People aren’t done complaining about iPhone 3G. This time, it’s the 3G network that’s grinding people’s gears.
Hundreds of peeved iPhone users in Apple’s support forums say they’re experiencing problems with the 3G network. Some Gadget Lab readers have written in echoing similar concerns. And CNET editors say they’re receiving e-mails about 3G issues, too.
The problems vary. A few readers said they can only stay on 3G for a few minutes before their iPhone switches over to the slower EDGE network — even in areas with rich 3G coverage. Some forum users said they’re getting poor reception (e.g. two bars) everywhere they go.
It’s unclear as to whether it’s a network or hardware issue, and we’re still waiting for AT&T and Apple to return our calls. * But a Gadget Lab reader said AT&T assured him it was a problem with the phone.
"I work in Midtown Manhattan, probably the most 3g covered area, and indeed I get 5 full glorious bars of broadband goodness at my desk — for 2 minutes," the reader wrote in an e-mail. "Then iPhone switches to EDGE, still full bars mind you, and back to 3g for a hot second. All day. Apart from draining my battery this make me type this very email on EDGE when I just racked up 550 bucks for the phone since I was not elegible for an upgrade. Called AT&T. They told me my phone was defective and that of course it was not the network. Bad 3g software ? Bad chip?"
AT&T spokesperson Brad Mays said iphone 3G is "performing great."
"Customers in 300 major metro areas in the U.S. and 350 by the end of the year are experiencing the fast network connectivity that our 3G network provides," Mays said in an e-mail interview. He explained that user experiences depend on a wide range of factors, such as distance from the cell tower, congestion in urban areas and weather. He added that "speeds are impacted when multiple users are contending for the resource."
There must be some thick clouds in the sky, and those cell towers must be hiding in corners of the world — because otherwise 719 replies (as of this writing) in the Apple support thread don’t have me convinced that these factors are causing the problem.
As for multiple users contending the resource — that’s a valid point, seeing as iPhone 3Gs are practically sold out all over the U.S.
"We have anticipated the influx of users and have reported that the strength of the network can, does and will continue to support that," Mays said. "Without knowing the specifics of the particular case, it’s hard to say which of the factors may be influencing it."
*Updated at 2:27 p.m. PDT with a response from AT&T.
iPhone 3G network issues frustrating early adopters [CNET]
(Photo credit: magerleagues/Flickr)
Tags: hi fi, tech, Hi-fi, tests
