UPDATE: Apple acknowledge iPhone faults & pledge software update 'cure all'

Following my colleague Duncan’s report earlier today that Apple have been accused of using low-quality chipsets in their iPhone range, I’m happy to announce that Apple have responded promptly to the issue by releasing an apology (of sorts), and confirming that the next software update, due in a month or so, will fix the current issues with poor quality reception – thereby effectively ending the intense speculation that Apple might have to recall the phones.

Wildfire rumours have rumbled across the net for days saying that Apple were going to have to do the ‘dreaded deed’ and recall all iPhones for a costly and humiliating hardware upgrade, but Apple’s confirmation of a software fix promptly douses all of that. Until today, the main blame has been focused on the Infineon chip, and how reliable a chip they actually are. If software really is to blame then it backs up Infineon’s Chairman, who has repeatedly told deaf ears that “Our 3G chips are, for example, used in Samsung handsets and we are not aware of such problems there”.

Without wishing to dig-over (well written) old ground, the major complaints from Apple customers have been two-fold: an inability to access the faster 3G service – even when stood next to a transmitter; and constant shifting between 2G and 3G reception during calls – often the main cause of ‘dropped calls’ syndrome.

Having previously worked for the mighty 3G Hutchinson back in the day when 3G was a by-word for brick-sized mobiles that had video-calling (if you were lucky).. I sympathise with the iPhone’s initial teething problems. Swapping between two different speed transmitters whilst it moves around is one of the major problems with all fledgling 3G devices. In fact, it’s a huge problem; and in my experience, not one major manufacturer has got it right straight off the bat.

In the end, it seems like Apple’s acknowledgement that there is a problem is genuine – they’ve held up their hands and said they’re ‘on it’. Do we have a reason to suspect otherwise? Not really. Speaking as an Apple user myself, they’ve been pretty straight up with regards to other issues they’ve had in the past, and I can see this quickly resolving itself into a ‘thing of the past’ before you can say “I love my NEC e808!”

That said, I still won’t be getting an iPhone until Apple stop doing that typical Mac thing of introducing a product that is the lowest spec they can possibly make it before people refuse to pay hideous amounts of money for it. Nope, I’ll let the other, richer folk among you beta it out for me, before I go splashing £400 (or whatever) on one thank you very much.

[via Businessweek]

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