What is Digg?Sponsored by Microsoft
Microsoft responds to the headlines. view!
microsoft.com/everybodysbusiness - Read our developers' points of view on the headlines making news.
112 Comments
- Pliep, on 08/15/2008, -4/+70More inaccurate ranting about the 3G problems. Does everyone realise that all of this is coming from ONE source, Richard Windsor, who is a FINANCIAL analyst?
He also claimed the touch screen works by measuring temperature (complete gibberish), can be damaged by chemicals on your fingers (bull), and the iPhone screen would wear out in 6 months use. More here: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2008/08/14/3g-gli ... - leerayIG88, on 08/15/2008, -4/+44You know what else thickens? A big sponge in a bowl of water.
- jmbrysk, on 08/15/2008, -6/+36Having worked for AT&T, I can tell you that a large percentage of the profits come from the 3G video services that AT&T provides on the mid to high range phones. With that being said, while I'm not doubting the claims made by this article, I would not be surprised if part of the AT&T and Apple deal included capping the 3G speeds. AT&T wants to reserve that bandwidth for the aforementioned video services, among other services such as LaptopConnect, and Apple wants to preserve the carrier-branding free casing of the iPhone itself.
This sort of stinginess isn't specific to AT&T. Other carriers around the world won't even offer an unlimited data plan for the phone. But, can you blame the carriers? The popularity of this phone is catching up to the RAZR, if it hasn't already. With all of those people out there, utilizing the internet on the iPhone more than any other phone previously, there has to be some sort of limit to maintain network stability. - inactive, on 08/15/2008, -2/+21There is no mystery here, everything is very easy to understand:
1. Speed of the 3G network is often not as fast as it should be.
---because SBC (AT&T) is notorious for overselling hard bandwidth, and their 3G network is absolutely no exception. This same behavior can be seen on any AT&T 3G phone, but is much more obvious on an iPhone, because iPhones are much more married to the internet than any other 3G device. So of course, the more you try to use it and for longer sessions, the more youll notice the bottlenecks.
2. Switching between the EDGE and 3G networks leads to broken web sessions.
---this is actually somewhat normal, and not at all unique to iPhones. Web sessions depend on stable static routes, and if there's a hiccup or delay in switching between networks, those static routes tend to drop pretty quickly, making it necessary to re-start any web sessions.
3. For some, the switch between the networks leads to dropped calls.
---This *might* be iPhone only. More evidence is needed.
4. Weak battery life.
---because they're an all purpose device---if youre not on the phone, youre listening to music. If youre not doing that, youre reading email. Or posting to twitter. Or watching a movie. All that going on while you're running bluetooth and 3G simultaneously will of course result in much shorter battery life than expected.
So really, no mystery here except possibly for #3, which can almost definitely be fixed in software. - macslut, on 08/15/2008, -0/+17"AT&T wants to reserve that bandwidth for the aforementioned video services, among other services such as LaptopConnect"
Why doesn't AT&T offer tethering for the iPhone and charge extra for that? We'd pay. For that matter, they're free to sell video services if they want. - TheAfterpipe, on 08/15/2008, -6/+19I've had no problems with my iPhone. Speed is fine. Seriously.
Interesting, Pliep, that you should mention that about a financial analyst because it seems that the majority of the commentary on iPhones seem to be in the Money section of newspapers...
at least, USA Today. - Vincent21212, on 08/15/2008, -2/+14People are still buying the RAZR?
- matthewaaron, on 08/15/2008, -0/+11Well, technically it expands...
- inactive, on 08/15/2008, -1/+11I'm sick of everyone ranting on how this sucks, and that sucks... OK we get the point, not everything is perfect. GET OVER IT. You still bought the phone and I bet you're still using it regardless... deal
- StupidLiberal, on 08/15/2008, -5/+13Where's your god now?
- shutaro, on 08/15/2008, -0/+8Busy with the iPocalypse.
- nightofgrim, on 08/15/2008, -0/+8But do people actually use the video service they buy?
- kagedwolf, on 08/15/2008, -1/+9"and all anyone can talk about are its problems"
I'm calling BS on that statement. I know lots of people who have an iPhone 3G (myself included). We all love it. It has its quirks, but its a damn fine piece of engineering. - peestandingup, on 08/15/2008, -3/+11My ***** thickens every time I read these regurgitated articles that say the same ***** over & over again that make it to the front page every 5 minutes. And for someone that pees standing up, that puts me in quite a pickle.
Yeah, I said it. I'm lowbrow like that. - lsumed, on 08/15/2008, -1/+8I'm not having any problems with my iPhone 3G, nor is anyone else I know. Fellow geeks are only a percentage of users who purchased the phone. If one anecdotal problem arises with theirs, it turns into a blog post that ends up dugg by 1500 people (and how many of those have iPhones?).
Anyway, I'm enjoying my phone. I would definitely recommend it to others. - dullnation, on 08/15/2008, -1/+8Literally the smartest thing I've read on Digg in weeks, no joke. Cheers!
- Srcc, on 08/15/2008, -0/+7I live in SF and my iPhone is constantly missing calls because the 3g reception is so bad. When I take a bus across town, it is constantly switching from a meager 3g signal to edge. In a lot of places in SF I cannot make or receive calls at all. It's had all of the problems this article mentions. I just leave the phone in EDGE 99% of the time so that it will actually function as a phone. I've talked to both Apple and ATT, and they each say it's the other's problem.
- PrometheusBorn, on 08/15/2008, -3/+10I think he's simply saying that even without 3G (ie iPhone 1.0), it's still better SUITED for HIM than a Blackberry.
That's all he really said... no need for you to be an *****. - CamperBob, on 08/15/2008, -7/+14I can only assume this whole thing is some kind of delusional attempt at a stock scam. THERE IS NOTHING (seriously) WRONG WITH THE DAMN IPHONE 3G. It was not handed down to Moses on the Mount, or forged in the fires of ***** Mordor. It is just a phone, a perfectly functional one.
Show me a cell phone that doesn't exhibit flaky reception under various conditions, and I'll buy it. Until then, enough with the ridiculous iPhone waaaambulance calls, already. Buy one, or don't. Short AAPL, or don't. Geez. - OrangeSoda31, on 08/15/2008, -0/+6I think you missed the reply button.
- spen949, on 08/15/2008, -2/+8I love my new iPhone, but i am experiencing a few of the problems listed in the article.
-One thing that really seems to zap the battery life is having wi-fi enabled all the time.
-The jumping between a 1 bar 3g connection and 4 bar edge connection happens constantly at my house
-Constant timeouts on webpages or any application that uses the internet
But, it's still better than the Blackjack that I had for two years :) - clumsytime, on 08/16/2008, -1/+7Very insightful comment, dugg up. Here in LA AT&T has, in my OPINION, oversold not only their data network but also the voice network. They cannot keep up with the amount of users on GSM and have resorted to forcing handsets to use the AMR-HR codec, resulting in crap quality. I tried AT&T out last year with a Blackberry and was so disappointed I left within a week. Constant garbling, people sound like robots, and very frequent skipping of audio to where I had to ask people to repeat themselves all the time.
It would be no surprise to me if they were truly overselling their bandwidth on 3G as well. I was very surprised to see them have such optimistic sales projections and wondered what that would do to the user experience as far as bandwidth. I even though perhaps some of the problems may have come up due to them trying to cap the bandwidth of each phone since they are no doubt the most data-hungry device on sale.
Still, this doesn't explain how an iPhone has worse reception (confirmed multiple times by people using field test mode to read -dB levels and not just bars) than a phone side by side. It could very well have weak reception, which would only add to the slow data transfers and dropped call problems.
Personally, I really wanted one, but instead just got a Blackberry Curve on Sprint. Coverage is great where I live, EVDO is blazing fast compared to EDGE or 3G on AT&T (confirmed personally via use of many devices on all carriers here in the area) and my bill is only $60 including 500 anytime minutes and unlimited everything else which really can't be beat. - shutaro, on 08/15/2008, -1/+7You know... If it were me, I would have gone in a whole other direction with that comment. Just saying.
- firebirdx01, on 08/15/2008, -2/+7lol when something goes wrong with Apple, people sit around and cry conspiracy.
For all other companies, when something goes wrong, they're just *****. - inactive, on 08/15/2008, -0/+5In case no one got that, it's a quote from Lieutanant Dan to Forest Gump, right before God showed up and smashed the Alabama coastline, turning Dan and Forest into multi-millionaires and original investors in Apple.
- ngmcs8203, on 08/15/2008, -0/+4I can confirm that it DOES NOT happen with me. I commute from a 3G area to an Edge area and know the exact spot at where it switches. I've never lost a call there.
- tenmenkilled, on 08/15/2008, -3/+73G service is spotty enough in PDX that I disabled 3G on my wife's phone so I wouldn't have to hear about dropped calls. Combine that with the number of times I've tried to place a call downtown and received "Call Failed" and I'll agree there's a problem. Good luck ever getting Apple or AT&T to own up to it though. I still like the device, but there are some issues they need to address.
- mdbsat, on 08/15/2008, -12/+16I dont care, Ill take my iPhone over any balckberry or razr anyday. Period:)
- SteveMax, on 08/16/2008, -0/+4Well, comparing anything to a Razr is very unfair, unless you compare it to a Nokia 1100/Sony-Ericsson T series/other really cheap phones. The Razr is a pile of ***** in a thin form factor, and the thin form factor is the only reason it sold. Bad camera, low-res display, terrible OS, slow, bad reception, bad phone and speaker, almost no memory... Technically, it was at least two years behind everything else on the same price bracket. For today's standards, it's just a bad joke.
- TheFinaleofSeem, on 08/16/2008, -1/+5Why is this ***** being dugg up? Seriously. I love the knee-jerk ***** around here that automatically start frothing at the mouth anytime something remotely pro-Apple is said. You guys are far more annoying than the fanboys.
- begbegbegbegbeg, on 08/15/2008, -1/+5Hey, Einstein....other AT&T phones drop calls in various parts of PDX, too - the problem isn't unique to the iPhone.
Oh, guess what else? Verizon drops calls in various parts of the PDX area as well - it's just that they do it in different parts of town than AT&T does.
I speak from hard experience with both carriers and several phones. - thebza451, on 08/15/2008, -2/+6dude, who the ***** cares what phone you're waiting to buy? that has nothing to do with this article..
- bryantthesmith, on 08/15/2008, -2/+6The original RAZR sold 50 million in just over 18 months. The iPhone had better hurry up if it wants to beat it.
- cheesejaguar, on 08/15/2008, -0/+4My iPhone is faster than my previous 3G phone (Pantech Duo). *shrug*
Also, I don't get all the jabs at the battery life... My usage timer usually indicates about 5 hours before I get the 10% battery warning. I doubt many people use their phones as frequently as I do though, I mean 5 hours of internet surfing, talking, texting, etc (not including idle time), especially considering I'm only awake 18 hours in a day. - ferrell, on 08/16/2008, -0/+4Here in Portland, OR, the entire iPhone 3G experience is *****, *****, *****!!!!
At least 75% of my calls are dropped, regardless of the number of bars I have.
3G speed is unbelievably slow. I can have 1 bar, or 5 bars, IT DOES NOT MATTER!
For example, here is a snapshot of a test I just took. I have 5 bars. My speed should be fast, right? ...WRONG!
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/4143/iphonetu6. ...
The worst part is that I am paying $15 MORE per month for this nightmare, and both AT&T and Apple tell me that there is no problem.
I really hope that there is going to be a fix for this, because this is completely unacceptable.
:( - banessi, on 08/15/2008, -0/+4I bought one a week after launch and it took almost 4 hours to activate and only activated after I decided to try switching it to Edge. It instantly activated. I usually keep my phone in Edge mode because the signal is so poor and only break 3G out if I'm not moving around a lot and have a noted good signal. At least I have 16 gigs now.
- orph3us, on 08/16/2008, -0/+3Wish we could get our hands on THAT map :(
- JMScheib, on 08/15/2008, -2/+5Can anyone else confirm that they have issues with connectivity or dropped calls after switching from 3G to Edge? I get the same problem on my Blackjack.
- buymagicfish, on 08/15/2008, -2/+5Literally the smartest thing I've read on Digg in weeks, no joke. Cheers!
- Scott2, on 08/15/2008, -3/+6That's not true - My works great, I love it, and I tell anyone that asks.
- zangis, on 08/15/2008, -2/+5The other problem is AT&T being deceitful to their customers. Before I purchased an iPhone I made sure my area had great coverage, which AT&T 3G coverage map showed I had. After getting 10+ dropped calls a day, I contacted AT&T and the tech said that 3G coverage was "moderate at best" in my area. She told me to "look at the 3G coverage map" on the website. Website showed solid blue. She then informed me that the "techs" have a different map, and what was solid for us, is actually "poor to moderate coverage" for them.
- therodersabides, on 08/16/2008, -0/+3Don't even get me started about T-Mobile around the south waterfront in PDX.........
- phirestyle, on 08/15/2008, -0/+3Unlimited calls?
Wow. I'll have to look into that. - sremick, on 08/15/2008, -0/+3My only issue with the iPhone is the need to pay the higher 3G plan pricing even when 3G coverage SUCKS (none in my state).
Which is why I won't own one. - mdbsat, on 08/16/2008, -0/+3I couldnt agree more thefinale. Its pretty lame. The original guy who called me an apple fanboy is just mad his mimmy and daddy didnt buy him an iPhone. I had a feeling he was 14.
- LooEz, on 08/15/2008, -0/+3Im an intern at the port of oaklands main building, on the second floor in my office i get 4 bars of edge max, on the fifth floor in the bathroom where i drop my fattys i get full 3G. Edge= 75kbps in office, 3G=800+kbps in bathroom.
- Tenoq, on 08/16/2008, -0/+3Dugg for going there.
- nightofgrim, on 08/15/2008, -2/+5I get little to no signal when I'm using 3G just south of Seattle. But when I do have a good signal the speed seems good to me. 600kb+
- Tenoq, on 08/16/2008, -0/+3Have never had it happen for me. Some networks around the world use hard-switching between 3G and 2.5G networks - that would drop the call for you, but it's got nothing to do with the phone (it's the carrier).
-
Show 51 - 100 of 114 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is 