Why can't I get a iPhone a without 3G plan?

charliej66

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Hi all. I'm new here. Don't have an iphone yet, but plan on getting one shortly. I was kinda waiting to see what will happen with some of the problems that I've been reading about. Which brings me to my question.

Does the iphone still the connection problems, drop calls, etc. when 3G is turned off? There is no 3G coverage where I live, and I have access to wifi at work and at home. I don't really need 3G anyway.

Thanks.
 

avt123

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I don't have any of those problems but I know some people still do. 2.1 is coming out this month and should fix those issues if people still have them.
 

Reaktor5

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I really don't like paying for 3G while I'm in a no 3G area for college. I'd much rather have the option of switching to the $20 data plan and be stuck on EDGE than paying more money for a feature I cannot use.
 

Reaktor5

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That's not the point. It's AT&T who should offer a plan without 3G, not forcing people to find old devices that have been used.
 

avt123

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I understand. I thought I read something about people using the medianet plan and it was still $20. I haven't looked at it recently so I don't know if they just made that the 3g plan.
 

Jeremy

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That's not the point. It's AT&T who should offer a plan without 3G, not forcing people to find old devices that have been used.

While I understand what you are saying there is no way that will ever happen. AT&T can not lose that extra $10 bucks they are making a month. Especially offering the phone at the new "low" price...
 

Jeremy

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Every phone has dropped call problems. It's usually not the phone's problem. It's the network.

Now that all depends on what you call "problems". I'd say "problems" if it happened a few times a day. Once a week, not a issue. Personally I can count on one hand how many times I've dropped a call on the 3g. And I've been using it since July 11th. No "problems" here. ;)
 

Reaktor5

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While I understand what you are saying there is no way that will ever happen. AT&T can not lose that extra $10 bucks they are making a month. Especially offering the phone at the new "low" price...

Sadly, I agree it won't happen. It'd be nice but AT&T is just like any corporation, they're about pleasing the masses and making as much money as possible, not pleasing a small group.
 

dweidman

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That's not the point. It's AT&T who should offer a plan without 3G, not forcing people to find old devices that have been used.

Why?

It is like saying you want to buy a car with a radio in it - but since you don't listen to music, you won't use it or turn it on (I swear, cross my heart).

As far as I know - there isn't a way to permanently disable 3G in a device that physically has the radio in it (from AT&T's POV) - and why would they want to make that option available for the rather tiny group of people who won't pony up the extra money for it?

Easy Cost / Benefit equation from their point of view.

Sorry.

-Daniel
 

dweidman

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Now that all depends on what you call "problems". I'd say "problems" if it happened a few times a day. Once a week, not a issue. Personally I can count on one hand how many times I've dropped a call on the 3g. And I've been using it since July 11th. No "problems" here. ;)

I have dropped 5 calls today.

Just FYI.

-Daniel
 

charliej66

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Why?

It is like saying you want to buy a car with a radio in it - but since you don't listen to music, you won't use it or turn it on (I swear, cross my heart).

As far as I know - there isn't a way to permanently disable 3G in a device that physically has the radio in it (from AT&T's POV) - and why would they want to make that option available for the rather tiny group of people who won't pony up the extra money for it?

Easy Cost / Benefit equation from their point of view.

Sorry.

-Daniel

It is not that I want do disable 3G, or that I don't want to use 3G, or even that I don't want to "pony up" the extra money. I would love to have 3G and would be more than happy to pay for it. The fact is that myself, and a large part of the US don't have 3G coverage with At&t. So why would some one want to pay for a service that is not available to them? I think that is the point everyone is trying to make.

Also, that wasn't the point of my original post. All I was wanting to know, is if the iphone would have all the issues that I have read about, if I just turned the 3G off.
 

dweidman

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It is not that I want do disable 3G, or that I don't want to use 3G, or even that I don't want to "pony up" the extra money. I would love to have 3G and would be more than happy to pay for it. The fact is that myself, and a large part of the US don't have 3G coverage with At&t. So why would some one want to pay for a service that is not available to them? I think that is the point everyone is trying to make.

I understand what you are saying - but the car has a radio in it. You can't un-radio the car.

Hope that makes sense. (by the way - I wasn't replying to your post - that is why I quoted Reaktor5.)

Also, that wasn't the point of my original post. All I was wanting to know, is if the iphone would have all the issues that I have read about, if I just turned the 3G off.

What problem specifically - if it is dropped calls - you won't deal with the poor handoff between 3G and Edge if you simply turn off the 3G radio. Was there a problem you were specifically looking at?

-Daniel
 

charliej66

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dweidman,

First let me apologize if my post sounded argumentative. It honestly wasn't meant to. And I do understand your point about the car radio, and completely agree.

As for my question about dropped calls and 3G: you answered it exactly. Thank you. That made sense to me but I wanted to be sure. See, when I get an iphone, I will probably give up my BlackBerry. That just makes me a little nervous.

Thanks again.
 

Reaktor5

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I don't think the 'car radio' analogy is fitting.
You aren't paying a company monthly in order to listen to it, are you? (Excluding XM/Sirius)
 

Reaktor5

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It is not that I want do disable 3G, or that I don't want to use 3G, or even that I don't want to "pony up" the extra money. I would love to have 3G and would be more than happy to pay for it. The fact is that myself, and a large part of the US don't have 3G coverage with At&t. So why would some one want to pay for a service that is not available to them?

Agreed to the nth degree.
 

dweidman

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dweidman,

As for my question about dropped calls and 3G: you answered it exactly. Thank you. That made sense to me but I wanted to be sure. See, when I get an iphone, I will probably give up my BlackBerry. That just makes me a little nervous.

Thanks again.

Anytime - glad to help.

-Daniel