A freaky Friday for our iPhone 3G
With tales of iPhone 3G horror abounding on the Web, I figured I was just lucky.
Since Apple loaned CNET an iPhone 3G just over a month ago, I had experienced none of the problems that have plagued so many other users. I didn't have dropped calls or buggy software, and my iPhone wasn't cracking around the edges. Sure, the 3G connection was a bit shaky, and the battery life suffered during a day of heavy use, but on the whole my handset was doing just what it was supposed to do.
Uh-oh, it's the dreaded white screen of death.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)That is, until today. Since I only got the iPhone back from the CNET Labs just this week--I'm convinced Eric Franklin was getting back at me for being cold-blooded--I had to wait until today to get the latest 2.0.1 software update.
After connecting the phone to iTunes and accepting the update, all was proceeding normally until suddenly, disaster struck. iTunes informed me that it was unable to complete the update because of an "unknown error" and my iPhone froze with the "connect to iTunes" prompt on the screen. Ouch...that was unexpected, particularly since I had updated CNET's first-generation iPhone moments before. But thinking it could just be a one-time quirk I tried a factory restore, reconnected the phone to iTunes in recovery mode, and accepted the update again. But alas, disaster struck a second time.
Though thoughts of doom began to flood my mind, I took the advice of my very knowledgeable colleague over at iPhone Atlas and tried the update a third time. And that's when Murphy's Law hit me over the head with a mallet. Not only did the "unknown error" flash across my computer screen again, but also my iPhone snowed over with the "white Apple logo screen of death."
Any screen of death, be it blue or white, is not fun as now it looks like a trip to the Apple store is in order. I was able to clear the screen with another restore, but now my iPhone won't get past the pesky iTunes prompt. It may not be bricked, but it might as well be.
It's more than clear, Cupertino, that we have a problem. I'm hardly the only one to experience this problem, as message boards across the Internet can attest. But so far, Apple has remained silent on this issue, not to mention the mounting reports of 3G reception problems and dropped calls. AT&T is denying responsibility, but the fact the user complaints are coming from outside the United States seems to support the theory that there is an issue with the phone.
Analysts and researchers have pointed to probable causes, from the Infineon chipset to a lack of 3G sensitivity, but so far iPhone users have been left to fend for themselves. And that's just shameful. According to a Business Week story, a software update to fix the reception problems is on the way. But until I hear anything officially, I consider it hearsay.
Apple, it goes without saying that you should fix these issues soon. But in the meantime, it would be nice if you could discuss them at all--even if it is a simple "we're working on it." I'm certain that even the very acknowledgment that something is afoot would put a lot of minds at ease. And AT&T, you should chime in as well. My iPhone is a free loaner so I deserve nothing. But there are plenty of people who paid a lot of money for your product. And they deserve better.
Have you been struck with the iTunes "white screen of death"? Leave a comment to let us know.
Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent.
I really want an iPhone. Like, badly. I have an 8-year-old phone that does nothing but make calls. No camera, no apps, and the interface is annoying as hell. But it makes calls. To use your own phrase, it "just works."
Looks like I'm still waiting. Please at least show your customers some respect by acknowledging the problem(s). That would go a long way towards giving me the faith and trust I need to buy your product.
But then, are the problems really not that bad? Maybe they're getting a lot of press simply because the iPhone's such a huge product.
By Jacqui Cheng | Published: August 08, 2008 - 02:15PM CT
A number of iPhone users are experiencing one doozie of a bug after upgrading to the recent iPhone 2.0.1 firmware. After upgrading and rebooting, they are finding themselves unable to actually use the device; instead, they are faced with what's being referred to as the "Apple logo of death." The black screen with the Apple logo in the center typically shows up after rebooting your device, but users are reporting that the logo won't go away, even after a number of resets.
As it turns out, this particular bug isn't new with iPhone 2.0.1, but seems to have been triggered once again by the software's release. There are a handful of discussion threads on Apple's Support boards about the issue this week, although there are also a number of similar ones from earlier this year created by people with older iPhones and/or older versions of iPhone OS. Aside from rebooting the device, users aren't having luck plugging their iPhones into the computer to sync with iTunes either.
Luckily, these folks are not out of luck and won't have to find themselves waiting in line at the Apple Store's Genius Bar just yet. Putting the iPhone into Recovery Mode, which you can do by pressing and holding the Home button while reconnecting USB cable, will help jolt the iPhone out of its Apple logo screen of death loop. When "Connect to iTunes" shows up on the screen, you can finally let go of the Home button and iTunes will let you know that it's in the process of recovering your iPhone.
Ars Gaming Editor Ben Kuchera is actually the one who originally brought this issue to our attention, and he now reports that performing the Recovery Mode procedure saved his original iPhone from being carted back to the Apple Store. If you have found yourself faced with this issue, try it out and let us know how it goes.
I have also done a software upgrade to 2.0.1. After doing the upgrade I noticed that when I set the international regoin to London United Kingdom, I cannot turn off the 24hour clock. It only allows me to turn of the 24hour clock when I set the region to United States. There are certainly a few bugs to sort out on this one Apple.
1. Create a new account (administrator rights) on the computer (windows)
2. Open iTunes
3. Put iPhone in Restore Mode
4. Plug iPhone via USB to computer
5. Restore should take place and complete within 15-20 minutes
6. Once iPhone is restored, you could plug the phone back onto the computer or login to the account that has the original backup file of the phone you are restoring. Beware however many times the backups are corrupt. My friend recovered from his backup with no problem.
The key to this working is to restore on a computer or computer login that does not have a iPhone 3g backup file in iTunes. When you dont do it this way at times the restore could hang or continue with 2-3 hours (guess how I know this???). To check if the loging/iTunes has a backup file, check this under Preferences -> Sync tab
Hope this helps everyone
When you buy early this is what happens, it always does. YOU should know better. Next time wait 3 months and there will be less kinks to deal with, otherwise just expect this to happen - as you should expect Apple to fix the issue quickly and quietly.
i guess Apple finally reach Windows in a system crash loop
my question now is, how are the other 'smartphones' fairing ?
Intuition, etc...
1. Signal is too bad
2. Response is too bad (Icons don't respond to my tap)
3. It freezes some(every) time.
4. Battery is too bad
5. Cannot hear the ring tone once I switch it from vibration mode.
6. Cannot accept a call when it is locked (not frequently)
hmm... good phone apple....
Case Closed...
I think this guy should get some balls instead of hiding behind his article.
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by jgwinner
August 19, 2008 10:20 AM PDT
- Good to know ...
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Reply to this comment
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (30 Comments)That's one thing that drives me more nuts than "F8" at a Windows screen ... the iPhone has SO many 'secret keys'.
Screenshot - Home + Power ...
stuff like that. Anyone have a cheat sheet?
== John ==