Apple’s decision not to use 3G in their iPhone has left one question unasked, “Does 3G really improve the user experience dramatically?” Carl Howe asks for SeekingAlpha.
“Bandwidth doesn’t affect the mobile phone experience nearly as much as most people think. And in some cases, high bandwidth Internet is actually worse for the user than a low-bandwidth one,” Howe writes. “How can this be?”
Because:
• People confuse network bandwidth with latency
• High bandwidth radio networks are more error-prone
• Phone processors and software don’t necessarily keep up with fast data transmission
• High bandwidth networks drain batteries
Howe writes, “Carriers, analysts, and consumers alike have an unhealthy obsession with bandwidth to the exclusion of other important factors that affect the user experience with a phone. Just as the computer industry finally figured out that more gigahertz wasn’t necessarily better for users, the phone industry is going to discover the same point (and for the same reasons). And companies that use limited bandwidth in smarter ways to deliver a better user experience — like Apple — are going to have a leg up on their competitors no matter what network they use.”
Much more in the full article, including explanations of the above bullet points, here.
EDGE Sucks. Of course the phone needs 3G. Stop keeping apologizing for or trying to justify this omission in the iPhone. Apple will have the 3G version out soon enough.
If Japan wants to sell an iPhone in Japan, it will have to be 3G. Carriers here only accept new contracts for people who sign up for 3G service. Non-3G phones are thought of as old technology and cheap. No one would pay for a 2G phone.
” No one would pay for a 2G phone.”
Don’t be silly dumbass apple fanboys can be encouraged to by 2G phones any day and will even pretend that they’re state of the art.
There’s no need to build state of the art products when you have a ready made user base who will convince themselves that whatever you sell them is state of the art.
did i ever mention that ATT’s 2.5G EDGE data network sucks ballz?
This is the stupidest article I’ve ever seen on this website. How F’ing stupid do they think we are?
I hate Edge. It’s the only thing I hate about my iPhone. I can’t wait for the 3G iPhone.
This is the stupidest article I’ve ever seen on this website. How F’ing stupid do they think we are?
I hate Edge. It’s the only thing I hate about my iPhone. I can’t wait for the 3G iPhone.
This is the stupidest article I’ve ever seen on this website. How F’ing stupid do they think we are?
I hate Edge. It’s the only thing I hate about my iPhone. I can’t wait for the 3G iPhone.
This is the stupidest article I’ve ever seen on this website. How F’ing stupid do they think we are?
I hate Edge. It’s the only thing I hate about my iPhone. I can’t wait for the 3G iPhone.
This is the stupidest article I’ve ever seen on this website. How F’ing stupid do they think we are?
I hate Edge. It’s the only thing I hate about my iPhone. I can’t wait for the 3G iPhone.
The writer wrote… “I noted this phenomenon when I compared my Nokia E61i with the Apple iPhone. Despite the Nokia’s 3G and WiFi network capability, the phone actually felt significantly slower than Apple’s iPhone on the same networks.”
He was comparing Apples and Nokias, I know that there is a significant difference when my iPhone is picking up WiFi and when it is “on edge”. If Apple’s software optimizes the edgy signal from AT&T;, the same would ring true for optimizing 3G.
Oh, should I add… LAST POST!, yeah~.
This article begs the question: if the iPhone is nearly as fast as a non-Apple 3G phone, imagine how fast it would be if it did have 3G.
I agree with most comments here. EDGE sucks. Unfortunately we don’t have the infrasturcture for 3G here in Canada… yet. I hardly use my iPhone’s web capabilities (weather, google maps, youTube, Safari, etc.) when I’m on EDGE. Its too damn slow. I much prefer to be on wifi to use the full functionality of the iPhone. C’mon Rogers/Fido, get with the programme and start implementing 3G as a norm here in Canada.
I see people still can’t see the importance of having the phone camera on the front or one more at the back (refer to Nokia N70 models)so my caller can see me and I can see the caller. What is iPhone/Apple doing about this????