iPhone 3G Apparently Even More Demanding Than Steve Jobs
by John Paczkowski
Posted on August 28, 2008 at 2:53 PM PT
If you’re the owner of an iPhone 3G and you haven’t already updated to the iPhone 2.0.2 firmware, do so today–for your sake and that of all iPhone 3G owners.
Why?
Well, according to sources at AT&T (T), the reception problems that have plagued the device won’t be resolved until you do. iPhone’s running 2.0 or 2.0.1 firmware mistakenly demand too much power from 3G networks. And when they do this en masse, they can cause the network to refuse new requests for 3G bandwidth. That in turn causes the reception issues we’ve been hearing about since the device first arrived at market in July. And those issues will persist as long as handsets running iPhone 2.0 and 2.0.1 continue to strain the 3G networks.
That’s the story, anyway. And it does sound plausible. Although, you’ve got to wonder why this issue is specific to the iPhone. Presumably, there’s a multitude of other 3G devices out in the world requesting a 3G signal from the same networks the Apple (AAPL) iPhone is overwhelming. Why aren’t they suffering similar problems?
Comments
Point taken, PK. That said, Apple has had the same problem in most markets where the iPhone 3G is sold. That’s more than 20 countries. Is the device generating 90% of all 3G traffic in those markets as well?
Perhaps it is. I don’t know. An official explanation from Apple would be nice, though, wouldn’t it?
Posted by John Paczkowski at August 28th, 2008 at 7:00 pmSo wrong, pk de cville. Where do you get the evidence that 90% of 3G traffic on ATT is iPhones?
First of all, I work with mobile phones, there’s no way that’s true.
Second of all, I can tell you, even if it was true, it is NOT the case that other 3G phones in the same area have the same issue. I can place six other 3G phones a 1 foot space around an iPhone (and we have several, so don’t say it’s isolated to one iPhone), and they all have no issues with dropped calls or any of the other problems.
Another example: was in a hospital with a q9h and bj2 along with my own personal iPhone 3G (told ya I worked w/ cell phones). The q9h and bj2 dropped to EDGE, as did the iPhone.
However, when in the pharmacy, I could NOT make a call on the iPhone (twice) or browser while the others were synching emails and able to make calls.
On EDGE!
Explain that away. This “explanation” is a load of cr*p.
Posted by Michael Santo at August 28th, 2008 at 9:10 pm