Apple's IPhone 3G Firmware Update Bombs 423
JagsLive writes "After lots of complaints about iPhone 3G connection issues, Apple released a firmware update Monday with hopes it would fix the issues. But early reports suggest it didn't work as planned.
Complaints have included dropped calls, abrupt network switches, poor reception, and service interruptions.
Apple declined to offer details about its iPhone 2.0.1 update, other than saying it included 'bug fixes.' However, comments in Apple's support forum say plenty about the latest attempt to rectify poor user experiences. In fact, the update seems to be causing new issues, apparently interfering with the GPS function, among others."
Obligatory... (Score:5, Insightful)
"Just Works" post.....
Interestingly, I find it fairly insightful to see how the great unwashed masses are complaining about this, yet, for the most part, Apple is getting a "free pass" from pundit's, media, and most of the public because of past marketing.
What would the reaction have been if this was some other company?
Just a though that rattles around in my brain.
never buy 1st gen apple hardware (Score:5, Insightful)
Right now, i'm feeling pretty damn happy I decided to wait on the iphone 3g. I do have an iphone and it works perfectly. I think i'll wait for a few more months before I upgrade to the 3g
2.0.1? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, if it were MS, there would be a 'defectivebydesign' tag already
Re:Oh, come on (Score:5, Insightful)
Because Apple gets a premium for its product based on the style and the "just works" philosophy. Nearly everyone will agree that apple products do not have the breadth of features or the extent of customization of many other products in their respective niche. Their market success has been based on the basic feature set being nearly bulletproof - a claim that many others cannot make. This is exactly the thing Apple users have come to forget happens with mediocre CE.
It also means that someone wasn't minding the store when it went out, and it can mean a serious problem with their growth process. Steve can't be around to hold their hand forever.
Re:Oh, come on (Score:1, Insightful)
Reason 1 - Hype - people are pissed off at those who sound so happy with their apple stuff that they'd fellate the great steve, when technically it's not that special (even if the user experience generally is)
Reason 2 - Hype - the hype is always "It just works". It's virus free and PERFECT out of the box. This is what Macfans use to slag off both MS and Linux. It's delightful to see this falling down.
Reason 3 - Actually, with most mobile phones (see Nokia/LG etc) they do just work and firmware isn't updated.
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Insightful)
The reason this one is getting so much press is Apple's "It Just Works" campaign. They're saying it just works, and when it turns out to not "just work", it's a pretty big issue.
Re:Oh, come on (Score:4, Insightful)
Why are bug reports on the iPhone always blown way the hell out of proportion?
My twenty dollar Nokia doesn't drop calls, nor have service interruptions, or any of the other problems the iPhone has.
A six hundred dollar telephone ought to work. Period. There is no such thing as "blowing it out of proportion."
Re:Oh, come on (Score:4, Insightful)
Why are bug reports on the iPhone always blown way the hell out of proportion?
Maybe it's because some are insisting that a phone should be able to make phone calls, while other are using a metric based on "user experience"?
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's pretty sad that the 3G iPhone is running into problems. Especially since it has such high visibility due to everyone wanting one.
But the real kicker is that this is Apple's own hardware. I can understand when Microsoft's updates fail (at least to some extent) because of the multitude of different machines trying to run the software. But Apple owns the specs and built the machines. To me, failed software updates from them are inexcusable, but likely the fault of the bean-counters with MBA's (I like that expression for some reason, but I can't remember who to attribute it to) pushing out the update too fast.
Based on other comments, I get the impression that this news is a little outdated, and I know that anti-Apple statements are a sure-fire way to get modded down. But please: consider all the factors of Apple products, especially if Apple insists on preventing other companies from writing OSes for their devices.
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple is getting a "free pass" from pundit's, media, and most of the public because of past marketing.
It's always "marketing", isn't it? It certainly isn't that people buy their products and honestly like them.
Re:Obligatory... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Insightful)
First, I don't have an iPhone nor do I plan on getting one. And while I use a MacBook Pro at home I'm not a zealot... I've had tech issues with my Apple products.
Apple isn't perfect. They have the occasional hardware issue with their rev A systems and a poor OS update here and there. As a whole their systems are usually pretty darn stable, but they still get major issues.
Heck, I was suffering with a known keyboard issue on my MacBook Pro for a year before they fixed it. A year.
But in their defense, they're still somewhat new to the Cellphone arena. Sure, this is their second phone and some of the insides are similar to the iPod touch, but they're still new. It's like if a Car designer was asked to design and build a great riding lawn mower. They'd make one, but their first 2 models might have issues.
Meanwhile, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, etc have been pumping out Cellphones for a while and have gone through their growing pains. They know what to avoid when designing hardware and what to do when sending out a software update. And yet with all of this neither they are perfect.
I've had issues with cellphones from other companies, and know some people that experience MAJOR issues with other cellphones. It happens.
Here's hoping that third time's a charm.
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Insightful)
You don't get the mainstream press interested in a new phone being released, but they were all out for the iPhone.
Live by the sword and all that.
Re:Oh, come on (Score:5, Insightful)
It's what else is on the market. It is a perfectly fair comparison, the iPhone doesn't live in a vacuum.
Re:never buy 1st gen apple hardware (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Disabled Apps (Score:1, Insightful)
The update killed your parents!!!!!eleven11!!
Re:Obligatory... (Score:1, Insightful)
In other words, the news is that one of Apple's products doesn't quite live up to their quality ideals... So, apparently, it doesn't "just work" like we expect from Apple's other products. Being Apple-centric, this alone doesn't seem like something that would normally be included in mainstream news. The mainstream news doesn't usually report when a company doesn't meet its own ideals.
The real reason that these iPhone problems are getting so much media attention is because of the hype of the iPhone itself. It's not any more complicated than that.
Re:Obligatory... (Score:1, Insightful)
Apple is 90% marketing and hype.
I'm not going to deny that their stuff is pretty cool. I like OS X and the hackability of it. What I don't like is how radical changes are from point release to point release and how easily applications can become broken.
But the technical merits of Apple are rarely, if ever, the point of interest for any Apple gear. It is invariably "style," "ease" and "reliability." And when those points begin to fail or weaken, of COURSE it's news.
Why are other phone makers not as noted when there are failures such as these? Because they aren't as loud or as heavily marketed. They aren't pushed and hyped. People don't wait in line for a week in inclement weather to get one. Nokia and Motorola do have their fan bases to be sure, but they are nothing compared to the Apple fan base that is easy to imagine rioting in the streets.
Apple is the top when it comes to "end to end" control over their products. They control everything from supply to demand and everything in the middle. If one company over all others should have control over the problems they are experiencing, it is Apple. Apple doesn't have control over the stuff they believed they would and perhaps it is the fact that Apple is moving into unfamiliar territory [phone hardware, gps hardware] that is really biting them in the ass right now.
Nothing ever prevented Apple from hiring experts with experience in designing and building phone hardware. They probably did precisely that. It is largely Apple's arrogance and overconfidence that created the media attention. The media loves to show failures and disappointment. Success stories are for commercials.
Re:Oh, come on (Score:2, Insightful)
Reason 1 - Hype - people are pissed off at those who sound so happy with their apple stuff that they'd fellate the great steve, when technically it's not that special (even if the user experience generally is)
Reason 2 - Hype - the hype is always "It just works". It's virus free and PERFECT out of the box. This is what Macfans use to slag off both MS and Linux. It's delightful to see this falling down.
Reason 3 - Actually, with most mobile phones (see Nokia/LG etc) they do just work and firmware isn't updated.
You're going to hate me then, because I have an iPhone 3G and It Just Works. No dropped calls, no data losses, no unusually low battery life, and I'm on the 2.0.1 update (haven't updated to 2.0.2 yet). Sorry your self esteem is hurt by my lack of misery.
You sneer at user experience, but if the experience helps you get things done, then inevitable technical issues won't bother you as much. I'm also unaware of any Mac users slagging Linux for being virus-ridden.
Dunno why, in order to be happy, you want to see others do badly. I'd love it if MS made reliable stuff with a great user experience that Just Worked. I'd love it if Linux had a great user experience.
The "great steve" actually addressed this attitude back in 1997: "We have to get over this idea that in order for us to succeed, they have to fail."
Re:Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:4, Insightful)
It's fortunate that there's a 30 day return policy. I returned my iPhone 3G at 29 days and went back to Verizon and got a Blackerry Curve. Though the Blackberry doesn't have as nice of an interface, it's much more stable. In the argument of stability vs usablity, stability wins. I had a friend who also returned his. I'm not sure how many more will return theirs, but I don't feel like taking chances with my $200.
Re:Enough. (Score:3, Insightful)
If you don't care then don't click on the link. If you don't want it on the front page visit the firehose and vote against it.
I don't have an iPhone (I might get one if they come down to $50) but I thought the summary, at least, and the ensuing discussion was worth my time.
Re:2.0.1? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Insightful)
You must have missed all the "Google is now evil" stories floating around.
Anyway, IJW isn't an ideal as you put it. According to Apple it's practically the primary reason to buy their hardware. Why buy a Mac if not because of IJW? Are they really going to change their ad campaigns to "It just has prettier icons"? I think not.
If you attack your competition with arrogant adverts that personify them as unattractive, old fashioned people that don't work, and then sell stuff that doesn't work, people are going to notice. That's life.
Re:Obligatory... (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple also doesn't release 50 different models of something all at once, with seemingly random numbers identifying them. At any given moment I can find 10 models of Nokia phones in any store. They all have completely different designs, and it is unclear which ones are better than others. There's no iPhone 7649, iPhone 5486, iPhone 8764e, etc. And Apple won't completely redesign the iPhone and release 10 more models in 3 months. And they won't sell the same models under 3 other names with yet different model numbers: an AT&T version, a Sprint version, and a Verizon version.
The mobile phone business is a mess.
Forums (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Oh, come on (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Obligatory... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:4, Insightful)
Why would they? There are countless iPhones that do work correctly, and it seems most of the issues are a software problem. I would expect if the problems were consistant across all the iPhones they can fix the problem quicker. However I suspect it is one of those conditions that A then B then C need to meet and the cell towers need to aligned right for the problem to occur. Making it difficult to track down. So except for fixing the problem like an engineer where they can duplicate the problem then apply the fix and know it will work they will need to work more like doctors. Using their knowledge of the system and think of what possible could cause this (not an easy task as when they developed it they tried to think of all situations already) then apply a patch in hope it may fix it, with hit or miss results. Returning all the iPhones will not do any good as it reduces the number of people who report the problem and may finally get the clue on what is the problem.
Yes you paid to be a Beta Tester it kinda sucks at least if they fix the problems you will have a nice phone.
Re:Obligatory... (Score:3, Insightful)
Its a Phone. Just a Phone. Apple is a computer maker toying with other markets. Look how well they did in the game console market http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandai_Pippin [wikipedia.org] or the hand held market http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Newton [wikipedia.org] or other things http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Mac_G4_Cube [wikipedia.org]
Sometimes they hit one out of the park, sometimes they fail. This iPhone looks like a little of both.
Then Turn Off Apple Stories. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Obligatory... (Score:4, Insightful)
The Plural of Anecdote is Not Data (Score:5, Insightful)
...however, since everyone is offering anecdotal "evidence", I'll point out that we have two 3G iPhones in our home, and neither have had 3G issues. A few applications crash on startup, but most of my apps run just fine, before and after the 2.0.2 update.
My biggest gripe is -- Apple has neither stated there is a known 3G connectivity problem, nor did they state the 2.0.2 patch contains a 'fix' for any such problems. So ask yourself, how have these people writing articles about it able to claim such a thing? The answer is, the same reason everyone thinks there's a widespread problem with 3G... hear-say.
Re:"it just works my ass" (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:"it just works my ass" (Score:5, Insightful)
While I do agree that WiFi transfer would be nice, I would hardly call that a UI problem. That's more like a missing feature than a UI problem or inconsitancy. I've never used Lotus Notes, so I have no idea what UI element you are refering to with the last statement.
What I don't understand is, where is the BLUETOOTH transfer? Isn't this what Bluetooth was DESIGNED to do, is to sync hardware devices by simply being in proximity? My Mac Pro has Bluetooth, my iPhone has Bluetooth, so where's my auto-sync?
Re:Oh, come on (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes I know what you mean. I haven't drank beer since 1984 either. I shotgunned a six pack of Animal Beer and I can't imagine trying a real beer today because of that bad experience at 11.
Also sex. I had a bad experience in 1984, and swore it off.
Also breathing. My family ran over a skunk while on vacation, and it smelled so bad I just stopped breathing.
I hate beer, sex, and breathing now. I can't imagine ever revisiting those decisions again. But the IIc I really liked.
Will Windows Mobile Play DOS to Appleâ(TM)s iPhone? [roughlydrafted.com]
Re:"it just works my ass" (Score:3, Insightful)
Are any of these complaints about Mac OS X itself? Seems like a lot of bitching about iphoto, mail, acrobat, and itunes.
...You're kidding. You're asking: OTHER than all the software that comes with the OS, that they ADVERTISE as coming with the OS and making it awesome, and which they specifically promote as integrating so SEAMLESSLY and making your experience with the OS that much f'ing better than Windows -- implying that you're actually supposed to USE it -- do I have any complaints about the OS?
Right...
And let me guess: OTHER than the waitresses with tits hoisted up and crammed into each other, what did I think about Hooters?
OTHER than the fighting, how did you like the war?
OTHER than the death of your husband, how did you like the play?
OTHER than the lack of substance, how do you like the void?
Re:"it just works my ass" (Score:3, Insightful)
So you've uploaded a picture that's being managed by iPhoto to a neutral site like photobucket before? Because for me, that has on occasion been so unusable that I had to upload the photos straight from the external drive. Sorry, iPhoto is completely unintuitive, and it's been really flaky before with letting me edit and use a photo I brought over from photobooth.
Sure. Just drag the photo from the iPhoto window to wherever you want it, including the upload dialog for a website. It just works, and if you think about it, it's VERY intuitive if you're not trying to do things the hard way. I can't address your flakiness from photobooth, I've never seen that fail to work perfectly.
Mail: So do you like how it darkens the background of the the subject lines in the view that lists all of your emails? Because it sure did that for me and Help was no help.
What are you talking about? I've never see it do that unless you've got a rule set to change the background color of a message - and you'd have to do that intentionally.
Do you think it's acceptable for a Rules window in Mail to be uncloseable? In my case, it spilled over onto the dock so I couldn't click cancel to get out. NO, COMMAND-W DID NOT WORK, THANKS FOR ASKING, not that that would be acceptable anyway.
Try command-period to cancel, or return to accept. Or hiding the dock. Yes, it's a bug. No, it shouldn't do that. I've written it up and submitted it to Apple - I hadn't seen it before today.
Do you think it's acceptable practice to make it look like my emails to others have photos embedded in the text, when in reality, the photos will only show up to them as separate attachments?
Yes. Those photos will show up as inline images on any mail reader that displays inline images.
Do you think it's acceptable to immediately and meticulously hide the actual email address I'm sending to and replace it with the person's name? (Yes, Having to double click on it is a big issue when all you have is a trackpad to move the pointer around with.)
That's actually a nice feature. It lets you know that person is in your address book. And you don't have to double click to edit the address, just click the triangle that appears to the right of the name. It's not a problem, it's the correct behavior.
Do you think it's acceptable that iTunes can't do something basic like play podcasts in chronological order automatically and starting from the first one you haven't listened to?
If you think it's a problem, write it up as a bug. I'm fine with it, I rarely listen to hours of podcasts all at once.
Or that you need good reflexes to stop it from deleting your library when you plug into a new computer unless you have good reflexes?
It doesn't do that. It asks if you want to replace the library.
Acrobat isn't an Apple program. Apple doesn't ship it.
No, but it damn well ships Safari. You know, the web browser that I'm supposed to access online pdf's with? And I know Apple is perfectly capable of implementing the PDF standard. So, to the extent that it makes "you must download Adobe to view this online pdf" the default option, yes it is fair game.
I'm calling bullshit on this one. I happened to have a clean install of 10.5.4 sitting here on a customer's machine. Safari doesn't say a thing about Acrobat. It displays the PDF, just like it's loading a web page. Acrobat is not installed on, and has never touched, that machine. It's not an Apple bug, it must be an Adobe bug.
Furthermore, on Windows, when Acrobat wants to update, I get precisely one warning -- when it starts. But on Safari (that's an Apple program, btw), I get the warning every 5 seconds, unless I have good enough reflexes to catch it in the one-second interval