iPhone 4S with iOS 5.1 begins advertising AT&T HSDPA as '4G'

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 50
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by saintstryfe View Post


    Why? 4G is an entirely invented term. It has no meaning. Lots of other phones market as 4G with this tech, why should Apple restrict itself artificially?



    Correct.
  • Reply 22 of 50
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Therbo View Post


    Haha, LTE isn't even 4G, and that comes from the people who make it (GSMA)



    The only 4G is LTE-Advanced, a technology has to reach above 100Mbps to be classed as 4G, LTE in the US is NO WHERE near 100Mbps.



    My 4S reaches 11Mbps down, which is faster then most get on "4G" LTE.



    Correct, but then again most posters know nothing of the Engineering behind it.
  • Reply 23 of 50
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


    When millions of people's iPhones switch from 3G to "4G" without any speed increase, AT&T is going to get lots of negative publicity.



    Yeah... Its just a bit weird. I recently upgraded from a 4 to a 4S (my 4 died) and I have noticed its generally much quicker at rendering pages both on the network and wifi but to call it 4G? My buddy works for TMo and he routinely gets crazy speed on whatever Droid he's using... absolutely murdering my 4S... and they're not even on LTE yet. Maybe ATT would be better served by delivering blistering speeds instead of advertising them.
  • Reply 24 of 50
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Therbo View Post


    Haha, LTE isn't even 4G, and that comes from the people who make it (GSMA)



    Who are the people that make GSMA? Where is there definition of 4G? Does the ITU's definition no longer count?
  • Reply 25 of 50
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by saintstryfe View Post


    Why? 4G is an entirely invented term. It has no meaning. Lots of other phones market as 4G with this tech, why should Apple restrict itself artificially?



    Fine. My iPhone has G telephony. No one can tell me otherwise.



    Just like my television has a contrast ratio of :1.
  • Reply 26 of 50
    calfotocalfoto Posts: 70member
    For those of us "Grandfathered" unlimited data plan users on AT&T



    According to AT&T's recent policy statement those of us with 3G date use will be throttled after 3GB of data, while those with "4G" use will get 5GB before the slowdown occurs.



    So will those 4S users running IOS 5.1 suddenly find themselves with 2GB more data to play with???







    Now there's a lawsuit waitng to be filed if not...
  • Reply 27 of 50
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by thataveragejoe View Post


    It was one thing when they called LTE 4G (really 3.9G)

    It was one thing when they called HSPA+ 4G (really 3.5/3.75G)

    but we accepted and moved on.



    But calling HSDPA 4G???!!?!? And Apple of all people?!?



    WTF.



    Apple and AT&T are only following the official ruling by the ITU from Dec 2010. The ITU now recognizes HSPA+, WIMAX, and even 4G LTE as "4G". Before this ruling, only 4G LTE ADVANCED was considered "4G".....and we are still a few years away from seeing 4G LTE ADVANCED.
  • Reply 28 of 50
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by calfoto View Post


    For those of us "Grandfathered" unlimited data plan users on AT&T



    According to AT&T's recent policy statement those of us with 3G date use will be throttled after 3GB of data, while those with "4G" use will get 5GB before the slowdown occurs.



    So will those 4S users running IOS 5.1 suddenly find themselves with 2GB more data to play with???







    Now there's a lawsuit waitng to be filed if not...



    Wow. You just made a really good point. They did say 4G has a cap 2GB higher than 3G. And now my unlimited-plan iPhone 4S claims to be "4G."
  • Reply 29 of 50
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


    Wow. You just made a really good point. They did say 4G has a cap 2GB higher than 3G. And now my unlimited-plan iPhone 4S claims to be "4G."



    Get to downloading. You could be the lynchpin that sets this whole thing in motion. Heck, you could go down in history as one of the names counted in the "first wave of lawsuits ending the telecoms' unlimited defrauding".
  • Reply 30 of 50
    f1ferrarif1ferrari Posts: 262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by calfoto View Post


    For those of us "Grandfathered" unlimited data plan users on AT&T



    According to AT&T's recent policy statement those of us with 3G date use will be throttled after 3GB of data, while those with "4G" use will get 5GB before the slowdown occurs.



    So will those 4S users running IOS 5.1 suddenly find themselves with 2GB more data to play with???







    Now there's a lawsuit waitng to be filed if not...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


    Wow. You just made a really good point. They did say 4G has a cap 2GB higher than 3G. And now my unlimited-plan iPhone 4S claims to be "4G."



    Very good point indeed. I wonder what an AT&T representative would say...
  • Reply 31 of 50
    pendergastpendergast Posts: 1,358member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by calfoto View Post


    For those of us "Grandfathered" unlimited data plan users on AT&T



    According to AT&T's recent policy statement those of us with 3G date use will be throttled after 3GB of data, while those with "4G" use will get 5GB before the slowdown occurs.



    So will those 4S users running IOS 5.1 suddenly find themselves with 2GB more data to play with???







    Now there's a lawsuit waitng to be filed if not...



    I love this post.
  • Reply 32 of 50
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 2992 View Post


    Oh, and... I am really curious what kind of technology is used to magically turn iPhones over night from 3G phones into 4G phones....



    The same kind of technology that turns a black iPhone into a non-white iPhone.

    Different words can mean the same thing.
  • Reply 33 of 50
    anakin1992anakin1992 Posts: 283member
    somewhere in the keynote mentioned that the highest speed on LTE could reach up to 73mbps. anyone knows it is on ATT or VERIZON network?
  • Reply 34 of 50
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iVlad View Post


    It's actually pretty fast. I was surprised when my friend's 4G Windows phone on Verizon was slower than my 4S on At&t in DC Metro area. Maybe it depends on areas.



    I have to call you on your BS. Verizon does not carry any 4g windows phone. Hell they do not even carry a windows phone anymore.u
  • Reply 35 of 50
    Much ado about nothing.



    AT&T calls HSPA+ 4G, and I like seeing when I actually have coverage.
  • Reply 36 of 50
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Technarchy View Post


    Much ado about nothing.



    AT&T calls HSPA+ 4G, and I like seeing when I actually have coverage.



    AT&T has been employing this on other phones since at least 2011. The problem will arise because 1) people only care about the iPhone, and 2) they are applying it to HSDPA Category 10, which is not HSPA+. Now AT&T has every right to call this 4G so long as they don't associate it with the ITU definition, but even then they remodeled the requirements back in 2010 and you still see people on tech forums saying only LTE Advance is 4G.
  • Reply 37 of 50
    i don't know what the actual 4G speed is, but here in ATL I have noticed that my 4S has gone from 3mbs to 7mbs. and that's before the update! so who knows?
  • Reply 38 of 50
    jahonenjahonen Posts: 364member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Technarchy View Post


    Much ado about nothing.



    AT&T calls HSPA+ 4G, and I like seeing when I actually have coverage.



    Yep. But the thing is, the 4S seems to NOT be an HSPA+ device, rather plain HSPA.... There's the possible rub.



    People have been using 3G (or 3.5G at best) for HSPA speeds (apparently up to 14.4Mbps down) and grudgingly went with HSPA+ being 4G, which somehow makes sense since people easily think LTE = 4G. Since HSPA+ can achieve or even exceed current LTE speeds calling it 4G is just about fine.



    But to take a technology (HSPA), which was to be superseded by a newer 4G technology (LTE) and call it 4G seems to me like marketing stretching the truth a little too far. Honestly it's not Apple's blame. I think they are just doing what the operator is asking them to do.



    Regs, Jarkko
  • Reply 39 of 50
    neosumneosum Posts: 113member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jahonen View Post


    Yep. But the thing is, the 4S seems to NOT be an HSPA+ device, rather plain HSPA.... There's the possible rub.



    People have been using 3G (or 3.5G at best) for HSPA speeds (apparently up to 14.4Mbps down) and grudgingly went with HSPA+ being 4G, which somehow makes sense since people easily think LTE = 4G. Since HSPA+ can achieve or even exceed current LTE speeds calling it 4G is just about fine.



    But to take a technology (HSPA), which was to be superseded by a newer 4G technology (LTE) and call it 4G seems to me like marketing stretching the truth a little too far. Honestly it's not Apple's blame. I think they are just doing what the operator is asking them to do.



    Regs, Jarkko



    "Apple hasn't stated what baseband is in the iPhone 4S (and I guess we won't know absolutely for certain until it gets opened up), but it is almost without doubt MDM6600 just like the Verizon iPhone 4. The specs all line up, and while that part doesn't include 64QAM on the downlink, it does include a number of the other HSPA+ features I've mentioned, and is thus 3GPP Rel.7 and therefore 'HSPA+.'"







    Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4943/t...spa-is-real-4g
  • Reply 40 of 50
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by neosum View Post


    "Apple hasn't stated what baseband is in the iPhone 4S (and I guess we won't know absolutely for certain until it gets opened up), but it is almost without doubt MDM6600 just like the Verizon iPhone 4. The specs all line up, and while that part doesn't include 64QAM on the downlink, it does include a number of the other HSPA+ features I've mentioned, and is thus 3GPP Rel.7 and therefore "HSPA+."



    image: http://images.anandtech.com/doci/4943/zjWXE_575px.png



    Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4943/t...spa-is-real-4g



    More info...
    "MDM6610 also appears to inherit all the air interfaces that MDM6600 had, including WCDMA/HSPA+ with HSDPA 14.4, HSUPA 5.76, GSM, CDMA 1x/EVDO (up to Rev.B, though Apple notes only A is used at present), and finally GPS/GLONASS."



    "The MDM6610 inside the 4S supports HSDPA 14.4 and HSUPA 5.76, alongside a number of 3GPP Rel.7 features which are colloquially known as HSPA+. I talked about this extensively in another piece when there was some confusion about whether or not the 4S is HSPA+ - which it is."
    And here I too was thinking it wasn't HSPA+. In that case it's right in line with ITU so that should lessen the bitching and moaning a little bit... but I doubt it.
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