Just how fast is the 3G connection on an iPhone, and how much faster will it be with the iPhone 3GS? Wireless data speed can be a confusing topic, but I don’t know of anyone who is better at explaining it than Glenn Fleishman. I mentioned Fleishman a few months ago when I discussed Apple’s Airport Extreme base station. Fleishman’s Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network — an e-book that you can download in PDF format instantly for only $15 — is a great resource for understanding Wi-Fi.
Yesterday, Fleishman wrote a comprehensive and interesting article for Macworld’s iPhone Central titled “iPhone 3G S features 7.2 Mbps, AT&T’s network doesn’t.” The article discusses the iPhone 3GS’s ability to use a faster 7.2 Mbps HSDPA 3G network and the ins and outs of 3G and its planned successors. AT&T is still in the process of rolling out 7.2 Mbps, but when it is finished, we should see greatly increased speed when using 3G on an iPhone.
If you are at all interested in data speed on your iPhone, check out Fleishman’s article. It is packed with technical info, but presented in a fashion that is easy to understand.
I bought the first generation iPhone, replaced it with a 3G, and today ordered a 3GS, after selling my 3G on ebay. AT&T has been a liability since Day One. For example, I didn’t wait in line for the 3G, I waited until everything calmed down and special ordered the 3G with an AT&T employee. The phone showed up a week late. Not a problem, I expect salesmen to lie about delivery dates.
When I fired up the 3G, all I could get was Edge. Stoopid bloke that I am, I trooped back into the AT&T store and showed the same clerk that all I could get was Edge and that either the iPhone was broken or I was too stoopid to get on 3G.
The clerk stated, “oh no, this area won’t have 3G coverage until September” (2 months away). I said, “don’t you think that was an important feature to tell me before I paid for the phone and the upgrade fees”? The clerk said, “you didn’t ask”. I told him that the only thing that prevented me from strangling him was my children, bar license, and Jesus.
We got 3G coverage in late December.
Thankfully Apple hasn’t dumbed down to AT&T’s level.