For the last 6 months my iPhone has essentially been a $300 paperweight. If I were to factor in the amount of lost calls and missed opportunities the monthly monetary damage would be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Despite the fact I could only use my iPhone for phone calls about 30% of the time in my La Jolla home, I stuck with it. I’m a addicted Apple fan boy just like so many others out there. I had a land line telephone for the sole purpose to call people back when the iPhone dropped the call. I didn’t even know my own home phone number because I never received calls on it. I left the ringer off for most of the 6 months.
Now to be fair, I’m not sure if the blame should be cast at AT&T or at the developers of the iPhone itself. Blogger Cory Watilo had an interesting opinion in his blog post Why The Verizon iPhone Won’t Be Better Than The AT&T iPHone. He concludes that it’s not the network and a flaw in the design of the iPhone. He comes to this conclusion by noticing that AT&T users who have different phones don’t experience the woes that iPhone users do. Therefore it’s probably not the network, but the phone itself.
Cory has a interesting hypothesis. I’m not sure what the truth is, but I do know that it’s damn frustrating to pay $300 for a phone, $116 a month for service and still the damn thing doesn’t work most of the time.
Despite the fact that my phone wouldn’t work even when I lived in one of the most affluent communities in the United States, I still didn’t cancel. Two days ago I moved to West Hollywood and had my fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, once again I’d be able to reliably use my phone.
Well, I have good news and bad news.
The phone actually seems to work okay. Yay! The bad part is my internet connection via the 3G network is dog shit. It’s atrocious. If it’s not one thing it’s another. My favorite app is Maps, but it’s almost worthless in my new home. Accessing Facebook works about half the time, and when it does work it’s slower than molasses. Damn you AT&T. Or is it damn you iPhone? I’m not sure.
I was speaking with a rep from Verizon last night while canceling my Mifi card and told him of my phone troubles. He gave me some inside info and said I may want to hold off for about 5 days before I make any decision on getting a new phone. He couldn’t tell me what the big news was, but encouraged me to be patient.
Considering I waited around for 6 months like an idiot paying my bill for shotty service, I’m sure I can wait another 5 days to see what other options may exist.
So, are you a iPhone user? How has your experience been? I’d love to know in the comments below. Hopefully you’ve had better luck than I.
We got roped into a contract at work with ATT for the original iPhone 3G, right before the 3GS models came out. That contract expires in July. I’m dumping the POS iPhone and never going back. Dropped calls left and right, 1 bar where other ATT phones had 4 or 5 bars. It might be a great iPod but it isn’t a great phone.
Thanks for all you do, JMo!
-Dave
Got rid of my Iphone and switched over to Google nexus. Same great fun toy’s, less the headaches.
I took a chance, #1 switching over to T-mobile. I think because their not The 1 of 2 big carrier names that most peeps go with, I had my reserves. #2 New phone on the market.
As for T-mobile goes and all of the Google luxuries I get with the phone. Superb!
As for the phone itself. I’ve had a couple little issues with it. One of which has been button problems. Fortunately, I bought the extended warranty with the phone, and Best Buy was kind enough to give me a loaner, but non the less I have been without my phone now for about a week and a half. I guess we all take the good with the bad. But I will highly recommend the Nexus and all of Google’s great features, including it’s hot spot feature. Which comes in handy when I take my computer to a clients house and I connect it up. They seem impressed anyway.
Hi Jason,
I’m a slightly reformed Mac hater, I get great wi-fi and 3G service with AT&T & my trusty 3GS.
I’ve listened to over a dozen webinars while driving from Seattle to Oly and back with almost no issues, but there is a mysterious dead zone around Ft. Lewis.
Pandora and Netflix even work steaming on the move over 3G.
The only thing that sucks is trying to download 1000’s of emails over various accounts, it works but it’s a little glitchy sometimes.
Take care,
Michael
Hey Mo,I know you’re having an issue with your phone provider but you can always talk to them about it.Hell,set up a site and be an affiliate of theirs and do interviews with them and provide tips on getting the best cell package.
I’ve never used a cell phone. I use a Rogers land line here in Cold Ass Canada. Rogers owns the Toronto Blue Jays. I’m just an old timer.I wouldn’t use a phone if I didn’t have to.
All is good man. Get back to playing your axe and head out to a blues jam somewhere in LA.
Hi Jason,
iPhones have crappy reception here in Japan has well and the GPS lags about 5km behind where you really are – ‘paperweight’ is probably the best description of them I have heard.
Here’s more proof: http://640kb.corywatilo.com/proof-that-att-isnt-entirely-to-blame-for-iph
Any update on this Jmo? After 5 days, did the world shift?
Hey Jason,
I have had 2 iPhone 4’s (Gave one to the wife) and have NEVER had a problem. I have never dropped ONE call on either of them and the internet on 3G is fine all the time….. EXCEPT when I am in the US. In the US my signal jumps up and down for no apparent reason and my 3G seems REALLY slow.. (And yep its a roaming agreement with AT&T)
In europe, the UK, New Zealand, basically anywhere else, it never seems to have an issue.
I think its a little less simple than it being one or the other.. I think the design issue which definitely does cause problems on AT&T, when combined with AT&T – it creates a big issue..
Its a shame, but hey.. Wont be long until the iPhone 5 is out anyway 😉