3G settings discovered in latest beta of iPhone firmware

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
As if there were any doubt that Apple's next-generation iPhone would include support for 3G wireless networks, an inactive preference dialog extracted from the most recent beta of iPhone Software v2.0 may offer the most concrete evidence yet to that end.



In a posting to its blog site on Saturday, independent developer Chronic Productions notes the discovery of several 3G-related strings in beta 5 of the upcoming iPhone firmware, and also publishes the below screenshot extracted from the distribution's Preferences binary.



Most notable is a setting that will allow users of the second-generation iPhone -- expected for an unveiling sometime in the coming weeks -- to disable 3G access in favor of prolonging the handset's battery life.



"Using 3G loads data faster, but decreases battery life," reads a caption beneath the setting toggle.



While speaking to journalists at last year's UK iPhone launch, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs singled out the power-hungry nature of 3G chipsets as one of the primary reasons his company passed on inclusion of the technology in the inaugural iPhone models.



"We've got to see the battery lives for 3G get back up into the 5+ hour range," he said.



The latest discovery suggests that while the 3G iPhone may see substantial improvements to the "2 to 3 hours" of battery life common on earlier 3G devices, it may fall short of rivaling the "up to 6 hours" of Internet use advertised alongside the existing models.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 125
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    I don't think anyone doubts 3G will be a big part of iPhone 2.0 at this point.
  • Reply 2 of 125
    Wait... there's gonna be a new iPhone soon...? And it's gonna have 3G...?!







    NO WAY!



    haha. yes yes, we all know it's coming, but seeing the little snippets of proof still just make my day
  • Reply 3 of 125
    sapporobabysapporobaby Posts: 1,079member
    Now where did I put my credit card?
  • Reply 4 of 125
    mlarkinmlarkin Posts: 13member
    "The latest discovery suggests that [battery life] may fall short of rivaling the "up to 6 hours" of Internet use advertised alongside the existing models."



    This is what I dislike about you people who report this stuff.



    You make this supposition up, clearly out of the blue. Where did you see evidence that this 'may fall short' of existing models? Have you seen the specs of the new device?



    Anything else you want just make up?



    Knock off the BS ... you sound like the asshats at Infinite Loop.
  • Reply 5 of 125
    aegisdesignaegisdesign Posts: 2,914member
    Wow, a switch to save battery life when you don't want to use 3G. Very innovative. I wonder why the other phone manufacturers who have had 3G phones out for years already didn't think of that?
  • Reply 6 of 125
    somynonasomynona Posts: 40member
    Hey mlarkin, just go away... this is a rumour site not The Guardian newspaper.



    As to the switch for turning off 3G, that's a bummer, it appears they've compromised because an efficient enough chip wasn't forthcoming. Still, it's presumably better than having no 3G option at all, and it's still the mobile phone I've been waiting for for 10 or so years!



    I didn't buy version 1. Been waiting for the update. I've hated mobile phone design for the whole time they've existed... after June that won't be the case any more
  • Reply 7 of 125
    sapporobabysapporobaby Posts: 1,079member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post




    "Using 3G loads data faster, but decreases battery life," reads a caption beneath the setting toggle.



    Wow. What an innovative feature. My Nokia, and SE phones have had this for YEARS.....





    Quote:

    While speaking to journalists at last year's UK iPhone launch, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs singled out the power-hungry nature of 3G chipsets as one of the primary reasons his company passed on inclusion of the technology in the inaugural iPhone models.



    BS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



    Quote:

    "We've got to see the battery lives for 3G get back up into the 5+ hour range," he said.



    The guy obviously has no clue what the hell he is talking about. My phone lasts all day and night and is connected to a 3G network. It is the 3G applications and usage that drain the battery. Tell Steve to sit down before he hurts himself.



    Quote:

    The latest discovery suggests that while the 3G iPhone may see substantial improvements to the "2 to 3 hours" of battery life common on earlier 3G devices, it may fall short of rivaling the "up to 6 hours" of Internet use advertised alongside the existing models.



    Marketing BS that the lemmings will swallow, hook, line and sinker. Obviously Stevie Boy never heard of the Nokia E90, Nokia E61/E61i, Nokia N81/N82. Steve should stick to talking about what he knows and stop believing his own hype.
  • Reply 8 of 125
    sapporobabysapporobaby Posts: 1,079member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Somynona View Post


    Hey mlarkin, just go away... this is a rumour site not The Guardian newspaper.



    As to the switch for turning off 3G, that's a bummer, it appears they've compromised because an efficient enough chip wasn't forthcoming. Still, it's presumably better than having no 3G option at all, and it's still the mobile phone I've been waiting for for 10 or so years!



    I didn't buy version 1. Been waiting for the update. I've hated mobile phone design for the whole time they've existed... after June that won't be the case any more



    It is not a compromise. Real phone manufactures have had this FEATURE for years but now suddenly because it is Apple doing it now it's a big deal. Reason being, there was a time (still is in the US) when 3G networks were no everywhere and there was no need for the phone to drain power searching for a 3G network where none existed.
  • Reply 9 of 125
    emgmacemgmac Posts: 2member
    I bet most people won't have to worry check out at&t's coverage map for 3G it's pretty bad
  • Reply 10 of 125
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:

    The guy obviously has no clue what the hell he is talking about. My phone lasts all day and night and is connected to a 3G network. It is the 3G applications and usage that drain the battery. Tell Steve to sit down before he hurts himself.





    Marketing BS that the lemmings will swallow, hook, line and sinker. Obviously Stevie Boy never heard of the Nokia E90, Nokia E61/E61i, Nokia N81/N82. Steve should stick to talking about what he knows and stop believing his own hype.



    Phone battery life cannot be simply compared. All of these phones have different size screens and brightness, different speed processors and graphic accelerators. They all budget their power efficiency differently. That is the reason phone specs list different battery lives. You cannot just say X phone last such a time with 3G so the iPhone should be able to.
  • Reply 11 of 125
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by emgmac View Post


    I bet most people won't have to worry check out at&t's coverage map for 3G it's pretty bad



    AT&T is currently expanding its coverage.
  • Reply 12 of 125
    sapporobabysapporobaby Posts: 1,079member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    AT&T is currently expanding its coverage.



    http://darlamack.blogs.com/darlamack...playing-t.html
  • Reply 13 of 125
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sapporobaby View Post


    It is not a compromise. Real phone manufactures have had this FEATURE for years but now suddenly because it is Apple doing it now it's a big deal. Reason being, there was a time (still is in the US) when 3G networks were no everywhere and there was no need for the phone to drain power searching for a 3G network where none existed.



    Uh..... where is anyone calling this a "big deal"? It's just mentioned in the article as conclusive evidence for a 3G model on the way, not trumpeted as any kind of innovation.
  • Reply 14 of 125
    palegolaspalegolas Posts: 1,361member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sapporobaby View Post


    BS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



    Anyone with a 3G phone knows they run out of battery faster than a 2G phone just by talking. It really is very well known even before Steve pointed it out. I'm sure there is som tech person here who can explain the basics of why that is. Apart from the obvious that 3G signals must be sent more rapidly in bigger data packages, I guess, there's probably more details in the design that makes it consume more power..
  • Reply 15 of 125
    sapporobabysapporobaby Posts: 1,079member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    Uh..... where is anyone calling this a "big deal"? It's just mentioned in the article as conclusive evidence for a 3G model on the way, not trumpeted as any kind of innovation.



    Obviously it is a big deal as it warranted being mentioned. In the Nokia and SE marketing, the ability to toggle on and off 3G is viewed as a major event. Too bad it has been a feature for years.
  • Reply 16 of 125
    aegisdesignaegisdesign Posts: 2,914member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Phone battery life cannot be simply compared. All of these phones have different size screens and brightness, different speed processors and graphic accelerators. They all budget their power efficiency differently. That is the reason phone specs list different battery lives. You cannot just say X phone last such a time with 3G so the iPhone should be able to.



    True, but what Apple did with iPhone v1 was to value all those things over a simple switch to switch 3G on and off as every other phone manufacturer does.



    I had presumed that that was because they didn't want to complicate matters for users so that iPhone v2 wouldn't have a switch either but give the same battery life as v1 with 3G on all the time. As it turns out, what they have apparently done is used the same power hungry 3G chips as everyone else does and put a switch in like everybody else does.



    So, as we said over a year ago, the lack of 3G wasn't due to power concerns, it was just because Apple used ancient chips and marketed their way out of the shortcoming using Jobs' RDF which some people, having no experience of 3G phones or indeed smartphones of any kind lapped up and decided was a feature. 1 year later, they've done what they should have done a year ago.
  • Reply 17 of 125
    sapporobabysapporobaby Posts: 1,079member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by palegolas View Post


    Anyone with a 3G phone knows they run out of battery faster than a 2G phone just by talking.



    WRONG !!!!!! It is using 3G applications, i.e. Fring, Skype, VoIP, vid conferencing, that will deplete the battery faster. Normal phone usage, i.e. telephone conversations are not a major drain. I have several 3G phones with various battery sizes, screen sizes, resolutions, etc and I can easily use my phone all day, while talking. However, if I spend a substantial amount of time using the above mentioned applications, or using them in combination to talking, the battery life will drop noticeably.





    Quote:

    It really is very well known even before Steve pointed it out. I'm sure there is som tech person here who can explain the basics of why that is. Apart from the obvious that 3G signals must be sent more rapidly in bigger data packages, I guess, there's probably more details in the design that makes it consume more power..



    Yes, Steve may have known this but he was not correct in his marketing of the reasons. This is why once again, Europeans (talking operators here) were not really impressed with the iPhone and what Steve was saying. As for some tech guys, I do not need them to explain this to me, however if I get stumped I can pop over to an engineer friend at Nokia or SE for further info.
  • Reply 18 of 125
    sapporobabysapporobaby Posts: 1,079member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post


    True, but what Apple did with iPhone v1 was to value all those things over a simple switch to switch 3G on and off as every other phone manufacturer does.



    I had presumed that that was because they didn't want to complicate matters for users so that iPhone v2 wouldn't have a switch either but give the same battery life as v1 with 3G on all the time. As it turns out, what they have apparently done is used the same power hungry 3G chips as everyone else does and put a switch in like everybody else does.



    So, as we said over a year ago, the lack of 3G wasn't due to power concerns, it was just because Apple used ancient chips and marketed their way out of the shortcoming using Jobs' RDF which some people, having no experience of 3G phones or indeed smartphones of any kind lapped up and decided was a feature. 1 year later, they've done what they should have done a year ago.



    Sounds about right.....
  • Reply 19 of 125
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post


    True, but what Apple did with iPhone v1 was to value all those things over a simple switch to switch 3G on and off as every other phone manufacturer does.



    I had presumed that that was because they didn't want to complicate matters for users so that iPhone v2 wouldn't have a switch either but give the same battery life as v1 with 3G on all the time. As it turns out, what they have apparently done is used the same power hungry 3G chips as everyone else does and put a switch in like everybody else does.



    So, as we said over a year ago, the lack of 3G wasn't due to power concerns, it was just because Apple used ancient chips and marketed their way out of the shortcoming using Jobs' RDF which some people, having no experience of 3G phones or indeed smartphones of any kind lapped up and decided was a feature. 1 year later, they've done what they should have done a year ago.





    I'm sure Apple tried 3G chips in the first version and had a good idea of what the battery life would be like with the chips available at the time. Something that we will never know for sure. The wireless chips Apple use in V.1 aren't ancient at all, they were new at the time, just did not include 3G.



    The 3G chip available now certainly is not the same as was available last year. We're still pretty light on details to know the full story at this point.
  • Reply 20 of 125
    sapporobabysapporobaby Posts: 1,079member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    I'm sure Apple tried 3G chips in the first version and had a good idea of what the battery life would be like with the chips available at the time. Something that we will never know for sure. The wireless chips Apple use in V.1 aren't ancient at all, they were new at the time, just did not include 3G.



    The 3G chip available now certainly is not the same as was available last year. We're still pretty light on details to know the full story at this point.



    Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying Apple has an exclusive super secret chip maker that Motorola, Nokia, SE, Samsung are not privy to? The same 3G chips on the market that the big guys use are the same chips offered to Apple. There may have been some revisions but for the most part they are the same chips. Aegis his the nail on the head. Apple talked their way out of 3G in the iPhone so that they could sell a "new one" a year later. Apple clearly knows its market.
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