French Knock iOS 4 Upgrade while Aussies Deny Antenna Troubles

We scan the globe for news about the iPhone 4. Today we visit Australia and France, two countries bringing Cupertino a mixed message about its latest handset. In the land down under, a large newspaper gives the iPhone 4 a big ‘thumbs-up’ while France’s carrier SFR warned iPhone 3GS owners the iOS4 update could slow them down.

“The iPhone 4 is not just a slight improvement over the iPhone 3GS, it is a massive jump,” writes Stephen French, a technology columnist for Australia’s The Daily Telegraph. Although French managed to lower his reception quality by employing the “death grip,” he wrote calls were still unaffected. “I even managed to watch a YouTube video over 3G while in the ‘death grip,’ he told readers.

French’s one-week experiment using the iPhone 4 on four national carriers – Telestra, Optus, Vodafone and 3 – without a case departed from a Wall Street Journal review by tech writer Walt Mossberg. In the WSJ review, Mossberg noted trouble connecting with the iPhone 4 in all but the strongest AT&T coverage areas. Does this latest review point to AT&T – the lone U.S. iPhone carrier – as the source of connection woes instead of the handset?

Meanwhile, French carrier SFR warned customers considering updating their older iPhones with iOS 4 “significantly” slows down their handsets. Today the iPhone 4 launches in a number of countries.

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[9to5Mac and AppleInsider]

11 comments »

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Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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Gizmoe
Don’t they mean the iPhone 3G? You know, the one without the “S”…
http://rottenjonny.com Rotten Jonny
100% uncensored iPhone apps can be found at http://rottenjonny.com.. Stay true people!
Rodney
They meant iphone 3G, not 3GS. And about the death-grip – it was stated few weeks ago that most cases of antenna problem happens with AT&T. Outside US – it almost doesn’t exist.
Doug Cheal
You’ve got France on the brain mate, it’s Stephen Fenech, not “French”!
Mttt
Why would he mean 3G? I think he was making the point that the 4 isn’t just a slight improvement like 3G–>3GS was. It is a huge improvement.
Also, it’s ‘Telstra’, not ‘Telestra’ haha. :)
pmoe
AT&T has been the problem all along.
That’s why I think the rumours of a Verizon iPhone are true. Apple can’t afford another borked launch because of sub-standard networks.
Even though Verizon have an out-dated network – good coverage, it’s old technology. Wait to see their own AT&T style troubles when (if) they start rolling out their 4Gen networks!
And I think this has shown Apple enough reasons for the iPhone 5 to be released overseas before a local release in the USA.
Australia’s NextG network would have been the ultimate showcase for the iPhone 4 release. Then Australians on Optus and 3 could have forewarned the USA about what to expect on AT&T
Crushader
Im from Australia, and it’s true that death grip doesn’t affect the reception. I hold the phone, covering the antenna strip, the signals drop down to one bar at most, and I still can make call and surf the net with 3G.
http://1mp.co theflb
Also, it’s just the Aussie way. If there is a problem, either deal with it or fix it, no use bitchin about it
As far as the antenna “problem” goes…
Guess what, put your finger across the antenna join it reduces reception, Put your finger across the lens & you get no photos.
If the worlds simplest machine “the incline plane” ie. a knife requires you to hold it the right way in order to function without removing body parts. Then why would people expect a machine that is infinitely more complex to be able to be used however the person wants.
The Idiots that complain are the same idiots that expect the world to bend to them & what they want & to take responsibility out of their own hands (all puns intended) So they can get free stuff or sue people.
That’s the real reason it only affects Americans
http://www.haztea.com Tyson
Optus isn’t much of a problem here either. Personally, I’d say Vodaphone would be the equivalent to AT&T from what I hear about AT&T. Shoddy reception and blackspots galore!
http://coexistingwithnonhumananimals.blogspot.com Jordan Wyatt
A correction, the carrier is ” Telstra ” :)
Neil
If you have a 3GS my advice is to stick with the OS. My upgrade to OS4 has resulted in constant crashes. I’m back to factory settings and another visit to the Genius bar in Perth next Friday to see if they can sort it out.