Apple sends iPhones into 'Coma Mode' Complaints about Apple's new iPhone OS 3.1 are flooding the web, with one poster calling it "the buggiest update that Apple has yet released for the iPhone." The problems being reported are legion. They include iPhones becoming totally unresponsive, dropped calls, poor battery life, difficulties with Wi-Fi connections, failed …
I guess Apple is now the Eviiiiil Empiiiiire du jour, and must be denounced at the first sight of any issue, regardless of blame or reason.
The AppleInsider article, which was conveniently included at the end of El Reg's panic alert, explains in great detail what is going on and who are the affected users (read: not everyone).
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09/16/exchange_enhancements_in_iphone_3_1_cause_some_users_grief.html
In short, Apple improved the security of their Exchange ActiveSync implementation, following Microsoft's own guidelines; but it turns out that a recent patch to MS Exchange servers rendered certain devices which do not support a specific feature, useless.
I'm sure there are some people with legitimate problesm with the new iPhone update, there always are. However, it seems like once again everything is being blown out of proportion, and--sadly--El Reg is not helping to keep the sanity.
-dZ.
Can't sync with iTunes after the updates today - iTunes 9 and iPod 3.1.1, which all means I can't restore the older version. I'm going through the Apple fixes which recommend removing iTunes, removing mobile device support and reloading iTunes from the web site.
I also note that there are so many people downloading iTunes 9 that I am getting, oh, 12K bytes per second.
*sigh*
Before the Apple sympathisers dive in telling us all to stop being melodramatic I've watched a friend and a Girlfriend - Both firm and devout members of the Church of Jobs I hasten to add - have their devices succumb to the world of 3.1.
I'm sure the Microsoft server sync bug is a terrible terrible thing, and blame shifting is always great fun... But why on Earth should a server side bug cause the client to die in a blaze of black frozen glory?
Anyway, chalk my vote on the "It happens, don't install if you value your sanity" board...
Is it the iPhone or could it be Snow Leopard?
I was having problems with iTunes since I installed Snow Leopard a couple of weeks ago. Specifically, it kept forgetting the firewall permissions every time I ran it.
I was recommended to remove it and re-install it from the web site, and now it works fine. It seems apparent so far that Snow Leopard tightened up the access control permissions of the apps that come with it, so I wonder if these issues have anything to do with it?
Can anybody confirm if this is occurring with older versions of OS X?
-dZ.
Hmm, sounds just like my Windoze mobile, in fact the bug description reads like the feature requirement in the WinMo product definition document;
"Users report seemingly random occurences, sometimes when the phone has been put to sleep, sometimes when it's locked, and sometimes just whenever it feel like it."
Now, if Apple can add on "random freeze for x seconds longer than the network divert to voice mail timer when receiving a call" they will have matched Redmond....
The only problem I have encountered is the complete inability to cut/copy/paste in MobileSafari text entry dialog boxes. Text can be selected, but the buttons for cut/copy/paste/etc do not appear.
Not sure if it's a bug, or if I just need to restore my iPhone (3G, for what it's worth) - power cycling had no effect. I've submitted a bug report, so will wait to see what response comes out of Cupertino.
On the flip-side, my iPhone seems to be snappier™ than it did with 3.0 and 3.0.1 (but they were noticeably laggy in comparison to 2.1).
Welcome to the world of the iBrick.
Gotta love Jobsientology's quality control checks. Clearly they tested the update on the full range of their products to make sure none were affected by this.
Or is this a ploy to force older iPhone users to upgrade to newer hardware to avoid this new "feature", allowing them to work as Jobsientology wants them too. Until Jobsientology needs to boost the bottom line again and includes another such "feature" into their product, that is.
Than just making it look pretty, apparently. Even when you control the device, contracts, and sideloading applications, it's not so straightforward.
For those who care, Android seems to be a pretty solid competitor, wodges of apps and more on the way, and a different devil behind it all.
...can things like this happen. I thought the whole basis of the Apple closed eco-system with hardware and software was to ensure compatibility and stability? If they are having problems with essentially one hardware and software platform, the Apple *magic* has put some doubt on my mind.
Winmo, Symbian, Android OS have to contend with many hardware and software configurations. So for all the minor issues all the *other guys* have with their phones, I think they're doing an ok job.
Just nice to see a little dirt on the angels wings to humble the disciples up a bit. The iPhone is good, really good, but not perfect and not for everyone.
Now, I'm not an apple fan by any stretch of the imagination, but let's look at this statement:
"Finally, as of Thursday morning in a decidedly unscientific poll on Phones Review, 70 per cent of respondents had answered the question "Is your Apple iPhone useless after 3.1 update?" with "Yes and I am so ticked off.""
Sound like horrible statistics, doesn't it? Until you remember that the most likely reason a respondent came across this poll was because they were looking for a fix for their borked phone, thus skewing the numbers.
Of course the stats are skewed,
1) They are from a web poll
2) They are, as you state, heavily influenced through the selection of the sample. This is known as Bayes law in statistics (the same as in bayesian 'filters' in spam detectors) where you are stating a probability given one or more predetermined conditions.
In this case the probability stated is not "The probability of your jesus phone bricking on update" but rather "The probability that your jesus phone is bricked given that you can be bothered to take part in this survey and have found this web page". This, as you state, is a skewed sample of
a) people who largely Googled (or Bunged) for "broken iphone, suicide, end of my world" and
b) Those who found the page another way but were angry enough about their expensive ornament to bother with the survey.
Even us lowly iPod users were invited to the party. iTunes 9.0 effectively erased my 90% hard drive iPod classic - nothing to do with the iPod code (which wasn't updated). After synchronizing properly, it turned on the iPod, zapped it senseless, and refused to recover it (unexplained error). It was only recoverable by installing the copy of iTunes 8.x installer I'd saved.
Since my 8GB of music was now useless in iTunes 8, I simply cemented the earphone jack shut, copied my 60GB of data back on, noted the additional 10% to write off on taxes, and vowed once again never to buy another apple product. That's really the only fix.
OF COURS IF THEY HADNT BOUGHT A PIECE OF iJUNK IN THE FIRST PLACE THIS WOOD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED TO THEM I HAVE MY OLD NOKIA 1010 WHICH I'VE HAD SINCE 1949 WITH NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER. APPLE ONLY MAKE STUFF FOR SHEEPLE WITH NO BRAINS, IF PEOPLE HAD ANY SENSE THEYD STAY AWAY. WHATS WRONG WITH A PHONE WICH CAN JUST CALL AND TEXT IF I WANTED A COMPUTER ID HAVE BOUGHT A LAPTOP: FOR CRYING OUT LOUD IM FED UP WITH SHEEPLE BEING TAKEN IN BY ALL THE MARKETING GIMMICKS AND STUFF AND THEN COMPLAINING IF YOU DONT LIKE IT YOU SHOULDNT HAVE BOUGHT IT AND YES IT SERVES YOU RIGHT BECAUSE IF MORE PEOPLE LIKE ME HAD THE BRAINS TO STAND UP TO THE ADVERTISNG BRAINWASHING WE WOULDNT BE IN THE STATE WERE IN WITH THE COUNTRY GOING TO THE DOGS AND ALL.
It's exactly the same hardware and software. How can it bork only certain iPhones / iPods? I'm not sure how the apologist's can blame user stupidity tho', surely you tell the device to update and it does (just works), or it doesn't (brick).
Or maybe... they're not all made with the same precise components, when gold plated chip A runs out they use slightly inferior chip B, then, because the only phones at HQ use A they forget to test the update on devices using B.
I know it's already been said by some, but I'm going to say it again. Phone company makes phone. Phone company wants to screw as much $$$ as possible from phone. Customer buys phone. Customer wants to make phone do all sortsa things that the phone company don't want. Phone company try and lock customer in. Customer resists. Phone company use updates etc to try and retain control of the $$$ flow. Customer resists even harder. Phone company try to keep one step ahead of customer. Customer tries to keep one step ahead of phone company. And so it goes on.
FFS people, stop following the phone company around like lost sheep. If you want to make calls on the move, buy whatever (insert manufacturer name here ) model you like and make calls. If you want to take photos, get a camera. If you want to send emails, use a f*cking pc/laptop/internet cafe.
Buying stuff like iBricks is for sad people who lap up whatever the marketeers throw up at them and then whinge like crazy when they realise they've been had.
Jeez
The iPhone is riddled with DRM so you cannot easily run your own code on it. So Apple has managed to turn a fully functional computer into a dumb appliance you technically only get to own once it's broken.
Should I ever buy a smartphone, it'll probably be a N900 which is a propper computer I can actually use. A device which is not restricted by arbitrary limit imposed by the network operator.
Ok, OK, we have all had some fun reading about dead Iphones ! But I have not seen any evidence as to how much of a problem this is? If tens of people with access to forums complain it will seem like a major problem, but there are millions of phones out there, and I have not seen millions of forum posts.
By the way, my iphone 3gs is fine updated without any trouble whatsoever.
So lets get some perspective on this and hopefully Apple will do the right thing by those who do have a problem.
Update worked fine on my iPod Touch and on my girlfriends new iPhone.
There is nothing wrong with the iPhone for those wishing to bash it here, it's a stylish mini computer just like any of the other offerings. Personally prefer the HTC for texting and email but the iPhone is a nice device.
I used to be the biggest anti-Mac zealot in my workplace.
But as time went on and I saw some of the features of the iPhone, I decided I was going to get one.
And it's been the best damn phone I ever had.
It doesn't drop calls like pretty much every other phone I've had in the last 11 years randomly did. It has web access which actually works. It allows me to download apps to play games (which are the main ones) and it means that I don't have to carry a separate music player as I've got nearly my full collection on it.
If you'd spoken to me 6 months ago, I'd have been in the "yeah, it's rubbish" camp. Then I actually used it and realised it wasn't.
It's not perfect by any means. But it's functional gripes around the interface I've got, rather than "It doesn't allow me to do X" gripes.
I say again, the best damn phone I've ever had. I'm not a Mac zealot (this is being typed up on my Vista laptop, which is the best damn laptop I've ever had, even if I can't wait to receive my copy of Windows 7).
This could easily be related to timing problems.
All Ipods, Iphones etc. are obviously not made with the same components.
There are differences such as memory size and suppliers, that can matter more than you would think.
The basic processors will go through a series of iterations and upgrades over time (even if it is "just" a process shrink. This affects timing).
Last but still important - even processors manufactured in the very same batch will have some variation rendering some of them more prone to error than others.
So the Apple phone "platform" is getting more and more varied over time - meaning that they can run into more of this type of problems.
It helps if they know the full possible variation of their platform components, but even the manufacturers may not know that in advance.
I have a phone (Nokia) that i use for , Hmmmm let me se, Ahhhh yes TALKING , And i dont suffer these problems, this is what you get if you put all your eggs in one "I basket", if you want to play or view music get a mp3/4 player, e-mail or computation a laptop/notebook, navigation get a satnav, and to TALK get a nice simple PHONE. GGGGGrrrrrrrrrr why do firms make life sooooo complicated and costly????????????
Mines the coat with lots of pockets in !!
Work have given me a Macbook Pro and an iPhone.
I tried to love them, I really did. The speed of the Macbook is awesome, the graphics are incredible for a laptop and iTunes is far better than I expected, however...
The Macbook Pro now runs Linux and if I could I'd install android on the iPhone (or indeed any other alternative to the crappy os that apple-fans appear to love!) I'd do it tomorrow.
I've not updated yet, the only thing I wanted from is updated is the rumoured Augmented Reality which doesn't appear to have turned up in this release after all.
apple = fail. I'm going back to free software.
Quote: "It's exactly the same hardware and software."
Are you sure? How many of these people experiencing problems have jailbroken their iPhones and are running non-standard software on it? Is it a few or is it lots. We don't know and Apple won't either.
@ El Reg
Of course the number of complaints is going to be higher for this release - Apple has sold more phones and more iPods since the last one. 1% of 10 million is a 100, 000 people. 1% of 40 million is 400 000 people. Even if the failure rate stays constant for every update, the number of people complaining will always higher than the last time.
... i've had exactly these problems since upgrading to 3.1 myself - although I first I was quite inclined to blame the poor connectivity on O2. Everything was fine with it up until the last update - With the whole thing now locking up at least 4 - 5 times a day, I did wonder if Apple had gone and hired some of Microsofts' recent layoffs :-)
I started with iTunes 4 (never use the iTunes Store for music though) and have never had a problem with updates. I'm now using iTunes 9, glitch free @ 60GB of music and growing.
Granted, it's a crap media program compared even to Media Player, but at least it's always worked for me.
Same with iPhone. iPhone updated from OS 2.x -> 3 -> 3.1 all perfect. Yes it might be "crippled" but it has worked flawlessly from day one and is simple enough for a dunce to use even when under extreme pressure and heavily distracted.
I'll trade "optimising" random settings and an infuriatingly sluggish user interface for a bit of cripple, any day. Oh yes, let's not forget the remarkable achievement of the App Store in and of itself which IMHO more than justifies the device's existence.
The fact I like my iPhone doesn't make me in any way more retarded than I would be had I chosen a Crackberry. For me, It Just Works, with my network of six perfectly synched Macs and that's what I love about it the most. YMMV.
My iPhone 3G started being slow to wake up recently. It would just drop off the network and required a reboot before 3G or the telephone features would work again.
I did a full wipe and reinstall (took a while to wipe - the reinstall was painless) and have had a pain-free couple of days. Back to how it should be. I assumed it's because I was on the developer's 3.0 beta previously, or that I was using a custom provisioning. Sometimes it's not APple's fault.
Oh, hang on, this is El Reg. I should go on about how iPhone users are sheeple and it's all marketing, no trousers. Let's just pretend that's what I did.
This is just Apple catching up with the main stream. My last 3-4 phones (two Nokia and two HTC) have all managed to do this from day one.
Nice to see Apple moving from being a niche player into the wider market.
It's good to see the idiots' playtime in full swing today, too.
Do you guys stand on the street yelling at everyone who bought different stuff to you as well?
"If you want to make calls on the move, buy whatever (insert manufacturer name here ) model you like and make calls. If you want to take photos, get a camera. If you want to send emails, use a f*cking pc/laptop/internet cafe."
So from that, can I take it that you carry a phone, camera, video camera, mp3player, TV & DVD player and laptop with you everywhere you go, and every time you leave the house? Do you also carry a sat-nav, games machine and diary everywhere too? You must have a hyooge bag and be built like Arnie in his heyday.
Yes, there are doubtless some users who have had problems. I'm sure, also, that Apple did test their update extensively. I wonder, tho, if there's any effect depending which apps are installed or being used when the update is initiated. If it turns out that app use might affect updates, then it suddenly becomes an impossible task to test the update with every possible combination of apps.
I always find it funny to see how many people jump on the bandwagon to slag off any manufacturer, whether it's MS or Apple. As far as I'm concerned, I buy what's right for the job, and if I find it inadequate, buggy faulty or just not right, I don't buy it. I don't, however, slag it off. When the nay sayers can assure us that they've NEVER made a mistake in their life then certainly they can cast the first stone. Yes it's a company, yes they are providing a product for consumer use, and yes it shoud be tested to ensure it works, but ultimately, any company is run by, and their products made by humans, and people DO make mistakes.
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Go to the Mac Ach in Ars Technica, and see how many posts there are about 3.1 screwing up iPhones. Remember, this is the place that has numerous discussions on the minutest problems connected in any way to Apple. Find any?
There's the odd discussion of some issues, but they are sometimes due to iTunes 9 glitches, or are issues with the Home button that also occurred before 3.1. And almost all of the issues are sorted by resets or restores.
With The Reg, one needs to apply Diax's Rake on every article now, it seems.
"If you want to make calls on the move, buy whatever (insert manufacturer name here ) model you like and make calls."
-I like the Apple iPhone, so I did exactly as you ask. Except what you really meant was "if you want to make calls..........buy whatever phone I have, otherwise you are a twat"
"If you want to take photos, get a camera."
-I have a proper camera thanks, but generally I don't want to carry it around and I don't need its resolution so I find the camera on the iphone occasionally quite useful.
"If you want to send emails, use a f*cking pc/laptop/internet cafe."
-Why? I have an iPhone which sends emails without having to lug around a big laptop, go home or to the office to use a PC or pay to use an interweb cafe. So not only does it save me money, it saves me time and effort.
You also forgot to tell me to buy a separate music player, PDA, GPS, external storage unit and so on, all of which are available on a _single_ device. Which is actually very convenient.
Now, the iPhone is not for everyone and it is certainly no bad thing if you chose to not buy one, and I am sure many people did buy one just to try to be better* than their mates, but I wanted one for what it does and as soon as it had proper GPS software I got one and I am very happy with it.
Oh, and for the record I updated to OS 3.1.1 with no problems at all.
*This is not a phenomenon unique to iPhones, and certainly started well before Apple got into the business.
Could we please have a poll with each thread, to save people posting their predictable rants and us wading through them? A lá:
- ha ha
- mine works
- serves the smug gits right
- my expert opinion (anecdotal evidence) says this is BS
- I blame reg/MS/user/anyonebutjobs
- reg is biased
If there is a bias in the poll, why is the reverse true in this thread? It occurs to me Apple users keep it in the family, crying in the 'privacy' of their forums but being defensive in 'public'. A bit like an abuse victim.
Special hugs to Lord Shocktroop for a great attempt at pre-emptive defence for Master Jobs. I didn't bother reading the post but those caps tell me all I need to know about how you are feeling inside. It's a tough moment when faith and facts can no longer be reconciled.
Each of my iPhone updates has gone without a hitch, problem with some of the people on the Apple sites is they are such devout advocates that they consider any failure a personal betrayal.
Plus its not entirely unheard of for people to disconnect the phone or try rebooting it during the upgrade - though of course there will always be people who followed the instructions and still have issues.
Coverage does seem a little OTT though, still it's what you get when you position yourself as a boutique brand.
Why do people seem to be trying to sell Nokia phones whenever there is an iPhone story? I'm unfortunate enough to actually have one and it's the worst piece of electronics I've ever had the misfortune to have to use (It's a work phone and I'm too tight to buy a new handset). I'll have to assume it's a case of misery loves company.
For about an hour. I remember this happening a lot when I first got an iPhone 3g - I sent it back and replacement didn't have the issue. As for a full reboot - it wouldn't accept the input - so I had to wait it out.
To take a step down the rarely trodden (on the el reg comments pages) middle path on iPhone vs not iPhone trollfest, I'm looking forward to the decision I'll be making in 3 months when my contract expires.
When I first got the phone it was a complete revelation. Certainly the restrictions were pretty jarring. Bluetooth a joke, no cut n paste yada yada yada you all know the issues. But the interface was so smooth, and reactive and easy. If you were willing to play in Apple' s sandbox it was a great place to be. The worst aspect was the battery life - but given how much I was using it it was hardly surprising I'd drain it every day.
Since then the rest of the world has taken notice of the Jesus phone, and have outright copied some aspects while adding from their own copious knowledge of the world of mobile handsets.
There's not a lot left in it between them and the other sandboxes are looking a lot roomier and just as comfy.
In the meantime the design of the iPhone has meant that crap has got behind the round button and made it only respond to about 1 press in 3, but I can't open it to clean it. The rocker switch that makes it silent has mysteriously fallen off, and unforgivably the warranty on the phone runs out 6 months before the shortest available contract. Stuff that nonsense.
Rumours suggest that O2 will lose it's monopoly in time for Christmas. I certainly hope so - if I can ditch a network that only works when the population density actually causes smog, I might consider the 3GS, but these android phones are looking pretty tasty at the moment.
Thanks for the article though - thought it was just a phone designed to last 13 months trying feebly to survive till the end of it's contract rather than a rubbish software update. When they released the software patch shortly after releasing the 3GSthe interface on the 3G suddenly felt slower.
I can't have proof, but can't help feeling that the phone is designed to expire between 12 and 18 months to help lock you into another 18 month contract as part of an "early upgrade" - would certainly be a USP for O2. When I complained to O2 about the issues above they offered me a "new" 3G as an "upgrade". For only £100 odd and a new contract. I don't think so.
Mactards? Fair enough, but a bit pot and kettle wouldn't you say from a cowardly fanboi? Skeletor Jobs? Mouth-breathers like you are the reason pointless "flame-wars" like this one happen. What a pointless little limp-dick you are . I've said it before, attacking the appearance of an individual who is recovering from major surgery, like them or not, is fucking out of order - especially when you are too cowardly to put your name to it. Comeback when you gone through puberty. Prick.
Like you, I also have a Nokia e63 although I got mine on contract with Three.
It's a great little phone, I can make calls and send texts which is great, and I like the fact it has a camera (not great quality but works fairly well, I have a digital camera for good quality photos), an MP3 player with podcasting, Wifi, and the killer app for me (other than calling and texting) - Putty so I can SSH into Linux boxes from my phone.
Sure, I dare say an iPhone could do all that too, but the difference is, the Nokia was a whole lot cheaper and I don't feel like I've sold my soul to Nokia to be able to use it.
Rob
Your mileage may well vary, but we have had a thought based on a couple of people's experience. It certainly fixed the problem for us.
Switch off your iPhone.
Remove the SIM.
Switch on your iPhone.
Wait until it's booted and unlocked.
Switch off your iPhone.
Insert the SIM.
Switch on your iPhone.
Any better now?
I'd deliberately avoided updatig it for about 6 months as I had a stable release that was lovely even though still no flash. Updated on Friday and bang, no phone any more, had to use a different machine, roll the entire thing back to factory default, tried to resync with Itunes to restore the my backup, nope, it destroyed the phone again, I now have it running stand alone, I'm not even trying to sync any more as it destroys the phone if I use my main machine. Roll on December when my contract expires, Android here I come, with the added adavantage that I don't need to buy a mac to develop apps for it.
I just got a 3GS with 3.1 - my first Apple product. Solid as a rock. Well engineered. The best piece of electronics I've ever bought. No problem like those listed - however, it's a new phone and there are no "legacy" apps... I've just loaded one (Shazam - best app of 2008).
It does have flaws however:
1) No easy way to import numbers from .vcf
2) No profiles. Really - no profiles. My K800i had profiles. My 6310i had profiles that could be set by time of day. This phone has no profiles. Amazing.
3) 02 have not implemented the phone capabilities properly. Setting call-waiting required a call to the help desk and then a manual dial. Same with MMS.
4) iTunes. I had to set up an account to make the phone work. Really - why ?
5) Non-consistent user interface w.r.t. text input. Sometimes I can go into landscape to enter text with a bigger keyboard, sometimes I can't.
Even with these problems, the engineering (hardware and software) are outstanding. Expensive ? Yes - but I also drive a German car and have German appliances (Miele, Bosch) and a Swiss watch....
apple hate you, but they need your money - in fact they've already got your money, and it shows.
Apple can't stand how excited you customers get over whatever pretty case or UI they put around their semi-functional rubbish.
But they still need your money.
It's time to upgrade - take the hint - GOSH - and stop ruining their lives!
[Can we have a Napolean Dynamite icon please Mr. el Reg]
"just most of the Macturds are too busy pulling off to pics of Skeletor Jobs to notice" there's an app for that.
@Simon Banyard
Maybe it is, but insulting someone like that over the internets makes you look even more of a prick. Have you ever met Steve Jobs? Maybe he likes being called skeletor, but you wouldn't know that would you? And breathe.
@People getting mad at Lord Elpuss
It was clearly a bad joke, and the caps were meant to highlight that. Anyone who thinks that something that ends with "IF MORE PEOPLE LIKE ME HAD THE BRAINS TO STAND UP TO THE ADVERTISNG BRAINWASHING WE WOULDNT BE IN THE STATE WERE IN WITH THE COUNTRY GOING TO THE DOGS AND ALL." is not meant to be a joke is clearly an idiot.
You don't need a warrenty.
Sales of Goods Act guarantees your goods for 6 years (as that is deemed a reasonable lifetime for electronic goods) so long as it hasn't been stored in full daylight, left in the bath, dropped from the top of buildings etc...
What's important to realise is that it's not the manufacturer that guarantees your goods for this time, it's the shop that sells you the product. It's then upto the shop to reclaim their costs from the manufacturer.
As a general rule if less than 6 months old you can demand repair or replace and it's upto the shop to prove the goods are working.
After 6 months you can demand repair, but it's upto you to prove the goods are faulty and that you haven't broken them accidentally.
The 1 year warrenty simply states the minimum amount of service you can expect outside of the Sale of Goods Act.
I have 4 year old LG, my missus updated the firmware 3 years ago when she had it. It's shocking pink and works OK most of the time. I have one number stored on it ( home for a lift when the trains are buggered ) and picture of my kids. I have absolutely no idea how to use it other than dial numbers and make calls. I must have a camera somewhere as my missus took the picture of the kids about 2 years ago! My missus has an iPhone, she understands this phone cack!
Phone Luddites join me, although we will have to arrange something by email as we can't call each other if we get lost near the meeting place!
Do you not realise it's all part of Apple's obsession with slimming everything down? Next year he's having some good alpha effects applied to him so that his shadow isn't as horribly sharp. They didn't want to do it all at once because, well, they needed something new to unveil next year.
I'd hope Apple are employing programmers sufficiently clued up as to the relationship between hardware and firmware such that normal levels of deviation in component performance would be accomodated by the code. I'd also hope they're employing production line engineers with sufficient clue as to be able to spot any potential problems brought about by process changes on existing components, using supposedly compatible components from alternative suppliers etc, and that all subsequent firmware changes are fully tested on both the new AND old hardware platforms.
As an embedded systems engineer myself, I know how tedious product lifecycle support work can be sometimes, especially if you're itching to get on with some fun new project, but it's an essential part of the development process, and I can't believe Apple would be stupid enough to cut corners in this area, given the impact it'd have on their reputation. So I'd be very surprised, and rather dismayed, if the problems with 3.1 did turn out to be related to hardware variances between handsets.
It's not just Apple, in fact, they seem to be effected less than others...
We have Excvhange 2007 with about 15,000 users. About 20% have their phones connected to it, nearly HALF iPhones (and not a single RIM device, since BIS will never be deployed here for numerous security audit reasons) .
Just spoke with the admin team. So far, only 2 people with an iPhone have called in to complain, and it appears re-installing iTunes 9 and then reimaging the device with 3.1 solved their issues. However, dozens of WinMobile and a few Palm folks have called in, some of them with completely bricked devices that had to be serviced to get working again (several of them replaced). Apparently not 3.1, but some Exchange side security patch caused the issue. It was identified and removed, and there's no further complaints since 2 days ago.
I'm learning that with the Ip-Hone-y one should be very careful about updating anything. I'm running about 50% of the updates (including apps) making things worse or removing key features.
3.1 made cut/copy/paste disappear from certain dialog boxes. Very annoying and stupid.
Pahahahahaha! That's what you get for buying a bloody Apple product with all its locked downess! You wouldn't get that with a Windows phone, any problems, just install a different version. And if the phone was from other manufacturers it wouldn't need updating every month as it would work properly and have a full feature set from the off... I'll leave it there.
Can I say it again, in light of some of the more rabid and self-congratulating comments? No problems here on 3.1. Not a one. In fact my old iPhone 3G continues to be the single most reliable phone I've owned, bar none (no it's not jailbroken, yes I've updated it and each of its 100+ apps whenever updates have been available).
Count the number of actual, genuine problems reported in this thread. Subtract the Exchange 2007 related issues actually caused by the now *correct* behaviour of unencrypted, non-3GS iPhones. Then compare the remaining number to the deafening roar of the hyenas jizzing themselves with joy over the prospect of a possible bug in their most hated Apple product, and tell me that 70% result in the poll means anything at all.
Apparently _not_ all iPhones owner are affected, so it's OK. And Windows is the most secure OS ever made, as _not_ all Windows computers are pwned in their first week of use. And _not_ all the people who get shot in the head die, so getting shot in the head is good for health.
Geez. Amazing how far in denial-land part of the iCrowd can be. S'pose it's due to the price tag. A mix between "it has to seem perfect so that I don't look like a fool" and "you get what you pay for ". The latter being the most idiotic piece of BS ever worded by Man. It instantly gets you a nice cosy room under "drooling cretinous ape" in my books.
She knows she gets what she pays for.
Confirming that mine is demonstrating occasional five-to-ten seconds pauses and has twice required a hard reboot since updating. I wouldn't call it "bricked", but clearly there are stability problems with this release.
I do wonder why people seem so keen to scream "nyah nyah told-you-so" like children at incredible length. Don't you people have lives? I don't particularly care for Mr Jobs, but the iPhone is the first phone or PDA that I've actually enjoyed using.
I've just read lots of comments from Reg readers on the article about the IETF "Botnet" proposals saying, amongst other things, that 1) users should have all autoupdates turned on until they can prove "competency" and 2) users should pay for fixing their machines if they are compromised.
Whilst not suggesting that bricking their iPhone is the same as spewing out spam or malware, and as there appear to be problems with both the i-update in question and also Exchange (according to some comment), given that many readers are involved in the industry, although probably most like me are small-scale admins, issue aware users etc, and not programmers, it really does push the issue back to the manufacturers.
I would willingly(ish) pay for an OS that was secure, ran on the assorted (and in some cases quite limited) hardware available to me, allowed comms (email, IM, VoIP) and browsing (including all that nice rich media that makes the internet so attractive to the users who after all generate the demand, ftp, perhaps even secure online transactions etc) with an utter assurance of security. A gui that made it acceptable for users used to Windows/MacOS would be essential and no degree in computing laguages required to set up. A suite of applications that matched Office, Notes, etc would sell it to industry.
Something that, to paraphrase the appropriate tagline, just works.
There was an effort with the OLPC project. How about a new initiative that covers this?
back to 3.0.1,
because 3.1 borked the tethering, I paid full price for an officially unlocked phone. Insulting.
The trick is, itunes 9 deletes all your old iphone updates on first run, you need to fish them back out of the trash quick smart.
Then alt+restore to load the old file.
Then a bit of command line in iRestore to get it booting properly again.
About an hours messing around all up.
My iPhone 3Gs suffered some of these reported problems - screen freezing and poor battery life were the main problems. The screen freeze was an immediate problem from receipt of my new phone (3 weeks before 3.1 came out). This was replaced by Apple after having to run the phone with no 3rd party apps for about 8 hours to convince them it was not due to a dodgy app.
Then my battery life went to about 1% usage every 2 minutes after the 3.1 install. After reading the Apple discussion boards one user said it was due to the battery management software being upset by 3.1. The solution was to ensure you have a current iPhone backup (via iTunes), then reset and restore from your backup. This solved the problem, in fact my battery seems to last longer than pre 3.1.
This is just one of many "tech" issues I have had to deal with since buying an iPhone almost 2 years ago.
I would add that you need to be reasonably computer literate to deal with all the possible pitfalls of owning one of these devices. At £538, it is not far off the price of a Macbook and certainly more than the raft of elCheapo laptops on the market. This is a clue its not really a phone, but a very sophisticated mobile computing tool.
I am sure the smart people at the Genius Bar could sort many of these problems for an inexperienced user (but then you may need to lug your computer in with you to get the full service which is not really practical). But most of us in the UK have to travel a long way for that help.
I would advise everyone who doesn't think they can manage the high tech curve for using an iPhone to either wait for quite a while longer for the product to mature. But if you have one or really want one, then stump up the £59 for the Apple Care plan. This will ensure they will stay on the phone with you until you get it sorted at no cost to you (other than the £59 of course). This includes shipping another phone to you (before you return a duff one to them) at no cost, which is essential if you use the iPhone as a business tool or cant let your Farmville crops go untended for even an hour.
With the exclusivity deal coming to and end for O2 shortly, the increased uptake of the iPhone may depend on the support provided by the mobile phone operators selling the iPhone. O2 may really struggle with this as some of the sales staff cant evendeal with simple instore stock systems. Who knows how the Orange / T mobile marriage will fare.
Our lives are becoming very IT / gadget entangled. Even todays TV / HD recorder combos sometimes require significant gadget savvy to use.
Perhaps we are entering an era where the "gadget geek" may well become as integral to society as shamans of the past. Perhaps as distrusted too. I wonder what the peasants will be offering up as sacrifices in 2109.
I've just run the 3.1 update, which went very smoothly as I've come to expect and appreciate with these releases. A cursory check over the phone doesn't reveal any problems, in fact if anything it seems to be responding a bit quicker. I'll post again if I encounter any disasters.
Cheers to Alien8n.
I've looked an Govt advice and the act concerned. The act is typical of Govt legislation and nigh on impossible to get sense out of but I've persevered and will send my recorded letter to the O2 Complaints review dept.
This abuse of customers by big Telcos (or any business in fact) is pretty dire, but I content that the reasonable length of time they're responsible for a product couldn't be less than the time they offer contracts on a phone for. Worth a few quid in the small claims court certainly. I've also required that they train their CS staff to understand their obligations under the Act, and make the procedure for claiming in this method public.
Will update with any success.
Tata
Alex
If I pull this off though it'll be very interesting.
You see this is where the Apple ecosphere comes into its own. Unlike Microsoft, which has to code for a wide and varied range of processors, motherboards, components and peripherals, Apple can design for a limited range of hardware which it has full knowledge of, thus reducing the likelihood of any possible conflicts and erro ... no, wait...
Don't be so smug - your Nokia doesn't need an update to cause problems. I've had Nokias since the early 90s and they all reboot just when they want, drop calls, have battery life problems.
But I'd still much rather have that that what M$ call a "smartphone" - says a bunch about their smart people I guess.
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