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Apple and AT&T Have Reportedly Worked Closely on 3G Network Performance Issues
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This. This is what so many people fail to recognize, and yet it's almost 100% responsible (in my mind) for making Apple great. They don't listen to their customers. They don't listen to their opposition. They don't listen to the media. They don't listen to "common sense". They do what makes sense to them, in the way it makes sense to them, and when they put out products that they understand, somehow we begin to understand those products too. Some take a while, others take no effort at all. But if Apple catered to the requests of all of their customers, and tried to compete with the companies trying to compete with them, they would not have the brilliant products we see today.
Granted, they certainly have listened to their customers about some things (FireWire on the MacBook Pro), and they certainly do study their "competition" closely, but they don't let outside influences guide their decisions. Apple does what it wants, and we want what Apple does.
jW
If the rumors are to be believed, Apple may have implied that it had enough money to build itself into the largest US based MVNO(mobile virtual network operator) and fear of having to compete with the Verizon and Apple's iPod+phone made AT&T agree to carry the iPhone. Now my take on the agreements between AT&T and Apple, is that there is minimum performance and improvement level AT&T must meet in order not to trigger the early exit clause. If sales didn't reach a certain watermark AT&T could bail and
had to pay a penalty fee. I feel your pain. I ditched my RAZR for the iPhone 3G last year. Let me just say
. Waiting is the hardest part.
At least in your home you sound like a candidate to either the 3G Microcell or if you can get a 3G signal outside your home (in the attic or outside around the house) a 3G extender like this one.
This way you can get 3G inside your home.
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It took ATT 3 years to start to improve. Do they actually want credit for this? Are they kidding?
Memphis quality is worse than before
Within the last few months, my 3GS has started dropping more calls with poorer sound quality than ever before.
I live in the Memphis area - I've noticed data speeds are better at times, but the call quality is getting worse.
Within the last few months, my 3GS has started dropping more calls with poorer sound quality than ever before.
I live in the Memphis area - I've noticed data speeds are better at times, but the call quality is getting worse.
I can't believe it
Apple and ATT worked closely together on a project that is worth billions of dollars to both companies? Who could have thought it possible... I just figured these things kind of, I dunno... sorted themselves out.
Apple and ATT worked closely together on a project that is worth billions of dollars to both companies? Who could have thought it possible... I just figured these things kind of, I dunno... sorted themselves out.
Given how secretive and arrogant Apple can be I'm surprised it didn't take longer for them to work together on lessening the network load.
funny, AT&T is finally improving their network right around when a potential Verizon iPhone may be released. Who whoulda thought ? According to all the AT&T fanboys, AT&T coverage is completely perfect and the rest of us are just drinking kool aid or something. I guess my question to the fanboys is why are they improving an already perfect network?
? According to all the AT&T fanboys, AT&T coverage is completely perfect and the rest of us are just drinking kool aid or something. I guess my question to the fanboys is why are they improving an already perfect network?I understand why Apple had to go with ATT but they are a piece of crap in reality. The problem is that ATT is afraid someone may use the network. Plus all of these phone companies are working very hard to keep the speed down so we all don't move to skype. Maybe the end is in sight for these lame ass phone companies and ipad could be their demise. Just think skype on a ipad.
Whoa - iphone for sale !!
Whoa - iphone for sale !!
I second this comment. Now I just wish I could get service in the metro tunnels. I can get service on the platforms but sometimes I am in the middle of typing an email and want to send while in the tunnel. This is not a deal breaker for me and I would hope that AT&T would eventually address.
They're working on it! I believe all stations should be wired for AT&T by the end of the year and all tunnels by October 2012.
My connection here in downtown Atlanta has been getting slower and slower. I cannot wait for AT&T's exclusive deal for iPhone to end, there is nothing better than open competition to improve services. AT&T must have thought that the iPhone was the cash cow and they could simply half ass it when it came to providing actual speed of service.
I still get dropped calls DAILY. They are always in the same places too. When I leave my office: if I make a left, I get a dropped call at the traffic light; make a right, I drop the call maybe 0.1 miles down the road.
The other day, I was driving 25 miles and was amazed not to have dropped the call... I pull into my driveway and DROP.
I'm in West Orlando. I hope improvements are made or I might have to jump back to Verizon. When I had Verizon, they were adequate but I still had dropped calls... Just not as often as I do with At&t.
The other day, I was driving 25 miles and was amazed not to have dropped the call... I pull into my driveway and DROP.
I'm in West Orlando. I hope improvements are made or I might have to jump back to Verizon. When I had Verizon, they were adequate but I still had dropped calls... Just not as often as I do with At&t.
This is just one small clue that Apple competes with Android:
“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
- Steve Jobs, when asked about Apple's suit against HTC (which many believe is a surrogate to acting against Android/Google).
http://androidandme.com/2010/03/news/rotten-apple-htc-sued-over-20-patents/
I second this comment. Now I just wish I could get service in the metro tunnels. I can get service on the platforms but sometimes I am in the middle of typing an email and want to send while in the tunnel. This is not a deal breaker for me and I would hope that AT&T would eventually address.
Don't worry. Tunnel access is coming soon. WMATA is working on getting GSM transceivers in all the stations. Next up is the tunnels. Then public WiFi throughout. Congress pushed this along because they consider it a public safety issue.
http://wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=4114
And a quick comment about the WiFi:
http://wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=2479
I'll believe it when I see it.
Signal has not improved in Podunk East Lansing, only degraded since August '09. I used to get 5Bars3G at home and office all the time, now I get wild fluctuations where I often get 2BarsEdge or NO SIGNAL AT ALL! Yes, AT&T, my iPhone is working fine. Well if I don't like it I suppose I can always terminate my contract and switch carriers right?
Signal has not improved in Podunk East Lansing, only degraded since August '09. I used to get 5Bars3G at home and office all the time, now I get wild fluctuations where I often get 2BarsEdge or NO SIGNAL AT ALL! Yes, AT&T, my iPhone is working fine.
Well if I don't like it I suppose I can always terminate my contract and switch carriers right?No More Dead Zones at Home in NE OH
I thought it was just a fluke, but I have noticed in the last month or so that my dead spots at home had disappeared. Still only edge, but at least I can complete a call from my media room in the basement. I've never had a problem with AT&T while I've been outside. This includes road trips to the Pacific NW (all along the freeways, of course).
I thought it was just a fluke, but I have noticed in the last month or so that my dead spots at home had disappeared. Still only edge, but at least I can complete a call from my media room in the basement. I've never had a problem with AT&T while I've been outside. This includes road trips to the Pacific NW (all along the freeways, of course).
Maybe they moved all the towers from the Virginia suburbs into DC proper, because my coverage in Fairfax and Loudoun counties kept getting worse and worse and worse. I finally left for Verizon in February and now get much better, more consistent voice and data coverage.I second this comment. Now I just wish I could get service in the metro tunnels. I can get service on the platforms but sometimes I am in the middle of typing an email and want to send while in the tunnel. This is not a deal breaker for me and I would hope that AT&T would eventually address.
YMMV.
I live in manhattan and ive been on iphone since day 1- what ive noticed the last few months: connection IS slightly more consistent. I find myself dropping from 5 bars to no signal slightly less. However, the speed is consistently unimpressive. I run a speed test in some fashion just about every week and it averages in the high 600's kbps. I have 4000 rollover minutes so I'm really only interested in good data, and for 95$ a month I'm just not getting it. I'm waiting til june to do anything because from a business standpoint, whether its Verizon or not, Apple WILL have to open itself to another network just to stave off the people jumping to android. But there is no way i will stay with ATT. They've sucked my wallet dry enough for the last many years. I am a fan of Sprint's simply-everything plan.. so that would be my preferred place to land.
It's too bad AT&T hadn't bother to improve their network or provide these 'master classes' to Apple's engineers/designers before the real possibility of iPhone on another carrier/network emerged.
But AT&T didn't need to, and that's the failings of a monopolistic market position.
Competition is good.
The rise of Google's Android is great for Apple, it'll require Apple to step-up it's game and make the improvements which end-users have been asking for....easy battery swaps, multiple apps running in the background, etc.
Battery swap comes with a price in other terms... apple battery program is pretty good imho. And about background... 99% not need them and will be a battery killer. iPhone 3GS is so fast that multitasking for simple things is useless. Remember on a small device, with a small screen, you keep your apps full screen anyway. Push notfication is pretty good too to "simulate" multitasking in a efficient way.