So I've heard that the SIM for the iPhone is actually 3G capable. I also hear that people will have to wait for a newer iPhone for it to use the 3G data speeds. IF the iPhone is capable of 3G, isn't it just a matter of Apple and AT&T enabling 3G service for iPhone users. Basically, what I'm asking is this, if I were to purchase an iPhone, is it possible that it could run 3G data transfer without having to buy a newer iPhone? Thanks.
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Can 3G eventually be enabled?
- Thread starter rylenolflu
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The iPhone is not capable of 3G, despite whatever the SIM says. In other words, no, 3G will only be available with the purchase of a new iPhone.
(The iPhone is not currently equipped with 3G hardware for battery-life reasons.)
(The iPhone is not currently equipped with 3G hardware for battery-life reasons.)
yep, they totally lied to you. not entirely surprising - customer service staff at at&t (and most companies) are not very knowledgeable in my experience...
All current AT&T sim cards have the 3G logo on them. My cheap Samsung GoPhone has a 3G card in it.
Yes there is. 3G SIMs are different from regular SIMs.
In fact, they're required to make a 3G phone work on 3G networks. (A 3G SIM has extra code inside for its CPU to handle encryption and so forth.)
Many carriers now buy only 3G capable SIMs... it's cheaper to do that in bulk, plus then the customer can upgrade to a 3G phone at any time, using the same SIM.
But of course, a 3G SIM won't make a non-3G phone become something it's not.
This topic keeps coming up again and again. Think of it this way guys. Your iPhone is like the AM/FM radio in your car. Can you get XM on it? No. You have to get a different radiio that has the capability for AM/FM and XM.
I had to call apple support for my iphone was having some issues with freezing..i started talking to the guy on the phone about the new 3g. He said you may not have to get a totally new iphone because the 3g chip might be able to be placed in your phone along with a new battery at a store.
Has anyone heard anything about this? If its true, sounds like a great idea to me!
Has anyone heard anything about this? If its true, sounds like a great idea to me!
Not possible. The chip to connect to the cellular network is wired into the circuitry, it's not independent and hanging out on the battery. They'd have to replace the existing chip, and that's not cheap. Whoever you spoke to was making **** up, or was really misinformed.
Apple doesn't replace ipod batteries. If a battery dies, the entire unit is replaced. I can assure you they won't open iPhones in the store either, there's no way this is possible.
you can get the battery replaced in the iphone for $75... but like you said, they probably just replace the unit...
I wonder if there will be some kind of upgrade plan they'll have (if this is true) ... i doubt they would... they don't do that for any current products ...
It's an iPhone not an IBM XT (They had replaceable board mount memory chips).
Sorry if this sounds offensive but the idea seems so preposterous to me it's difficult to believe anyone would even think this. For one thing, the power requirements and circuit layout for the 3G chip are almost certainly going to be different. They are 2 different technologies. It's like trying to replace the ARM processor with a Pentium 4. Also, have you seen how small the pins are on modern microchips? They are soldered by machine and it's not very easy at all for a human to do it without destroying the chip. It's the price we pay for miniaturization. If it breaks or becomes outdated it's much easier to just replace.
Lastly, integration continues and it's possible that Apple may want to integrate other functions currently carried out by other chips into the 3G chip (if they go with a custom chip) to reduce the size or increase battery life of the iPhone.
No offence though.
I have heard they send you a new unit and refurbish and sell the old unit. I'm not sure if this is true though.