Telecom Rep told me don't buy an iPhone from Vodafone...

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Broph

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Geek

Topic # 64346 13-Jul-2010 19:46

Telecom Rep told me don't buy a new, unlocked iPhone from Vodafone because "the reception is not as good as if you were to purchase it directly from Apple"...

I immediately thought this can't be, as it's the exact same, unboxed phone... Just a different seller.

Vodafone don't change anything to the unlocked phones, correct?

Also, as a (at this stage) future, first-time Apple buyer (iPhone 4), I'm particularly concerned about dropping it and shattering the glass, the proximity issue, and the reception issue (as reception is not the best where I live anyway). Should I purchase a 3Gs instead? That much difference (besides the front camera/video recording).

Opinions?

Thanks.

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536 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 351058 13-Jul-2010 20:04

100% false. You are correct, they're exactly the same. Different retailer.

iPhone 4 is really something. The screen is mindblowing. Early i4 users in NZ have reported not being able to replicate the reception issues. As for the glass, well, either buy a nice robust case (a bumper does nothing really) or get some insurance.

3GS is old news.

kyhwana2

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Reply # 351060 13-Jul-2010 20:05

There shouldn't be any reception differences, just listen to jobs and "Don't hold it like that"

Otherwise just buy a case for it, i've got one of these for my Desire: http://www.clove.co.uk/viewProduct.aspx?manufacturer=Proporta&item=HTCDesire/GoogleNexusOneAlu-Leath...

I've already dropped it on my floor once (carpeted, whew) and it's fine..

vectran

58 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 351063 13-Jul-2010 20:12

The Vodafone NZ iPhones are exactly the same as every other iPhone sold worldwide. The only differences are the packaging, wallcharger and software. The reception *should* be exactly the same; don't see why it shouldn't be.

The iPhone 4 is supposedly more durable than the iPhone 3GS as it has 'Gorilla Glass', which is around 30x stronger than the regular glass on the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Despite the iPhone 4 having a glass back, it is probably stronger than the horrible plastic in the 3G and 3GS models, which is always cracking (and scratching).

If I were you, I'd probably go for the iPhone 4. Supposedly the antenna/reception issue can be fixed by a software update coming out in a few weeks. The iPhone 4 is a lot faster (with the new A4 processor) and has a much better screen (around 4x the resolution). I doubt the price difference is going to be that big, probably around 30-40% (as a guess). There is a separate thread on this....

MikeyPI

450 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 351066 13-Jul-2010 20:15

maknz: Early i4 users in NZ have reported not being able to replicate the reception issues.

And who would that be?

oldmaknz

536 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 351068 13-Jul-2010 20:19

MikeyPI:
maknz: Early i4 users in NZ have reported not being able to replicate the reception issues.

And who would that be?

http://twitter.com/Bodisaffa/status/18332342438

http://www.iphonewzealand.co.nz/2010/all/hands-on-with-iphone-4-gallery/

http://twitter.com/nzben/status/17933554908 (which afterwards tweeted he kind of managed to get bars to degrade but in a place his 3GS would lose coverage anyway)

MikeyPI

450 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 351080 13-Jul-2010 20:41

maknz:
MikeyPI:
maknz: Early i4 users in NZ have reported not being able to replicate the reception issues.

And who would that be?

http://twitter.com/Bodisaffa/status/18332342438

http://www.iphonewzealand.co.nz/2010/all/hands-on-with-iphone-4-gallery/

http://twitter.com/nzben/status/17933554908 (which afterwards tweeted he kind of managed to get bars to degrade but in a place his 3GS would lose coverage anyway)

Sorry, but one doesn't exist, one is from your decidedly pro-iPhone site, and the other states "Just tried foe 10 mins to re create the death grip issues ...........Nothing, no problems atall.(sic)"

Hardly a quality investigations, and of those 3, only 1 can be even confirmed to be using an iPhone4.. yours.

Considering Consumer Mag, which has been favourable to Apple in the past, ran their own tests and concluded there was problems, perhaps some more objectivity is required.

***Updated, sorry the nzben twitter message was coming up that it didnt exist. I acknowledge all 3 links are correct, as you stated****

Broph

44 posts

Geek

Reply # 351082 13-Jul-2010 20:43

All links work fine for me.

MikeyPI

450 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 351085 13-Jul-2010 20:48

Broph: All links work fine for me.

hmm a second ago it said the page didnt exisit....

oldmaknz

536 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 351088 13-Jul-2010 20:50

MikeyPI:
maknz:
MikeyPI:
maknz: Early i4 users in NZ have reported not being able to replicate the reception issues.

And who would that be?

http://twitter.com/Bodisaffa/status/18332342438

http://www.iphonewzealand.co.nz/2010/all/hands-on-with-iphone-4-gallery/

http://twitter.com/nzben/status/17933554908 (which afterwards tweeted he kind of managed to get bars to degrade but in a place his 3GS would lose coverage anyway)

Sorry, but one doesn't exist, one is from your decidedly pro-iPhone site, and the other states "Just tried foe 10 mins to re create the death grip issues ...........Nothing, no problems atall.(sic)"

Hardly a quality investigations, and of those 3, only 1 can be even confirmed to be using an iPhone4.. yours.

Considering Consumer Mag, which has been favourable to Apple in the past, ran their own tests and concluded there was problems, perhaps some more objectivity is required.

They are in America, on AT&T. Notice how I said early i4 users in New Zealand.

You wanted to know who the early i4 adopters were and their experiences, I don't need to prove it. It's right there. Believe it or not..

FYI, incase you didn't know, it's a software issue - not a hardware issue. See: Apple PR statement. If you don't believe that then well what will you believe.

MikeyPI

450 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 351098 13-Jul-2010 21:04

maknz:
They are in America, on AT&T. Notice how I said early i4 users in New Zealand.

Is there signifcant software/hardware differences to validate the potential that NZ users will be unaffected?

maknz:
You wanted to know who the early i4 adopters were and their experiences, I don't need to prove it. It's right there. Believe it or not..

Thats all I asked for.

maknz:
FYI, incase you didn't know, it's a software issue - not a hardware issue. See: Apple PR statement. If you don't believe that then well what will you believe.

The same PR statement that claimed they "were stunned to find out the reception formula was wrong".....
Like the man says... yeah right.
Also as a number of engineers have pointed out, the problem most likely is attenuation, how will a software update fix it?

Me personally, I don't care either way. Not affiliated or reliant on any phone manufacturer, and take all info with a grain of salt. However I do have a strong BS detector....

Kyanar

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Reply # 351101 13-Jul-2010 21:10

Broph: Telecom Rep told me don't buy a new, unlocked iPhone from Vodafone because "the reception is not as good as if you were to purchase it directly from Apple"...

There is a reason to buy directly from Apple - purely economic though. Apple charges $50-$100 less than Vodafone does.

I finally have fibre! Had to leave the country to get it though.

alasta

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Reply # 351108 13-Jul-2010 21:29

Broph: I'm particularly concerned about dropping it and shattering the glass, the proximity issue, and the reception issue (as reception is not the best where I live anyway). Should I purchase a 3Gs instead? That much difference (besides the front camera/video recording).

Opinions?

Thanks.

On a couple of the forums that I follow I've seen quite a few American 3GS users complaining about poor reception and dropped calls, but I have never experienced any problems with mine. I personally suspect that a lot of these problems are attributable to AT&T whose network is widely regarded as being less than stellar.

As for the durability, any smartphone would be catastrophically damaged under the same sort of conditions as the iPhone 4's drop tests. If you're at risk of dropping it or if you're going to expose it to extreme conditions then just make sure that you invest in a case that's appropriate for your use.

oldmaknz

536 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 351131 13-Jul-2010 22:13

MikeyPI:
maknz:
They are in America, on AT&T. Notice how I said early i4 users in New Zealand.

Is there signifcant software/hardware differences to validate the potential that NZ users will be unaffected?
maknz:
You wanted to know who the early i4 adopters were and their experiences, I don't need to prove it. It's right there. Believe it or not..

Thats all I asked for.
maknz:
FYI, incase you didn't know, it's a software issue - not a hardware issue. See: Apple PR statement. If you don't believe that then well what will you believe.

The same PR statement that claimed they "were stunned to find out the reception formula was wrong".....
Like the man says... yeah right.
Also as a number of engineers have pointed out, the problem most likely is attenuation, how will a software update fix it?

Me personally, I don't care either way. Not affiliated or reliant on any phone manufacturer, and take all info with a grain of salt. However I do have a strong BS detector....

My last post on this matter.

They've had the formula wrong since the first iPhone. It's only been uncovered because of the i4 - for whatever reason. I'm not a mobile engineer.

I haven't researched but all the reports of reception issues seem to come from US users on AT&T, not elsewhere. If you grip a 3GS hard enough it'll do the same thing as the i4. All mobile phones in fact do it. Until I see a significant quantity of reports from UK/other i4 country with death grip issues then I would place the blame with AT&T. In any case, wait for the software fix and then judge the hardware.

freitasm

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Reply # 351138 13-Jul-2010 22:32

maknz: You wanted to know who the early i4 adopters were and their experiences, I don't need to prove it. It's right there. Believe it or not..

Sorry, but I will disagree on that... Ben used a loan device from a parallel imported. Hardly "early adopter" in the sense that he didn't embrace - and buy - the device.

maknz: FYI, incase you didn't know, it's a software issue - not a hardware issue.

The explanation was "the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place."

Now to me this seems like a big blame storm, as in "let's shift the blame to the operators and their patchy coverage".

maknz: See: Apple PR statement.

Even though I dislike quoting Wikipedia, there we go:

"PR is a field concerned with maintaining public image for high-profile people, commercial businesses and organizations, non-profit associations or programs."

maknz: If you don't believe that then well what will you believe.

So, yes, they are worried about "maintaining public image". They wouldn't make up anything, would they? Reality Distortion Field?

There's a very wide distance between Marketing and PR. One helps the sales process, the other defends the company's perception. Different interests at heart.

However... And here is the thing you could help finding more information on: are those problems being reported on AT&T or other networks? Consumer has reported they have reproduced this problem, in a lab test under simulated network. But was it on 850MHz or 2100MHz?

IIRC pple iPhone always had problems with non-850MHz networks, even in previous versions.

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johnr

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Reply # 351177 13-Jul-2010 23:46

Broph: Telecom Rep told me don't buy a new, unlocked iPhone from Vodafone because "the reception is not as good as if you were to purchase it directly from Apple"...

I immediately thought this can't be, as it's the exact same, unboxed phone... Just a different seller.

Vodafone don't change anything to the unlocked phones, correct?Thanks.

Same factory , same box , same phone

What store told you this?

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