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Store Internet Experience Vs. Out of Store?? EDGE

M

meagain

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Nov 18, 2006
2,571
26
We just went to see the iPhone at an Apple store. Edge was flat out painful to the point where I started walking out a few times. I got one YouTube to work but the quality was so bad it was useless. Other YouTubes looked better but couldn't function. Surfing the net met with huge wait times to load. Had Wifi working and that was painful as well. An Apple guy thought their Wifi went out for a bit.

Has anyone had an equally bad store demo experience, then bought it anyway only to find MUCH improvement out of the store building regarding EDGE?

It would have to be a BIG improvement. I realize there might be issues with all the computers, walls, others trying the net on the demo phones, but it was really rough to the point where I might not even bother with the net. I tried doing a speed test but couldn't even get any of them to load. The Apple guy felt they all used Flash and that's why. I tried DSLreports. He tried others. He told me to try coming back on a slower day, but I know there are never slower days at my store and won't be as long as the iPhone is in there.
I'd really like to get a feel for a real life surfing experience but can't see how it's possible without buying one. But right now, I think we'll wait for a faster service in a future generation? IDK - it was bad except for Google maps.

NOTE: Didn't get one yet.
 
Used EDGE for Plantronics BT support site to figure out how to put headset into discover mode. It was slower than WiFi, but definitely usable. Didn't get a speed test from this location (Los Angeles area)

At home (central CA, which has, in the past, been a poor signal area), I got: 107kbps with 600K file (5K test unstable/too fast error). Right now, showing full signal.

(testing using dslreports.com mobile speed test.
 
Forget about using YouTube on EDGE. It simply doesn't have enough bandwidth for video. To play video, YouTube. QT trailers, etc., you have to use Wi-Fi, which works great.

EDGE for other sites I've found to be better than expected, but I had VERY low expectations. I wouldn't want to surf all day, but in a pinch, not bad. I'll be a lot happier when a 3G iPhone ships for sure.
 
Edge is slow. It's just not at the speed that is needed to have a real good multimedia experience. However WIFI on the other hand works fine. It smokes at my house! I was just food shopping and they have free WIFI in the store. I connected to that browsed fine with 2 bars.

WIFI will definately fly, but expect Edge to be slow.
 
I guess I just don't believe I was getting a normal speed in the store because many here are saying Edge was pretty good. I'll head back tomorrow and see if anything changes or I can get an employee to bring it out of the building or something.
 
Your a stores worst nightmare....Face it the edge is slow...Its not going to wishfully get faster if you go back and forth to the store 50 more times...Just ge the phone and be done with it....Watch you tube when wifi is around geeeeze
 
Yep...almost same experience. I went to the Apple store with the cash ready to buy a iPhone. I was demoing it ad the net was a pain browsing.Meanwhile I thought I will return the Airport Express, and while doing it I heard a guy who was screaming that he wasn't getting coverage with the iPhone and wanted to return it!! The apple store lady was having a tough time explaining to him that was AT&T's problem not Apple's.He was so pissed off he was like I am going to the TV station truck and going to tell bad things about your store etc... I chatted with him for a while and he told me the Cingular coverage was near pathetic. I secured the cash and ran away! :cool:
 
thank goodness you did so....now that is one less person I have to worry about being on the edge network...Curious to find out how old you are??? Would you mine telling us your age???
 
Well, the store was in a mall with wall to wall people, computers, etc. etc. Couldn't that have caused interferance? I mean, the Wifi wasn't working really either. I think it was working for a bit then we just couldn't seem to get it back.

Google Maps worked great though. I wonder if it's possible to more or less cache say 5 fave websites for a faster pull up after the initial load?
 
I wouldn't let the EDGE speed or lack thereof be a deal breaker. It's definitely useable, just not fast. The phone is amazing, even without 3G.

And yes, there could be interference or bad signal, but EDGE isn't going to be fast by any means. CNN takes me about a minute or so to load the main page, but I can start zooming in and reading it before that.
 
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