@Zinger: You think so huh? You'd rather have an iPhone that can't connect, as opposed to iPhones that don't have those problems, and you'd pass up the universal free health care, abundance of space, sane politics and having poutine whenever you want it? You're fuckin' crazy.

The Magnificen7

I've been on 3G with AT&T in South Florida for about 2 years now. My previous phone (8525/Hermes) got excellent reception and speed (when WM6 wasn't sucking ass), almost never dropped a call. The first couple weeks with the iPhone were perfect for me, fast 3G speeds, crystal clear calls. In the last month or so it's been getting progressively worse and it's not just iPhones, my parents have 3G LG handsets that have been dropping calls more lately than before and that's calling them from my home phone.

PhilK

Pittsburgh gives me pretty good performance.

t3knomanser

@robot-shmobot: Service may suck in SOME areas, but I would rather have the worst coverage in America then live in Canada!

Zinger

@Hickeroar: It's actually about three. The need for fiber backhaul is growing though, and will only get worse as we get closer to 4G.

matt buchanan

@Terc: Or you can put your phone into test mode and compare Ec/Io and what frequency you are on etc. If you really wanted too.

TechnoElf

I'm so tired of hearing people compare the number of bars their iPhone gets compared to others. Do a speed comparison. "Bars" are not a standardized measure of signal strength.

[gizmodo.com]

Terc

@snitch29: Actually more towers are probably connected to landlines since it is cheaper in most cases to run a landline instead of using microwave. Also, most companies do not really make use of repeaters, not in an urban center. There would be too much load for one site to expand it's cell radius in that way.

TechnoElf

@Dr. Paul Proteus: It's actually probably a combination of multiple factors—network AND hardware—so you might wanna take your shoe off, it'll make it easier to cram your foot in there.

matt buchanan

@Hickeroar: I know, lol

snitch29

@Dr. Paul Proteus: Personally, I've been saying all along that the problems lie with BOTH Apple and AT&T.

Clearly, certain things (like slow speeds) are being caused by AT&T's craptastic network. Other certain problems (like frequent crashes and synch problems) are Apple's fault.

Then, there are the most disturbing issues (asininely high dropped call rate, poor handoff between 3G and Edge, frequently dropping out of 3G for no apparent reason) that could be the fault of either or both Apple and AT&T.

Unfortunately, Apple and AT&T are playing a little game where they point the finger at one another. I guess they firgure that if the turn this into a giant game of CYA that they've got a 50/50 chance that all of the problems will be blamed on their partner and not them.

davebg5

@dea136:

Well, you also have to remember that Apple with their ridiculous SDK and App store is actively trying to stifle their own device as well. Both sides against the middle...or some-such.

Hickeroar

@dea136: Can't we hate both?

I think it's just more noticeable since so many people are using iPhones. If the iPhone was allowed on Verizon their EvDO would probably get overloaded as well. They have better coverage that AT&T for sure but, still a big data load compared to other phones.

P.S. We need 4G now!

TechnoElf

@snitch29:

That sounds even worse....

Hickeroar

@OMG! Ponies!:

i have no problems with my iPhone...i have problems with AT&T. they are stifling an amazing device.

dea136

@Hickeroar: I doubt that cause most of the Towers are not even connected to landlines, they just repeat signals and the next towers keeps repeating also

snitch29

I don't buy this at all.

For one, my biggest problem with 3G on my iPhone is the dropped calls. While I care about data speed, I care a lot more about 1 out of every 4 calls getting dropped mid-call if I don't have 3G disabled. I'd rather they tested that (somehow) than the speed of the browser

The other thing that makes me doubt this is all of the folks who own two 3G phones talking about how a non-Apple headset can get substantially better reception sitting directly next to an iPhone.

RalphWiggum

@robot-shmobot: Agrees, I have had zero problems. I'm a happy camper despite the cost.

The Magnificen7

Hmm wonder how long until AT&T starts to have a mass exodus of true SMART PHONES because all the yuppies are eating up the already aging 3G network. That would be an interesting twist.

simplegreen

re-focus hating from apple to at&t...go!

dea136

Does it really matter if it's the network or the handset?

At the end of the day, people stood in line and shelled out $300+ for a phone that doesn't work as advertised. It's a cartoon apple that people see when the phone randomly restarts or takes an hour to "back up" or needs to be restored.

Right now, AT&T is pretty thankful that it's Death Star isn't on the package.

OMG! Ponies!

I know its just coincidence, but I read this story "It Might Just be the (AT&T) Network After All" just as I noticed the "Gizmodo, brought to you by Verizon" banner :p

dogcow

Well, from what I've heard as well, most AT&T towers are only given a single T1 line for 3G access as well which is shared across all the data usage. Seeing as a T1 isn't even 1.4mbps itself, this points at fail when you get a wack of users all trying to get on at the same time.

Someone correct me if my information is faulty.

Hickeroar

I believe the overload issue. Out here in the (relative) boonies, about 30 miles from DC, the map showed me that we got better 3G performance than many close-in DC suburbs.

dc-united

This assement makes sense to me. I woke up at 5 am today, and my iPhone internet was blazing here in los angeles. Two hours later, a grinding halt. AT&T needs to bulk things up!

Ghung

haha, viva la Canada. It's embarrassingly safe to say that although all the hoopla about Rogers and the iPhone has been negative, I'm glad I'm on Rogers because their 3G service is FANTASTIC.

robot-shmobot

you mean all those apple haters in the last thread abotu this are gonna have to stick thier foots in thier mouths?? what a shame.

Dr. Paul Proteus

yea except maybe the only reason there is more noise about the poor quality is because there are more people using the phone not a decline in performance

hillaryh8tr

@Dr. Paul Proteus: Not putting my foot in my mouth any time soon.

My iPhone still stopped playing music randomly four times in one hour yesterday. The interface is still laggy. The virtual keyboard still is glitchy. And the iPhone still crashes a few times a week. With the most recent upgrade.

Having sub-EDGE speeds in the middle of Manhattan - that's AT&T's fault. The iPhone being buggy as hell - that's Apple's fault.

Food safety warning - the iPhone is undercooked.

OMG! Ponies!

I'm also on Rogers/Fido here in Canada.. and I've had 0 problems with receptions. 3G is always on and i've never dropped a call yet or seen my phone degrade in to edge.

disgruntleddesigner

@dcdttu: Possible because more people are on the data network now because of the iPhone. The question is does the same Nokia that worked before work just as well today compared to a 3g iPhone?

TechnoElf

@The Magnificen7: Not surprising when a certain Dr. Paul said:
"America, how about paying no income tax?"

America: "Nah, I'm good."

UnStatusTheQuo

wonder how this explains why people on mature networks said their previous Nokias never had a problem, but the iPhone does?

dcdttu

@Dr. Paul Proteus: Except for the fact that one of the main things all those AppleHaters (like me) mentioned was the shitty AT&T network.

Cupajo

@OMG! Ponies!: That's the beauty of the black iPhone 3G - it makes you OCD.

I wash my hands after using the phone, before using the phone, when I'm thinking about using the phone, after I see an ad for the phone...

OMG! Ponies!

I'm having lots of problems with my 3G 16GB here in Spain: dropped calls, low bars, 3G to 2G switching...

But with other phones (Viewty, Blackjack, K800, Diamond...) I always get 5/5 bars and no single problem.

Endeavour

@OMG! Ponies!: Don't forget to wash your hands after handling it then!

TechnoElf

I did some traveling this past week. Here are my unscientific observations. In SF, access speeds were decent with some problems accessing email. Calls would occasionally not go through on the first try but never dropped. In Philly, access speeds were also acceptable except for a few locations where the network seemed to be down. Again problems placing calls and some problems with sound cutting out during calls. NYC, access speeds sucked balls. Half the time, I couldn't get google maps to pull up any images. It definitely seemed like network overload.

SecretAZNMan

@Endeavour: Would you be kind enough to donate some of your stockpile of phones to needy children - like me ;-)

rjbuddyboi

People are just now suspecting the network? AT&T has always been crap almost everywhere you go.

hagrun

I live up in Canada, and I haven't had a problem with reception yet. I almost always have 5 bars. Now, the phone crashing, that's a whole other story. I swear the phone locks up on my almost everyday and I have to re-boot it.

Shifty203

I live in pretty much the dead center of downtown Chicago, and basically 2 blocks (less than 5 min walk) from the Apple store. All I got to say is that ATT services sucks for me here. I am pretty much always on EDGE mode, because I get zero bars in 3G, but even in EDGE, I need to stand next to a window to get anything more than 1 bar. Oh, and don't get me started on all the dropped calls.

I called ATT, and they just tell you to contact Apple, and when you talk to the Apple people, they say talk to ATT. Both sides are deferring blame and it is annoying. I hope there is a mother class action suit in the works.

gjm5w

@TechnoElf:

Answer, yes. My father's Nokia, my friend's Nokia, my friend's Samsung and my coworker's Sony Ericsson hold a 3G signal without a hitch all over the city, whereas my iPhone 3G is sitting at 1-2 bars of 3G at best, but is usually on 2G EDGE while the other phones are still on 3G with full signals...

Network or phone, my iPhone 3G holds a 3G signal in about 20% of the city, whereas other phones, even Samsung, hold a 3G signal in about 90% of the city...

dcdttu

@PhilK: I'm in Central Florida myself. Haven't had any problems with the coverage of my iPhone. 0 dropped calls, rarely terrible reception, etc. etc.

Only real problems I've had have been caused by Apps crashing...losing all of my unlocked dice on MotionX Poker was a REAL drag...

Chromeo

@Hickeroar: i think your information is dead on!

a 3G/2G cell should have a 20-100Mbit fiber optics line connectioing to the backbone, not just a tiny t1 with 1.5Mbit... laughable!!!

smokeonit

I work for Rogers. While I can't speak for retailers in other countries, I can confirm that there has been only a handful of complaints from customers regarding the 3G radio; further, those complaints which we have received were solved via hardware replacement.

My question is, if the problems with the iPhone's 3G connection are as prevalent and severe as the interweb claims them to be, why hasn't there been a backlash at retail?

1) It's not that customers are bashful. The Sony Ericsson W580i has a problem which is far less debilitating (the buttons crack, purely aesthetic), and yet I get an earful of whining about that device every day. If customers are willing to gripe about a handset which is far less expensive up front, far less expensive per month, and has a far less serious problem, they're not going to hold back when it comes to the iPhone 3G.

2) It's not that they're still basking in the afterglow of their fanboy Apple-gasm. We get plenty of complaints about the phone's other shortcomings: Safari instability, lack of turn-by-turn, etc.

3) It's not that they're writing it off as a network problem. Rogers has been advertising itself as Canada's "clearest voice network" with the "fewest dropped calls", etc. There's posters to that effect in almost every Rogers retail store. Again, it's highly unlikely that customers are simply too shy to point out that they are dropping calls at an alarming rate on Rogers' network using Rogers' premium handset.

I always see posts about people who have handled two iPhone 3G's, or three, or five. I've personally made test calls and verified 3G data connection on multiple hundreds of these devices (as a part of the sales process).

If there's an epidemic problem, I haven't seen it, and neither have my customers.

asdfasdf

I'm in Central Florida and I've experienced dropped calls and slower 3g speeds/ switching to EDGE on my Blackjack II soon after the new iPhone launch. I never had these issues before. I'm sure it'a a capacity issue - who couldn't have seen this coming?

Arthur-Vandalay

Wasnt it already predicted 3G speeds would plummet because of the massive popularity of the 3G iPhone? all those people using 3G at once on a developing network would probably mean lower speeds overall...

Hamburger-helper

*sigh*. AT&T 3G data speed and voice quality used to be spectacular on my Motorola V3xx. Until all the morons got their little toys. Now 3G is spotty, terrible quality, and slow.

Thanks, fanboiz.

asten77

I just got an iphone this weekend and I get really good 3G reception near my home. This morning I was driving to work and while I was on the phone my 3G switched to EDGE and I didn't lose my call. I've been reading about complaints from people all over the world that they have significant dropped call issues, but I haven't seen it at all. I know it's only been 3 days since I've had the phone, but so far so good.

iiqwertyii

I don't doubt that overload plays a significant role in the poor performance, but it doesn't explain why I get horrible 3G performance (both in terms of dropped calls and slow data rates) at my desk using my iPhone 3G and "normal" 3G performance (no dropped calls, reasonably fast data) on my HTC TyTN (2 years old now, also on AT&T). The only thing I find reliable about my iPhone 3G is that I know it will drop any call I get. If I didn't feel so spoiled by the 16 gigs at this point, I'd revert to my original iPhone in a heartbeat.

ArildaBinky

Let's start up coversations with AT&T. I wish iPhone was Verizon....

Whirl

My N95 8Gig has great signal here in / near Orlando, but the 3G / 3.5G speed is ass. 400K to 1.5 but mostly 400 to 500K.

Fountainhead

iP3G in Japan > Excellent
iP3G in Taiwan > Excellent
iP3G in Hong Kong > Good

Tedinasia

I consistently get over 3.5mbps on my HTC Touch Diamond, yet people right next to me with an iPhone get utter crap speeds, it's definitely not the network congestion.

poedgirl

677kb up 272kb down.
Vodafone athens greece.

borjo

My Moto Z9 has good 3G reception mostly 5 bars all over town and never has any dropped calls. Heck I can't remember the last time I had a dropped call it has been so long......Seriously

FireZingr

AT&T was like a party full of super hot chicks who all wanted to talk to you - and you were the only guy around. Then the iPhone showed up with the entire football team and ruined the party.

sam1am

Honestly it makes a lot of sense. I have a 3g Samsung Blackjack 2 phone but don't use most of the 3g functionality because frankly I am always in front of a PC and the mobile web browser sucks ass. You dont need full 3g to send a text message which is probably the only data related thing I do. The 3g aspect of my phone falls to the wayside simply because I don't use it. But on the iphone the 3g aspect is thrown front and center because of all the functionality that lives on it (specifically the full browser) so it would make sense that you would notice the network sucks ass quicker on a the iphone. I think the network has always sucked just no one noticed.

Lynus

Anyone hear much complaining about Windows Mobile 6? Hmm. :-)

ShorashiProtesilaus

Gosh...maybe AT&T's network sucks. That thing that VZW keeps saying and dishing out 'propaganda' on? My goodness...who would have thought that the inferior network provides...inferior service? It's madness I say! Madness!!!

jacksplat

As long as it's faster then Edge ON AVERAGE I don't care. The problem with my area is I'm supposed to have FULL 3G coverage yet I usualy only get 1 3G bar. Then it runs like crap. While Edge devices around me are running at full Edge speeds and are faster then my 3G phone.

JEmlay

remember some site reports that iPhones use up 70% of the data waves(3G)... and i guess thats true... people with money to buy iPhone probably want to check their email and facebook every 5 minutes, using up data...

(and since iPhones use up 70% of data, think of the great times a year ago without any iPhones... and each 3G phone didnt use that much data.... = better speeds i guess)

with more people buying the iPhone 3G, more users logging onto the 3G network, bad i guess...

taking_this_easy