Vodafone pledges fix for Snow Leopard 3G modem woes
Carrier caught out, claim users
Vodafone customers have let rip at the carrier for its failure to update its wireless modem software for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Yesterday, the network operator promised a fully 10.6-compatible version of its Mobile Connect software, but was unable to provide a timeframe for the update's release.
Vodafone confirmed its USB Modem Stick Pro doesn't work with Snow Leopard at all, but said that its other USB modems and its E870 ExpressCard offering will work with Mac OS X 10.6 when the OS is booted with a 32-bit kernel.
Users claimed the code crashes their 10.6 system when a modem is connected.
Snow Leopard supports 64-bit computing more pervasively than any other Apple OS to date. Users with a 64-bit processor - anything with a Core 2 Duo, basically - can run 64-bit apps alongside 32-bit apps. To ensure maximum compatibility with 32-bit device drivers, only Apple's XServe servers boot up by default with a 64-bit kernel - the rest retain a 32-bit kernel, though this has no effect on machines' ability to run 64-bit apps.
Snow Leopard's 64-bit kernel isn't officially supported on MacBooks. And until the vast majority of third-party device drivers have been released in 64-bit versions, it's likely to stay that way. Laptops are the most common users of USB 3G modems.
But it's not just drivers that are causing woes. Vodafone admitted that Mobile Connect front end needs to be re-installed after users upgrade to Snow Leopard. Even then, some elements won't work, it confessed.
The new version should fix this, but what has got most punters annoyed is the fact that they believe Vodafone should have seen this coming. Pre-release versions of Snow Leopard have been available to developers to use for testing for months.
Early access to upcoming OS X releases is available for a $499 (£243) membership fee - not a lot for a company of Vodafone's size to cough up to keep its monthly fee paying customers happy.
Fortunately, Snow Leopard is out now and can be had for a mere 25 quid.
It seems Vodafone may have been waiting for the lower price. "The UK support team tell me that they are waiting for a copy of Snow Leopard to arrive at their office so that they can load it on a Mac and start testing," claimed one poster on Vodafone's public forum. ®
COMMENTS
It's not just Vodafone
Orange are just the same..... at least Vodafone admit they have a problem! It took me an hour on the phone yesterday to get Orange to admit they had a problem with the ICON225.... with Orange's solution, go out an buy a PC!
I am trying the Option website for the Icon225 drivers and seeing what happens..... ;-)
@mrweekender
It would appear there is only one person on drugs!
The following GartnerGroup report as quoted on a fairly popular mac site puts glbal sales at @7% we could all pull niche markets to justify one fact or another (I image educational shipments (you don’t specify the territory, US or UK?) are not that big a piece of the pie)
http://www.macrumors.com/2009/04/16/apples-us-market-share-slips-in-1q-2009/
if i do a survey of all the government departments i have worked in in the UK and that included HMRC, DWP, MOD,UKBA the apple market share is 0% except the one or two allegedly hanging out in the comms departments which are inhabited by aging ex-beatnicks and hippies.
I think the original posters point was that 93 out of a 100 vodaphone users are likely to be running a wintel set up, of the other remaining they will be running various flavours of linux/OSX of those how many will currently have coughed up for the snow leopard patch?
27.3%, honestly ......
now, if you really want to get me started....
you can try and explain why "3" couldnt get there modem properly on Vista, despite numerous calls over a year! There main retort was that it was *probably* my Antiv virus software from AVG interfering with it and that i should disable it at startup! Vista+AVG+Dell lapop + "3" 3g modem.... hardly a niche set of componants?
Don't wait for Vodafone
Vodafone havent got a clue.
The vodafone k3760 stick is actually an Icon 411 made by Option (it just has a vodafone sticker on it) so it's really Option's fault there are no drivers.
But wait.. whats this...
http://www.option.com/en/support/software-download/usb-modems/icon431/
Yes, thats right, Option have already updated their drivers for snow leopard. Just download and install this and your stick will work perfectly.
Of course, vodafone wont tell you this because these drivers dont include the piss-poor vodafone branded pointless VMC application that serves no purpose. They'd prefer you to wait 2 months until Dave their IT guy can do get round to copying the driver into their bloated installer and doing a bit of search/replace on the text.
If it isn't set up already, you will need to configure the G141x Modem device that comes up in the Network preferences panel. On the advanced tab set it to be an Option Nv GSM modem. Set the APN, phone number, account, password from the vodafone details on this page:
http://www.filesaveas.com/gprs.html
Easy Fix: Enmbedded Mobems in Macs.
Perhaps Apple could get with the modern world and offer an embedded HSPA modem in Macs.
With dual antennas around the screen, and powered from the MoBo itself, it would be quicker to start, better down/upload performance and Cupertino could be the ones to guarantee support for OS upgrades. Intel even offers chipset support so you can SMS the Laptop to lock it down if you leave it on the train or the back of a cab.
I think you'd find this exists for Linux, XP, Vista and W7 users, it's only Apples proscriptive policies that restricts in from Mac.
Yes - a nightmare
After speaking to Vodafone for hours on end they simply hadn't a clue as to when this will be fixed. I couldn't have chosen a worse moment though - at a pitch meeting I fired up my MacBook, sculled my espresso and beamed at my potential new client ready to show her my great work only to insert my dongle and have total meltdown!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOwOZcGCrJc
