One Month Of The Iphone 3g: What Apple Needs To Fix

[Dj 25]

It is just over a month since the worldwide launch of the iPhone 3G. The device has been welcomed enthusiastically by millions of buyers around the world, but the second coming of the iPhone has not been flawless by a long shot. Sure, it's rare for any launch to be entirely flawless, but problems have cropped up in greater frequency this time around than even after the original iPhone launch. Here, we look at the ups and downs in one month with the iPhone 3G.

Activation

By now, almost everyone is aware of the activation mess that happened on July 11. Less than two hours after the device went on sale in the US, the iTunes activation system used in retail stores to set up the iPhone stopped connecting to the server, affecting to-be customers around the world. Some stores simply made customers wait for hours at a time until it came back up, while others turned customers away, and others just sold deactivated iPhones. It wasn't until later that day when the systems finally came back up when customers could actually use their phones.

Even though that particular disaster is over, things aren't as smooth as customers might like them to be. Because Apple is now requiring all customers to activate iPhones in-store, there are still reports of daily lines forming at numerous Apple and carrier retail stores. The companies claim that activation only takes 15 minutes, but many have found that it can easily take much longer than that, especially if there's any sort of problem with your account. Gaming Editor Ben Kuchera recently found himself at the mercy of one such "problem," when an Apple retail employee told him that his account didn't appear to be qualified to purchase an iPhone 3G at the subsidized price—despite the fact that he was an original iPhone owner. After a number of phone calls to AT&T, employees were unable to remove the restriction from his account, and he eventually walked away iPhone 3G-less, minus several hours of his time.

Cracks

Some iPhone 3G owners—mostly ones that had bought white iPhones, but some black—have begun reporting finding tiny hairline cracks around the edges of their devices. The cracks seem to show up most often near switches and ports, like the volume and mute switch on the side, and the headphone jack on the top. Because the back of the iPhone 3G is now plastic (versus the metal on the original), it's apparently more susceptible to stress damage, and white iPhone owners have noticed it the most. Some have reported being able to get replacements by complaining to Apple, while others haven't had as much luck. Sure it's just cosmetic, but for a device that people have only had their hands on for a month, it's disappointing.

Software

iPhone users have reported a number of software problems since July 11, including the GPS completely flaking out (despite being in an open area with easy GPS access) and slow interface response times. Sometimes, tapping on an icon or a button will yield no response from the phone for several seconds, but with no indicator that it's working on it (like the beachball of death on the Mac), users are left confused as to whether they simply didn't tap accurately enough or whether the phone is having problems. Further, the "sticky keyboard" has been a common complaint about the iPhone 3G (or, more specifically, the iPhone 2.0 software that shipped with it), although this problem seems to have been resolved some by the

release of iPhone 2.0.1.

Along with the iPhone 3G was the launch of the iTunes App Store, where thousands of third-party applications can now be downloaded and used on the device. Some apps are, of course, better than others, but even the best seem to be experiencing relatively frequent crashing problems. This is most likely thanks to both the developers and Apple, because of...

F*cking NDA

...that pesky NDA that has prevented developers from talking to anyone—even amongst themselves, in most settings—about the iPhone SDK. The NDA made a degree of sense during the SDK's beta period, but now that it has been released, developers feel gagged by not being able to get help from each other in the form of forums, blogs, IRC channels, and mailing lists. It has also halted the publication of books about developing for the iPhone and other guides that would help developers. Their inability to share problems and best practices has led to less productive coding, more bugs, and the release of less-mature software.

Until the NDA is finally lifted, this will continue to be a problem among the developer community, and iPhone applications will always be limited to the individual capabilities of each developer.

3G or not 3G, that is the question

Last, but not least, is the iPhone's questionable handling of 3G, at least here in the US. iPhone 3G customers on AT&T have reported extremely spotty coverage, even in major cities that should theoretically be covered pretty well. We have heard reports from users in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York—not to mention a smattering of smaller cities—and have experienced it ourselves numerous times in Chicago. One minute, the iPhone will be on the 3G network, and the next, it'll be on EDGE—sometimes without even moving the phone an inch. Other times, all it takes is crossing the street to suddenly be outside of a 3G spot. Considering that most of these areas are well within AT&T's supposed 3G coverage area, it's hard to pinpoint whether this issue is due to AT&T's failings or Apple's. As reported by CNet yesterday, both Apple and AT&T have remained mum on the issue, with both either pointing fingers at each other or responding with blanket PR answers. Although this response isn't particularly surprising, it is disappointing.

Now what?

What exactly is good about the iPhone 3G? Well, despite the numerous issues with third-party apps and the App Store, the ability to install software developed by someone other than Apple is still pretty awesome. Suddenly, the iPhone truly is a pretty capable mobile computing device instead of just a phone that can play music and surf the web. And, when the 3G works, it really works. When testing for our iPhone 3G review, we managed to get anywhere from decent to blazing data speeds (from 300Kbps to 700Kbps), while EDGE has traditionally only skirted the edge of "tolerable."

But the availability of third-party apps and nice 3G speeds aren't enough to make up for the other problems—problems that aren't exactly confined to a small group of people. If we were to choose two major issues that we would like to be prioritized, it would be the 3G spottiness problem and the iPhone's handling thereof, and the elimination of the iPhone SDK NDA (which, in turn, could help remedy many of the other problems with third-party apps). If 3G was solid within the right coverage areas and software for the iPhone more mature, we're sure that users would be much more willing to tolerate some line-waiting and maybe even a little bit of cosmetic damage. But until then, every little thing that comes up will just add to the growing list.

Come on, Apple. You have already vowed to fix MobileMe's numerous problems. Come through for us on the iPhone, too.

[KumaarShah 143]

What iPhone 3G users should know about 3G networks

It’s with surprise that I read a post on The Register and another on TUAW regarding the iPhone 3G’s speed, or lack thereof. The way 3G networks operate has some fundamental differences compared to GPRS or EDGE, the so-called 2G or 2.5G networks. A word of caution before you proceed, if you are a tech purist - I am explaining this in the simplest terms I can find, so don’t be offended by over-simplification.

“Scotty, we’ll need everything you’ve got.” [1]

Let me bore you with a primer on the “old” technology. In the very old days, packet data didn’t exist on GSM cellular networks. Each GSM frequency (also known as physical channel) would be split into eight full-rate (remeber the old EFR hacks?) timeslots, or sixteen half-rate. Voice was digitized using a vocoder, and transmitted to the cell tower using one of the timeslots. The tower then passed it along the switching network, to be terminated at another GSM terminal, or sent out to the PSTN where it could also be converted back to analog for further relay to landline phones. SMS would be sent over the control channel, thus not taking up timeslots for voice calls.

When data was first introduced to GSM, it was in the form of circuit-switched calls, the equivalent to the analog modems used in the early internet days. Since this was the equivalent of dialing a landline modem, the network could only provide one timeslot, and a brute rate of 9.6kbps (yeah, imagine the iPhone running on that!).

Then came GPRS, which brought packet-data to the phone, allowing the adjoining of several timeslots into one single packet-switched call, theoretically giving rates of 56 to 114kbps, which in reality could be as low as 9.6kbps, as cell operators would prioritize voice calls over data. The same occupation time of a timeslot on voice could earn the operator up to 10 times more than the same slot used for data. Thus, in the days when cell density was very low, and voice capability scarce, it was not uncommon to find that a tower would have only one timeslot reserved for GPRS and the rest for voice, sending you back to switched-call speeds.

I am the EDGE! [2]

When new modulation schemes and tighter timing capabilities made it possible, GPRS was upgraded to EDGE, which is an acronym for Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution. The theoretical maximum speed a packet-switched connection could now achieve was raised to 236.8kbps, with an upload speed of 59.2kbps. The upload and download speeds can be balanced to give a more symmetric connection, but this is rarely used.

Remember that we are still talking about chopping up a finite resource, a radio frequency channel, into smaller chunks, each of which can now carry data at increasing speeds, and also be aggregated to boost the overall transfer rate.

Slow? Twelve minutes? Hannibal, I had to say hello! [3]

One day in some lab, a fool invented CDMA. Well, not a fool, a very clever individual - just that the use of CDMA has been taken out of its initial expectations.

CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access. Contrary to GSM which uses TDMA, or Time Division Multiple Access, and divides the spectrum into timed slots for use by one mobile station at a time, CDMA allows ALL stations to talk to to the tower at once, with each given an individual code that is embedded in all transmissions. Then, using this code, the tower and terminal can tell who’s traffic it is amidst all the noise.

OK, it’s hard to imagine - let’s try a practical example. Imagine a room full of people, all talking at once to a host. The host gives each member of the public a phrase book in a different language, which they must use to translate what they want to say to the host. The host can then attempt to figure out who is saying what by figuring out the language of each utterance, and translating it back to the original. Sounds complex? You bet! The size of the room was also increased, whereas GSM used 200kHz of spectrum for its eight timeslots, 3G/UMTS using CDMA uses 5MHz, 25 times more spectrum, to achieve a theoretical maximum 14Mbps throughput. In practice, 3G HSDPA has only been able to achieve 7.2Mbps download so far, with HSDPA trying to improve the upload speed.

Before going further, if we compare the transfer speeds of each technology, EDGE can receive 1.18 kb/kHz, compared to 1.44 kb/kHz for HSDPA. Nothing to write home about, considering the huge costs this technology is having, I would say!

Stop it already, tell me what’s wrong with my iPhone!

What is basically wrong is that you have a beautiful screen on a beautiful mobile phone, capable of rendering full-size web pages…but you are sharing your internet connection with all your neighbors. In essence, 3G is allowing everyone to take a piece of the spectrum and use it to send and receive voice and data. This means a single 3G tower can handle a huge ammount of voice traffic, as it uses fewer resources, but when data is also added, it can be strongly degraded. I would venture that operators still prioritize voice over data on their 3G networks.

The key issue to remember is that the download rate is “per tower”, not per user. So, if two users using HSDPA are on the same tower, they will each get a maximum throughput of 3.6Mbps. Divide even further, and the more users you have the worse experience everyone gets. Further add tons of voice calls into the mix, and you have what The Register and TUAW describe in their posts - frustration. The blame may be at the iPhone’s radio, but from what I have been experiencing in Spain, Telefonica’s GPRS network provides almost as good speed as 3G in the very busy Barcelona. Why? Because my GPRS connection is getting better, as more voice traffic is dumped on the 3G networks, and I have more slots to myself!

Movie quotes:

1. Scotty in Star Trek, first series.

2. Aeon Flux in, well, Aeon Flux.

3. Face in The A-Team.

Link: http://the.firehou.se/2008/08/13/what-ipho...ut-3g-networks/

[Honest 836]

‘3G iPhone has engineering defect’

14 Aug, 2008, 0942 hrs IST, Indiatimes

SEATTLE: Spotty wireless broadband connectivity for some of Apple Inc's new iPhone most likely results from a hardware problem introduced during mass production, a Swedish technical magazine reported.

Ny Teknik, Sweden's foremost engineering weekly, obtained a report on tests conducted by unnamed experts that showed some handsets' sensitivity to third-generation network signals is well below the level specified in the 3G standard.

So-called 3G networks offer the promise of faster Web surfing on cell phone browsers, and make bandwidth-hogging applications like video calling feasible. Phones that access 3G networks must meet certain engineering and technical specifications, which are set and maintained by the International Telecommunication Union, a Geneva-based organisation.

The report said the most likely cause of the 3G problems is defective adjustments between the antenna and an amplifier that captures very weak signals from the antenna. This could lead to poor 3G connectivity and slower data speeds.

The iPhone 3G, which went on sale on July 11 in the United States and 21 other countries, was meant to offer faster Web browsing than the year-old original model.

Since the launch of the next-generation iPhone, Apple's message boards have been flooded with complaints of dropped calls and poor 3G connectivity indicated by few or no "bars" on the phone's display.

Some users said they performed side-by-side tests and found that the iPhone had connectivity problems in locations where 3G phones from other manufacturers did not. The reports were made by users who said they lived the United States, Canada, Japan, Britain and other countries.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment on whether the problem lies in the iPhone's hardware or software, or with the various carriers' 3G networks.

In the United States, AT&T Inc is the only wireless provider to sell the iPhone. Mark Siegel, a spokesman for AT&T's wireless unit, said AT&T has not received a significant number of complaints and that, "overall, the new iPhone is performing just great on our 3G network."

In an interview, Siegel recommended that iPhone 3G users sync the devices with Apple's iTunes programme frequently to take advantage of improvements that may come via updated software.

Connectivity is just the latest of Apple's problems with the iPhone 3G.

Just hours before the new phones were set to go on sale, users of the Cupertino, California-based company's old data-synching service were locked out of their accounts when it took Apple longer than expected to get the new version, MobileMe, up and running.

On launch day, Apple's servers buckled as buyers tried to activate new iPhones in stores, while owners of older iPhones and the iPod Touch were updating and reactivating their devices at home.

Francis Sideco, a senior analyst for El Segundo, California-based research group iSuppli Corp, said the connectivity problems described by users -- dropped calls and the low number of bars in particular -- could be caused by any of a number of parts, from the phone's antenna and amplifier and the radio frequency transceiver to the baseband that processes the digital signal and sends it to the speaker or screen.

A faulty part could cause the phone to think there isn't enough signal strength to keep a call connected, he said, and could prompt the phone to display too few bars.

Different parts from different manufacturers also vary in their ability to draw the 3G signal from the air, the analyst said, which would support users' claims that different phones held side by side show different numbers of bars.

Ny Teknik's report suggested the error was introduced during mass production. Sideco noted that cell phone chips, or the phones themselves, go through a testing and certification process before reaching consumers, but only a fraction of the chips or handsets are tested.

"We've seen this in the past before, in Motorola's Razr line. It was a very big seller, but the first version of that phone had RF (radio frequency) problems. They had to recall it, fix it, (and) put it back out there," he said.

Sideco said such a problem could explain another oft-heard iPhone 3G complaint, the shorter-than-expected battery life.

"It could end up drawing more power because now the phone thinks it's (getting a) worse signal than it actually is. When it goes to talk to the network, it speaks louder than it needs to," he said.

The analyst said similar complaints from people in more than one geographic location indicate that the problem is with the phone, not the network.

Without knowing exactly what is going wrong, Sideco could not say whether software or firmware updates could fix the glitch, or whether Apple could be facing the possibility of a recall.