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What's the big deal about 3G? WiFi Better

I

iphonewiz

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 30, 2008
133
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I really don't know what all the noise is about. I've used Blackberry's with 3G access, Verizon wireless as well as Sprint data cards, and the browsing on those things are marginally better that 2.5G and a lot slower than WiFi.

The built in WiFi built into the iPhone works great! Very fast downloads, and the more hotspots that pop up, the better.

Don't get me wrong 3G speed is better, but not the super dooper, blazing fast speeds much of the hype makes it out to be. If 3G means a larger footprint, and less battery life, I'm not sure if it will be worth it.
 
Well yes it would be great if hotspots were that widespread but they're not (in the UK at least), and yes WiFi blows 3G away. It depends what kind of 3G though, just saying "3G" is very vague. UMTS would not be an amazing upgrade from EDGE, however HSDPA is another story. So the faster the iPhone can be outside of WiFi areas, the better. It's about delivering the true internet at high speeds everywhere.

BTW, BudCase, excellent item! Got my mum to pick one up when she went over to the US.:D
 
In Canada, Edge and 3G are just to expensive! I just use wifi. Sure, free hotspots are limited but I don't find I "need" it that often. Plus I'm at work or home most of the day... both have wifi.

So I don't see the big deal in 3G at all.
 
rioja said:
In Canada, Edge and 3G are just to expensive! I just use wifi. Sure, free hotspots are limited but I don't find I "need" it that often. Plus I'm at work or home most of the day... both have wifi.

So I don't see the big deal in 3G at all.
Click to expand...

So just because you have no use for it means you don't see how others can find it useful? :confused:
 
This is just another of those things that for some people is huge and for others is "eh." I am one of those that the lack of 3G is so painful in comparison to already having it that I did not get the first generation iPhone. But once 3G has been added I almost certainly will.

I use wireless away from WiFi hotspots regularly and EDGE, for me, someone who has been using 3G enabled smart phones for years, is pathetically and disruptively slow.
 
I am always reminded here on MacRumors of how different we all are - were we live, how we live, etc. Several threads have questioned the need for 3G since the iPhone's wifi is so good. Another thread questioned the usefulness of satellite radio (XM and Sirius here in the states) when internet radio is widely available. I always imagine (not accurately, I'm sure) these questions coming from people who work at a static office environment office in a medium to large sized city. To those of you who pose these questions, I ask (with a bit of good natured sarcasm):

If there is wifi available to you most of the time, then why not just carry a laptop for the internet? The browsing experience would be better. And where there is wifi, surely there is a landline phone you could use - why carry a cell phone? If you have wifi available for an internet radio stream, then surely there are many radio stations you could easily tune in on FM radio.

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I travel and drive most of the day. I do not work in an office. There is no free wifi at places I go. I have wifi at home, but I use a real computer there. Maybe I should ask "What's the big deal about wifi? EDGE/3G more available" ;)
 
Doesn't 3G allow one to use the phone and internet at the same time? That seems like a huge advantage while you are away from Wifi.
 
plus you cannot assume a wifi hotspot will be faster than 3G. oftentimes my 3G card is faster with my air than the wifi at a particular location.

The best of all? BOTH!!!! Bring it on. Just log me into the faster one please... thank you.
 
iphonewiz said:
I really don't know what all the noise is about. I've used Blackberry's with 3G access, Verizon wireless as well as Sprint data cards, and the browsing on those things are marginally better that 2.5G and a lot slower than WiFi.

The built in WiFi built into the iPhone works great! Very fast downloads, and the more hotspots that pop up, the better.

Don't get me wrong 3G speed is better, but not the super dooper, blazing fast speeds much of the hype makes it out to be. If 3G means a larger footprint, and less battery life, I'm not sure if it will be worth it.
Click to expand...

The 3G thing is WAY overblown, but it's still a good upgrade from EDGE. I think the download speeds approach or maybe even top 1Mbps, which is what most people with any form of DSL are used to.

But relying on WiFi access is crazy. I can count on one hand the number of free WiFi hotspots I know around here (since AT&T can't figure out how 'free' they want theirs to be to DSL/iPhone customers). Meanwhile, I can plop on the EDGE network almost anywhere around here. With 3G, I could do the same thing but...not...wait...for...a...good...while...for...things...to...happen.

I'm not going to upgrade my 2-month-old phone just because of a faster connection, but it's definitely an important upgrade to the device. If you don't like the extra battery drain, the beta 2.0 firmware has an off switch for 3G.
 
gloss said:
Who wants to find a WiFi hotspot if you can have 3G everywhere you walk (in a 3G area)?
Click to expand...

theres another problem, the US is soo far behind in coverage its rediculous, we are behind japan by leaps and bounds:apple:
 
I get 1.5mbps from my Helio Ocean using 3G, which is only barely slower than what I get at home (Edge best I've gotten is like 1/6 of that!). And if I'm at the theater waiting for a movie, there's no Wifi. If I'm on the road looking up directions, there's no Wifi. If I'm just walking down the street, there's no Wifi without having to set it up. Sure, if you only ever want to access the internet in your home, work, and a Starbucks (other coffeeshops will cost money to use WiFi), then not paying extra for a 3G phone may be a good choice.

And that's normal 3G, AT&T's testing has gotten 7mbps from their 3G with only a software update required, and are trying to get even more (they think they can get 20mbps by next year).
 
cjmal said:
The same goes for 3g though.
Click to expand...

A single WiFi hotspot covers maybe 300 ft. A single 3G node probably covers a mile or so. I seriously hope everybody understands the difference between the two. Hot spots are mere, well, hot spots just to relieve the cellular network (like when you're at home). The point of 3G is to have high speeds when much farther from normal access points.

As I said, the whole 3G thing is overrated (because it's being made to be something that would render non-3G people as mere Muggles) but still an important upgrade.
 
NT1440 said:
theres another problem, the US is soo far behind in coverage its rediculous, we are behind japan by leaps and bounds:apple:
Click to expand...

We aren't that far behind considering our country is pretty big compared to Japan.

And as for Verizon and Sprint, their speeds are blazing fast compared to EDGE. If you have never used EVDO then it's easy to say that it's not that much faster, but having used both EDGE and EVDO, you just don't know what you are missing with 3G until you have have to go back to EDGE (2.25G)
 
NT1440 said:
theres another problem, the US is soo far behind in coverage its rediculous, we are behind japan by leaps and bounds:apple:
Click to expand...

To be fair, Japan is like the size of California and not quite as spread out. From what I can tell, 3G coverage is pretty good in US cities.
 
gloss said:
Who wants to find a WiFi hotspot if you can have 3G everywhere you walk (in a 3G area)?
Click to expand...

I'm just saying that there's some of us that live in places that aren't scattered with wifi hotspots and where 3g isn't available at all.
 
I had several EDGE phones. They worked great no issue. However I have been through about 3 different 3G phones since. I will never go back to EDGE. The call quality is better on 3G, dual use of phone and internet, and faster internet connection. I regularly connect my tilt to my macbook through bluetooth so I have highspeed internet on the go. No it isn't my 20+mbps connection at home but 3.5-5mbps on the road is better than sub 1mbps....
 
Digital Skunk said:
We aren't that far behind considering our country is pretty big compared to Japan.

And as for Verizon and Sprint, their speeds are blazing fast compared to EDGE. If you have never used EVDO then it's easy to say that it's not that much faster, but having used both EDGE and EVDO, you just don't know what you are missing with 3G until you have have to go back to EDGE (2.25G)
Click to expand...

I must agree ---- two of my co-workers are Sprint data subscribers, and their connection is blazingly fast. I went to the Apple store to check out iPhone last year, and discovered whilst playing around with Edge that it was painfully slow that Edge was a deal breaker.

I also live in a large city, and I can count on one hand the number of free WiFI areas within a 30 mile radius of my home or work; I, for one, am eagerly anticipating 3G.

Jude
 
NT1440 said:
i didnt mean coverage wise, i meant tech wise, our overall connectivity is almost a joke here
Click to expand...

I can agree with that. Although, I heard from a Japanese poster that that statement may also be a rumor/myth... although, who can believe anything you read on the internet let alone a rumor forum?

Hey Jude said:
I must agree ---- two of my co-workers are Sprint data subscribers, and their connection is blazingly fast. I went to the Apple store to check out iPhone last year, and discovered whilst playing around with Edge that it was painfully slow that Edge was a deal breaker.

I also live in a large city, and I can count on one hand the number of free WiFI areas within a 30 mile radius of my home or work; I, for one, am eagerly anticipating 3G.

Jude
Click to expand...

Same here. still sitting the fence hoping that 3G and an abundance of 3rd party apps come to the iPhone, along with a host of other features, but if it at least has 3G then 75% of the need for improvement will be answered for me.

The two things that make me cringe when using an iPhone from someone else and at the ARS are the keyboard, which I have gotten used to but still sucks, and EDGE. If I attepmt to load Google Maps on both the iPhone and my Sprint phone guaranteed the Sprint one will load instantaneously, and I mean IN-STAN-TAN-E-OUS... you get the point.

I can go grab an Americano from Starbucks and come back and maybe the phone would have loaded the page. I am glad that it's a network issue, and not a hardware one since it happens on the many phones (blackberries) that are run on EDGE.
 
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