Chiefs defend slow network for the iPhone

Apple and AT&T defended a decision not to use a faster but more limited network for the phone's wireless Internet connection.
The New York Times

The story "Chiefs defend slow network for the iPhone" published June 29, 2007 at 4:37 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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[umbrae]

Well...

You could hear crickets chirping this morning in front of AT&T stores in my neck of the woods. Hope that is a sign to come.

*sarcasm* So glad Apple could invent the PDA phone just like they invented the MP3 player. So nice to spend $600 on $150 technology.

[chris_d]

i hope so too..

I hope it doesn't sell that well either, but not for the reason you do. The price is quite high on this thing. If it doesn't sell well, they'll likely be forced to lower it. Maybe even open it up to 3rd party development. There are some apps I'd like to write for it.

I'm not sure why you're so mad about Apple getting into mobiles though. I think more competition is good, and current mobile phones are crap for Internet use. I don't bother trying to do mobile Internet or email; I just use my 4-year-old Motorola phone to make and receive calls because no one has come up with a decent design for this stuff. Apple has made some steps in the right direction. The competition from Apple will spur other companies to improve their designs. Competition is good for consumers.

[Thomas, David]

About AT&T

I love what Apple has done with this device. I will be getting one
ASAP (meaning today, hopefully).<p>But I remember who AT&#38;T is,
so even though I am getting an iPhone (and switching to AT&#38;T),
<i><font color="DD00DD">AT&#38;T has, and always will give me the
shivers!</font></i>. LOL, but here I come for now.<p>While the
Apple store here has a line, there are plenty of AT&#38;T stores ... all of
them ... without a line here. I think the consumer sentiment with
AT&#38;T is ... well ... universal.

[justice007]

Should have gone unlocked

AT&#38;T is the biggest weakness in the entire iPhone affair (and the phone itself not supporting 3G is a relatively small weakness). Apple should have gone with selling it as an unlocked GSM phone, but unfortunately, they wanted features the network side has to implement and hence the lock in with AT&#38;T.

Future reflection and 20/20 hindsight MAY tell Apple they could have paid multiple GSM network operators to implement the network side features, but it is a risk they weren't willing to take, given the unknowns.

[Lindy01]

I dont agree

Apple had to pick one vendor. Why? To get a fat payout from that vendor for the exclusive. They picked the biggest cingular/AT&#38;T. Combine that with probably one of the greatest marketing campain's ever.....they both walk away winners.

Now the choice of Edge over 3G...was stupid and they know it. That is why they are always pumping Wifi...because they know Edge sucks. Of course any sane person knows finding free Wifi is a pain in the arse....can be done and if your in college or in area that has alot sure its great but for most people, they are not going to run down to starbucks so they surf on their Iphone.

I have cingular/AT&#38;T 3g broadband for my work notebook. I use it alot and while I have 3G coverage its good...not great but pretty good 700k down/200k up. When I try to use my notebook and I cant get 3G coverage.....I dont even bother becuase Edge is worthless.

[Vegaman_Dan]

The Fox and the grapes

Apple should make this classic tale required reading. If you know the story, then their comments about choosing an inferior technology and then saying it was all about battery life and bandwidth and... well, SURE 3G is superior and would give customers more for their money, but let's settle for something less and make it sound like it was the best choice all along.

I bet the 3G network tastes sour anyways.

[Thomas, David]

Re:3G

(Let's keep this civil and honest please ... just wanted to say that
up front)<p>Reading between the lines, and it's not hard to do
because he practically hints at it, it won't be long before they
find the right solution for implementing a cellular data packet
transfers at a much higher rate.In the past,<p>AT&#38;Ts <i>"not
concerned"</i> statement would simply mean they don't care.
Right now, with eroding customer satisfaction, and their only
saving grace is Apple, and buying up the other companies, I
think <i>not concerned</i> means <i>they have, or are
addressing the issue</i>. Steve Jobs has also mentioned
something about packet protocol support (that is tied to new
chipset) is actually layered. We already know it automatically
switches between Wi-Fi, EDGE, and a faster version of EDGE.
<p>After taking it all in, I think Apple planned for the ability of
the iPhone to adopt multiple connection protocols (hence the
automatic switching). I believe AT&#38;T has told Apple they
<i>will</i> have faster networks, and probably a new
announcement, so contractually Apple has to wait. If history is
any lesson, Apple is betting the farm on AT&#38;Ts promise.

[SteveatEntre]

I-Phone and AT&T Network

I do not buy the arguement regarding the EDGE network implementation. This phone should have been designed to include so-called "3g" allowing for the use of UMTS/HSDPA, if, in fact, the battery life is as advertised. In the areas where 3g is available, the user would have a better experience. In the areas where it is NOT available, the handset would have rolled back to EDGE or even GPRS. This is what all other GSM handsets do under similar circumstances. As I said, I don't buy AT&#38;T and Apple's argument to the contrary.

[ThatScienceGuy]

Beginning to think...

I agree. I don't think that incomplete 3g coverage is really the issue. I think that AT&#38;T realized that they would not be able to handle the crush of new users on their 3g network, and the outrage that would ensue when EVERYONE's service is severely degraded due to the onslaught of new devices. This way only the 2.5g folks will suffer.

I REALLY wanted one of these things, but the lack of high speed made it a no-go, as I use 3g many hours each day. (No wi-fi, so I use my phone as a modem for my laptop.) But now that I finally realized that it's a scalability issue, I feel much better about having to stick with my blackjack.

Yay for me! Suck dial-up speed iPhoners! :-P

[cagerattler]

Apple knows more than us...

If the data network speed was really an issue for a significant percentage of iPhone users, then Apple would've made a different decision.

I think Apple knows its market better than we do.

[joeyt420]

apple knows all!

Apparently apple doesn't know best. Cause 3G can convert to edge network if 3G is not available. Can you say marketing ploy. Say they sale a million of the first gen. Then a year later they release 2 gen and bam you have 3G now. You are right they do know whats best! Whats best for there bank account. American enterprising at its best. Drag out the technology until you can't make anymore money off of it and then release the new!

[Lindy01]

Maybe

3G is in the phone....but like 802.11N....they will charge you to activate it:)

[Vegaman_Dan]

They took the only company that said yes

Remember that Apple has been shopping their phone around for a long time and the other cell service providers all turned them down (including AT&#38;T). It was only Cingular, the lowest player of the entire field, that finally took them up on the offer.

I don't know that Apple knows more about this than anyone, but it sure seems like they 'settled' for who they could get, not who they wanted.

[crue24]

Ummm....

AT&#38;T turned them down, they could only get Cingular? Last
time I checked that company was one and the same. In fact they
didn't shop it to "every other provider", the only company they
talked to preiously was Verizon, who is ridiculous in there
limitations with there phone (bluetooth is disabled for
everything other than a ear piece), and they did turn down Apple
because they didn't want to give up the control Apple wanted.
We'll see how it all turns out, but I given my experience with cell
phone providers, having Apple control the experience is a very
good thing!

My guess is this is the smartest decision AT&#38;T could have made
and while I don't think Verizon is going to get crushed over it, I
think they are going to realize that maybe they made the wrong
decision. I know plenty of people switching over this device.
Cingular reduced rate plan pricing for this, big benefit and Apple
seems to be handling most of the front end experience meaning
people won't have to put up with Cingular, (very much).

Slower network, whatever. And by the way as far them charging
for a feature that the phone already has, that is exactly why they
made the announcement they WILL be releasing new features for
the phone, so they don't have to charge some nominal fee for
new features. If the phones already have 3G capability, good
news for early adopters, if not...well, it's still a sweet phone!

[DrtyDogg]

Verizon

Verizon turned them down

[Vegaman_Dan]

AT&T and Cingular were separate

Before the merger, AT&#38;T had been approached and turned the iPhone down. Cingular paired up and then when AT&#38;T took over Cingular, they inherited the iPhone project that they didn't want originally.

I'm not entirely sure they want it now as AT&#38;T is advertising their other phones and services that aren't available on the iPhone. I don't know what that means.

[Orion Blastar]

I didn't drink the iPhone Kool-Aid

The iPhone is marketed towards egocentric and shallow people who only care about themselves. The type of people who don't care if they have to spend $600 for the phone and $60 a month for service, even if it means a hardship for their family.

I am sure their family can skip a meal a day, after all it is better to go hungry than go without an iPhone.

Just drink the iPhone Kool-Aid and give your money to Apple/AT&#38;T, give until it hurts. You are not a true follower of Appleism if you don't give until it hurts. Buy a MacBook Pro or at least an iMac or Mac Mini while you are at it and go without two meals a day.

I'll pass, I don't need the iPhone anyway. I got a family to feed.