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."
Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:5, Interesting)
The update was to 2.0.2 (Score:4, Interesting)
Disabled Apps (Score:5, Interesting)
On my iPhone, 2.02 completely disabled all 3rd party apps. Any apps installed run for just a few seconds before returning to the app screen. Deleting and re-installing doesn't help.
Good job apple.
Re:Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:5, Interesting)
Not at all. Just reduce the "number of bars" shown in the user interface and make the phone lose connection predictably at a higher threshold. Problem fixed.
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Interesting)
It's pretty sad that the 3G iPhone is running into problems. Especially since it has such high visibility due to everyone wanting one.
Actually, if this was any other cellphone company you would just get some bad reviews on a hardware site... and that's it. The fact that it's Apple means that it is appearing in more mainstream media.
Oh no, the Nokia xxxx is dropping calls left and right. Yawn. Oh no the Razor isn't great. Yawn.
Umm there's a problem with the iPho... OMG! CNN needs to cover this!
I've had/used cellphones that were pieces of garbage; dropped calls, poor reception, etc.
I guess that's the problem with a re-design; had they just refreshed the original iPhone there would be few technical glitches. But rolling out a new circuit board is causing them some headaches.
Re:Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:5, Interesting)
Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch
Tweak the firmware so the hardware issues are less obvious. Drop to edge quicker.
It's simple. (Score:1, Interesting)
Windows Mobile can't get shit done. I own a WM smartphone and it sucks incredibly. No usable browser, crappy "e-mail" client which can't do IMAP correctly, let alone IDLE, lame applications.
A Mac versus PC ad is at least fair -- both computers are capable of doing things, and you can get a PC that's equal to or superior to a Mac hardware-wise. (I own a MacBook, FWIW.) Macs can run the same software PCs can, either Mac OS X applications or Windows via Parallels/Fusion/Boot Camp. Windows Mobile is a whole different story -- it's not even close. Even if you have a Pocket PC, which is equipped with a touchscreen, better CPU, and significantly better version of Windows Mobile, you're still out of luck.
2.0.2 nonsense on the iPod Touch (Score:3, Interesting)
First, let me say that others have not had the same experience, so it isn't universal, but I've also seen others saying they had the same result, so it isn't unique to my iPod Touch either.
After I updated to 2.0.2 on my 16 GB iPod Touch, I could no longer launch any 3rd party apps. They would start to load, then quit back to the home screen. I tried powering off and starting back up. Didn't help. I tried a restore and setup from backup. No help. Finally I resorted to a restore and setup as a new iPod. This worked (at least so far). Of course, it means that I lost all my app data. Fortunately all my key data was recoverable (contacts, calendar, email and SplashID), but my progress in the game Vay, for example, is gone as well as other games.
This isn't the first problem I've had with 2.0.x firmware. Previously I had individual applications stop working. In some cases powering off and on would fix it, but more recently (with 2.0.1) I had some applications where that didn't help. In fact, neither did a restore and setup from backup. Indeed, the most recent restore and setup as a new device is the *second* time I've done it.
Also, twice I experienced a problem where I tried to launch the AppStore app where it never finished loading. It didn't quit to the home screen, it just got stuck. Pressing Home didn't do anything. Nor did pressing the sleep button. Finally I held the Home button down to force quit the AppStore, but instead of just force quitting the app, it caused an onscreen flash and then my iPod started to reboot, but it never finished. I tried forcing another reboot and still it didn't finish starting up. Endless Apple logo. I let it go for hours and it never finished. Finally I had to force my iPod into recovery mode and do a restore and setup from backup. In this case, that worked, but it happened again another time and again I had to restore from backup.
The 2.0.x firmware has, as far as I'm concerned, been pretty much a disaster. I love the features it brings to my iPod, but this is beta, or really alpha software. It shouldn't have been released, or at least it should have been labeled as such and not been distributed through normal means. Then the problems wouldn't sting quite so much if you ran into them.
I hope the promised September update will put all this nonsense to rest and finally give us release-quality firmware. I must admit to being a bit skeptical, though.
Re:never buy 1st gen apple hardware (Score:2, Interesting)
Honestly, why even upgrade to the 3g at all? The old iPhone you have works perfectly for you now. The only thing different about the new iPhone is the 3g, otherwise everything else is the same. I know a few people that rushed out and upgraded to the 3g from their 1st gen iPhones and now they're pissed because it doesn't work as well as the old one. I guess I'm just confused by people who rush out to buy the new phone, which is exactly the same as the old one except for a little bit faster speed, when the old one works just fine.
Yep I noticed the wrong ver in the article too (Score:4, Interesting)
I am more frustrated at the fact it has to do a complete reload, not just a patch. I've been generally happy with my iPhone (3G) but tying up your phone for almost 30 minutes while it downloads (at work no less) isn't pleasant. Then, I absolutely had to use it and forgot it was still downloading. I had a brick until I could spend another 10-20 minutes doing a "restore". The Apple software doesn't update after a restore, so guess what...I clicked, "Next" thinking it would continue to something else, but nope, got to wait another 20 minutes while it restored a second time.
As far as changes, I still have keyboard lag and the little quirks it had before 2.01 and 2.02. Battery drain I can't comment because I'm constantly plugging it in due to the habit I formed after having it die so often the first week I had it. I now instinctively plug into the car charger while driving, plug in at work, and then plug in at home. I even leave a cable attached to my XBOX360 to charge (even though the 360 won't recognize the iPhone like it would my iPod Video).
Re:Oh, come on (Score:2, Interesting)
Agreed. If you enter a mature market, you do NOT get a free pass for a crappy product. If you enter a mature market, have a product that is worthy of the market. Do we give a free pass to a brand new car company who enters the market with a car that has a carbeurated engine instead of fuel injection, no power steering, no power brakes, AM radio only and no air conditioning, just because its their first car, and Ford's first cars didn't have those features. Hell no, if anything, we expect that new car company to have everything we expect and more, otherwise we'll stick with what we know.
If Apple wants to play with the big boys in this market, it better not cry when it gets knocked down and has its knees all skinned up and gets sent home without its lunch money.
re: a free pass? (Score:3, Interesting)
Actually, I chalked it up to a little bit of journalistic integrity. There's no way you can download a new firmware update that has NO description of what was improved/changed in the description (other than "misc. bug fixes"), read about 24-48 hours worth of random comments on forums, and write a good article explaining the "fact" that said upgrade was GOOD or BAD!
Over on macrumors.com, I was following this update, yesterday, and I got the distinct impression that results were quite mixed. A good percentage of people reported about 1 more bar of signal strength on the 3g network than they saw before the update, and there were misc. reports of such things as, "I can now make a call inside my Chicago apartment, in the same room where previously, people always said my voice was garbled when I tried to call them."
I updated my boss's iPhone 3g to the new firmware yesterday afternoon, and so far, he hasn't noticed anything really "better" OR "worse" about it.
Meanwhile, people have reported completely different things they say were fixed in firmware 2.02 from 2.01, including Arabic web sites now displaying native language characters properly.
It seems likely to me that the more major 2.1 firmware update (that's now in beta testing by developers) would do more to attempt to address connectivity issues. This, at most, was probably just a small tweak of some parameters for how strong a signal needs to be before the iPhone decides it can use 3g vs dropping to EDGE, and vice-versa.
Re:Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:2, Interesting)
Sounds more and more like a hardware issue with the chipset
It is clear to me that you don't know what you're talking about in the slightest.
As a cell phone "chipset" designer, I'd be shocked if this isn't completely addressable with software. Very very little in modern cell phones isn't controllable in upgradable software. How you have concluded that this is a "hardware" issue is beyond me, unless you just like to make stuff up for fun and/or profit.
It's all Steve Jobs' fault for yelling (Score:5, Interesting)
I happen to know the guy who headed the RF software group for the original iPhone. He's a low-key sort, from the industrial high-reliability real time world. He did not like being yelled at by Steve Jobs. So, shortly after the first iPhones were out and working, he quit.
Apple found someone else to do the 3G version. Probably not someone from the industrial high-reliability real time world.
Re:Oh, come on (Score:3, Interesting)
The 3G iPhones go for $200. I bought my first-gen iPhone for $400. It doesn't drop calls or have service interruptions either. My coworkers with 3G's don't have these problems either. That was the entire point of the GP: just because a handful of people whine about it in a forum doesn't mean that the problems are actually widespread.
Your twenty dollar Nokia doesn't drop calls, but someone with a defective version of the same phone, or who lives in an area with poor reception, might.
Re:Obligatory... (Score:3, Interesting)
I looked & fiddled with the Blackberry and the iPhone, and I found the iPhone's controls were just better for browsing and doing other tasks. It's pretty intuitive. It also can receive calls in my apartment where my old phone would constantly drop calls.
What I found strange is all of the reports of problems with dropped calls and bad reception. I haven't experienced that yet.
I don't consider myself a zealot (I only own the iPhone, and an iPod that I bought a month ago - driving a moving truck 1000km with no CD Player didn't sound like a good idea to me.)
Now that I know about this I won't be updating the phone though.
That's the problem (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually, some independent analysis has shown that's the issue - the firmware is too anxious to jump to EDGE. Another problem is that in some places, ATT's equipment is placed at 2.5G distances, but 3G needs closer towers, so ATT needs to step up and get some upgrades in place. But there are a lot of indicators that it's the immature software ON the infineon chip, not the chip itself, that is causing issues.
Re:Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Interesting)
"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.
Not only is it "past marketing," it's the clamorous fan-base that sends death-threats to columnists who say negative things about Apple products that make them very reluctant to criticize too quickly.
The RDF is real. When I used Windows, if something was broken or I needed some application to do something, I would get a range of suggestions and, frequently, sympathetic remarks from other Windows users with the same problems. The attitude from Apple forums is generally that if an Apple product doesn't meet my needs or expectations, there's something wrong with my needs and expectations. There is a lot I like about my MacBook, but I'm getting fed up.
Re:"it just works my ass" (Score:1, Interesting)
You forgot the clever design that prevents people from resizing their windows from any edge, like we've been able to do side the first GUI days in the 80s. Obviously we didn't need to do that and the Almighty Jobs decided we should only be able to do it from the bottom right corner. Mustn't forget about changing the system font, oops, need a 3rd party tool to do that. But you soon learn some apps have the font hardcoded. Best of all is the inability to change the background color. Don't like the handful they let you choose (that's right, there is no color wheel), you have to make an image with that color and know where to put it! So do Apple users even switch their machines on? I tried a powerbook and mac pro, within a year I was back on linux on generic Intel.
Re:Tough to fix hardware issue with firmware patch (Score:3, Interesting)