserved market leadership position that will continue to grow. But as I've said elsewhere, this is obviously a major problem, it obviously affects thousands of their customers, and while I think "transparency" is a bit too much to ask for, timely communication about major issues is not. In fact, from a brand like Apple, it should be expected.
  • lsumed, on 08/20/2008, -13/+22I've said it before, but I've had no problems with my iPhone. Actually, my reception is a little better after the upgrade. If a tech blogger looses a bar, it becomes the Cuban Missile Crisis.
  • hangman16, on 08/20/2008, -2/+10I'm glad I decided to keep my old iPhone and wait until the next hardware revision. I really wanted the new one, but had a hard time convincing myself I actually needed 3G and GPS. I hardly ever make practical decisions like that, but this time I guess it paid off...for the time being anyways.
  • Tenlow, on 08/20/2008, -1/+9My 2.0.1 OG iPhone has similar problems compared to 1.1.4.

    It took longer for it to learn no, I don't mean "ducking shot" this time around too.
  • Murdats, on 08/20/2008, -4/+11except for portable media players, what market do they have the lead in?
  • ThatsUnpossible, on 08/20/2008, -2/+9No, the iPhone 3G works fine. We have two in my household, they both work great, with no issues (located in southern california).

    As usual, the vocal minority is amplified on the web.
  • incandescent, on 08/20/2008, -0/+7Seconded.
  • SnuKs, on 08/20/2008, -0/+6Apple's too smug to admit they ***** up. Same reason why they dont have a detailed lists of "bug" fixes on each update. If this is a hardware problem no way in hell is Apple going to replace all the faulty iphones. They'll just crank out fixed phones [without anyone's knowledge] and have those users blast the internet with praises of how great and fast the iphone is, leaving the millions of early adopters [Apple most loyal customers] shafted.
  • phoomp, on 08/20/2008, -0/+6Looking forward to the evolution of the Mac vs. PC commercial where Mac starts to look and sound more like PC with each commercial.
  • Minivolt, on 08/20/2008, -0/+6I have no problem whatsoever. Could it be that these reports are from vocal few?
  • Rekutyn, on 08/20/2008, -0/+6Like outside of warranty period long.
  • ADIDAS247, on 08/20/2008, -0/+6I sent a girl a text and used the word "hottie" and it auto-corrected it to "hogtie". Changed the whole meaning but at least I had a really kinky night.
  • hangman16, on 08/20/2008, -3/+9I always wonder who to blame these reception issues on. Apple? AT&T? Or both? You have to remember AT&T rolled out a large chunk of their current 3G network very quickly in the months before the iPhone 3G came out. With the iPhone I would also argue that there was a huge jump in the number of 3G users. Maybe AT&T is also slightly overwhelmed. They don't exactly have a reputation for flawless coverage and reliability.

    I'm not trying to provide cover for Apple here. More than likely they have bad chipset drivers or even worse a bad chipset. Hopefully the former and they can provide a software fix once they figure it out.
  • slinky317, on 08/20/2008, -0/+6You better believe Apple will never admit it's them. They'll blame AT&T all the way, or blame the software and just keep adding pointless upgrades.
  • aristotle0dude, on 08/20/2008, -4/+9Is Apple to blame for the AT&T network now? Why isn't everyone on AT&T let alone the rest of the world having these problems that a hand full of bloggers are supposed having?

    Should I feel guilty that Canadians like myself are not having major issues?
  • Alex.w, on 08/20/2008, -1/+6Exactly what I was thinking. They're even losing their edge there (at least in the UK). I'm seeing more and more users with SE headsets on.
  • Heaiser, on 08/20/2008, -0/+5Been fine for me for the most part as well. There are some spots in my house that don't get much reception and it leads to a lot of dropped calls, but as long as I avoid talking in those areas it works fine.
  • Jrr6415sun, on 08/20/2008, -0/+5I have the original iphone with 2.02 software and I have to restore my iphone every couple days it is ridiculous. All my applications just start randomly crashing and my ipod thinks that all the music/videos are gone. I know from the apple support boards that lots of other people have this problem as well. It's such a pain.
  • photonut13, on 08/20/2008, -0/+5Well I too am Canadian like one of the other posters, and I can honestly say I have never had a real problem with my iPhone 3G, the only gripe i have is that once it a blue moon I cannot connect to the internet with 3G. But I know that that is a problem with Fido's network, they admitted it to me. Otherwise the whole thing is working absolutly great.
  • SDM187, on 08/20/2008, -0/+5or fuching.... goddamnit. how many times with that *****. or how "uh" becomes "in." *sigh*
  • wheeze, on 08/20/2008, -0/+4I'm in the UK on O2 and also having these problems, its not just AT&T in the US. The 2.0.2 update has made no difference. I've always been a Windows user and never owned an Apple product until this. Doesn't really live up to the expectations (hype) i had from Apple. Meanwhile my Vista x64 system is running perfectly and has been for months. How things change eh?
  • turbanastic, on 08/20/2008, -0/+4I was in South Beach last week and my 3G was amazing. Everywhere I went had great coverage and fast browsing. I came back to the NY/NJ area and my 3G sucks. I get 2 bars most of the time and am constantly switching back to the EDGE network. Often when I have 3G coverage, my data doesn't work. I'm really wondering if this is an apple issue or ATT.
  • isukeyo, on 08/20/2008, -1/+5^Fanboy!
  • PrinceMissile, on 08/20/2008, -3/+7It's okay guys, 2.0.2.1 is coming out on Tuesday. I can't wait! /sarcasm
  • phrozted, on 08/20/2008, -0/+4For the record, this upgrade had a very discernible impact on my reception: it got much worse. And I'm not one of those iPhone hypochondriacs who sees what he wants to see. Immediately after the upgrade, I could barely access websites via 3g--the load times were horrendous, and the phone kept switching back and forth between Edge and 3g like it never had before. Even after toggling the Airplane Mode switch, turning 3g on and off, restarting the phone, etc., the problem persisted, and it didn't have anything to do with my location or interference. The phone just got worse. I've also had something like six dropped in the last 24 hours since installation--ridiculous. I always knew it was a sacrifice going with AT&T for the iPhone, but I never knew the iPhone itself could make AT&T even worse than it already is. This sucks, and I'm a fanboy.
  • comradeTJH, on 08/20/2008, -1/+4It's actually kinda at Service Pack 4 - 10.5.4
  • gcauthon, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3It's not enough that you buy the Apple iPhone 1.0 and 2.0. If you don't download every single patch as well, I'm afraid you'll have to turn in your Apple fanboy card. Get ready to be buried (even more) for hating on the 2.0.2 patch.
  • MacParrot, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3Links or are you just talking out your ass?
  • Bunnya69, on 08/20/2008, -1/+4*uproarious laughter*
    Sorry. I worked as an iPhone tech from day one of the original phone and the crap I had to deal with was unbelievable. From software issues to the device's inability to do many of the functions customers were used to, it was sad to have to lie to customers on a daily basis. It got to the point where I just started to tell it like it was - something Apple doesn't want you to do. And we won't even go in to having to tell someone that the brand new spiffy expensive iPhone they just bought, the one they just dropped and shattered, won't be covered for accidental damage. Yes, good times indeed.
    Don't buy in to the hype.
  • inactive, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3I have the Edge version of the iPhone.

    I must say that the newest update was a godsend. Much more stable now, snappier transitions and animations, and my keystrokes can actually keep up with me typing now! It's actually TOO good because I was so accustomed to the ***** lag that I changed the way I typed. Now I have to learn to trust it again. Damn you Apple! Messn' me all up!
  • phoomp, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3It takes Apple *a long time* to admit that they built faulty hardware.
  • SDM187, on 08/20/2008, -4/+7***** thing SUCKS!
  • Dtopler, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3It's automatically supposed to fall back to EDGE when 3G is not present, but some sort of bug in my phone/2.02 firmware doesn't do that...just gives me a "No Service" error. Only turning off 3G lets it revert to EDGE. POS...
  • inactive, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3@surferjoemaui: You clearly aren't a tech-savvy person are you? It should said which specific bugs were fixed (which I assume was what sleepwalker was trying to say). If Apple doesn't specify the bugs I think that it's to avoid giving a bad image of its software, they don't want to say "Copy&Paste issue finally solved!", which in the case of the iPhone is really worse since it doesn't even have native copy&paste support.
  • freesf, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3Call AT&T at 611 from your mobile phone and request a $30 dollars credit to your account for the 3G. So far AT&T has refund me $60... and note that I don't care who is in fault here, AT&T, Apple, or the 2.0.2 update... I'm a consumer and the service promise is not being delivered. This is a deal between AT&T and Apple and they must pay for bad service.
  • rossisdead, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3photonut, that may be the stupidest thing I have ever read on Digg.
  • billbugger, on 08/20/2008, -0/+3I have 2.0.x on my first-gen iPhone and i've noticed a bad lag on the pressing of the letters. It seems to have gotten a little better with 2.0.2
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