Has iOS4 Ruined the iPhone 3G?
Since the release of iPhone 4 and iOS4, the tech world has been caught up either praising the new device to death or parsing Antennagate into oblivion.
But while so many have been focusing on the glory and flaws of Apple’s newest product, my attention has been squarely on an old one: my trusty iPhone 3G, which is now 2 years old – and is signficantly crappier, thanks to the iOS4 update.
After the initial update, my 3G was so slow as to be almost completely unusable. Basic tasks like checking email or opening a browser could take well over a minute to complete – unless, of course, they crashed first. Using Maps was essentially pointless, and more demanding apps like Evernote were basically rendered useless. Prominent blogger Waxy suggested doing another full system restore after installing the upgrade and that did solve problems. And then, with the release of iOS 4.0.1, some similar improvements were to be found.
But it definitely isn’t perfect. App response is still sluggish. Trying to listen to music and browsing the web at the same time is often an exercise in frustration, and often results in both the browser or the iPod app crashing. Everything is slower. Overall, the device has gone from being a smooth, slickly-functioning device to feeling like an overtaxed, nearly obsolete piece of tech. Searches across the web reveal this to be a seemingly common phenomenon.
This would, of course, not be a problem if one could downgrade back OS 3.1.3. I know I for one wouldn’t miss the few updates iOS4 gives 3G owners to get my regularly functioning phone back. Alas, Apple doesn’t let you. And most users will find the process of downgrading quite onerous, particularly on a Windows box.
So it seems that Apple, whose focus with the iPhone has always been a smooth user experience, has slipped up on this one, simply in allowing the iPhone 3G to have the update – or refusing to allow a downgrade.
But lest we get ahead of ourselves, tell us Techi readers: Has upgrading to iOS4 ruined your iPhone 3G? Or it it just an isolated few cases making a mountain out of a molehill?
APPLE
NEVER AGAIN.
I’VE A YEAR LEFT ON MY CONTRACT.AND A PHONE THAT DOES NOT WORK.
YOU LOST A CUSTOMER.
i still have £385 pound to\pay on my contract 3g iphone but i feel the phone is no longer fit for the purpose of which i took out the contract for. what are my options and who is to blame ,my provider is Orange they say its apples phone there fault mean while im goiner have to pay for a iphone thats no bettah than a 40 quid pay as you go phone. this is unaceptable pratice i feel like just not paying and returning the phone but that will probly just mean balliffs turning up at my door by the way i wasnt even responible for the update being updated [staff at the apple shop were resettin my phone as i was havin problems with syncing but indoing so they also totally screwed over my phone i was a hppy customer but now if this isnt resolved soon i will not let them get a penny of my cash.
I worked for Microsoft for 10 years. I migrated to Apple about a year ago and have enjoyed the airbook and ipad experience.
But in upgrading my Iphone to 4.0.1 has destroyed my faith that Apple was any better than Microsoft. It is a disgrace that they did not test the 4.0 upgrade, did not fix the problem with the 4.0.1 upgrade and now fail to acknowledge that the problems exist.
My phone is useless. You hear me Apple…it’s useless. I need my phone for work and am on the phone 2 – 4 hour a day…but when the phone crashes every 5 minutes and reboots, it is useless.
So, I bought an Android phone. It works. It’s fast, but most of all it doesn’t crash.
Apple, you have squandered your chance. You had momentum. You had your shot…you screwed it.
I agree completely. I’ve just paid off a 2 year contract for an iPhone 3G and in that time I’ve had the handset replaced 3 times due to faulty hardware. The iPhones performance after the software upgrade to iOS4 is unacceptable.
I held out some hope that ver. 4.0.2 would offer a remedy to the many problems but this is not the case. My iPhone 3G is now sluggish and buggy and totally unreliable as a tool for work. The screen constantly locks-up and the SMS keyboard is temperamental. Apps that worked flawlessly are now glitchy and frustratingly unreliable.
I have simply lost faith in the iPhone and I’m amazed that Apple could release an OS with so many flaws. It’s as if they’re saying “thanks for your money chump but we don’t give a stuff about you unless you’re forking-out for our latest piece of overpriced, overrated crap”.
Apple have lost my confidence, and my business. There are simply too many rival products on the market that are far cheaper and much better for what I need, which is most importantly A PHONE THAT WORKS!!!
This is a joke, my 3g was fine before I updated it to OS4 but now it’s so slow I can’t live with it anymore. I will NEVER get the iphone4 because of this.
I contract was up in April so I held out for the new iphone but upgraded my 3G the day before I was due to change, I noticed straightaway the 3G had slowed down and decided I won’t be forced by Jobs to changing.
Apple are now offering people so called advancments on the new phone that others had years ago like a decent camera and video.. wow… And it really annoys me it only took them 3 years to put a zoom on the camera of my 3G.. WHY?
Oh and my Dad bought the iphone4 and it’s rubbish. It drops calls all the time.
Why are you still using iPhone 3G when Steve Jobs wants you do upgrade? Get to it! 🙂