iPhone 3G Reception Problems — And 8 Other Reasons I didn’t Upgrade to the iPhone 3G

July 23rd, 2008 Posted in Politics, iphone

I didn’t upgrade from my current iPhone to the 3G after testing a store model and noticing that my Edge connection was significantly faster for Web surfing. After seeing comparison videos on the Web showing the 3G as having 2-3 times the speed, I didn’t know what was up. Apparently there’s an explanation:

To sum it up:

• There is no conclusive answer
• 3G may just be overwhelmed
• iPhone may just have a terrible antenna (other AT&T phones work just fine)
• Some are claiming a ‘poor batch’ of iPhones being sold early on
• Apple has yet to make claims of hardware issues

Source: iPhone 3G Getting Bad Reception? You’re Certainly Not Alone. - iPhone Alley

There were other reasons not to upgrade:

  1. The less attractive design (the plastic, rounded back; chrome buttons; lighter, less substantial feel).
  2. The $15 increase in monthly charges.
  3. Did I need GPS? I thought about it. I didn’t.
  4. The major improvements come from the hardware-independent firmware upgrade and the availibity of iPhone apps.
  5. The significant decrease in battery life — I thought about myself turning off the 3G frequently to save power; then why get it?
  6. And then, if I’m going to turn something on or off for fast browsing, why not wifi? And wifi hotspots are ubiquitous these days.
  7. Price. No, I don’t mean the price of upgrading. In fact, it’s telling that old iPhones sell on ebay for a price greater than the iPhone 3G. That’s because it can be unlocked for another network (for the 3G, you’ll have to sign an AT&T contract in the store).
  8. Required Contract Renewal
  9. To recap the 3G Issues:
    1. I didn’t know why I had slower 3G times on the floor model than on the Edge network on my phone. Perhaps the reception wasn’t particularly good in the store. But this is DC, and if it’s that spotty, I thought, do I really need it? I thought about whether I was currently dissatisfied with my current data speeds. I wasn’t. In fact, I had been pleasantly surprised by the Web-surfing speed when I first got it. Then there’s this video showing that iPhone’s Edge browsing competes well with 3G browsing on other phones.
    2. Then I read this article: Why EDGE versus 3G matters less than you think
    3. And then the article on reception cited above

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