My iPhone 3G was programmed to self destruct
My iPhone 3G is coming up on two years old ? purchased on the morning of 3G launch day July 11th, 2008. To coincide with the release of the iPhone 4, I believe Apple has programmed my iPhone 3G to self destruct. I kid, mostly. But here's the deal.
It all started with the 3.0 software update released a year ago. When it rolled out, the built-in Maps app suddenly became dog slow; I rely on that app on a daily basis to check when the next bus will be arriving, but after the 3.0 update the app would take 30-60 seconds just to become responsive, and every input that followed was met with another 5 second delay. It also started showing bookmarked locations on a global scale; I don't really need to know where my home is located in relation to Mexico.
Then, data started getting slow. As the year progressed, 3G started feeling like Edge; CNN's homepage now takes 63 seconds to finish loading (for reference, it takes 10 seconds on WiFi with the iPad). I had come to rely mostly on RSS feeds because of the slow speed, but even those now take forever to load; Gizmodo's RSS feed of excerpts takes 20 seconds, and it's just the headlines!
Lately, sometimes even the accelerometer is slow. I turn the phone, and it sometimes takes 5-10 seconds to catch up with me. What doesn't take very long is for my patience to wear thin.
And finally, the frequency of dropped calls, unreceived calls and unreceived voicemails has increased exponentially. People have to email me to ask why I haven't responded to their calls and voicemails they've left in the past hour, all the while my phone has sat idle six feet from me, showing no missed calls or voicemails. Today I received a call, and upon trying to answer it I was met with silence and the Apple reboot screen for two minutes. My iPhone takes significantly longer to locate a network or receive mutual text messages than friends who also have the 3G model. It is quite obviously on its last leg, and no amount of iTunes Restores have made a difference.
Conveniently, Apple has announced a new iPhone model which I can purchase just in the nick of time! Now, I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't going to get the new iPhone anyway, but Apple really hasn't left me much choice with the self-destructing model they sold me originally. I had been seriously considering holding out until Fall in case all of those Verizon rumors pan out, but I really don't think I can keep riding this one-legged horse for the remainder of the summer.
So how has everyone else's iPhone 3G held up?
It all started with the 3.0 software update released a year ago. When it rolled out, the built-in Maps app suddenly became dog slow; I rely on that app on a daily basis to check when the next bus will be arriving, but after the 3.0 update the app would take 30-60 seconds just to become responsive, and every input that followed was met with another 5 second delay. It also started showing bookmarked locations on a global scale; I don't really need to know where my home is located in relation to Mexico.
Then, data started getting slow. As the year progressed, 3G started feeling like Edge; CNN's homepage now takes 63 seconds to finish loading (for reference, it takes 10 seconds on WiFi with the iPad). I had come to rely mostly on RSS feeds because of the slow speed, but even those now take forever to load; Gizmodo's RSS feed of excerpts takes 20 seconds, and it's just the headlines!
Lately, sometimes even the accelerometer is slow. I turn the phone, and it sometimes takes 5-10 seconds to catch up with me. What doesn't take very long is for my patience to wear thin.
And finally, the frequency of dropped calls, unreceived calls and unreceived voicemails has increased exponentially. People have to email me to ask why I haven't responded to their calls and voicemails they've left in the past hour, all the while my phone has sat idle six feet from me, showing no missed calls or voicemails. Today I received a call, and upon trying to answer it I was met with silence and the Apple reboot screen for two minutes. My iPhone takes significantly longer to locate a network or receive mutual text messages than friends who also have the 3G model. It is quite obviously on its last leg, and no amount of iTunes Restores have made a difference.
Conveniently, Apple has announced a new iPhone model which I can purchase just in the nick of time! Now, I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't going to get the new iPhone anyway, but Apple really hasn't left me much choice with the self-destructing model they sold me originally. I had been seriously considering holding out until Fall in case all of those Verizon rumors pan out, but I really don't think I can keep riding this one-legged horse for the remainder of the summer.
So how has everyone else's iPhone 3G held up?
Comments
Is waiting for Verizon that big of a deal for everyone? I've already decided that if Verizon gets the iPhone, I'm going to first wait and see reviews of network performance for data. After that, I'll likely just eat the ETF and move over to Verizon if it's much better. I'll be able to unlock and sell my iPhone 4 online on eBay International for a hefty fee, is my guess. At least enough to make back what I spent on the ETF.