Randy,
I honestly think ALOT of people are not tech saavy when it comes to the iPhone. Sure, it's a phone that anyone SHOULD be able to figure out and use without any instructions, but guess what? they're not paying attention to detail. That is why the battery problems or sync issues, etc.
The iPhone is cutting edge technology. You have to understand a few things about it in order to get the best performance out of it.
for example:
1) Turning OFF: Bluetooth, Wifi, Searching Networks - By turning this feature off, your battery charge shoots up dramatically? why? Because your iPhone will stop transmitting/receiving the radio signals for bluetooth, wifi, constantly looking to pair up devices or finding hotspots. This is true with any phone. You leave Bluetooth or wifi on your other smartphones, guess what? your battery juice goes down. Next thing you know, you only have a couple hours of cell usage. If you understand to leave it off until you need it, then turn it off again when you're done, you'll easily get a full day or two or three of phone call usage, internet browsing, checking email and txt msging.
2) Charging Battery: The iPhone's battery charges to 80% fairly quickly. After that, it's a trickle charge til completion. That is how MOST Li-Ion cell phone battery, laptop, digital camera technology works. So one must understand to plug it in and LEAVE it plugged in for hours until it's full charged. Those who don't have patience and keep pulling the iPhone off the charger at 80% charge will shorten the battery life.
My digital photography colleagues who studied electrical engineering explained to me the importance of NOT letting Li-ion batteries run down, and they explained their charge cycles. Just as Apple described themselves, if you charge as soon as you can (end of day or at work, etc), you'll prolong your battery life. For example: if you charge your battery after you only used up 25% of your battery, you have 4 days or charging before you reach 1 full charge cycle (25%
25%+25%25% = 100%). So when you do the math and realize that you're going to get 300-400 charge cycles, you'll realize that your iPhone's battery life will last you a while. By this time iPhone version 3.0 that includes a teleportation system to take you to the cosmos will be out with perhaps even LONGER battery life and nifty features for you to upgrade. So battery upgrades my not even be needed 😉
3) Low Volume Complaints: Some of these complaints are from people that are not trying to adjust volume settings while on calls. They just complain and give up and not realize that there are settings for volume during a call, ringer volume settings, etc.
Sure there are legitimate sound issues with some, but Apple is taking those back, exchanging them.....no questions asked - with a smile! I personally know 8 people with iPhones here in Los Angeles and none are having sound, volume issues, including myself. If we were, we'd gladly take it in and get an exchange on the spot. If you live a distance away from an Apple Store, they will send you a new one and you can swap it out at home and send the old one back.
The phone sounds spectacular. With or without headphones. Personally i prefer the headphones. Mainly because i like to multitask on the phone (look up contacts, email, web, etc while on a call). The headphone, mic and switch functionality are nice. I can answer phone calls, switch over, pause-play-fwd songs in iPod. It's nice.
4) Power OFF/ON or RESTORE: Just like my previous cell phones, i power the cell phone off at least once every few days and turn it back on. That always "cleared" the cell phone's memory or cache if it every had glitches like variable bars, or stuck menus, etc. Those problems on my trusty RAZR V3 Motorola phone and Sanyo Sprint PCS phone were few and far between, but a simple power down/on of the cell phone fixed that.
The same could be true for the iPhone. It's like a mini MAC OS X computer. Powering down every few days and then on could help keep it healthy if any glitches pop up. It's a simple fix.
Also, for those who are experiencing issues with it out of the box, i recommend the power cycle (on/off) or RESTORING the iPhone. Perhaps a simple 5 minute iPhone restore will fix your problems, if any. I'm reading reports of crashes being resolved, Speaker/Ringer Volumes issues being resolved, etc.. all by restoring. And it's free, simple and all done from iTunes 🙂
5) If one is going to whine about the lack of: no MMS messging, GPS, multiple texting, MS Word, Games, Outlook Lite, iTunes mobile shopping, 900 hour battery, real tiny plastic keyboard, the ability to add your own widgets or software, iPhone to iPhone syncing, etc etc....
Then the iPhone is NOT for you. The phone is revolutionary. It has some amazing features and a truly revolutionary multitouch interface and gorgeous screen. But if you really want something that is bloated, 2 inches thick, short battery life, software that may crash, etc.... then you need to look elsewhere.
This is version 1.0 of the iPhone. We're going to see software updates. Some features will be added or unlocked. The software will be refined and functionality will be added.
Apple cares about form factor, sleekness, design. All while trying to give you the best battery life, user experience possible.
I for one LOVE my iPhone. Of course i'd like for it to do a little more. But for a version 1.0 device, it's amazing that it does what it can, so beautifully with minor minor issues.
I live in the Northeastern most part of hilly Los Angeles, and i have perfect AT&T (formerly Cingular customer) service. I travel daily to the westside, coastal beaches, the heart of downtown, Orange County, the Inland Empire, the deserts, up the coast, etc. I almost always have coverage. Sure there are deadspots, but they are few. And luckily for me, i don't live or work in them.
I understand that some live in areas were Verizon is dominant in signal. It appears that NYC is one of those areas. If you're going to put all your eggs into one basket, make sure that AT&T signal strenth is abundant in that area. Look up coverage maps. Do Google searches for those coverage websites that provide user feedback. Do your homework. That way you understand that you're going to have cell coverage where you need it most.
I hope this helps. These are just my thoughts on the iPhone issues. Just my two cents. Good luck to you!
