iOS 5.1 Shows '4G' Indicator On iPhone 4S
For meeting network downlink speeds of 14.4Mbps, what AT&T considers to be 4G, the iOS 5.1 update has begun to show "4G" in the status bar instead of "3G." We can't help but feel that this may be everso slightly disingenuous.
AT&T's defence to this would be that an iPhone 4S on their network is capable of much higher data speeds than the EV-DO networking, a particular range utilised by Verizon and Sprint. So basically it's a means to an end for getting that last word in against competing mobile operators. But with two carriers showing "3G," one showing "4G," an iPad with 'real' 4G (LTE) and the inevitable upcoming iPhone with the aforementioned real "4G," data labelling just got a whole lot more confusing, like the naming of the 'new iPad.'