Steve Jobs and AT&T have both confirmed that the iPhone will get 3G in 2008. But what will that actually mean? What trade-offs can we expect?
To answer these questions, I did some online research and spoke with several engineers at prominent cellular carriers.
Challenge Number One - Availability.
Do you live in any city in Idaho other than Boise? How about any city in South Carolina other than Columbia? Or any city in Maryland other than Baltimore? If so, you can’t access an AT&T 3G network. AT&T plans to have 3G available in 220 metropolitan areas by 2008. For a complete list of currently available cities, visit their website at http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/popUp_3g.html.
Challenge Number Two - Reliability.
3G is a relatively new technology that is somewhat buggy. Many 3G users report connection problems, dropped connections, spotty connections and interference.
In cities like Boston, the 2.5G networks do a better job of grabbing and keeping a connection than do the 3G networks. Until 3G matures, users may experience some frustration surrounding the ability to get and stay online.
Challenge Number Three - Battery Life.
Simulated tests run by engineers at a major cellular company indicate that a 3G phone would offer as much as 25% less battery life than the current iPhone. By all accounts, a 3G iPhone will need either a larger battery or to operate more efficiently if it’s to deliver the kind of battery performance we’re used to on the 2.5 phone.
Challenge Number Four - Size.
All the rumors we’ve heard indicate that Apple wants to make the iPhone smaller, not larger. Yet, with the current state of 3G chips, this would be nearly impossible. The 3G chips are physically larger than the chips Apple uses to power the Edge network.
Some of the concerns I raise here may be moot by the time Apple releases the iPhone. The chipsets may become more reliable, smaller and less power hungry. But until we know for sure, these are all things to consider.
Availability- Is there anything more frustrating than this? This is why I have such high hopes (and dreams) for the 700 Mhz spectrum.
Reliability- I’ve never used HSDPA but my EVDO with Sprint was horrible. It felt similar to what I get with the iPhone now. Granted it was really nice if I happen to be sitting under a tower but at less than 4 bars the benefit was not worth the extra $15 a month.
Battery Life- Let’s hope Apple has solved this or accepted a larger battery. I have to say though, my Sprint phones always had and option to kill EVDO and save battery. Maybe there’s a clever way for the iPhone to do the same intelligently.
Size- This I don’t understand. I don’t think of myself as having large hands but I think the iPhone is small enough and might and stand to be a bit bigger. Think about trying to cram a bigger 3G chip and more NAND chips and a bigger battery in it, it almost has to be a pinch bigger.
I have a hefty case on my iPhone (Contour Showcase
All the rumors we’ve heard indicate that Apple wants to make the iPhone smaller, not larger.”
I hope not. The iPhone’s just about perfectly sized. Much smaller and it loses much of the appeal it has as a video player.
The current AT&T 3G deployment map’s a killer, more than likely. Granted, I’m in Baltimore, and DC’s also covered too… but I’m worried if I step out of Baltimore and into Glen Burnie or even BWI Airport, you’ll be pushed down to EDGE.
hmmm… my first comment got cut off.
Anyway, the Contour Showcase is a GREAT case, does a really good job of protecting the case. But it does make it a bit larger. This slightly larger size fits well and my girlfriend, with smaller hands, seems indifferent.
I should also mention that I’ve been told my CSRs and confirmed a single friend (the only one I know with one) that the PCMCIA and USB EVDO modems are faster than phones and faster than a phone as a modem. I don’t know the technical reasons behind this and it may only apple to Sprint’s EVDO.
I just want to see a better camera. Higher resolution and the ability to capture video are #1 and #2 on my list of iPhone upgrades. Next comes Safari JAVA support and, to a lesser extent, Flash.
Perhaps when the SDK is released OPERA will make an iPhone version of it’s mobile browser and support JAVA or Flash.
I have to disagree…
There are plenty of 3G capable handsets in the world that are thin with solid battery (longer than a day) life.
As far as coverage goes - I don’t need 100%. I wan to know that my financial investment is protected for the longer term view especially since you have to sign a contract in order to get one. two years is a long time to NOT have 3G service.
I live in the NYC metro are and while I do not have 3G service at my house, it kicks in on the train into the city each day and my Nokia N95-3 (North American version) is more than happy and capable to offer the extra speed when it’s available.
I think you are perhaps a bit drunk on Apple Kool-Aid. I love the Apple kit too, but the lack of a 3G device in 2007 and soon 2008 is very shortsighted.
Johnathan using as much evidence as you have against me, I’ll say you’re nothing but a shill for Nokia or a Windows fanboy.
This post has nothing whatsoever to do with being an Apple lover. It’s AT&T who is responsible for the 3G network - not Apple. Get your facts straight.
Now as to your more substantive claims. First, which handsets offer the kind of multimedia capability of the iPhone, with 3G AND all day battery life? Be specific. And even if you can find one that meets that criteria…the basis of the post is that 3G will indeed be a bigger drain on the iPhone than Edge. That’s an undisputed fact.
What if you move from NYC to an area that isn’t 3G capable?
And this sounds like you’re late to the party anyway. 3G is indeed coming to the iPhone. Did you even read the post?
Scott -
I stood in line for my iPhone and have 5 macs at home. When I got the iPhone I put my Nokia handset down and did not look back … for a few months. I found the limitation on applications, data speed and DUN connectivity to be stunting the way in which I want to be connecting on the go.
My Nokia N95 (I purchased the North American 3G model after my iPhone) offers a substantial library of applications, over the air services, GPS, wifi, VOIP and of course robust multimedia. While the manner in which it works may not be as dead simple as the apple UI (and we can certainly agree nothing is as simple to use) the power I’m rewarded with is substantial.
I regularly capture 5MP photos, upload them to Flickr as fullsize images including the EXIF data something that is currently stripped and scaled by the iPhone’s email a photo function.
I can capture 30FPS MP4 beautiful video on a swapable micro-SD card so I never run out of space (i use a 6GB card daily and have a few 2GB cards here as well).
I use the N95 as a modem routinely with a Nokia Internet Tablet (yes two pieces) as well as my MacBookPro when I need it connected on the go without a wifi connection. The iPhone has no DUN option.
I don’t really care about MMS which is not just lacking on the iPhone but being blocked on the iPhone’s SIM which is what’s running on my N95.
With considerable use I can go a day on the Nokia.
Guess I ran out of space… One more nice trick - I can update my Podcasts (video and audio) over the air (no computer required) with the Nokia Podcasting app which very politely took an OPML export from iTunes.
Ah now we’re getting somewhere. So this is the same N95 that my pal Leo can get about four hours out of if he’s careful. The same N95 that Leo and Robert Scoble were showing me a few months ago as they attempted to take those stunning 5mp images and then immediately crashed their phones. Try again Jonathan.
You’re late to this party. The contest is over. The iPhone is dramatically outselling the N95. The N95 proves my point in many ways. I’ve let you take this off topic a bit but at the end of the day, you couldn’t rebut my points.
I’m not saying the iPhone doesn’t need 3G. I’m saying there will be challenges in implenting it. If you want to make this an N95 is better than iPhone thread, go ahead and try. But I’d pay for an iPhone over a free N95 any day of the week. Everyone I know who owns one says it’s buggy and has poor battery life.
I’ve never understood the hype about 3G. Before I got my iPhone, I was forced to endure a Blackjack which had 3G and even living in the heart of the San Fernando Valley the 3G service was spotty and not very strong at all. With more and more places offering Wi-Fi in the LA area it’s not a real issue. This may not hold true in other countries, if your 3G service rocks then I hope you guys get your sought-after 3G iPhone sooner rather later.
I have to agree with those of you saying they shouldn’t make it smaller. Any smaller of a screen and the video playback feature becomes a simple line item and not a selling point.
3G Reliability? This statement makes no sense: “Until 3G matures, users may experience some frustration surrounding the ability to get and stay online”. If you don’t get a 3G signal, then you’ll be on EDGE, but you *will* be online and you *will* be connected.
I’m using the BlackJack II (had the BJ I) previously. While I’m a longtime Mac user, I’m waiting for v2.0 of the iPhone — Exchange compatibility and 3G are paramount to tunes and video for this Mac fanboy. Until then, I’m in love with The Missing Sync.
Looking forward to iPhone 2.0 in ‘08.
@fincher it makes perfect sense. I’ve been on 3G networks that grab and drop signal every two minutes depending on where you’re at. I’ve really had this problem when in big cities on the east coast. Just because you’re connected, doesn’t mean you’ll stay connected. You can be dropped in an instant and that’s not reliable in my book.
Scott,
Are you talking about HSDPA/EDGE handoffs? I remember when Sprint first rolled out EVDO many handsets would drop the high speed network as the signal faded and not pickup the slow network. I’m not sure if it was Sprint or the handset manufacturers that ironed out the issue but it did take a few months.
Also, EDGE has gone down a few times in the greater Boston area since I’ve had my iPhone. Once service was restored my iPhone failed to have any network connectivity. A call to customer support lead to me pulling the SIM and reinserting it to force the iPhone to reacquire network information ( or so I was told ). The second outage I knew to do this and it worked again. I wonder if this is an iPhone issue or a network issues. If of where to pop up every time high speed dropped to low speed we may be in for a rough ride. Not that I have any reason to suspect the hand off wouldn’t be perfected before deployment, I’m just saying…
Personally, I don’t buy it.
1. Availability - 3G on the iPhone is no different, by your estimation, than WiFi. Limited availability, and in areas that it lacks, you’re “stuck” on EDGE. By your explanation, you would suggest that it’s better that everyone have an EDGE-only iPhone rather than a few folks getting to use the 3G inside. That makes no sense. Why not put 3G in there, so that the 2nd gen iPhone is ready for the future, rather than sitting in the past.
2. Reliability - this is also silly. What wireless network out there DOESN’T have people reporting dropped calls and the like? PLEASE tell us, so I can switch to that.
3. Battery Life - I’ve used several 3G handsets that can easily get through the day. The idea that a full-day charge on a 3G device would require a battery bigger than the current iPhone is downright silly.
4. Size - again, silly. If the RAZR V3xx can have an HSDPA chip in it, the iPhone most certainly can have 3G without busting at the seams. Really.
I don’t buy any of this garbage that the iPhone doesn’t have 3G due to any ‘challenges’. Personally I think that the 2nd gen iPhone will add 3G, and little else, proving once again that Jobs can make a slight change and all the fanboi’s will continue to clamor over themselves to get one.
I have to say, I agree with Jonathan. Any ‘top level’ handset that comes out in 2008 without 3G is a joke and nothing more. I personally don’t see why Blackberry gets chided consistently by everyone for not having 3G, and yet if someone knocks Apple, to hell with them.
Just some some thoughts from Downunder (Australia).
Let me start by saying that I am an Apple fanboy and look forward to the iPhone being released over here eventually.
We have had 3G here since April 2003 (almost five years) and other countries had it earlier. So I would not label it as “a relatively new technology”. In tech years, it is decades old.
My two-year old 3G LG handset has a standby battery life of about five days. Not sure battery about battery life with heavy use. I’ve never considered battery life an issue.
My issue with the iPhone design is in regards to video calls. We have had video-conferencing on our mobile phones over 3G since the outset in Australia. In order to use a phone for video calls it either needs to have a camera on both sides, or have a swivel cam in the hinge of a clamshell design phone (so that you can look at the screen while aiming the camera at yourself). This does not appear to be possible with the iPhone. So, if a 3G iPhone is ever made available here or worldwide, will it not be possible to make video calls with it? This would mean stepping back five years in time for me.
@Reader I feel like I’m living in an alternative universe. Are you people even reading what I am writing?
1. You won’t be allowed to put words in my mouth on this blog. I said what I said and it’s there for all to read. You said what you said and it’s not what I said. There is absolute proof that 3G is NOT available in about 15 states. WI-FI is available in all 50 states. I never said people should have an Edge-only phone. When you have to distort facts to prove a point your argument is on its face weak. And in case you missed it, 3G is coming. I am simply saying there will be challenges. I repeat did you read my post?
2. Your argument is what’s silly. In every test, Edge is more reliable than 3G. It’s not a matter of every network having problems. It’s a matter of Edge being more reliable. Once again since you didn’t appear to actually read my post I’ll say again, 3G is coming but this is an issue of concern.
3. I don’t believe you’ve used 3G handsets with the multimedia capability of the iPhone that will match its battery life. Give me model names and numbers or I’ll assume you’re a shill. And believe me I’ll pull the data to prove you wrong. And as far as this being silly, you can simply Google for information on 3G battery life and find dozens of sites which show tests that prove me out. As do comments made to me personally by AT&T engineers.
4. Again you’re silly. Look at the Edge chip in the iPhone and the 3G chip in the Blackberry. I’ll wait for you to admit you were wrong again.
I never said that the iPhone doesn’t have 3G because of these challenges. If you read the post, you’ll see that 3G is coming. I said there will be challenges.
And since the new iPhone will be coming out in 2008 with a 3G chip you won’t have to worry about it being a joke.
So do you work for RIM or Nokia? Who are you shilling for?
Joe from Aussie land - 3G is relatively new in the USA - I should have made clear that’s what I was talking about. In fact it’s so new, AT&T isn’t even done installing it in all major US cities.
My point is simple. If you drop a 3G signal, you will be on EDGE. You don’t lose your connection if you move to EDGE, the connection only gets slower.
I understand why Jobs did not want 3G at first given all the battery-intensive features. I’m merely saying the article at top is concerned about 3G reliability and to me its a non-issue.
@fincher thanks for the clarification but it will matter to many people and here’s why. If they’re spending money to upgrade to a 3G phone because it’s 3G and the 3G drops back to Edge - why spend the money?
Scott, you’re right about not spending the money to upgrade just for 3G. Thing is, there are a lot consumers sitting on the sidelines waiting for v2.0. And, of course, the fanboys who have the current model will gleefully grab the next version.
Obviously 3G is not blanket coverage. Even EDGE is not 100% complete coverage. Depending on location, the signal will vary. Most large metro areas have 3G coverage.
I’m in Chicago area and I get 3G about 80% of the time. WiFi is great but I’m more likely to be in a 3G area rather than near a hotspot. Add 3G and keep the WiFi and you’ll be thisclose to complete high speed connection speeds.
BTW, I enjoy your podcast. Keep up the good work.
AT&T 3G is all over the place here in my city. Bring on the 3G iPhone!
It’s better to have at least the chance of 3G coverage than none at all.
The best way to decide is to find out if 3G is offered in your area before you buy, if that is the mitigating factor.
But iPhone 2.0 will probably have many other improvements besides 3G also. More disk space? Video? More processing power? The question is, if the next version of the iPhone DOESN’T have 3G will people upgrade? For example, if Steve announced an iPhone with 16 or 32 GB of memory, video capabilities, some free games thrown in, better screen technology, stereo bluetooth, etc., would you upgrade or wait?
Being as overall happy with my phone as i am, unless something drastic changes (like I move to an area with no ATT service), I’ll be first inline for v2.
Scott:
You asked for a 3G phone model which offers comparable features and battery life? Okay, I’ll give you one. The Samsung i730, which is now almost two years old. A full featured WM device which I used happily for a long, long time prior to buying the iPhone. With the i730, I was able to go all day without a charge and return home with my batter at about 1/2 full . . . about the same battery life that I currently get from my iPhone.
As for size, I used the Pantech PN-820 WM smartphone edition on Verizon EVDO for several months, and that sucker is tiny and, in my experience, very battery efficient.
Also, while I can’t speak for HSDPA, I can say as a long time EVDO user (both Verizon and Sprint with both phones and USB modems), I’ve never had any issues whatsoever with reliability. In fact, I currently keep a Sprint Sierra 595U aAircard connected for about 8 hours each and every day and can’t remember a single hiccup.
At the same time, I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times my iPhone couldn’t connect to the edge network here in Detroit. Same with my Blackjack I on AT&T’s edge network. Sure, its anecdotal evidence, but my experience has convinced me that the supposed drawbacks with 3G (other than availability) are nothing but hogwash.
All of the above relates to the issue of 3G only. Beyond that, I love my ver. 1.0 iPhone to death and anticipate that my feelings will only grow stronger once ver. 2.0 is released.
According to it’s own published specs the Samsung i730 is:
More than twice as thick as the iphone (24.6mm vs 11.6 mm) and almost twice as large by volume! In addition to that, it’s screen is almost half the resolution (240 x 320) only has 128MB of built in memory, strangely enough you have to turn off the Phone radio to use the WiFi radio, and even with all that.. the published talk time is 2.2 hours. compared to the iPhone’s 8 hour talk time. In fact according to MobileTechReview.com “If you talk for 45 minutes per day, use the PDA functions several times a day, play games, surf the web for an hour over EVDO or 1xRTT, and have the device set to check email several times per hour, use the 1700 mAh extended battery or you won’t make it through the day.”
@Scott I’d like to see the INTERNATIONAL sales numbers of both iPhone and n95
I’m not sure about the 3G status in the US so it doesn’t interest me. What matters is that the whole world already have 3G and even 3.5g. I don’t mind Apple releasing 2 iPhones. An American EDGE until ATT get the coverage right and an international 3.5G iPhone.
Taking on the 3G from the prospective of a mac user in Saudi Arabia:
and some pocket pc models)
Availability: both telecoms (STC and Mobily plus the 3rd upcoming Zain) have full 3G coverage over major cities.
Reliability: most phones are already 3G its almost hard finding a new 2G iPhone ( except the gray market iPhone
Battery: my 3G Sony Ericsson k800i can last a few days. Sure its not a smart phone but good battery life (iPhone should and must have replacable batteries anyway, they are not iPods)
Size: have you seen how small the k800i is? Even the n95 is relativly small considering there is a gps unit in there with the 2 cameras, wifi,fm,Bluetooth and infrared. So I’m sure the 3g iPhone will be the same size.
I keep in mind that the iPhone is a first gen product from a company that just jumped into the mobile phone business. It is a great phone no one can deny that.
Sent from my unlocked iPhone
As for the n95, you can’t deny some of the issues with the phone (bad third party software can cause problems). But it is still an impressive all in one from Nokia and I can’t wait for next incarnation if it in the n96.
I’m using an n95 and the issues Leo is facing can be fixed with a firmware update using nokia updater. Some of the last patches fixed the battery as well.
I’m just a nokia fanboy, apple fanboy, windows ( xp only and only for playing games) all in one
and if you think bricked iPhones are bad. Don’t look at my bricked wii
Khaled A.
The latest rumor is Apple will be using a the new 45 nm Silverthorne chip with integrated 3G that uses between half a watt and 2 watts of electrical power. This should make up for the extra power that current 3G chips require.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/12/21/exclusive_apple_to_adopt_intels_ultra_mobile_pc_platform.html
rexburg idaho: no 3G. Heck, we don’t even have AT&T up here yet. July 2008, we will. But I’m moving sooner than that.
3G isn’t important to me. I don’t live anywhere close to a 3G tower/network. And having a 2.0 3G iPhone in the *hopes* of 3G coming to town soon just isn’t worth it to me. The idea that an upcoming phone without 3G is junk is frankly, fanboy FUD.
One day 3G will be everywhere. Maybe. Then it will be worth it to me to get iPhone 4.0.
But given the upgradeable nature of 1.0, I can expect many of the features others have mentioned without tossing this one. The one thing that software won’t give me is 32G of storage. THAT will make me consider v.X of the iPhone.
3G or not, I don’t want the iPhone to get any bigger. A mm or two in thickness, maybe. But I love the screen size and would hate to give any of it up.
Apple may indeed solve the higher battery drain issue by using the Silverthorne chip. But how it actually affects battery life is only speculation until we see its execution.
Jobs shipped a phone that doesn’t do many of the things that some people want. But was it does do, it does very well and pleases me no end. I have never used as many features on any previous phones as I have on the iPhone. For solid updates, I’ll wait, happily.