What was Apple thinking releasing another 3G iphone?

[+DKAngel Subscriber²]

why cant they just give us a goddamn better battery? i was lookign at my legends battery 1300mAp yet it seems i can buy a 1800 one? so why cant they give us one that will last longer

[Southern Patriot]

*shrugs*.... mostly because the iPhone 4s is, in my eyes, just another blatant cash grab...

Oh, like how the spec bumped models of many Android phone are a "cash grab"? How many people with current model Android phones are awaiting the next new model just because it is a little faster, has a slightly larger or better screen, or some other minor improvement?

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

why cant they just give us a goddamn better battery? i was lookign at my legends battery 1300mAp yet it seems i can buy a 1800 one? so why cant they give us one that will last longer

A larger battery would take up more space. And more space would mean redesigning the case. Apple decided to keep the same form factor of the iPhone 4 so a larger battery wasn't an option.

[techbeck]

Oh, like how the spec bumped models of many Android phone are a "cash grab"? How many people with current model Android phones are awaiting the next new model just because it is a little faster, has a slightly larger or better screen, or some other minor improvement?

Not sure, but I am happy with my Galaxy S. All I am waiting for is ICS to start rolling out before I upgrade my phone. But for now, I rooted it and the speed is great for me...for now.

However, I dont think many Android users upgrade their phones like they do Apple simply because many users mod their phones to make it better. Why upgrade when you can apply a different rom and get better performance? Just MO

[Buttus]

It's so people will upgrade to the 4S, then they release the iPhone 5 a while down the road that features 4G and then everyone has to pay full price to upgrade because you know Apple fans... Seems exactly the kind of thing Apple would do...

This! why give them everything in one phone, when you *KNOW* they're going to buy every upgrade that comes out... I'm actually surprised there's not more versions of the 3 and 4 iphones...

[Lexcyn]

4G is not even really 4G as far as I am concerned. Once LTE is more common I can then see them releasing a true 4G version.

[Southern Patriot]

4G is not even really 4G as far as I am concerned. Once LTE is more common I can then see them releasing a true 4G version.

That's exactly why Cook made the point in the announcement of the 4S that the speeds that it is capable of are what many other companies (those not on LTE) are already calling "4G" (here in the US at least, not sure what the situation is in other countries).

[Chasethebase Veteran]

The majority of the planet does not support 4G, as such there's no point investing the money into developing a phone with the technology. Yet.

[Elliott]

Cant switch from 3g to 4g and only use 4g when you need better speed? Dont see what battery life would be that big of an issue.

That sort of thinking is what creates poor experiences for the user. I doubt most people know how to even switch off 3G on an iPhone.

[DeadEndAccount]

The majority of the planet does not support 4G, as such there's no point investing the money into developing a phone with the technology. Yet.

One could argue that a good amount of the planet doesn't even have consistent 3G coverage yet - take a look at the mobile phone networks in the US. Maybe instead of this break neck half baked networks being setup how about a consistent 3G experience nation wide rather than this hodgepodge situation where one constantly drops back to 2G the moment one leaves the CBD of a big city.

[PyX]

First, battery life.

Second, we don’t have a 4G network in Canada, but LTE networks are supposedly coming this fall if the CRTC allows, but surely in 2012. AFAIK, same for the USA about the LTE network.

Since we are both a developed country, I guess there aren’t too many of us having true 4G or LTE networks in the world.

Also, mind you that Apple is California-based, if they don’t have a true 4G or LTE network over that place, how will they test it accordingly? Rent anechoic chambers somewhere else in the world and live beside it with a small shelter ? And each time they have a new prototype in California, it will need to be sent all over the world by Fedex or something? I really can’t imagine the development of this if there’s no LTE network in Apple’s Campus… sorry.

I think people can cope with a 3G device for another few months, especially because they still managed to doubled the UL/DL speed, which makes them forgivable for not including an LTE-capable chip.

[bdsams Veteran]

If you havent figured out how Apple operates by now, then you will be upset with every generation of product they release. They have a goldmine on their hands, why screw it up becuase 1% of the population thinks its a weak product. They dont need to be the best to sell millions, their software is what sells the products not the benchmarks of others.

[_neutrino Veteran]

they were thinking it will be a while before the iPhone 5 is ready lets just throw a new phone out there that is more powerful and we don't have to re engineer to sooth the populous while we finish up the new design.

[Vice]

4G is just a marketing term that is being applied to all kinds of technology. Who decides what is 4G and what is not 4G? If it matches the 4G phones 14.4Mb/ps download speed then that's good enough for me.

I remember when 3G first came out and it was like 250Kb/ps down and 70Kb/ps up. Now I get 7.2Mb/ps on my 3G enabled phone and the iPhone 4S is delivering 14.4Mb/ps over what people are calling 3G. Again 3G, 4G it's just marketing it doesn't define a specific speed or technology standard. Great way to get consumers to upgrade though.

[techbeck]

That sort of thinking is what creates poor experiences for the user. I doubt most people know how to even switch off 3G on an iPhone.

Why would it create a poor experience knowing what your phone can and cannot do? It is handy knowing how to turn off certain features of the phone to increase battery life. Like if you dont have a charger close by and are running low on battery. Tune things differently to extend the life. If someone knows how to turn off 3/4g...they will know how to turn it back on when needed. And there are even apps to do it for you.

If you dont know how to use and work most of what you are buying, then the person buying the product isnt very smart. May as well stick with a non smart phone then.

[Vice]

If you dont know how to use and work most of what you are buying, then the person buying the product isnt very smart. May as well stick with a non smart phone then.

That is who the iPhone was made for. Remember this from its unveiling?

Apple found a market, people who didn't think they could use a Smart Phone.

[BoredBozirini]

Why would I want 4G when there is not support where I am.

Also, before talking about a blatant cash grab because the only difference is speed: how many Samsung Galaxy phones exist? A **** ton. And with marginal differences.

[techbeck]

That is who the iPhone was made for. Remember this from its unveiling?

Apple found a market, people who didn't think they could use a Smart Phone.

Then if you dont know what your phone can do, then you cannot use a smart phone. So you should stick with a basic cell phone IMO. And I am not just talking about Apple....Android and MS to. Doesnt take long to read up about what you buy and lean the features and what it can do.

[Vice]

Then if you dont know what your phone can do, then you cannot use a smart phone. So you should stick with a basic cell phone IMO. And I am not just talking about Apple....Android and MS to. Doesnt take long to read up about what you buy and lean the features and what it can do.

To what are you referring to exactly, what features do iPhone owners not know they have?

[TokyoKiller]

Some of you are disregarding the fact that deploying a new technology (4G/LTE) would increase the R&D cost substantially and considering the premium that Apple products come at, it'll be one pricey iPhone.

Besides, carriers (at least in Canada) are being quiet idiotic about LTE. LTE has now been launched in our major cities and they are charging totally different rates (more) if you want to be on the LTE network, which makes no sense to me, so for Apple to invest so much into it now when the technology is not mature, expensive and not widespread is a big expense for the customer, up front and forward.

Those of you alleging that its all about being 'first' to 4G/LTE is key, lets not forget that Nokia and almost every manufacturer on the market had a 3G phone years before Apple released their iPhone 3G, and look at the market today, dominated by Apple. One company and one phone, unlike Android which is a platform with hundreds possibly thousands of different phone models. Success doesn't lie in who is first or his original, it lies with how you can put together a good product from all corners, from marketing, packaging, aesthetics to over all ease of use and understanding, something Apple knows and cares enough to consider when pushing a product out.

Apple will be the company that comes out with 4G/LTE at the right time, quote me on it.

[Jub]

I think it's both good and bad. I think that companies should help drive technology forward and not take the back seat and ride along others doing so. There is benefit to '4G' technology. In Sweden, for example, they rolled out 80Mb/s '4G' almost two years ago and it's nationwide, and that's just the start. They are aiming at a lot higher speeds soon. I can think of so many benefits of this, for example, fast broadband on-the-go and a replacement for the oh-so-terrible abomination called DSL that we're plagued with especially here in the UK.

On the other hand, as many have expressed concerns over, the battery life would take a great hit. And in general, 4G doesn't feel like a consistent platform, with everyone using the term to their own advantage.

I support their decision, but it'll be rather strange if the next model doesn't have it.

[.Neo]

Why would it create a poor experience knowing what your phone can and cannot do? It is handy knowing how to turn off certain features of the phone to increase battery life. Like if you dont have a charger close by and are running low on battery. Tune things differently to extend the life. If someone knows how to turn off 3/4g...they will know how to turn it back on when needed. And there are even apps to do it for you.

If you dont know how to use and work most of what you are buying, then the person buying the product isnt very smart. May as well stick with a non smart phone then.

Fact is that many users simply don't know about any of that.

[rajputwarrior]

i really don't see the point of 4g other then streaming video to your phone at high quality. but doing that kills your bandwidth usage and most people can't do that becuase of their data plan... plus LTE and 4G modems battery usage is terrible as of now.

most smartphones battery life is crap with all the bells and whistles enabled, i can't even imagine it with an LTE/4G modem inside...

[Rippleman]

4g is a myth... for those claiming "I have it on my phone" then show us you can download a movie in 3 mins. I am betting you can't.

[Elliott]

Fact is that many users simply don't know about any of that.

Nor should they have to. The default user experience is the most important, and if your default includes a 4G chipset that limits you to 5 hours of battery life, you've got a serious problem with your UX.