Consumer Reports is the worst magazine of its kind too. Their ratings system has been consistenly unhelpful, whether it is cars, refrigerators, washing machines or cameras.
AT&T in NYC is quite horrible! What? That's what you said? Sorry, bad connection!
It was only a few days during the summer, but when my wife and I were in NYC, we had absolutely zero problems, except for when we'd walk down to the subway (duh!). I consistently had 4-5 bars in the middle of downtown Manhatten, and even had a consistent 1-2 bars on Liberty Island, which I think is pretty good. All of this was 3G as well, I never dropped to EDGE. No slow data connections, no dropped calls when I did call people, nothing. I'm not going to be one of those people that says some kind of problem doesn't potentially exist, but in my experience, I never even worried about it.
Hmm maybe that's what Apple should spend their cash hoard on...
I agree that the cell companies are not that great here in the States, but in their defense, there are a lot of hurdles they have to jump over every day. The U.S. has one of the most varying landscapes of any country in the world, from huge mountains to low valleys and everything in between. Extreme heat, extreme cold, wind, snow, sleet, hail. Our cities are oversaturated with concrete skyscrapers that suck up cell signal like they would crumble and fall without it. And that doesn't even begin to get into all the legal tape they have to cut through just to build their networks. I remember readin (I believe on this very site, among others) that it takes 18 months just for these companies to get APPROVAL to build new cell towers in San Francisco, and this doesn't include the time to build them, test them, etc.
Coming from T-Mobile, AT&T has been worse in all measurable ways. Price, service, coverage, you name it.
They don't even have 3G yet in my city of ~327,000. Literally every last other carrier (including T-Mo) has it here. If it weren't for the iPhone, I would never look at AT&T wireless service.
Sidenote: I'm super happy with their DSL and landline service. It's only the wireless that's a disaster.
This survey is flawed. All of the iPhone users are on a single network (AT&T). As everyone knows, iPhone users have a unique expectation level and they stress the network far above all other cell phone users. This has skewed the results.
More than half of the AT&T respondents were iPhone users. It would be interesting to see the survey results if you could take away the iPhone users.
Next year’s survey will become more meaningful when we can compare iPhone users on multiple carriers. (IE…how does a Verizon iPhone user compare with an AT&T iPhone user, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc).
In fact, Consumer reports should compare the same cell phones on various networks to get a “like for like” result. What’s the point of comparing a network full of voice/text users with a network that carries a lot of wireless internet traffic?
Skewed not only due to iPhones, but geographic region as well. Was the survey broken down to see how each carrier ranked in different regions?
I'm a longtime subscriber, and as I recall, AT&T has ended up their lowest-rated carrier for years, so this isn't exactly news. Hasn't stopped me from using AT&T for years; if you want a "real" nationwide GSM provider, they're the only game in town.
That being said, the current CR electronics "experts" are a serious bunch of jerks, with a blatant anti-Apple and particularly anti-iPhone bias; its really disgusting. IMHO the integrity of their tech staff has noticeably dropped over the years, as staff has turned over.
When the iPhone 3G shipped I saw a connectivity comparison with a Samsung BlackJack, another 3G smartphone. Along the same test route where the iPhone would routinely drop calls the BlackJack performed without issue.
More than a few people have speculated that the bulk of AT&T problems were being cause by the iPhone and a poorly implemented GSM stack. Some conspiracy types have even suggested the real reason the iPhone stayed exclusive to AT&T so long was because AT&T was willing to take the heat in regards to the connectivity problem rather than point their finger at the real problem, the iPhone.
Personally, I think it is a combination of a congested network and a phone that doesn't handle it very well. Whatever the case, people will now have a choice. And choice is good.
AT&T has been great IMO. Coast to coast and international. Every carrier has it's problems and verizon's aren't just with their signal. VZ's customer support is a joke and their billing department is even worse. I hated my experience with VZ because of that. Otherwise I've had exactly the same coverage experience with ATT as VZ. There are pockets of no reception no matter who you are with.
Never had a problem with T-Mobile reception. They might not have the fastest 3G service, but voice has never been a problem. Then again I only "tested" in Chicago, Milwaukee and San Francisco, so maybe other regions don't have it as good.
All iPhone users in the US are on a single network. But if AT&T is so great, why haven't there been outcries in other parts of the world about crappy service, especially when the iPhone was only on a single carrier in a given country? The only iPhone users who complain about their service are in the United States. So either iPhone users in the US are much more demanding than iPhone users in the rest of the world, or AT&T provides subpar service. I know which one I think is more likely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by noexpectations
This survey is flawed. All of the iPhone users are on a single network (AT&T). As everyone knows, iPhone users have a unique expectation level and they stress the network far above all other cell phone users. This has skewed the results.
More than half of the AT&T respondents were iPhone users. It would be interesting to see the survey results if you could take away the iPhone users.
Next year?s survey will become more meaningful when we can compare iPhone users on multiple carriers. (IE?how does a Verizon iPhone user compare with an AT&T iPhone user, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc).
In fact, Consumer reports should compare the same cell phones on various networks to get a ?like for like? result. What?s the point of comparing a network full of voice/text users with a network that carries a lot of wireless internet traffic?
Wasn't this the same bunch of muppets who did the self promoting iPhone 4 write up last year?
I think their credibility rating shrank to zero after that. They could tell me the sun would rise tomorrow and I would still treat them with a dose of scepticism.
I object to your disparagement of characters as great and goodnatured as the muppets
My jailbroken 3G on T-Mobile gets much better signal now (really a night and day difference) than it did on AT&T.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpluck
When the iPhone 3G shipped I saw a connectivity comparison with a Samsung BlackJack, another 3G smartphone. Along the same test route where the iPhone would routinely drop calls the BlackJack performed without issue.
More than a few people have speculated that the bulk of AT&T problems were being cause by the iPhone and a poorly implemented GSM stack. Some conspiracy types have even suggested the real reason the iPhone stayed exclusive to AT&T so long was because AT&T was willing to take the heat in regards to the connectivity problem rather than point their finger at the real problem, the iPhone.
Personally, I think it is a combination of a congested network and a phone that doesn't handle it very well. Whatever the case, people will now have a choice. And choice is good.
I have joined this forum to chime in with how much I hate AT&T. Their service is a complete and total joke. They regularly have no bars in places frequented by thousands of people daily. I hope AT&T dies in a terrible fire.
When the iPhone 3G shipped I saw a connectivity comparison with a Samsung BlackJack, another 3G smartphone. Along the same test route where the iPhone would routinely drop calls the BlackJack performed without issue.
More than a few people have speculated that the bulk of AT&T problems were being cause by the iPhone and a poorly implemented GSM stack. Some conspiracy types have even suggested the real reason the iPhone stayed exclusive to AT&T so long was because AT&T was willing to take the heat in regards to the connectivity problem rather than point their finger at the real problem, the iPhone.
Personally, I think it is a combination of a congested network and a phone that doesn't handle it very well. Whatever the case, people will now have a choice. And choice is good.
-kpluck
My wife had nothing but problems with her iPhone 3g. We went round and round between AT&T & Apple but no luck.
Finally we were in the Apple Store last weekend and, lo and behold, they gave us a NEW iPhone 3g at no charge, even though the phone was out of warranty.
With the replacement, the iPhone no longer drops calls, freezes, stops browsing unexpectedly, etc. My wife stated she finally got the phone she was expecting all along.
I would not be surprised if a lot of the AT&T 'network' problems are really Apple software / hardware problems. I believe that they replaced the phone for free because its serial number was on a 'defect list'....
This survey is flawed. All of the iPhone users are on a single network (AT&T). As everyone knows, iPhone users have a unique expectation level and they stress the network far above all other cell phone users. This has skewed the results.
More than half of the AT&T respondents were iPhone users. It would be interesting to see the survey results if you could take away the iPhone users.
Next year’s survey will become more meaningful when we can compare iPhone users on multiple carriers. (IE…how does a Verizon iPhone user compare with an AT&T iPhone user, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc).
In fact, Consumer reports should compare the same cell phones on various networks to get a “like for like” result. What’s the point of comparing a network full of voice/text users with a network that carries a lot of wireless internet traffic?
Sorry, but Current Verizon users ( mainly Android smart phones) user more bandwidth than the average iPhone user...
The funny part for me is that I have better AT&T coverage near my home and my office ( rarely in the office ), but better Verizon coverage almost every where else...
the grass is not greener in the cellular world....its all a bit dismal.
Agreed. AT&T is not all that great. But I agree with the comparison to cable companies. It's the lesser of evils.
After accepting that I was able to get less frustrated with AT&T. Its like. Going to a sports event, you expect bad traffic, so you just don't let it get under your skin.
That being said, at least I have a phone I enjoy. I didn't exactly choose AT&T, it just came with the territory
Comments
AT&T in NYC is quite horrible.
WRONG!
AT&T in NYC is quite horrible! What? That's what you said? Sorry, bad connection!
Hmm maybe that's what Apple should spend their cash hoard on...
WRONG!
AT&T in NYC is quite horrible! What? That's what you said? Sorry, bad connection!
It was only a few days during the summer, but when my wife and I were in NYC, we had absolutely zero problems, except for when we'd walk down to the subway (duh!). I consistently had 4-5 bars in the middle of downtown Manhatten, and even had a consistent 1-2 bars on Liberty Island, which I think is pretty good. All of this was 3G as well, I never dropped to EDGE. No slow data connections, no dropped calls when I did call people, nothing. I'm not going to be one of those people that says some kind of problem doesn't potentially exist, but in my experience, I never even worried about it.
All the carriers suck in one way or another.
Hmm maybe that's what Apple should spend their cash hoard on...
I agree that the cell companies are not that great here in the States, but in their defense, there are a lot of hurdles they have to jump over every day. The U.S. has one of the most varying landscapes of any country in the world, from huge mountains to low valleys and everything in between. Extreme heat, extreme cold, wind, snow, sleet, hail. Our cities are oversaturated with concrete skyscrapers that suck up cell signal like they would crumble and fall without it. And that doesn't even begin to get into all the legal tape they have to cut through just to build their networks. I remember readin (I believe on this very site, among others) that it takes 18 months just for these companies to get APPROVAL to build new cell towers in San Francisco, and this doesn't include the time to build them, test them, etc.
They don't even have 3G yet in my city of ~327,000. Literally every last other carrier (including T-Mo) has it here. If it weren't for the iPhone, I would never look at AT&T wireless service.
Sidenote: I'm super happy with their DSL and landline service. It's only the wireless that's a disaster.
This survey is flawed. All of the iPhone users are on a single network (AT&T). As everyone knows, iPhone users have a unique expectation level and they stress the network far above all other cell phone users. This has skewed the results.
More than half of the AT&T respondents were iPhone users. It would be interesting to see the survey results if you could take away the iPhone users.
Next year’s survey will become more meaningful when we can compare iPhone users on multiple carriers. (IE…how does a Verizon iPhone user compare with an AT&T iPhone user, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc).
In fact, Consumer reports should compare the same cell phones on various networks to get a “like for like” result. What’s the point of comparing a network full of voice/text users with a network that carries a lot of wireless internet traffic?
Skewed not only due to iPhones, but geographic region as well. Was the survey broken down to see how each carrier ranked in different regions?
That being said, the current CR electronics "experts" are a serious bunch of jerks, with a blatant anti-Apple and particularly anti-iPhone bias; its really disgusting. IMHO the integrity of their tech staff has noticeably dropped over the years, as staff has turned over.
More than a few people have speculated that the bulk of AT&T problems were being cause by the iPhone and a poorly implemented GSM stack. Some conspiracy types have even suggested the real reason the iPhone stayed exclusive to AT&T so long was because AT&T was willing to take the heat in regards to the connectivity problem rather than point their finger at the real problem, the iPhone.
Personally, I think it is a combination of a congested network and a phone that doesn't handle it very well. Whatever the case, people will now have a choice. And choice is good.
-kpluck
AT&T in NYC is quite horrible.
Agreed
This survey is flawed. All of the iPhone users are on a single network (AT&T). As everyone knows, iPhone users have a unique expectation level and they stress the network far above all other cell phone users. This has skewed the results.
More than half of the AT&T respondents were iPhone users. It would be interesting to see the survey results if you could take away the iPhone users.
Next year?s survey will become more meaningful when we can compare iPhone users on multiple carriers. (IE?how does a Verizon iPhone user compare with an AT&T iPhone user, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc).
In fact, Consumer reports should compare the same cell phones on various networks to get a ?like for like? result. What?s the point of comparing a network full of voice/text users with a network that carries a lot of wireless internet traffic?
Wasn't this the same bunch of muppets who did the self promoting iPhone 4 write up last year?
I think their credibility rating shrank to zero after that. They could tell me the sun would rise tomorrow and I would still treat them with a dose of scepticism.
I object to your disparagement of characters as great and goodnatured as the muppets
When the iPhone 3G shipped I saw a connectivity comparison with a Samsung BlackJack, another 3G smartphone. Along the same test route where the iPhone would routinely drop calls the BlackJack performed without issue.
More than a few people have speculated that the bulk of AT&T problems were being cause by the iPhone and a poorly implemented GSM stack. Some conspiracy types have even suggested the real reason the iPhone stayed exclusive to AT&T so long was because AT&T was willing to take the heat in regards to the connectivity problem rather than point their finger at the real problem, the iPhone.
Personally, I think it is a combination of a congested network and a phone that doesn't handle it very well. Whatever the case, people will now have a choice. And choice is good.
-kpluck
I have joined this forum to chime in with how much I hate AT&T. Their service is a complete and total joke. They regularly have no bars in places frequented by thousands of people daily. I hope AT&T dies in a terrible fire.
That pretty much makes you an asshole then.
When the iPhone 3G shipped I saw a connectivity comparison with a Samsung BlackJack, another 3G smartphone. Along the same test route where the iPhone would routinely drop calls the BlackJack performed without issue.
More than a few people have speculated that the bulk of AT&T problems were being cause by the iPhone and a poorly implemented GSM stack. Some conspiracy types have even suggested the real reason the iPhone stayed exclusive to AT&T so long was because AT&T was willing to take the heat in regards to the connectivity problem rather than point their finger at the real problem, the iPhone.
Personally, I think it is a combination of a congested network and a phone that doesn't handle it very well. Whatever the case, people will now have a choice. And choice is good.
-kpluck
My wife had nothing but problems with her iPhone 3g. We went round and round between AT&T & Apple but no luck.
Finally we were in the Apple Store last weekend and, lo and behold, they gave us a NEW iPhone 3g at no charge, even though the phone was out of warranty.
With the replacement, the iPhone no longer drops calls, freezes, stops browsing unexpectedly, etc. My wife stated she finally got the phone she was expecting all along.
I would not be surprised if a lot of the AT&T 'network' problems are really Apple software / hardware problems. I believe that they replaced the phone for free because its serial number was on a 'defect list'....
This survey is flawed. All of the iPhone users are on a single network (AT&T). As everyone knows, iPhone users have a unique expectation level and they stress the network far above all other cell phone users. This has skewed the results.
More than half of the AT&T respondents were iPhone users. It would be interesting to see the survey results if you could take away the iPhone users.
Next year’s survey will become more meaningful when we can compare iPhone users on multiple carriers. (IE…how does a Verizon iPhone user compare with an AT&T iPhone user, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc).
In fact, Consumer reports should compare the same cell phones on various networks to get a “like for like” result. What’s the point of comparing a network full of voice/text users with a network that carries a lot of wireless internet traffic?
Sorry, but Current Verizon users ( mainly Android smart phones) user more bandwidth than the average iPhone user...
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20012011-266.html
The funny part for me is that I have better AT&T coverage near my home and my office ( rarely in the office ), but better Verizon coverage almost every where else...
the grass is not greener in the cellular world....its all a bit dismal.
Agreed. AT&T is not all that great. But I agree with the comparison to cable companies. It's the lesser of evils.
After accepting that I was able to get less frustrated with AT&T. Its like. Going to a sports event, you expect bad traffic, so you just don't let it get under your skin.
That being said, at least I have a phone I enjoy. I didn't exactly choose AT&T, it just came with the territory