“Complaints over dropped calls and choppy Web connections on Apple’s iPhone 3G have sparked a wave of debate in the blogosphere over the root cause of the problems. Two well-placed sources tell BusinessWeek.com the glitches are related to a chip inside Apple’s music-playing cell phone. The sources add that Apple plans to remedy the problems through a software upgrade rather than through a more disruptive step, such as a product recall,” Peter Burrows reports for BusinessWeek.
MacDailyNews Take: Good news! This is the best case scenario for all involved: Apple, Infineon, and iPhone users.
Burrows continues, “The news reinforces analysis by Richard Windsor of Nomura Securities, who said in an Aug. 12 report that the problem involves a communications chip made by Munich-based Infineon Technologies. Faulty software on the chip causes problems when the iPhone needs to switch from wireless networks that allow for faster Web downloads to slower ones, the people say.”
“One source says the problem lies squarely with Infineon’s technology, which is fairly new and untested in high volumes outside a lab setting… glitches may also stem from Apple’s software or the AT&T network. Part of the role of the Infineon chip is to check whether there’s enough 3G bandwidth available in a given area. If 3G isn’t available or there isn’t enough bandwidth, the iPhone will be shifted to a slower network. One source says Apple programmed the Infineon chip to demand a more powerful 3G signal than the iPhone really requires. So if too many people try to make a call or go on the Internet in a given area, some of the devices will decide there’s insufficient power and switch to the slower network—even if there is enough 3G bandwidth available,” Burrows reports.
“According to this person, the problems are only occurring in areas of high iPhone density. These include the San Francisco Bay area, Boston, and certain overseas locales. The reason the problem has gotten worse in recent days is because of the steep increase in iPhone activations in these places. The more people who are trying to use a given piece of gear, the more likely they are to get bumped,” Burrows reports.
More details in the full article – recommended – here.
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