iPhone Doesn't Surf Fast Enough for Jobs 436
ElvaWSJ writes with a link to a Wall Street Journal interview with Steve Jobs and AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson. As you can imagine, they're pretty enthusiastic. Just the same, they address the possibility that the iPhone will slow internet access on Ma Bell's cell network. "Mr. Jobs acknowledged that the company's new iPhone won't surf the Internet as fast as he would like on the network, called "Edge," but added that the device's ability to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots would give consumers a speedier alternative for Web browsing. For his part, Mr. Stephenson said the iPhone represents a broader push by AT&T into Wi-Fi services, including, potentially, mobile Internet calling. The two men also discussed the iPod's "halo effect" and reflected on the origins of their corporate partnership."
Re:EDGE is a slow network. (Score:2, Informative)
ch-ch-ch-turn and face the strange choices (Score:5, Informative)
Re:EDGE is a slow network. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:I didn't get far... (Score:1, Informative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerox_Star [wikipedia.org]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Lisa [wikipedia.org]
Because (Score:3, Informative)
Of course, if the iPhone does become the next iPod, then other carriers will start to make changes to support those features. Then APple will open it to other carriers.
This is very Jobs. Get his foot in the door, then eventually be the hippest cat in the whole room.
AT+T jsut boosted EDGA speeds (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/28/atandt-custome
As we know, increased means they probably removed some artificial cap....
I wonder how many days will go by until the drop the speed again? I guess there will be a halo effect of new iPhone buyers showing their friends - "hey look at this I can browse the web" - just for the sake of it....
taken out of context (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Correction (Score:3, Informative)
Re:EDGE is a slow network. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I find the lock-in with a provider retarted. (Score:0, Informative)
I know, I know! It's because the iTunes Music Store EULA has stated for years and years now that you're not licensed to use any songs purchased as a ring tone. This provision is required by the music industry, which wants to sell ringtones. Apple is bound by their contract with the music industry here; other companies which do not have such a contract are free to provide the feature.
Re:Does it autoconnect or manual to wifi (Score:3, Informative)
Re:EDGE is a slow network. (Score:5, Informative)
The reason I switched from T-Mobile to Cingular was the data speed. T-Mobile clocked in around 40kbps average, where Cingular/AT&T was 160kbps.
Here is a copy of the article (Score:2, Informative)
iPhone 'Surfing' On AT&T Network Isn't Fast, Jobs Concedes By NICK WINGFIELD and AMOL SHARMA June 29, 2007; Page B4 [nowides]
In an interview on the eve of the iPhone launch, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs and AT&T Inc. CEO and Chairman Randall Stephenson addressed concerns that the device will have slow Internet access on AT&T's cellular network.
Mr. Jobs acknowledged that the company's new iPhone won't surf the Internet as fast as he would like on the network, called "Edge," but added that the device's ability to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots would give consumers a speedier alternative for Web browsing. For his part, Mr. Stephenson said the iPhone represents a broader push by AT&T into Wi-Fi services, including, potentially, mobile Internet calling. The two men also discussed the iPod's "halo effect" and reflected on the origins of their corporate partnership.
The iPhone's first real chance to prove itself will begin Friday at 6 p.m., when the public is finally able to get its hands on the product. If it's successful, the product -- a cellphone combined with entertainment and Internet functions, all of them controlled by finger taps on a touch-sensitive screen -- could force changes across the wireless industry, forcing cellphone makers to respond with new twists in their own hardware. Already, eager fans are lining up at AT&T and Apple stores around the country to buy the device
Excerpts from the interview follow:
* * *
WSJ: Steve, on the eve of the iPhone launch, we wonder if you might compare it to others you've been involved in -- the introduction of the Macintosh, for instance -- both in terms of the consumer anticipation and your own feelings about the impact the product will have in the market?
[Steve Jobs]
Steve Jobs: One of the things we feel is this is the biggest breakthrough in user interfaces in 23 years. Since the Mac in 1984 brought us the mouse and bit map displays and folders and icons, there really hasn't been much except for the evolution of that in the last 23 years. This is a revolutionary user interface [on the iPhone] -- multi-touch, direct action. It's pretty remarkable. I'm very excited.
I remember the week before we introduced the Mac. We knew every computer would work this way once we had the Mac. You couldn't talk about 'If,' you could debate about 'When.' That's how I feel about this. I feel this is the direction mobile devices are going to have to go. I don't think it's a matter of if, it's a matter of when. The first and most breakthrough one of them is going to be on the market tomorrow.
WSJ: One of the interesting things for people about the iPhone is the bundling of data and voice into one service plan. We've talked to some other smartphone manufacturers in the last couple days who say that would be great if that were extended to other devices because it seems like it would ensure that out-of-the-box people aren't getting an experience where they're pressing a button and something doesn't work. Is that something that you are looking at extending to other phones in the AT&T lineup over time?
Randall Stephenson: It depends on the handset itself. With this particular device, to not have an inclusive data package with a voice package would be almost irrelevant, right? This is a data and a voice product. It's nonsensical to sell a rate plan separate. As you see devices migrate towards this type of device, I fully expect you'll see rate plans migrate towards that as well.
WSJ: What do you both envision being added over time to the iPhone, in terms of access to ringtones through Cingular's (now rebranded AT&T) platform and maybe through some other manner, like turning your iTunes songs into ringtones?
Mr. Jobs: As you may know, iTunes is now the number three distributor of music in the U.S., ahead of Amazon and Target and behind Best Buy and Wal-Mart, and obviously the largest online distributor of
Re:My take on Apple's policy: (Score:2, Informative)
UMTS is also known as 3GSM: it's designed to support various radio interfaces, WCDMA being the most common. TD-SCDMA is another, developed by China IIRC.
To a user (that is, a user of a GSM/WCDMA device), the difference between the two should be the improvements in WCDMA/UMTS over plain GSM/GPRS/EDGE: better handoffs, more voice bandwidth, less quality drops, less latency, simultaneous data and voice, etc., and then the one downside: decreased battery life. The decreased battery life, unfortunately, is apparent on all CDMA-based devices; it inherently uses more power than its TDMA counterparts. (I miss the days of 8 hour *real* talk time)
UMTS makes incremental upgrades to GSM. GSM SIMs are compatible in UMTS devices, but newer USIMs have more security features. WCDMA and GSM air interfaces can be run from the same infrastructure and calls can be handed between them. The same features and feature codes are available.
Data access via GPRS/EDGE and WCDMA works essentially the same in software.
To support both, no duplication is needed. The same software can be used (with minor improvements to handle the new parts of WCDMA), and most WCDMA chipsets have GSM integrated as well. In the USA, GSM and WCDMA run on the same frequency bands (so far), so no new antenna is needed to support 2.1GHz.
There are a lot more markets with AT&T 3G than the Apple fanboys and AT&T haters like to admit... When ATT 3G appeared in this region (oct 06), they built out 3G first in the biggest city then proceeded to build it out in the two next biggest cities & outlying areas by December. It took Verizon over a year to get that far. The major cities without AT&T 3G are due mainly to FCC licensing issues, and I have heard that they have secured licensing in many of those markets and will be launching 3G soon.
Basically, I'd guess that at least half of the population that will buy an iPhone has 3G available in their area.
It's surprising that AT&T here has done a better job than your carrier. HSDPA coverage is the same as GSM coverage throughout my market... not only are the core metro areas & highways covered, the populated outlying areas are too.
A friend of mine has the same device and he has execllent 3G service.
Re:I find the lock-in with a provider retarted. (Score:2, Informative)
Good going there, spreading nonsense.
The iPhone is the next gen iPod, meaning that all your downloaded/copied/ripped mp3's will play just fine.
Opera Mini makes EDGE/GRPS faster by compression (Score:3, Informative)
Re:ch-ch-ch-turn and face the strange choices (Score:3, Informative)
Revising history? (Score:3, Informative)
That would be either "The Xerox Star Office System" in "1981" or at least "Lisa" in "1982", Steve.
Re:If only... (Score:3, Informative)
GSM spec for 4 timeslots (the almost universal configuration, and the only feasible "real world" configuration, maxes at 236.4kbps. With 8 timeslots the theoretical max is 473.6kbps.
So if you'd been sold on "EDGE is 300-700kbps", you'd be looking at a pretty clear case of deceptive advertising.
Re:I find the lock-in with a provider retarted. (Score:3, Informative)
Okay, so we know that Apple is in fact a for-profit company seeking, well, profit... but what does that have to do with iTunes and ringtones? Last I checked, iTunes is not exclusively for purchased music, in fact the vast majority of everyone's iTunes library is not in fact purchased from iTunes.
So forcing the user to go through iTunes is in fact *not* a form of lock-in, since that mp3 I put on my phone as ringtone could have come from ANYWHERE I wanted. If Apple starts implementing a "only purchased music on iPhone" thing, then start crying foul - until then you're just spreading FUD.
Honestly, I understand why Apple forces the use of iTunes for the iPod and iPhone. Windows Explorer, and even the Mac OS finder, sucks for organizing music and media. I like listening to music on my laptop, dragging interesting songs onto my sync playlist, and have my iPod sync it every time I plug it in to recharge. It's easy, and if I'm looking for a particular song it's also fast as hell.
Imagine doing that in Windows. Dragging each file over? So many files are mis-tagged, or tagged unintelligibly such that I don't know WTF I'm copying unless I crack open each file for a listen. This is the reason I haven't switched away from the iPod, despite so many manufacturers offering superior hardware and features, because I simply do not want to be a Windows Explorer monkey.
IMHO, the majority of users are stupid. If you give them an inconvenient way to do something, they will do it that way and blame the inconvenience on you. I can see Apple's POV when they force the default "easy but less powerful" method on their users.