iPhone 3G Hands On, Notes, and Questions

[dant19]

That was a lot of pages of whining!

Now that the iPhone 2 is about to be released ALL the phones that were available before still are. Buy one of those if the iPhone and its wierd features and cost sets do not suit you.

Apple is selling no fewer computers due to iPhone. If anything they are selling substantially more. All the OS's and hardwaqre they shipped before are still available all the way back to 4.2 and before. Use whichever one suits you.

Not sure about Snow Leopard? Pisses you off it is Intel only? You are not in the target market, and the OS on your G4/G5 (recently updated too) has the most modern and recent features available on any computer AND you can run ANY other OS on it as well.

Stop whining.

Decide what is best for you and buy it (or steal it).

Stop whining.

I bet you do not stop whining.

Rocketman

amen

 

[Enuratique]

I have a 3G phone - I can't tell the difference in call quality between Edge and 3G. The only "perk" of 3G is that you can receive data while you're on a call. Whoopee. And congratulations, your one 3G call just drained your battery.

I'm hoping the iPhone won't be as bad as my current phone (after all, my current phone is at least 2-year-old tech), but I'm not a real fan of 3G.

I think you are misunderstanding things. Your phone doesn't use the 3G radio for voice data. Hence why you're able to receive data while on a call. The communications protocol for GSM has been around for a long time, well before data on a cell phone was prolific. There is a separate chip inside the phone that communicates on the quad-band GSM protocol. Note the tech specs on the iPhone 3G:

# UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
# GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

Those are separate chips (why you can turn off the 3G radio and still make calls). Now, the EDGE protocol works over the same frequencies as GSM voice protocols (hence you can't receive data and talk at the same time).

In summary, the 3G radio is used ONLY for data so don't worry about the battery life there. Now if you're going to use VOIP (can 3G even handle the bandwidth requirements of VOIP?), then you may have some issues.

 

[EglMtn]

So I didn't feel like reading through 14 pages, but does anyone know what will happen if you just signed a two year agreement and got a subsidized phone? A couple of months ago I signed a new agreement and got a blackberry pearl for 80$. I sold the pearl, and now am wondering if I will be able to get the iphone for $199/299. Does anyone know?

 

[diamond.g]

I think you are misunderstanding things. Your phone doesn't use the 3G radio for voice data. Hence why you're able to receive data while on a call. The communications protocol for GSM has been around for a long time, well before data on a cell phone was prolific. There is a separate chip inside the phone that communicates on the tri-band GSM protocol. Note the tech specs on the iPhone 3G:

# UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
# GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

Those are separate chips (why you can turn off the 3G radio and still make calls). Now, the EDGE protocol works over the same frequencies as GSM voice protocols (hence you can't receive data and talk at the same time).

In summary, the 3G radio is used ONLY for data so don't worry about the battery life there. Now if you're going to use VOIP, then you may have some issues.

That doesn't sound right. With 3G voice and data are the same thing. Where did you hear different?

 

[sananda]

does the $199 price include sales tax?

 

[Type121]

What is this garbage that I have to be eligible for an upgrade to get the pricing or even buy the 3G? I currently have the blackberry pearl and have been waiting for months for the release of the 3G to get the iphone. Now AT&T tells me that I can't even buy the phone since I am not eligible for the upgrade. WTF? I WANT to spend my money and I can't?

Chill, dude. The memo the original post mentions clearly says that there will be the opportunity for AT&T customers not eligible for full-upgrade to purchase anyway. The just have not yet determined that price.

 

[EVH]

Wow, some people are just never happy

I think the USA got the worst end of the stick, but then again I haven't seen the UK prices, so I'll reserve that judgement.

Original iPhone owner (from launch), on the 02 contract, so I'll be happy if my contract remains the same (£35p/month) and I can just put my iPhone EDGE Sim inside and just go.

Bit gutted they didn't release the Product [RED] one, or a 32GB model but then again I'm more than happy with the features they did add as they've lowered the price.. and the App store could be amazing

 

[jflash07]

Just talked with Apple rep who said that the pricing structure is $199 and $299 respectively, period!!!! I am not sure what AT&T means that I cannot buy the phone at this price (must be upgrade eligible or new activation, I am not upgrade eligible and already a AT&T customer).

Apple rep said I could walk into their store, buy the phone at that price and walk into AT&T to activate it, no hassle. Knowing AT&T it is always a hassle.

I talked to an AT&T rep yesterday and he said that I ( a current iphone user/att customer) could get the 199/299 price as long as I extend my current contract by two years.

He also told me that the data package price I'm paying right now wouldn't increase.

I don't know what to believe anymore.

 

[Type121]

So I didn't feel like reading through 14 pages, but does anyone know what will happen if you just signed a two year agreement and got a subsidized phone? A couple of months ago I signed a new agreement and got a blackberry pearl for 80$. I sold the pearl, and now am wondering if I will be able to get the iphone for $199/299. Does anyone know?

The honest truth is that no one knows yet. There are lots of unfounded assumptions in this thread but the best information available (the leaked memo) says that AT&T has not decided yet how this will be handled and what the cost will be.

 

[Type121]

I talked to an AT&T rep yesterday and he said that I ( a current iphone user/att customer) could get the 199/299 price as long as I extend my current contract by two years.

He also told me that the data package price I'm paying right now wouldn't increase.

I don't know what to believe anymore.

1st part seems to be true. Second part does not. The reps do not have any more information than is in the original post.

 

[Andrmgic]

Audio clarity, improved reception, flush headphone jack,GPS, 3G Data and a lower initial price hurdle (far more over the course of a 2 yr agreement, but I've gotten used to having internet access everywhere.. the premium is still worth it for me)

 

[Enuratique]

I have a 3G phone - I can't tell the difference in call quality between Edge and 3G. The only "perk" of 3G is that you can receive data while you're on a call. Whoopee. And congratulations, your one 3G call just drained your battery.

I'm hoping the iPhone won't be as bad as my current phone (after all, my current phone is at least 2-year-old tech), but I'm not a real fan of 3G.

That doesn't sound right. With 3G voice and data are the same thing. Where did you hear different?

OK, so the 3G protocol CAN support voice data - yes. However, phone manufacturers don't have to adhere to that if they include additional hardware to support plain old GSM. In short, this post. Now, whether the Apple engineers force the phone to use the GSM radio for voice calls remains to be seen but I think that would be low hanging fruit in the battery savings department.

 

[jflash07]

1st part seems to be true. Second part does not. The reps do not have any more information than is in the original post.

Does anyone know for sure about he GPS charge rumor? If they charge me to use GPS then I'm out, screw it.

I don't see it being too unbelieveable, they charge any other 3G phone with a GPS chip for that service...

 

[Type121]

I need a solid answer - will I be able to use the iPhone 3G on the T-mobile network in the US?

Almost certainly not. The 3G implementation that T-Mobile uses is very non-standard. The iPhone doesn't even have one of the required bands.

1. t-mobile only uses 2100mhz for uplink. without 1700mhz you would have no downlink.
2. the 2100mhz used in europe and on the iphone is not the same as the 2100mhz that t-mobile is using here in the states and is incompatible.

 

[Type121]

Does anyone know for sure about he GPS charge rumor? If they charge me to use GPS then I'm out, screw it.

No one knows. There is a subscription-based service called TeleNav on the other AT&T GPS phones, but those phones don't have Google Maps. At any rate, on those phones, you don't pay to use the GPS, you pay the TeleNav service subscription. Small difference, but with TomTom already saying that they have a working product for the iPhone, it sounds like there will be plenty of choices.

 

[rtdunham]

reception?

a device is to be functional before it is to be pretty...if a plastic back gives me better reception/audio quality/battery life then awesome!

I'm in a top-20 metro market but in a spot with horrible ATT signal strength (they know it and haven't been able to fix it for about ten months).

QUES: will the switch to 3G improve my phone signal reception? or does that change affect only data?

I'm hoping at least the plastic housing might make my phone usable.*

td

*--in spirit of full disclosure, the useless service is at a home in florida where i spend half the year; at my home in kentucky the other six months, i get full-bars signal strength and fine service. It's clearly a tower/antenna problem, but that's of little consolation.

 

[UWSpindoctor]

I fear the torch and pitchfork mob will be after me but now that I can get my corporate discount again, the new iPhone plan is actually cheaper for me than the original iPhone plan.

Of course if ATT decides to nuke the corporate discounts for the iPhone again I may pick up a torch and pitchfork and join in

 

[rtdunham]

(In a reply to comments by Tosser, wrote: i saw someone mention yesterday that your username is rather apt and i must say i'm beginning to agree with that.

sananda: i've found your posts informative and rational, and admired your ability to remain so even in response to some who Tossed ideas (if they amounted to that) with seeming abandon. Keep up the objective comments.

 

[tgildred]

Of course if ATT decides to nuke the corporate discounts for the iPhone again I may pick up a torch and pitchfork and join in

Me too! I may snag a few iPhones in the confusion as well...

 

[rtdunham]

Again, fair enough. The point is, though, that they're spending some of the revenue to cover what they "owe". Be it to the investment in the customer or to Apple. With regards to how much they "get to "spend" as they please, one have (and had) to deduct these things from the revenue. Next is taxes of course.

i've watched the trainwreck of your dialog with sananda for a while, and would like to comment. In your reaction above, Tosser, you sound as reasonable and rational as sananda--and therefore you got my attention, and you got me to consider your comments. In the reaction below, more typical of your comments in this thread, you use hyperbole and insult and surmise to reach an overly dramatic conclusion, and it was all i could do to read your words and not hear "yadda, yadda yadda." I couldn't get to any substance that might have been there. That might be a shame: Bits and pieces of your comments sound like you have some knowledge. I wish you had a different style of presenting your thoughts, because then someone might learn something new, be persuaded to see a new point of view, or even change his or her mind. With your current style, i think not. I would love to see you change your approach. Peace out.

Ah, yes. Poor lad. Of course I should have just taken his word for it, when he introduces some lame made-up statistics as if they were the truth and further uses that made-up statistic to make wild assumptions.

 

[rtdunham]

You from the UK by any chance? NEVER EVER heard of ANY of those transistor radio brands in the US. Maybe they did manage to survive in the UK.

Here one of the top manufacturer's was Lloyd's and Montgomery Wards. Silvertone. All without a trace.

you never heard of phillips?

but here's another for your list of early transistor radio manufacturers: Zenith.

 

[elistan]

Gizmodo says they have a copy of the memo AT&T sent to store managers about the iPhone. It doesn't actually clear anything up though - GPS is not mentioned, SMS is not mentioned, and pricing for people not eligible for upgrade pricing (the $199 and $299 prices Apple talks about) has not been determined.

http://gizmodo.com/5014909/att-memo-to-retail-managers-shows-iphone-3g-policy

Some other points AT&T says:
- You MUST sign a two year agreement
- You MUST use the new $30/mo 3G plan
- The $20/mo 2G plan continues to be available for all 2G iPhones
- If you have a 2G iPhone, you automatically qualify for the upgrade pricing. (The implication being that if you're within the 2-year commitment for a differen subsidized iPhone, you'll likely have to pay some undetermined additional amount beyind $199/$299.)

 

[chicagdan]

(The implication being that if you're within the 2-year commitment for a differen subsidized iPhone, you'll likely have to pay some undetermined additional amount beyind $199/$299.)

So you're concluding, what, that if you buy a subsidized iPhone now and want to upgrade in six months when it includes 32 gigs ... or if there's some super iPhone Plus tablet in a few months ... then you're screwed and have to pay more? My experience with AT&T Wireless/Cingular/AT&T is that they talk a tough game about upgrades, but nearly always end up letting you buy a subsidized phone if you start a new 2 year contract fresh.

 

[sananda]

sananda: i've found your posts informative and rational, and admired your ability to remain so even in response to some who Tossed ideas (if they amounted to that) with seeming abandon. Keep up the objective comments.

thanks!

 

[GreenFreaK]

Number Crunching

I crunched some numbers and check out my results... This is based off of this post on gizmodo:
http://gizmodo.com/5015540/iphone-3gs-true-price-compared

You could also look at it as $359 as the total cost of an 8GB phone, which is $40 less, not too shabby, right?

I'm currently paying the following:
$399 - cost of 1st gen iPhone
$39 - voice
$20 - data
$10 - 1500 txt msgs
-----------------------------
$2055 - total over 2 years

Now, if we assume the following for the iPhone 3G:
$199 - cost of iPhone
$39 - voice
$30 - data
$10 - 1500 txt msgs (this is assumed to stay the same)
-----------------------------
$2095 - total over 2 years

That's only $40 more I'll be paying for the new phone (over 2 yr span). Now that seems resonable, right? Well, if you get a 16 GB version that's only an additional $100 so you'd actually only be paying $140 extra (over 2 years), which brings the cost of the phone to $439, which is only $40 more than the original iPhone (and you get an 8 GB boot)!! Now that is something I can get behind as long as:
1) GPS routing isn't extra (like in a previous post)
2) 1500 txt msgs are only $10
3) the material quality is on par w/ current phone, if not better
4) the plastic is durable and won't scratch easily (goes with #3)