iPhone: The Network Is A Problem

Apple’s iPhone will clearly change the landscape for mobile phone manufacturers — and consumer handheld devices overall. My friend, Carl Howe, at Blackfriars has the best analysis on the announcement. But there is a small gotcha in the device that not many people are talking about. The network is a problem.

The iPhone is exclusive to Cingular, and as such it uses Cingular’s data service to connect to the Internet. But the specification listed on Apple’s web site shows the iPhone supporting something called GSM/EDGE, a horribly slow network that is marginally better than GSM’s ubiquitous GPRS.

Cingular is in the process of rolling out its higher speed HSDPA network — a wireless data service that typically can support average datarates of 500–700 Kbps on the downlink and peak data rates of 1.8 Mbps. Surely, by June when the iPhone ships, Apple and Cingular should think about supporting HSDPA.

Apple may have an exclusive with Cingular, but it might want to think about supporting a subsequent version of the iPhone for the Sprint,Verizon, and other EV-DO Rev A networks. EV-DO Rev A networks offer QoS and 3.1 Mbps peak data rate on the downlink and 1.8 Mbps on the uplink.

Comments

[MIchael Dr...:]

We can't have this discussion with the assumption that Apple didn't look at all these issues. As a cingular subscriber with the 8125 pocket pc I agree about the inadequacy of edge dataspeeds. My initial guess was that Apple wanted to hold 3g capability for a 2nd gen iphone. The evolution of the ipod and its smaller siblings has gone through 4 or 5 gen cycles and I would tend to think Apple was worried they wouldn't have enough feaures to continue to add in order to get the type of generation cycling they need in order to generate their revenue goals. I personally disagree with this strategy. Intentionally crippling a product is never a good idea. THe fact that 75% of the market does not have access to data plans beyond 2g helps understand Apples decision. I suppose we'll wait and see.

2007 Jan 11 01:18 AM