Bought iPhone--Sealed In Box--Thinking About Returning It.
I was one of the few able to walk into my local ATT store and buy an iPhone on June 29. Got the 8GB model. I didn't open the box and activate it because my Apple computer is in the shop for a memory upgrade. Really, with all or most negative things in this discussion threads and on the web that I have been reading about the iPhone--I'm thinking of taking it back for a refund. My buddy has four iPhones and things have been good for him. I've used his phone and it is an awsome phone. But, for $600, look at what people have been posting--low volume, email sync problems, batteries not lasting or getting too hot--or have to be replaced for $79 by Apple because they're soldered in? I think I made a mistake here. Somebody convince me otherwise because I have cold feet. Any comments are welcomed. zoz
Take the negative reports with a grain of salt. Most iPhone users are very happy with theirs but they're not going to make a trek to this forum to post that things are working great!
You'll generally only see negative reports here as a result.
Fortunately that will mean more iPhones for those of us who really like them!
Yea I think u should return it!!! Please let me know when and where u do, so I can but it!!! I have been looking all over Miami for another 8 gig and have no luck. Ive gotten one for my sister, mom and dad and now all thats left is grandma.
All seriousness though, the phone is awesome. I have purchased 3 and absolutely no problems here. I work in a mall with an Apple store and each time I see that little bag, I dash to the store to see if i can get the other 8 gig to add to the fleet.
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!
It's an excellent phone. I've been very happy with mine. No, it's not perfect, but it's closer than ANY other phone on the market!
Check the discussion forums of ANY other cell phone and you will find just as many, if not more problem there as well. People rarely go online to post about NOT having problems.
Great post, Leone! I appreciate your positive attitude and agree with you 100% that the iPhone is an awesome, state of the art, innovative device that is amazing in form and factor! I am thankful to Apple for such a wonderful blessing!
Evangelist, Thank you. I appreciate it. I've been monitoring the iPhone discussions for weeks now and continue to do so. Most "problems" are not problems at all. People expect the world from this product, which is fine.... lol... but they need to do their homework sometimes before purchasing or returning.
It's a great phone. I can only imagine what version 2.0 of the iPhone will bring us next year or so.
And others are right. If you were to look up Blackberry's or Palm or Motorola forums, you're bound to see countless issues and postings on battery life, crashes, glitches, etc.
When was the last time you saw somebody standing up in an Emergency Room waiting room talking about how healthy they are? Would you ask the patients in the E.R. the secret to healthy living?
This is a support forum, or an ER for tech issues. As such people primarily come here when they have a problem.
I do not understand how you know this. ("Most People are Happy"). Most people here in the discussion boards are complaining true?
But no report from others does not equal happy to me. If you search for low volume here, there are a lot of problems to read about.
Anyway, I can't use my iPhone as I would like to (that is as a regular phone, because the Receiver Volume is so low), but I'm not going to give up just yet, so my 2 cents is to keep the phone and struggle like the rest of us. I love the iPhone, but some of the problems with it are steeling it's thunder.
Great responses here-
1 it is a 1st generation- there are some issues but as 1st gen goes this phone is off the chart
2 there will be upgrades as software is an option- most phones can not compete in that
3 use of phone with its finger touch- amazing. My three year old can work it and he is too amazed asking "I'm I doing that with my finger?"
4 maps a great feature
5 phone calling and conferencing in someone-just try it for a laugh-very neat
ipod -never a better one
6 you can watch movies, listen to ipod shows, and get some TV shows to entertain you incase the internet, maps, calling and music is not enough.
7 I have over 1200 pictures on my iphone so I never feel like the family is far away.
OPEN IT- step into the future
If you tried all avenues with no solution, call Apple and return/exchange it. If it's not a setting or if restoring it does not help your receiver volume, you may have a bad phone, possibly from a bad batch.
I'm lucky. Mine works like a charm. I did not have to restore or anything. But i do read posts that it has helped some.
Kudos to you Howardes for sticking it out for a solution 😉 Hang in there!
I love the phone, it does what i need it to do, remember, most people that have no problems are not going to come on here and say that, you mainly see posts of people complaining because that is why they post, to complain. I have no issues with my phone but didn't make a topic that says it. Maybe they should make a seperate thread that says "for people who love the iphone", iI have been on Cingular/att for years and have no issues either, if I did, i would switch to a different service.
I can't help but think to myself that my laptop certainly doesn't get more than about 5 hours on battery power alone, and the iPhone can run some of the same programs (Safari, Email, Calendar, Weather Widget, Stocks, Notes, YouTube, + play music and video)... and connect to WiFi just like a laptop. Though it's not meant to be a laptop replacement, if you use it like one you'll get a little bit better battery life than your laptop gets (in other words, if you sit on the net surfing through WiFi and doing e-mail through WiFi and never take a break, you'll probably get 6-7 hours, maybe a bit more).
People don't realize that every feature is a battery draw, but the BIGGEST battery tap comes when you turn WiFi on. I'm easily going 2 days without a charge if I only turn WiFi on as-needed and leave it off the rest of the time.
Not to say you SHOULDN'T charge it every night... I'm not a lithium battery expert... but it's great to know that at the end of the day I've got 50-70% battery life left, so if I ended up stuck somewhere without access to a charger, I'd still have a working phone... even right through the next day.
The iPhone has exceeded all my expectations in every way. It is the device I've wanted for a LONG time... I can go to a store shopping for electronics and can take notes on features, or take pictures of the prices. I can keep in touch with my kids and work. I can e-mail from wherever I want and make work think I'm still at my desk (LOL). Need to check news or weather, it's right there. While I'm shopping for those electronics I can price compare online. Oh look, my stocks just went up, buy more toys! While I'm out and about camp calls to let me know I need a form filled out from my daughters doctor... well while I'm there picking it up I can schedule her appointment for a physical in October without fear of losing that stupid appointment card over the next 3 months. Oh look, hubby called and he needs me to bring home milk... getting my visual voicemail is a breeze and so painless compared to dialing IN to get my messages... hit 1 to play... listen... hit 3 to delete... blah blah.. I'm glad those days are over. Oh, and what's that? I can listen to my favorite songs too... and I can do this all with one device? GEEZ, how could you not be happy. LOL! I cannot tell you have in just a few shorts days the iPhone has been a breath of fresh air to a geek like me who is SO disorganized on paper, but very organized on her computers.
Is it perfect? Of course not. Most of the "missing" features I don't care about... Custom ring tones? Well guess what, they may be cute to you but are usually obnoxious to everyone else... I don't WANT my phone to make any noise... just vibrate in my pocket (and that's one of my little gripes... I wish it would vibrate when a text comes in). No multimedia messaging? I really don't care. If I really need to send a photo to someone I can use e-mail (and can even use e-mail to send them the picture in a message). Would it be nice to have? Sure, but not a show stopper. No copy and paste or way to highlight text? Well that one irks me a bit, but really hasn't proven to be a huge issue just yet.
And I'm SURE we are going to see software updates that address some of this stuff... without a doubt.
Personally, I love my iPhone. There isn't a device out there that would make me give it up.
"I do not understand how you know this. ("Most People are Happy"). Most people here in the discussion boards are complaining true?"
This is where people come when they are having problems or have questions.
You don't walk into the hospital and come to the conclusion that the whole world is sick or injured just because there are a lot of sick and injured people around?
I am so tired of reading complaints. A post asking for help is one thing, whining about all of the things you think Apple did wrong is another. The iPhone is an amazing device, it is what it is, and if it falls so far below your expectations, return it and let someone who will appreciate it buy it. We all don't need to read about it, please don't waste our time.
