Deception? No tethering on original iPhone

[luckylou]

I noticed in the new Apple KB article http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3574 that the original iPhone is not supported for internet tethering, since it requires iOS 4, which doesn't load on the original iPhone.

I seem to recall an Apple keynote where Steve and/or AT&T talked about adding internet tethering for iPhones in iOS 3. Obviously it never came to the US in that version, but it was promised that we would ALL get it eventually.

Now iOS 4 is out and we have tethering, but original iPhone owners in the US who were promised tethering capabilities will not get it.

Does this seem like deception/false advertising/bait-and-switch? Are any original iPhone users complaining about this?

I have a 3G but the thought occurred to me...

 

[Kahnyl]

OS3 has tethering. Is it not possible to use that with AT&T?

 

[dukebound85]

it is a 3 year old phone

bait and switch? on what premise? os3 was free...nobody had to buy it on the iphone

plus tethering was NEVER advertised when people were buying the original iphone

 

[joefro]

Does anyone actually want to tether EDGE data? My old original iPhone could barely handle loading email.

I do agree that they should offer it (if only because they announced it with OS 3), but I can't think of anyone who would want it.

 

[ValientHimself]

Yeah, Apple totally pulled a bait and switch on everyone that bought a first gen iPhone with the expectation of being able to tether it three years later.

 

[ARF900]

Does anyone actually want to tether EDGE data? My old original iPhone could barely handle loading email.

I do agree that they should offer it (if only because they announced it with OS 3), but I can't think of anyone who would want it.

Yeah it would be so slow...

 

[james92se]

I've tethered my original iPhone just fine. It's jailbroken, but it works great.

I actually get ~200kbps on EDGE here in Dallas, and thus tethering the original iPhone over EDGE actually is NOT a painful experience at all.

Of course, since getting my iPhone 4 my original iPhone is de-activated so no more EDGE tethering for me, but it worked great while I had it

 

[luckylou]

The question is for original iPhone owners

Whether or not EDGE is good for tethering, and regardless of the fact that original iPhones are three years old, the point is that both Apple and AT&T said they'd give US-based iPhones tethering a long time ago (not in three years) and now that it's finally here a not insignificant number of iPhone users can't tether.

I was just wondering if any original iPhone owners felt slighted by this. Not making a big deal out of it.

 

[Applejuiced]

Yeah, Apple totally pulled a bait and switch on everyone that bought a first gen iPhone with the expectation of being able to tether it three years later.

LMAO
I hear that.
My old windows 95 computer cant support windows 7.
Damn Microsoft, bait and switch....
Also the reason it never came to the US in that version 3.0 was not Apples fault. They had it available for carriers thruout the world.
It was AT&T that wasnt ready, just like the way they enabled MMS 10 months later on 3.0 after most other carriers had it available on launch day.
And just like they took over a year to finally provide official internet tethering, the last one to come to the party again

 

[scaredpoet]

Whether or not EDGE is good for tethering, and regardless of the fact that original iPhones are three years old, the point is that both Apple and AT&T said they'd give US-based iPhones tethering a long time ago (not in three years)

When did they say that?

You also know that if you do find some way to tether your original iPhone, you will not receive phone calls while the data session is active, right? Or, the data session would cut off mid-stream to handle the call. You can't do simultaneous voice and data with EDGE. The only way to do that on the 1st-gen iPhone is to be connected to WiFi... but then that sorta negates the need for tethering, doesn't it?

And that's probably why you'll never see tethering on the original iPhone.

 

[ucfgrad93]

LMAO
I hear that.
My old windows 95 computer cant support windows 7.
Damn Microsoft, bait and switch....
Also the reason it never came to the US in that version 3.0 was not Apples fault. They had it available for carriers thruout the world.
It was AT&T that wasnt ready, just like the way they enabled MMS 10 months later on 3.0 after most other carriers had it available on launch day.
And just like they took over a year to finally provide official internet tethering, the last one to come to the party again

Agreed. It is at&t's fault not Apple's

 

[luckylou]

Yes, I'm aware it's AT&T's fault, not Apple's, just clarifying that they both said tethering was coming. The announcement was made during the Q&A of the iPhone OS 3 keynote on 3/17/2009, less than two years after the original iPhone's release.

More AT&T promises here: https://www.macrumors.com/2009/10/0...efore-offering-internet-tethering-via-iphone/

However, a June 2009 MacRumors.com snippet from an AT&T iPhone OS 3 FAQ clarifies that tethering will only be for iPhone 3G and 3GS, which pretty much nullifies the basis for my original question: https://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/15/apple-and-atandt-preparing-for-iphone-3-0-launch/