 |
 Stephen Withers turns his gaze on the world of Apple, with
detours into other aspects of IT and communications as they catch his
attention. |
Technology news and Jobs 
Our Blogs Core Dump Apple heading for court in another iPhone 3G potential class action
Our Blogs Core Dump Apple heading for court in another iPhone 3G potential class action | Apple heading for court in another iPhone 3G potential class action |
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| by Stephen Withers | |
| Thursday, 04 September 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 3 But things get very rubbery when you're dealing with wireless communications. A whole range of factors can affect the quality of voice calls and the throughput of data traffic - some of them are under the control of equipment manufacturers and network operators, some aren't.That's why Apple says "Throughput depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, 3G/EDGE connectivity, feature configuration, usage, the Internet, and many other factors. Throughput tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary." Similarly, AT&T says "the latest 3G devices provide typical download throughput of: 700 kbps to 1.7 Mbps for downloads [and] 500 kbps to 1.2 Mbps for upload", but warns that "Speed and uninterrupted use of the service are not guaranteed." What's the alternative? Managing customer expectations by deliberately throttling performance to a level that would be achieved in most circumstances? That would be a waste. That said, it is appropriate for customers to be made aware of the limitations of the technology. It's not as if this is a brand new issue that's suddenly come to light. Following a court case in Australia last year, dominant telco Telstra was required to display warnings that the performance of its Next G network would vary for a variety of reasons. In the Apple/AT&T case, it seems the plaintiff's point is that a similar warning should be given at the point of sale. It's hard to argue with that. But two things puzzle me - find out what they are on page three. |
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