I've lost count of the ways I despise this device! Most recently, I was finally forced to update the firmware on mine, after noticing a decided unreliability in accessing O2's mobile network, shortly after an "important firmware update" had been announced (which update was ostensibly to do with roaming abroad, so shouldn't have affected me at home).

After hearing the horror stores of people losing contacts, e-mails, bookmarks, etc, etc, upon updating, I'd always been reluctant to update my phone any time previously. Sure enough, on finally being forced to update this time, whilst the network problems I had been experiencing have seeming been 'fixed' (I'm back to full signal strength at home, when in the past 4-5 weeks it had previously suddenly dipped to no service at all on regular intervals), I have lost all of my stored e-mails, and all of the bookmarks I'd placed on the iPhone home screen. And I had to install the spamfest that is bloody iTunes (which installs all manner of garbage you don't need, that thereafter runs in the background on your PC, taking up resources, whether you're using it or not) to achieve the feat.

How people rave about Apple products, I'll never understand. As far as I can see, they're completely up their own backsides. From the 'Genius Bars' (because, you know, they're geniuses) where people take their crappy products to get fixed, to spell-checkers that "allow" you to spell words the way you bloody want (all you have to do is teach them the entire English language by saying 'no, I meant what I said' any time they default to correcting your 'mistakes' - what's the problem?), to firmware updates that completely overwrite your personal data, the iPhone's usability is simply appalling.

- and breathe -

Next time, I wont be getting an iPhone, I'll be getting a "phone", one of those things that actually allows you to make phonecalls, to communicate in writing the way you want to, without jumping through all manner of arrogant, egocentric developer-inspired hoops, they intended to protect you from yourself.

[legends wear 7]

Nice Rant

get an android based phone

[kiellliam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sand witch

I've lost count of the ways I despise this device! Most recently, I was finally forced to update the firmware on mine, after noticing a decided unreliability in accessing O2's mobile network, shortly after an "important firmware update" had been announced (which update was ostensibly to do with roaming abroad, so shouldn't have affected me at home).

After hearing the horror stores of people losing contacts, e-mails, bookmarks, etc, etc, upon updating, I'd always been reluctant to update my phone any time previously. Sure enough, on finally being forced to update this time, whilst the network problems I had been experiencing have seeming been 'fixed' (I'm back to full signal strength at home, when in the past 4-5 weeks it had previously suddenly dipped to no service at all on regular intervals), I have lost all of my stored e-mails, and all of the bookmarks I'd placed on the iPhone home screen. And I had to install the spamfest that is bloody iTunes (which installs all manner of garbage you don't need, that thereafter runs in the background on your PC, taking up resources, whether you're using it or not) to achieve the feat.

How people rave about Apple products, I'll never understand. As far as I can see, they're completely up their own backsides. From the 'Genius Bars' (because, you know, they're geniuses) where people take their crappy products to get fixed, to spell-checkers that "allow" you to spell words the way you bloody want (all you have to do is teach them the entire English language by saying 'no, I meant what I said' any time they default to correcting your 'mistakes' - what's the problem?), to firmware updates that completely overwrite your personal data, the iPhone's usability is simply appalling.

- and breathe -

Next time, I wont be getting an iPhone, I'll be getting a "phone", one of those things that actually allows you to make phonecalls, to communicate in writing the way you want to, without jumping through all manner of arrogant, egocentric developer-inspired hoops, they intended to protect you from yourself.

This must be a very unique case, every update that has come out i have installed within an hour, i've had no problems what so ever, any Apple updates that have come out for the iPhone or Mac do not overwrite any personal settings, anything to do with signal or coverage is a network problem.

Have you used iTunes to make a backup of the iphone?, This makes restoring the iphone simple. The hoops Apple iPhone developers have to jump through are there for a reason.

Apple customer service is the best in the computer industry. If the "iPhone's usability is simply appalling" why do other companies try to copy their interface design and try to introduce app store clones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiellliam

This must be a very unique case, every update that has come out i have installed within an hour, i've had no problems what so ever, any Apple updates that have come out for the iPhone or Mac do not overwrite any personal settings, anything to do with signal or coverage is a network problem.

Have you used iTunes to make a backup of the iphone?, This makes restoring the iphone simple. The hoops Apple iPhone developers have to jump through are there for a reason.

Apple customer service is the best in the computer industry. If the "iPhone's usability is simply appalling" why do other companies try to copy their interface design and try to introduce app store clones.

Going by the extensive chatter about similar problems experienced by others available online, my experience doesn't appear to be all that "unique". As for the Restore feature; yes, it does have that, and it did kick in this morning after an update process that had taken 30 minutes, only to tell me it had failed, and that it was restoring my phone. At the end of said Restore process, iTunes reported the phone had been updated. When I checked the phone, the personal information I reported previously (e-mails and home screen bookmarks) had been deleted.

Saying that other 'phone developers are copying the iPhone interface is a bit redundant - that happens all the time, with every manufacturer's latest gimmick devices, some of which go on to become bog-standard features in time. If other people really were "copying" Apple-patented features, rather than merely following market trends, you could bet we'd see a lot of copyright lawsuits from them, which we don't. At this stage, a touch-screen with 3G web browser can hardly be said to be an Apple-exclusive innovation or all that unique a selling point. Other manufacturers can and are starting to create these features better than Apple, possibly because they've gotten over themselves and realised that they are not self-appointed "geniuses" after all, that end users do not have the time or the patience to put up with nannyware that corrects their spelling without permission (and insists that US spellings are appropriate in a UK English dictionary to boot!), and simple features like being able to make phonecalls reliably and look up contacts without incurring a 10 minute delay whilst the device switches from 'creation of the Techno-gods' to ordinary telephone are not optional extras that people will ignore if they are missing.

In summary, the iPhone is an over-designed, under-performing piece of crap. I for one will be glad to get back to an actual mobile phone that allows me to make phonecalls and send e-mail easily once my contract expires.

[myromeo]

hm, i plugged mine in, it said new update do you want it, i said yes, it took about 20 mins and was as it was before update but with new firmware... no lost anything

unlucky my friend

[kyussmondo]

Either you are very unlucky or you specifically go out of your way to hate the iPhone. I've have iPhones for over 2 years and never had one problem. They have been the most reliable phone I have ever had. You can turn off auto-correction in settings. Millions of people have got an iPhone now. These are mainly everyday people, not Apple fanboy. I think most people would see through it if it was a joke phone.

[kiellliam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sand witch

Going by the extensive chatter about similar problems experienced by others available online, my experience doesn't appear to be all that "unique". As for the Restore feature; yes, it does have that, and it did kick in this morning after an update process that had taken 30 minutes, only to tell me it had failed, and that it was restoring my phone. At the end of said Restore process, iTunes reported the phone had been updated. When I checked the phone, the personal information I reported previously (e-mails and home screen bookmarks) had been deleted.

Saying that other 'phone developers are copying the iPhone interface is a bit redundant - that happens all the time, with every manufacturer's latest gimmick devices, some of which go on to become bog-standard features in time. If other people really were "copying" Apple-patented features, rather than merely following market trends, you could bet we'd see a lot of copyright lawsuits from them, which we don't. At this stage, a touch-screen with 3G web browser can hardly be said to be an Apple-exclusive innovation or all that unique a selling point. Other manufacturers can and are starting to create these features better than Apple, possibly because they've gotten over themselves and realised that they are not self-appointed "geniuses" after all, that end users do not have the time or the patience to put up with nannyware that corrects their spelling without permission (and insists that US spellings are appropriate in a UK English dictionary to boot!), and simple features like being able to make phonecalls reliably and look up contacts without incurring a 10 minute delay whilst the device switches from 'creation of the Techno-gods' to ordinary telephone are not optional extras that people will ignore if they are missing.

In summary, the iPhone is an over-designed, under-performing piece of crap. I for one will be glad to get back to an actual mobile phone that allows me to make phonecalls and send e-mail easily once my contract expires.

If you incurring a 10 min delay after pressing on the phone, i would suggest a format of the iphone.

Did you upgrade from 2.... to 3.1?

Sounds like you have an app with corrupt settings a format should work

[kiellliam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sand witch

Going by the extensive chatter about similar problems experienced by others available online, my experience doesn't appear to be all that "unique". As for the Restore feature; yes, it does have that, and it did kick in this morning after an update process that had taken 30 minutes, only to tell me it had failed, and that it was restoring my phone. At the end of said Restore process, iTunes reported the phone had been updated. When I checked the phone, the personal information I reported previously (e-mails and home screen bookmarks) had been deleted.

Saying that other 'phone developers are copying the iPhone interface is a bit redundant - that happens all the time, with every manufacturer's latest gimmick devices, some of which go on to become bog-standard features in time. If other people really were "copying" Apple-patented features, rather than merely following market trends, you could bet we'd see a lot of copyright lawsuits from them, which we don't. At this stage, a touch-screen with 3G web browser can hardly be said to be an Apple-exclusive innovation or all that unique a selling point. Other manufacturers can and are starting to create these features better than Apple, possibly because they've gotten over themselves and realised that they are not self-appointed "geniuses" after all, that end users do not have the time or the patience to put up with nannyware that corrects their spelling without permission (and insists that US spellings are appropriate in a UK English dictionary to boot!), and simple features like being able to make phonecalls reliably and look up contacts without incurring a 10 minute delay whilst the device switches from 'creation of the Techno-gods' to ordinary telephone are not optional extras that people will ignore if they are missing.

In summary, the iPhone is an over-designed, under-performing piece of crap. I for one will be glad to get back to an actual mobile phone that allows me to make phonecalls and send e-mail easily once my contract expires.

I do apologise the the double post, forum went funny for a minute

[Pencil]

On my iPhone, I only ever have 1 bar up or no service at all. (All my other phones have 5 bars)

Sometimes, I'll lose the service and it won't come back again unless I turn the iPhone off, then on.

I've downloaded about 30 apps... 2 are good, most are pretty boring - like the iPhone really.

You can't customise this thing at all.

I check my e-mails, check BBC News... that's it. I can't afford to use it for work because the battery's so poor. I'm back to using my k800i for that.

My favourite games Bubbels, Snake and DesktopTD are flash based and can't be used on the iPhone.

[iain]

Yup - the iPhone could have been a success, if only Apple had worked on it's UI and usability!

I'll never understand why people who have a problem with an electronic device extrapolate that to suggest that A. every device will have the same problems, and B. That other manufacturer's devices won't ever have similar issues.

Iain

[asyousay]

I will also admit my Iphone 3G is now beginning to p*iss me off no end, got it last Oct and since the update last week , my phone is now having random fits, like other day i was texting somebody and then the camera went crazy and just took about 20 pics before i could switch it off, also it is just going dead on me, the whole screen goes black and you cant do anything, you cant even turn it off . Then after 5-10 mins its fine again " god knows what thats about" , and then battery life , phone is not even a year old and the battery is dreadful. Have to charge it two,three times a day now.

[andybno1]

easiest thing to have done was right click on the iPhone in iTunes and click make a backup before updating...... this is what it's there for

[simon69c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asyousay

I will also admit my Iphone 3G is now beginning to p*iss me off no end, got it last Oct and since the update last week , my phone is now having random fits, like other day i was texting somebody and then the camera went crazy and just took about 20 pics before i could switch it off, also it is just going dead on me, the whole screen goes black and you cant do anything, you cant even turn it off . Then after 5-10 mins its fine again " god knows what thats about" , and then battery life , phone is not even a year old and the battery is dreadful. Have to charge it two,three times a day now.

Well that's quite clearly not normal behaviour! I would take it into your nearest Apple Store - they should replace it for you with a brand new phone if it is still within the warranty period. I've had nothing but good experience from dealing with them. Might be worth booking an appointment online at the "Genius Bar" before you go though (they are the people who will troubleshoot the phone and replace it for you if necessary - if they are busy with other people you might be asked to come back later if you haven't pre-booked an appointment). Just be sure to do a backup in iTunes before you take it so you can set the new phone up just as you had the old one.

[teletv]

Ive been having signal problems too never more than one bar, so i turned the 3g off... full signal no matter where i am and battery lasts longer too. I only ever turn 3g back on when i want to go online or download an app which i usually do at home through my broadband connection

[Anika Hanson]

Did the software upgrade yesterday and now my phone seems to be taking forever to back up. It used to take about 2 minutes I tried for about 40 minutes yesterday and it had only reached about 75 % so I had to cancel it.

[Anika Hanson]

Uggh it has messed up all my playlists on the iphone but on itunes they are as they are supposed to be. Damn upgrade.

I'm still having problems getting a reliable signal on my iPhone with O2, in areas that prior to August this year had been OK for a signal for me. I see from this thread in O2's own forum that the problem isn't just with me, but has been experienced by a lot of people using various releases of the iPhone on O2's network. I'm beginning to wonder if they haven't stretched the capacity of their network to breaking point. I can hardly make a call any more during business hours without risking being cut off half way through for no apparent reason.

[noise747]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asyousay

I will also admit my Iphone 3G is now beginning to p*iss me off no end, got it last Oct and since the update last week , my phone is now having random fits, like other day i was texting somebody and then the camera went crazy and just took about 20 pics before i could switch it off, also it is just going dead on me, the whole screen goes black and you cant do anything, you cant even turn it off . Then after 5-10 mins its fine again " god knows what thats about" , and then battery life , phone is not even a year old and the battery is dreadful. Have to charge it two,three times a day now.

I know three people who are having the same problems and one person whose Iphone gets so hot that he is worried it might burst into flames.

Those are the only people I know personally that have a Iphone 3g, but I bet it will be the last one they will get.


The problem is the more hi-tech phones get the more problems they seem to have.
Even my next door neighbours daughter Blackberry went belly up a couple of days ago, ok it got sorted yeasterday, lucky the shop is opened on a sunday monring.

My HTC also decided to lose everything a week or so back, I had to reset it.

Yet, a mate of mine got a Nokia 3310 and it is still working as well as it was when he first had it, I also got a Samsung s500, which still works fine after 4 years.

I think going for a O/S based phone is sometimes not that clever, they may do more, but there is a lot more to go wrong.

I am going to have my Samsung unlocked and going to put my BT sim in it, at least it works.

[battlezone]

Apple...need I say more? Wouldn't p*ss on them if they were on fire! Same goes for their overpriced pc's!

[iain]

yeah - because obviously Apple are the only company that has problems with some of its products.

no other company has any problem, with any product, ever.

Iain

[edEx]

To the OP, I think you have an excellent case to take your iPhone along to either an Apple Store or an O2 shop and ask for a replacement. My iPhone doesn't behave like that, and virtually everybody else's iPhones don't behave like that either. So the logical conclusion has to be that there is something wrong with your handset, possibly a faulty memory chip.