How about 3G iPhone connections for Christmas?
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Tech pundit Robert X. Cringely claimed Apple and AT&T would rollout full 3G iPhone service sometime this fall.
Could a firmware update and a speed boost be on tap for the holidays for iPhone users? Cringe says it’s in testing right now:
It is my understanding that Apple and AT&T are planning a fall rollout for full 3G iPhone service, with technical trials already underway in certain AT&T markets. AT&T’s (formerly Cingular’s) 3G uses a technology called HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), which is a combination of GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) and EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution). It provides average mobile data download connections between 400 kilobits per second (kbps) and 700 kbps. Not as fast as any of us would like, of course, but the new service will be 3-5 times faster than the current EDGE network alone, making your iPhone suddenly 3-5 times faster than it was before, right?
One firmware update before the holidays to make iPhone data service faster, and Apple has something to promote to shoppers. iPhone! Now with faster speeds! Buy one for a loved one today! Ho ho ho!
July 6th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Cringely is delusional.
Steve Jobs said that one of the reasons the iPhone did not have 3g was that the currently available 3g chip sets drew too much power and would unacceptably reduce battery life. No firmware upgrade is going to change hardware.
The other reason for EDGE was its wider availability. So until AT&T builds more 3g capacity of a greater area of service, don’t expect 3G.