I had to switch off my wife's iPhone's 3G again yesterday (edit: our carrier seems to have 3G issues). No calls coming in. Occasional SMSes. 2G works fine, and she's in the office or home mostly anyway so she gets wireless. If I could, I'd set the iPhone to automatically switch to 2G whenever it successfully connects to wifi.
Really, for many people, 3G wasn't necessary.
(I, on the other hand, have 5 different jobs. 2 have wifi, 2 don't, and 1 is in random locations.... 3G is great!)
There are existing HSUPA handsets and many more coming onto the market in the next few months. WIth (my next phone) the full featured and very small Nokia E55 coming onto the market by June at a list price of 250 euros and triband HSUPA (10Mb DL, 2Mb UL), Apple needs to stay competitive on the performance side.
802.11n doesn't make sense at all. You don't see it in handhelds because it's implementation is not optimised for power or size, nor is it integrated into wireless chip sets. This might have something to do with the standard not even being approved.
Really, you don't need a crystal ball to work out that the iPhone will be updated in June and that it'll be faster. News of other features would be more interesting.
The Samsung i8910 will have 5.76 MB HSUPA it should be out before the E55 and does a whole lot more.
i'd enjoy seeing not only faster processors but faster download speeds too. it's not really too that important, but it's a nice perk for large file sizes like Apps, Video.
a faster processor and more ram would be a godsend for complex web pages. nothing more annoying than loading a page, but being unable to navigate it because the iphones hardware just isn't up to the challenge.
the only thing i'm really interested in with this update is increased capacity. 8GB was never enough for me, and i knew 16GB would fill up quickly. i don't understand why Apple and AT&T can't work together to offer a trade-in system for yearly upgrades. it would give them a ton of inventory for 3G repairs, or they could sell them at a refurb cost that would appeal to people not interested in the $200 smartphone price point. extend the contract for people upgrading after a year, with a slight premium on the 1-year upgrade... say $300-$400 instead of $200-$300. apple would walk away with a nice profit for a system like this.
it's about the capacity for me, it's a pretty safe bet that we'll see a 32GB this summer. i'd be a life-saver for me and a lot of other customers, who a constantly adding music to their collection. as of now i've only got 400MB left on this 16GB.
Really, you don't need a crystal ball to work out that the iPhone will be updated in June and that it'll be faster. News of other features would be more interesting.
It's all a guessing game - and then some. The only thing we know is that it will be faster and has the Qualcomm chipset. The rest is all blue sky and "Gee, I hope they do this."
To be more specific:
- Must have: better camera with auto focus, video
- Should have: 5 mpix camera (or higher with digital zoom), wide-screen video. Hi-cap battery.
- Nice to have: 2nd cam through the screen. See time w/o turning screen on. 720p video.
Really, you don't need a crystal ball to work out that the iPhone will be updated in June and that it'll be faster. News of other features would be more interesting.
I think it was Phil Schiller who said the same thing back in Nov/Dec, and I was surprised nobody made a big thing of it.
He said that Apple had certain release schedules, and he specifically mentioned the yearly schedule of the iPhone. He went on to say that the artificial schedule of MacWorld was a pressure they didn't want when products weren't ready, thus they were ending their participation.
It was a contradiction in his logic... though I guess the iPhone release could easily be pushed forward or back a month without issue, impossible with MacWorld.
It was announced, not released in January. If I remember correctly Apple was able to keep a lot of the FCC stuff secret with both versions of the phone until the last minute. I forget how or what the exception is, but you can make a request to the FCC to keep everything quite until the product is ready for release, if it falls under certain criteria.
Sorry, I meant announced. The reason SJ gave for the early announcement was that they would have to apply for FCC approval, and they didn't want the FCC to "release it for them" because the applications are made public. So, I'm pretty sure a June release would require a FCC application about now...
The Samsung i8910 will have 5.76 MB HSUPA it should be out before the E55 and does a whole lot more.
Well the point is that Apple need to keep up, but that Sumsung phone is huge. The E55 is 116 x 49 x 10mm and has a half query keyboard. For some of us (lack of) size is king and some prefer a keyboard. Also they're both slated for a Q2 release, so not sure which will come out first.
Well the point is that Apple need to keep up, but that Sumsung phone is huge. The E55 is 116 x 49 x 10mm and has a half query keyboard. For some of us (lack of) size is king and some prefer a keyboard. Also they're both slated for a Q2 release, so not sure which will come out first.
The large touchscreen is what gives the iPhone it's identity, the Samsung has these things that's what gives it relevance.
The E55 belongs to an older style of phone, one that I will never return to with it's tiny 2.4" screen and half qwerty keyboard whatever that is, is it like a Blackberry pearl?
Enjoy your phone, glad you shared your preferences with us.
It's all a guessing game - and then some. The only thing we know is that it will be faster and has the Qualcomm chipset. The rest is all blue sky and "Gee, I hope they do this."
To be more specific:
- Must have: better camera with auto focus, video
- Should have: 5 mpix camera (or higher with digital zoom), wide-screen video. Hi-cap battery.
- Nice to have: 2nd cam through the screen. See time w/o turning screen on. 720p video.
Feel free to add.
My only add and only ask with the 3.0 software is battery life .. even if they did what you outline and add a faster processor/wireless connection if it took 1% off the battery life I would bail. When I travel I can barely use it if I won't have charger access. I feel it is an incredible Achilles heel on what is otherwise awesome. I would give up every hardware improvement and some of the form factor thinness for 30% more battery life. Is it only me?
My only add and only ask with the 3.0 software is battery life .. even if they did what you outline and add a faster processor/wireless connection if it took 1% off the battery life I would bail. When I travel I can barely use it if I won't have charger access. I feel it is an incredible Achilles heel on what is otherwise awesome. I would give up every hardware improvement and some of the form factor thinness for 30% more battery life. Is it only me?
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot
It's not just you.
One has to wonder how much more battery they could fit in there just by increasing the thickness by 1 or 2 mm.
If you really don't care about thickness, there is a really nice case available that includes a secondary battery for much longer battery life.
The fact is, Apple will always have to make some kind of compromise on battery life vs. features and size, and they do it based on what they think is acceptable to the majority of customers. So there're always going to be outliers for whom whatever compromise they choose is not acceptable. That's what third-party manufacturers are for.
If you really don't care about thickness, there is a really nice case available that includes a secondary battery for much longer battery life.
The fact is, Apple will always have to make some kind of compromise on battery life vs. features and size, and they do it based on what they think is acceptable to the majority of customers. So there're always going to be outliers for whom whatever compromise they choose is not acceptable. That's what third-party manufacturers are for.
It's not only Apple who faces this dilemma, as functionality and network speeds increase the demand on the battery increases.
I find the attachable battery packs work well.
One day we'll have fuel cells and short battery life will become a thing of the past.
Our ATT iPhone service at work fell off a cliff on Monday. We called them yesterday and today they called to test it - and it was fixed. I have never cared for them much but have to give credit where it is due.
If you really don't care about thickness, there is a really nice case available that includes a secondary battery for much longer battery life.
The fact is, Apple will always have to make some kind of compromise on battery life vs. features and size, and they do it based on what they think is acceptable to the majority of customers. So there're always going to be outliers for whom whatever compromise they choose is not acceptable. That's what third-party manufacturers are for.
It's not that I don't CARE about thickness... I'm just of the OPINION that Apple went to far... I think they should have increased the battery life a little at the expense of a mm or two. I don't have a problem with my first gen phone, but if the 3G battery life is worse (and even Apple admits it is), then I'd start having issues.
Telling people to "turn off 3G when you're not using it" is pretty lame for a company that's all about ease of use. But I still wouldn't trade it for any other phone out there (yet).
It's not only Apple who faces this dilemma, as functionality and network speeds increase the demand on the battery increases.
I find the attachable battery packs work well.
One day we'll have fuel cells and short battery life will become a thing of the past.
That's just the thing though, even if you had an iPhone with a pico-fusion reactor and 3 months of battery life, there'd be people for whom it would not be enough, since their intergalactic commute to mars is 3.5 months.
So, buy a 3rd party spaceship power adapter and move on.
I don't have a problem with my first gen phone, but if the 3G battery life is worse (and even Apple admits it is), then I'd start having issues.
Telling people to "turn off 3G when you're not using it" is pretty lame for a company that's all about ease of use. But I still wouldn't trade it for any other phone out there (yet).
Apple's 3G is not any worse than other phone. It's the 3G radio that is a battery hog over EDGE. If you look at the testing the iPhone's battery outlasts pretty much every smartphone on the market when 3G is running. The only phones I recall besting the iPhone on 3G were a couple of Blackberries on a CDMA/CDMA-2000 network and only in the category of phone use while on 3G. The reason for this is that CDMA-based phones can have 3G on and make a phone call on the 2G radio. This apparently doesn't happen with GSM-based networks. Plus one for CDMA.
My problem with my iPhone dying is that I'm using it constantly with multiple apps running when I'm not at a computer. Never had this problem with any other phone. I doubt that Apple will lower the real world duration of the device, though they might actually reduce the battery mAh, thus the weight and size, if they can use more efficient HW and SW. That much is to be expected of Apple, but I think they know that a shorter time would not be acceptable.
Comments
(3G wasn't an interesting upgrade to me)
I had to switch off my wife's iPhone's 3G again yesterday (edit: our carrier seems to have 3G issues). No calls coming in. Occasional SMSes. 2G works fine, and she's in the office or home mostly anyway so she gets wireless. If I could, I'd set the iPhone to automatically switch to 2G whenever it successfully connects to wifi.
Really, for many people, 3G wasn't necessary.
(I, on the other hand, have 5 different jobs. 2 have wifi, 2 don't, and 1 is in random locations.... 3G is great!)
There are existing HSUPA handsets and many more coming onto the market in the next few months. WIth (my next phone) the full featured and very small Nokia E55 coming onto the market by June at a list price of 250 euros and triband HSUPA (10Mb DL, 2Mb UL), Apple needs to stay competitive on the performance side.
802.11n doesn't make sense at all. You don't see it in handhelds because it's implementation is not optimised for power or size, nor is it integrated into wireless chip sets. This might have something to do with the standard not even being approved.
Really, you don't need a crystal ball to work out that the iPhone will be updated in June and that it'll be faster. News of other features would be more interesting.
The Samsung i8910 will have 5.76 MB HSUPA it should be out before the E55 and does a whole lot more.
a faster processor and more ram would be a godsend for complex web pages. nothing more annoying than loading a page, but being unable to navigate it because the iphones hardware just isn't up to the challenge.
the only thing i'm really interested in with this update is increased capacity. 8GB was never enough for me, and i knew 16GB would fill up quickly. i don't understand why Apple and AT&T can't work together to offer a trade-in system for yearly upgrades. it would give them a ton of inventory for 3G repairs, or they could sell them at a refurb cost that would appeal to people not interested in the $200 smartphone price point. extend the contract for people upgrading after a year, with a slight premium on the 1-year upgrade... say $300-$400 instead of $200-$300. apple would walk away with a nice profit for a system like this.
it's about the capacity for me, it's a pretty safe bet that we'll see a 32GB this summer. i'd be a life-saver for me and a lot of other customers, who a constantly adding music to their collection. as of now i've only got 400MB left on this 16GB.
For Pete's sake, please stop crowing about your faster and faster service.
We're still on EDGE! Get 3G out to the masses! Please!
I have paid 3G phone and data prices for EDGE for close to a year now.
Every time I pay my bill I feel like I'm paying a car rental company for
a Lexus after they've let me drive a used Taurus that doesn't run so well.
It's just sad! Get with your own program!
Really, you don't need a crystal ball to work out that the iPhone will be updated in June and that it'll be faster. News of other features would be more interesting.
It's all a guessing game - and then some. The only thing we know is that it will be faster and has the Qualcomm chipset. The rest is all blue sky and "Gee, I hope they do this."
To be more specific:
- Must have: better camera with auto focus, video
- Should have: 5 mpix camera (or higher with digital zoom), wide-screen video. Hi-cap battery.
- Nice to have: 2nd cam through the screen. See time w/o turning screen on. 720p video.
Feel free to add.
Really, you don't need a crystal ball to work out that the iPhone will be updated in June and that it'll be faster. News of other features would be more interesting.
I think it was Phil Schiller who said the same thing back in Nov/Dec, and I was surprised nobody made a big thing of it.
He said that Apple had certain release schedules, and he specifically mentioned the yearly schedule of the iPhone. He went on to say that the artificial schedule of MacWorld was a pressure they didn't want when products weren't ready, thus they were ending their participation.
It was a contradiction in his logic... though I guess the iPhone release could easily be pushed forward or back a month without issue, impossible with MacWorld.
It was announced, not released in January. If I remember correctly Apple was able to keep a lot of the FCC stuff secret with both versions of the phone until the last minute. I forget how or what the exception is, but you can make a request to the FCC to keep everything quite until the product is ready for release, if it falls under certain criteria.
Sorry, I meant announced. The reason SJ gave for the early announcement was that they would have to apply for FCC approval, and they didn't want the FCC to "release it for them" because the applications are made public. So, I'm pretty sure a June release would require a FCC application about now...
The Samsung i8910 will have 5.76 MB HSUPA it should be out before the E55 and does a whole lot more.
Well the point is that Apple need to keep up, but that Sumsung phone is huge. The E55 is 116 x 49 x 10mm and has a half query keyboard. For some of us (lack of) size is king and some prefer a keyboard. Also they're both slated for a Q2 release, so not sure which will come out first.
Well the point is that Apple need to keep up, but that Sumsung phone is huge. The E55 is 116 x 49 x 10mm and has a half query keyboard. For some of us (lack of) size is king and some prefer a keyboard. Also they're both slated for a Q2 release, so not sure which will come out first.
The large touchscreen is what gives the iPhone it's identity, the Samsung has these things that's what gives it relevance.
The E55 belongs to an older style of phone, one that I will never return to with it's tiny 2.4" screen and half qwerty keyboard whatever that is, is it like a Blackberry pearl?
Enjoy your phone, glad you shared your preferences with us.
It's all a guessing game - and then some. The only thing we know is that it will be faster and has the Qualcomm chipset. The rest is all blue sky and "Gee, I hope they do this."
To be more specific:
- Must have: better camera with auto focus, video
- Should have: 5 mpix camera (or higher with digital zoom), wide-screen video. Hi-cap battery.
- Nice to have: 2nd cam through the screen. See time w/o turning screen on. 720p video.
Feel free to add.
My only add and only ask with the 3.0 software is battery life .. even if they did what you outline and add a faster processor/wireless connection if it took 1% off the battery life I would bail. When I travel I can barely use it if I won't have charger access. I feel it is an incredible Achilles heel on what is otherwise awesome. I would give up every hardware improvement and some of the form factor thinness for 30% more battery life. Is it only me?
My only add and only ask with the 3.0 software is battery life .. . Is it only me?
It's not just you.
One has to wonder how much more battery they could fit in there just by increasing the thickness by 1 or 2 mm.
My only add and only ask with the 3.0 software is battery life .. even if they did what you outline and add a faster processor/wireless connection if it took 1% off the battery life I would bail. When I travel I can barely use it if I won't have charger access. I feel it is an incredible Achilles heel on what is otherwise awesome. I would give up every hardware improvement and some of the form factor thinness for 30% more battery life. Is it only me?
It's not just you.
One has to wonder how much more battery they could fit in there just by increasing the thickness by 1 or 2 mm.
If you really don't care about thickness, there is a really nice case available that includes a secondary battery for much longer battery life.
The fact is, Apple will always have to make some kind of compromise on battery life vs. features and size, and they do it based on what they think is acceptable to the majority of customers. So there're always going to be outliers for whom whatever compromise they choose is not acceptable. That's what third-party manufacturers are for.
If you really don't care about thickness, there is a really nice case available that includes a secondary battery for much longer battery life.
The fact is, Apple will always have to make some kind of compromise on battery life vs. features and size, and they do it based on what they think is acceptable to the majority of customers. So there're always going to be outliers for whom whatever compromise they choose is not acceptable. That's what third-party manufacturers are for.
It's not only Apple who faces this dilemma, as functionality and network speeds increase the demand on the battery increases.
I find the attachable battery packs work well.
One day we'll have fuel cells and short battery life will become a thing of the past.
If you really don't care about thickness, there is a really nice case available that includes a secondary battery for much longer battery life.
The fact is, Apple will always have to make some kind of compromise on battery life vs. features and size, and they do it based on what they think is acceptable to the majority of customers. So there're always going to be outliers for whom whatever compromise they choose is not acceptable. That's what third-party manufacturers are for.
It's not that I don't CARE about thickness... I'm just of the OPINION that Apple went to far... I think they should have increased the battery life a little at the expense of a mm or two. I don't have a problem with my first gen phone, but if the 3G battery life is worse (and even Apple admits it is), then I'd start having issues.
Telling people to "turn off 3G when you're not using it" is pretty lame for a company that's all about ease of use. But I still wouldn't trade it for any other phone out there (yet).
It's not only Apple who faces this dilemma, as functionality and network speeds increase the demand on the battery increases.
I find the attachable battery packs work well.
One day we'll have fuel cells and short battery life will become a thing of the past.
That's just the thing though, even if you had an iPhone with a pico-fusion reactor and 3 months of battery life, there'd be people for whom it would not be enough, since their intergalactic commute to mars is 3.5 months.
So, buy a 3rd party spaceship power adapter and move on.
I don't have a problem with my first gen phone, but if the 3G battery life is worse (and even Apple admits it is), then I'd start having issues.
Telling people to "turn off 3G when you're not using it" is pretty lame for a company that's all about ease of use. But I still wouldn't trade it for any other phone out there (yet).
Apple's 3G is not any worse than other phone. It's the 3G radio that is a battery hog over EDGE. If you look at the testing the iPhone's battery outlasts pretty much every smartphone on the market when 3G is running. The only phones I recall besting the iPhone on 3G were a couple of Blackberries on a CDMA/CDMA-2000 network and only in the category of phone use while on 3G. The reason for this is that CDMA-based phones can have 3G on and make a phone call on the 2G radio. This apparently doesn't happen with GSM-based networks. Plus one for CDMA.
My problem with my iPhone dying is that I'm using it constantly with multiple apps running when I'm not at a computer. Never had this problem with any other phone. I doubt that Apple will lower the real world duration of the device, though they might actually reduce the battery mAh, thus the weight and size, if they can use more efficient HW and SW. That much is to be expected of Apple, but I think they know that a shorter time would not be acceptable.
It's not just you.
One has to wonder how much more battery they could fit in there just by increasing the thickness by 1 or 2 mm.
I'd say 1 or 2mm's worth.