An In-the-Wild Test from CNET
You already know that the testing matrix is complicated by hardware and software, plus several versions of each. But people often forget that carrier and network strength are also testing matrix considerations. Your app may work perfectly on AT&T in the middle of a heavy cell tower area, but how does it work on Sprint in the fields of Nebraska? What about on the coast of Croatia? In Thailand? Serbia? Does it work ok on O2 in Europe and Lime in Latin America? That’s what in-the-wild testing is all about.
And we’re not the only ones recognizing the need to check out devices on different carriers in different locations – CNET recently conducted their own study.
While it’s impossible to account for every conceivable variable when testing a device, having offices around the world affords CNET the unique opportunity to, at the very least, get an idea of how different networks in different countries can affect a device’s performance. We chose the iPad as our first test guinea pig.
We tested the cellular speed of Apple’s new iPad in four different cities: San Francisco, London, Singapore, and Sydney. …
