iPad 3G's non-WiFi video playback restrictions detailed
By Tim Stevens 
posted May 3rd 2010 9:31AM
posted May 3rd 2010 9:31AM
It seems the ABC Player devs chose to skip that option, so when you lose WiFi you also lose Tom Bergeron's charm and wit. Other apps, like Netflix and YouTube, do provide a lower bitrate fallback, but that of course results in nasty compression artifacts when on the go. In other words: there's a very good chance that 3G streaming will come in a future ABC Player release, but when it does it ain't gonna be pretty.You must include a low quality stream of no more than 64 Kbps for your app to resort to when network conditions demand it, along with the higher quality streams you want to deliver to your customers when the network can support it.
Oh snap!
It is a Feature!
@Jeremiah
Now steve can sell iMifi. isnt it great?
@Jeremiah
AHAHAHAAHHAHH!!!
@Jeremiah
freaking at&t.... was it really that much of a surprise?
(in other news, sprint's 4g overdrive calls)
@MrKnowItAll
Thats an overload of "i".
Steve'll love it.
@Jeremiah why is ipad nes in engadget MOBILE section
@skyblaze It'll be interesting to see if anything's any different with international carriers - specifically in the UK
@Jeremiah
now that it's been jailbroken, there is an app tht you can get on Cydia/Rock stores that tricks apps into thinking it's on WiFi when it's really on 3G. No more compressed YouTube or restricted app access! :)
@skyblaze
You hit the nail on the head with the mention of the Sprint 4G Overdrive. Even if the MiFi was only in a Sprint 3G area it would still blow away the AT&T offering...and now it has addition functionality over an AT&T 3G connection since AT&T has decided yet again to shoot themselves in the foot.
You gotta feel bad for those overpaying under served AT&T customers...but hey, they're the ones grabbing the ankles and asking for more each month.
Wow 64Kbs is almost a dialup speed.
Apples business plan of "don't let them do it at all if it won't work perfectly" must really piss some people off.
@Dunhamzzz But the iPhone still does voice calls?!
@Dunhamzzz yas, and in real conditions, you never get 54mbps over b/g wifi anyways.
@Stuchbery Zing!
@Dunhamzzz
This sounds liek the way OBAMA thinks...
keep an eye on him because last i heard is that he wants to ban turbo and superchargers for your cars...
Americanos this is your warning.. keep an eye on Apple and the prez
@Dunhamzzz
ITNS: It's the networks, stupid.
Don't like these restrictions? Call AT&T, don't blame Apple.
@DTJ So this won't carry over to overseas markets with much better wireless backhaul support? Hmm... I think I'd rather blame Apple, since this is SUPPOSED to be an unlocked device and can work with *any* carrier.
@DTJ
Well, Apple is the Prime here. They chose to use AT&T for whatever reason. I'm guessing the reason is that since customers are buying their devices even though the service is through an inferior network, then Apple has no real impetus to give customers anything better - yes, the lemmings are voting with their wallets and telling Apple it's OK to give you shit service, boys and girls. They are responsible for the system's performance as a whole. So, yes, they bear the blame.
If a Boeing airplane fails because of some deficient parts from a supplier, you blame Boeing don;t you? That's right, they were the ones who chose that crap supplier.
@tikigawd Why do *you guys* care so much if someone else spends *their* money to buy a product that *you* would be unsatisfied with?
Pathetic is what comes to mind.
@DTJ You can blame Apple because they continue to put their products on a inferior network.
Can you jb and use 3GUnrestrictor for the iPad?
that's for fooling 1 000 000 people ^_^
@phearme yea because 1 million people got the 3G version and left the Wifi only version in the store....
@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi doesn't the 3G version does also wifi ?
@phearme
it does, however the wifi one doesnt do 3g, this is about 3g...
@HoldenMccrotch that's what I thought. so the people buying the 3G versionn probably because they don't find wifi everywhere around, won't get video through it. well at least they can send text messages...
Buy a frackin' MIFI...
@notung and pay a fortune in overage charge for the benefit of watching crappy video? no thanks.
@malexandria1
You're not thinking right. There are already MicroSIM adapters that will turn the MicroSIM into the regular sized SIM we have today.
So.....
1) Buy Mifi ($250)
2) Buy MicroSIM Adapter ($5 - $10)
3) Insert into Mifi device
Now you have unlimited data for all your gadgets which = awesome.
@Plazmic Flame mifi is CDMA fool
@ultraret: "mifi is CDMA fool"
What? LOLOL! Umm... no:
http://tinyurl.com/ny5mcu
Sprint and Verizon are the only ones that got CDMA mifi devices. Originally they were made for GSM netowrks, do your research first. For those of you in the US, you can probably get one from a distributor or buy from Canada.
@ultraret
This comment system is really messed up...
@notung meh - my Palm Pre hotspot works just fine thanks :) and its free...
@Phenom
PRE, HD2, MIFI, or whatever... you all got the point
For the cost issue, I will just add that iPad WiFi-only is about a hundred cheaper. So please, deduct that from the cost of your MIFI, PRE, bla, bla. and yeah, you will miss location, I know, I know
@Plazmic Flame What are you talking about?
So basically.... fail.
@Plazmic Flame
More basically, no.
As I have posted elsewhere on teh interwebs, the hardware out today, from all vendors, not just Apple, is way way more powerful and capable than the wireless networks can cope with. This is because unlike companies like Apple, who do their best to deliver something that works as best it/they can, the networks are run by visionless, old school types who would rather squeeze every penny out of text messaging and roaming fees than building a national/global? LTE/4G network that would allow us to download, stream, upload etc high def content on our amazing wireless devices from anywhere, not just a sofa in some coffee shop somewhere fattening our arses and pretending to work.
I want to be able to stream or upload 1080P live video from the top of a hill I just ascended.
So, who reading this has the financial connections and energy to start your own all new ultra-broadband wireless company to do to the networks what Apple have done to the MP3 player and cell phone industry?
Step up the mic.
@Oflife You'll need a LOT of financial connections......Regardless though, is the wireless tech even there? Assuming you had infinite money and energy, is it feasible?
@Oflife I live in Hong Kong. Our "visionless, old school types" let us have 1000Mbps for about $25 US a month.
All I'm saying is, US is a huge country. It takes time to cover the whole country, unlike Hong Kong. You need patience. I mean, AT&T does have fewer dropped calls now, right?
@Oflife
'As it turns out, it's simply a carry-over of an iPhone OS HTTP Live Streaming rule that states quite clearly'
its not the carriers fault, its Apples, they actually made a rules that means they cant go over that level...
so that would apply for everywhere (i assume)
@HoldenMccrotch
Who do you think made them put that rule in?
@joshl
I constantly hear this: US is a big country. Blah blah blah. How come you can't get that type of service and cost in the high density areas? Where is the 1gb $30/month high speed for New Yorkers or L.A.?
How come every time billions are handed to the telco's to improve infrastructure the money disappears and nothing comes out of it.
@beheybirder
FYI - The metro areas of New York and Los Angeles have very different population densities. The New York metro area has 19.1 million people over 6,720 square miles while the Los Angeles metro area has 17.8 million people spread out over 33,954 square miles.
You're really not comparing apples to apples. The New York apple is a shiny delicious while the apple of California is a rotten, overpriced, dumbed down Cupertino variety.
@joshl
This is a poor excuse. Yes, the US is a large country. We're not asking them to cover the whole thing though in one week. We would like to just see them start somewhere, anywhere! Nowhere in the US can you get 1000Mbps for residential purposes. You probably can't get even half that.
I'm stuck with 6 Mbps DSL in downtown Chicago. Comcast refuses to take my money, and I've given up with them. I'm patiently waiting for AT&T U-Verse or Verizon FiOS to get something at least slightly better, and I've been waiting for years.
@beheybirder Telstra here in Australia is able to offer speeds of up to 21Mbps via wireless broadband (using UMTS/HSPA) to sheep stations in the outback (exactly what speeds you get depends on the device/antenna you are using and exactly where the tower is located obviously).
Its not rocket science to run a good mobile network (and Telstra isn't the only one that can do it, many in Europe can do it too), its just that AT&T is greedy and doesn't want to invest any money in making their network better.
if they need to make two versions, they blew it.
@BrianH
Explain why, please.
@DTJ
Just go with the joke