Apple’s iPhone 3G has been subject to some harsh criticism over the last 6 weeks. Among the avalanche of issues that Apple has had to deal with (and PR their way out of), poor 3G network reception is currently in the spotlight.
An analyst has recently claimed that an immature Infineon Chipset used in the iPhone is to blame. Interestingly enough, Infineon has denied not commented on these allegations and Apple has supposedly been working on a software update that would attempt to fix the reception issues cause by the “alleged” immature chipset.
Before beginning to work on an update, let alone release one to the public, Apple is waiting for the next wave of global iPhone launches to wrap up. Twenty-one new countries including India, Argentina, Poland, Colombia, and the Philippines are expected to get Apple’s iPhone 3G come August 22nd. If the same issues hinder iPhone 3G users in these countries, then it is safe to say that Apple will be forced to release an iPhone software update, whether they’ve begun working on one or not.
If the Infineon chipsets are truly immature then Apple will surely try and solve the problem via software updates, rather than staging a massive recall or replacement plan that could cost them a lot of money and expensive time.
3G networks are not a global standard, for example India’s 3G network is far less developed than New York’s. Average performance on each individual network is what will be monitored. Global carriers will now be monitoring the iPhone 3G’s performance and reception with a telescopic zoom. Any notice of exceptionally poor reception or slow data usage in any new country, and Apple might have another headache to deal with.
Although many of us may be waiting for a software update to fix our 3G reception issues, only once Apple is done studying the performance of the device in the next wave of releases, may we hope to expect a potential solution.
In the meantime, check out our dynamic iPhone Carrier Worldmap.
7 Comments to “Apple: We Will Address 3G Reception Issues After Aug.22nd”
This is one of the lamest blogs you guys have written in a while. It is just an article with the most obvious generalities. Yes, Apple will try to fix any 3G communication problems via a software update instead of a massive recall. Duh. Same goes whether it happens in general or with a specific countries implementation of 3G [which is NOT a different problem, it's the same problem, only tried to make it a separate issue by changing it from 'general' to 'per-country]. And Infineon has NOT denied the allegations, but rather they have issued a no-comment as to whether their chips are even in the iPhone.
And as for the aug 22 date for waiting to see if the iPhone has 3G problems in the countries that it is released in then, I am 100% convinced that these countries will have NO IMPACT on Apple’s decision to release a software update for 3G problems. The countries listed, like Poland, Columbia, Argentina, Philippines, even India will have such a small impact on global sales, particularly relative to the US, Japan and ‘western’ Europe, that if there are any problems with the iPhones compatibility in any of the latter countries, Apple WILL fix the problem, regardless of it’s compatibility in the former countries(where the iPhone is going to be released in).
If anything, the opposite is true, if Apple resolves compatibility issues in the US, Japan and Europe, but there are additional problems these ‘new’ countries, the people there will have to wonder about how likely and/or quickly Apple will move to resolve those problems.
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@dave: I don’t get what you’re saying man. The author is simply stating that Apple is surely to try and solve the issue with a software update, before they issue a recall or replacement plan.
“If the Infineon chipsets are truly immature then Apple will surely try and solve the problem via software updates, rather than staging a massive recall or replacement plan that could cost them a lot of money and expensive time.”
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@dave: By the way… It’s called a “Post”
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It’s called Speculation !!!
Taking all the facts that you know and speculating about a potential move. In this case… APPLE’S !!!
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Geez Dave! Chillax bro! Just because a post clearly masters the obvious in a few vapid paragraphs with a speculative headline doesn’t make it bad. Does it?
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The post is simply stating that Apple is going to wait until the next wave of iPhone releases before releasing a software update themselves. (Not sure if it’ll be reception targeted or not) But the post doesn’t say anything new, nor does it claim to know information that others don’t.
I wouldn’t call it a bad post. Just re-iterated points and speculation.
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Just wanted to add that Gotreception.com (http://www.gotreception.com) is a great resource for finding out where reception problems are most likely to occur.
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