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Fri, Nov 21, 2008 - 12:09 AM EST  —  AAPL: 80.49 (-5.80, -6.72%)  |  NASDAQ: 1316.12 (-70.30, -5.07%)

Apple: iPhone 2.0.2 Software Update ‘improves communication with 3G networks’
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 11:16 AM EST

"Apple acknowledged Tuesday that a software update for the iPhone partly fixes the connection snags that have caused a global firestorm for the new iPhone 3G," Edward C. Baig reports for USA Today.

"Though mum on details, Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock said on Tuesday, 'The software update improves communication with 3G networks,'" Baig reports.

"News reports placed at least part of the blame on faulty 3G chipsets from German chipmaker Infineon Technologies (IFX). If it is a chip problem, it's uncertain if all the connection troubles can be solved by Apple's latest software update alone," Baig reports.

"Michael Gartenberg, vice president for mobile strategy at Jupitermedia, says the whole thing may be overblown. 'We've seen these isolated reports about people having connectivity issues with 3G and Edge, and frankly I have those issues on a variety of phones,' he says. 'Cellphone coverage is tricky,'" Baig reports.

More in the full article here.

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Reader Feedback: ( = registered)

Aug 20, 08 - 10:24 am Comment from: Orange Juice

What was the 200-something meg download for the iPod touch for??? Anyone know?

Aug 20, 08 - 10:27 am Comment from: theloniousMac

I believe that the masters of hype have just shown us the 21st century version of the viral placebo effect.

>.>

Aug 20, 08 - 10:30 am Comment from: Apple Dude

It doesn't seem like it fixed it for my iphone.

Aug 20, 08 - 10:32 am Comment from: Raving MacHead

Love Apple, but apparently the new iPhone update is causing even more problems.

See the Apple iPhone Support forums for yourself.

http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1274&start=15

Aug 20, 08 - 10:37 am Comment from: R2

There are still plenty of people complaining. In fact we see new problems popping up after the update.

The recall train is coming once Apple confirms that a software fix won't cut it.

Aug 20, 08 - 10:44 am Comment from: Grain of Salt

what people need to realize is that while there may be issues for some(there always are) the internet has turned into a marketing tool for tech companies. These companies employ marketing firms to either bolster their products on blogs or tear down the competition. Take all the complaints and cut them in half (at least) and you will probably have a more accurate number of issues. I work for a marketing firm and see these tactics daily. It goes for all co.'s but Apple is at the top of everyone's list right now.

Aug 20, 08 - 10:54 am Comment from: macster

Nope. It did nothing for me. Well, not nothing. Some of my apps crash more than ever which sometimes forces a reboot. Thanks for nothing Apple. I still have barely 2 bars of 3G. It is now permanently switched to EDGE for 5 bars, better performance and better battery life!

Aug 20, 08 - 10:56 am Comment from: RC

I know some are having real problems, but I haven't had any issues with any of these iPhone updates. They've all worked as advertised and my iPhone continues to work just fine as it always has. So these problems some are having definitely don't affect everyone.

Aug 20, 08 - 10:57 am Comment from: Whatever

I wish you could choose 2G for voice and 3G for data separately as 3G voice coverage stinks but data still comes in quite fast.

Aug 20, 08 - 10:59 am Comment from: Cubert

I wonder how many people complaining live in sparse 3G areas.

Aug 20, 08 - 11:04 am Comment from: Erk

I still have calls being dropped when going from 3g to Edge during calls, happened just last night =/

My battery drains like no ones business, have not tested my other problem yet.. if I am in an edge only area, and turn on 3g to see if I have coverage, I get no service at all, it will not default to edge if there is no 3g available, a restart will not fix it, I have to physically go turn 3g off to acquire any signal from edge

i'm an apple fanatic, this rollout has been extremely poor from my point of view

it just could be I have a faulty phone, was waiting for the update before I bring it in, have only had it about 1 1/2 weeks

Aug 20, 08 - 11:12 am Comment from: NYC Paul

A great improvement for me.

The update on my 16 Gig iPhone 3G was quick and painless. No 3rd party app problems. Contacts are much quicker, and I have MUCH better 3G coverage (NYC 10002). Haven't witnessed a single switch to EDGE since the update.

Strangely though I've had a higher than usual number of dropped calls this morning. Time will tell what that's all about.

Aug 20, 08 - 11:12 am Comment from: Mo

my iPhone works great and I have experienced none of the problems others have reported...I've asked the people I know personally who own iPhones (10 or so) if they are having any problems and no one seems to be having any of these issues...makes you wonder how many of these complaints are legitimate and not just due to poor 3G coverage or users not knowing wtf they are doing.

Aug 20, 08 - 11:16 am Comment from: shen

gosh, remember when Jobs said 3G wasn't ready yet? and so many people here and elsewhere yelled? and a few people with knowledge pointed to stability and battery issues, but the masses wanted wanted their 3G......

well you all got your way, how is doing for you?

even with improved chips half the posts i see by 3G owners say "zomg the battery is the suxzors!!!1!!"

are we learning yet?

Aug 20, 08 - 11:26 am Comment from: Erk

ahh forgot, most of my apps stopped working with 2.02 they all worked in 2.01 even with my battery/connection issues

@Mo most don't have the problems, thats a good thing, but don't think we are all idiots who have problems, they are valid, apple has admitted to the problems, they have not admitted to fixing them....yet

I know that if I took this phone back to the apple store they would replace it outright, unfortunately I do not live near one, and don't want to fight 2 hours of DC traffic to do it. Besides I know the problems, they are not deal killers (unless they cannot fix it via firmware update) I still have 2 weeks for them to figure that out

Aug 20, 08 - 11:29 am Comment from: TowerTone

This update did me no good at all.
My first gen iPhone STILL won't switch to 3G.....

Aug 20, 08 - 11:36 am Comment from: elgruga

LOL - good one, Tower Tone!

After the update a notorious black spot in Vancouver disappeared.
(for those of you who live in Vancouver BC, I am talking Terminal and Main lights 200 meters from Science World).
More bars at home.

Howver, I have to say that I have not had ANY crashes or problems with the iPhone (16gb, white, Rogers) at all.

Thats NONE, NADA.

And I agree that some of these unsubstantiated complaints are part of the Internet Marketing game that goes on.

Viral placebo? How about Viral Complaints to bring down the rep. of another co.?

Aug 20, 08 - 11:46 am Comment from: HD Boy

No 3G improvement here with the 2.0.2 update. A weak 3G signal in an area that is marked as full 3G on the local AT&T;map still results in dropped calls for me. Each customer's experience will be different -- but I believe this 3G signal problem also is a product of AT&T;'s immature 3G network technology (and not just Apple's phone). Thus, 3G signals are affected by the quality of the AT&T;signal at your particular location. At AT&T;'s Location Viewer map page, look at the 2G coverage to get an idea about the quality of the 3G coverage. On the 2G overlay map, the dark orange areas stand out, and define actual tower locations, as well as surrounding coverage areas.

Aug 20, 08 - 11:47 am Comment from: Kren

@shen

Are you some kind of bozo? When the 1st gen iphone came out there was already a cellphone landscape littered with 3g phones.

And learning what? The phone is advertised as being 3g capable so it should run at 3g with minimal issues! DUH. You're an effing moron that needs to keep his mouth shut.

Aug 20, 08 - 12:17 pm Comment from: currentinterest

3G worked great BEFORE update, performance degraded from home AFTER update. Irritating.

Aug 20, 08 - 12:24 pm Comment from: Doom and Gloom

All of these so called nay sayers along with the "new" problems as a result of this are all being brought to light by the Perception Managers who create either Interest or FUD.

In this case..... FUD!

Aug 20, 08 - 12:27 pm Comment from: jtc

I wonder what battery life people are actually getting. Everyone says it sucks but what are the damn times they are running till the need for a recharge? and what is being done on the phone? I played texas holdem with 3G on and wifi connected for 2.5 hours straight and the battery was almost half used. I haven't tested it out yet on how long it lasts playing video or continuous music. All I know is the battery life is much better than my blackberry curve which is now currently sitting on the desk unactivated. Also it out lasts my palm treo 755 which is also inactive now. I could just have good luck I guess. I am kinda pissed at how almost 90% of the time that I sync with itunes it crashes my iphone or itunes locks up just from plugging it in. Restoring the iphone is no quick task either but oh well.

The way apple is... this will all get resolved over time. I think the biggest problem is that they should have got the phones out sooner to get better testing before the major release to clear up any bug issues there may be.

Its still the best damn phone I have ever used or owned. I wouldn't mind MMS being added sometime soon. raspberry

Aug 20, 08 - 12:52 pm Comment from: asuyak

My problems still exist after this update. I went to a Dbacks game with my newly updated phone last night and still could not get a response from anything internet involved, even though I had 3-4 bars in 3G. I disabled the 3G and could browse just fine. I don't know if it's the number of people in that area or what, but I still have a "great connection" according to the bars on my phone, yet nothing works.

Also, anyone having the issue while texting when you start typing, each letter stays raised, and doesn't type for about a second each? I can still type while the letters are raised and get everything done and just wait for the phone to type the letters 1 character per second... Kind of annoying... The other fix is to go back to the home screen and then go back to texting and it gets rid of that delay.

Aug 20, 08 - 01:14 pm Comment from: Bruce

I am in hills above San Jose. My reception seemed no better after 2.0,2 so I called AT&T;, they forwarded me to Apple and fellow told me to do the following:
Shut down holding Home and Power buttons--do not slide off.
It should restart itself (it did not) and he said tap power button.
When it booted in was told to Select "Settings" then "General" then scroll to bottom "Reset" then "Reset Network Settings"
So far to day my 3G has been 3 or 4 bars, no dropped calls and no "no service" like I was having before. So for me it seems to be working fine--at least so far.

Aug 20, 08 - 01:14 pm Comment from: Gil

No one going to take a stab at Jennifers' last name?

Anyway, I'm right in the middle of the financial district in Los Angeles and my 3G coverage is spotty. 5 bars one minute, nada the next, then back to 5 bars. Before and still after the update.

Aug 20, 08 - 01:14 pm Comment from: FreddyThePig

One of the most powerful weapons you will ever have or use is the knowledge that perception IS reality. Reality as such is unimportant. What matters is one's perception of reality.
When I pull away from the car wash with an nice clean shinny car; the engine runs better. Swear to god!

You can't tell me that part of the Microsoft 600 million dollar campaign to redeem Vista does not include regular posters to every single Apple blog. And every one of them is intent on changing the perception of happy Apple users.

Aug 20, 08 - 01:21 pm Comment from: Al

The bars on my iPod Touch have never been better.

Aug 20, 08 - 01:26 pm Comment from: Bruce

I meant to add that according to tinyspeedtest I have been getting between 550 and as high as 1138 kbps up here on the hill. My DSL is onl 2100 most times. I am satisfied now.

Aug 20, 08 - 01:27 pm Comment from: Jim - TIV

The strength of my connection is much improved, as I now have 4 bars in 3G at home where before it varied between one and no bars.

On the other hand, the crack, snaps, and pops I get now when driving and it's handing the signal over to a new cell tower (I assume) are not real enjoyable.

Aug 20, 08 - 01:51 pm Comment from: Jim - TIV

Just tried the "fix" Bruce was provided above, didn't help.

I have 1 bar of 3G coverage in a place where ATnT says it's best coverage is. When I turn off 3G my edge bars go from 3 to 5.

Aug 20, 08 - 02:10 pm Comment from: David F.

I did the upgrade to my iPhone 3G (16GB). There has been no improvement at all over the previous version of the software. I was watching my phone on my desk yesterday. It has a full signal, then without explanation (and without movement) dropped to one bar, then to no service. In about five minutes, the service came back.

However, call quality is bad. I have stopped using the phone to make calls because I get really irritated as people keep saying, "You're breaking up. I can't hear you." These are calls to landlines (business calls no less) from areas where I apparently have full signal strength.

So, I have turned off 3G altogether. I get better signals now, but the call quality is still a problem. The quality is really quite poor. I am in an Apple store right now waiting to give them a final shot at it. If it fails, I head over the the AT&T;store to return it. Fortunately, my office provides me with a Blackberry Curve I can use for voice calls.

As an avid Apple supporter, I am a bit surprised. Further, I am really disappointed. As for those who think these problems are unreal, there are a number of people here in the San Francisco Bay Area that are having similar experiences.

Aug 20, 08 - 02:46 pm Comment from: Amazin1

Have any of these people having problems had experiences with other phones on 3G in exactly same operating areas, operating conditions and on AT&T;? Is it AT&T;or phone? I am not getting an iPhone because of AT&T;being provider. If their 3G is anything like their normal cell service, I feel badly for all 3G iPhone users. As a friend of mine would say "Cell phones are not a proven technology." And based on what I have experienced, he is absolutely right, especially about AT&T;.

Aug 20, 08 - 02:55 pm Comment from: EvilRonin

Wow, some of the feedback defending Apple is staggering - even for here! People are having problems because they don't know what they are doing? WTF do you have to do to talk on the phone? Hold your mouth a certain way? LOL. 10 of my friends don't have problems so therefore there are none? A FUD campaign by the Vista team? Wow!

Face it, Apple screwed the pooch here almost as bad as they have with ME. Products were clearly rushed to market before they were ready. I love my iPod and my Mac Pro but Apple is showing the classic signs of a company biting off more than it can chew and doing too many things at once. Hopefully they get their act together before it damages their reputation for quality too badly.

Aug 20, 08 - 04:53 pm Comment from: dada

Bull. It doesn't improve anything.

MASSIVE iPhone 3G RECALL SOON!

Aug 20, 08 - 07:47 pm Comment from: j.son

I was having problems with my iPhone 3G after upgrading to 2.0.2. - it started dropping calls (which it never did before). I saw a post on the apple forums stating to hard reset the phone (hold down the wake/sleep button while holding the home key). Now everything works perfect. Still haven't seen what the update fixed as i never had a problem with my 3G connection, but it stop dropping the calls.

Aug 20, 08 - 07:51 pm Comment from: plasticmd

Update did not fix my 3G connection issues.

Aug 20, 08 - 09:37 pm Comment from: MikeR

Contacts on my touch open much faster. Had been slow.

Aug 20, 08 - 10:06 pm Comment from: iDon't

G3 porn sucks.

Aug 21, 08 - 12:31 am Comment from: Schuimpje

Read the same 'news' in every newspaper. Can't get an iPhone in Thailand yet.

But one paper mentioned that there are two known solutions that bring some improvement. First one is of course the hard-reset.

The second one is to replace the sim-card with a new one....

Would be interesting to see if that worked...??? Anybody?

Aug 21, 08 - 08:03 am Comment from: BSpod

Apple: iPhone 2.0.2 Software Update ‘improves communication with 3G networks’

That's bulls**t

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