“Amid increasingly loud complaints about spotty service and reports of potential hardware flaws on the 3G iPhone, Apple had just two words for both its longtime fans and first-time customers: ‘No comment,'” Ashley Phillips “reports” for ABC News.
MacDailyNews Take: “Potential.” “Increasingly loud complaints” = media echo chamber.
Phillips continues, “If there is a problem with a chip, an iPhone recall could be possible, according to Rob Enderle, an independent Silicon Valley analyst. ‘If it’s a chip problem, those are going to need to come back,’ he said. ‘I don’t think they’ll be able to fix the problem’ with a software update.”
MacDailyNews Take: “If.” “I don’t think.”
Phillips continues, “‘It has the feel of a product that was rushed to market and went through testing too quickly,’ he said. ‘They were very concerned about the number of competitive products coming to market so they rushed the phone out. And the end result was it wasn’t done, it wasn’t cooked.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Proof? None.
Phillips continues, “Currently, it’s unclear whether the problem lies with AT&T’s network or Apple’s handset.”
MacDailyNews Take: It’s currently unclear, but that did not stop ABC News from subtitling their article, “Analyst Says That iPhone Recall Could Be Possible.” Said “analyst” being quote-for-hire Rob Enderle who’s got a lot of “ifs” and “i don’t thinks,” of course, but zero facts.
Phillips continues, “Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg characterized the problem as a minor one.”
MacDailyNews Take: After the headline and the opening page have done their job, Phillips finally gets around to reporting the truth from a real analyst on page two. How responsible.
Full article, Think Before You Click™, here.
Jessica Mintz “reports” for The Associated Press, “Spotty wireless broadband connectivity for some of Apple Inc.’s new iPhones most likely results from a hardware problem introduced during mass production, a Swedish technical magazine reported Wednesday. Ny Teknik, Sweden’s foremost engineering weekly, obtained a report on tests conducted by unnamed experts that showed some handsets’ sensitivity to third-generation network signals is well below the level specified in the 3G standard.”
MacDailyNews Take: A fargin “Swedish technical magazine” and cork-soaking “tests conducted by unnamed experts.” This is what passes for “journalism” in the mainstream media nowadays.
Mintz continues, “Mark Siegel, a spokesman for AT&T’s wireless unit, said AT&T has not received a significant number of complaints and that, ‘overall, the new iPhone is performing just great on our 3G network.’ In an interview, Siegel recommended that iPhone 3G users sync the devices with Apple’s iTunes program frequently to take advantage of improvements that may come via updated software.”
MacDailyNews Take: Sprinkle in the actual truth and then get right back to business:
Mintz continues, “Connectivity is just the latest of Apple’s problems with the iPhone 3G.
“Just hours before the new phones were set to go on sale, users of the Cupertino, Calif.-based company’s old data-synching service were locked out of their accounts when it took Apple longer than expected to get the new version, MobileMe, up and running,” Mintz rehashes. “On launch day, Apple’s servers buckled as buyers tried to activate new iPhones in stores, while owners of older iPhones and the iPod Touch were updating and reactivating their devices at home.”
“Francis Sideco, a senior analyst for El Segundo, Calif.-based research group iSuppli Corp., said the connectivity problems described by users – dropped calls and the low number of bars in particular – could be caused by any of a number of parts, from the phone’s antenna and amplifier and the radio frequency transceiver to the baseband that processes the digital signal and sends it to the speaker or screen,” Mintz continues. “Without knowing exactly what is going wrong, Sideco could not say whether software or firmware updates could fix the glitch, or whether Apple could be facing the possibility of a recall.”
MacDailyNews Take: “Without knowing exactly what is going wrong.” But, leave the prospect of “recall” right there as the last word just to make sure that even Zune owners can grasp the message: FUD.
Full article, Think Before You Click™, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention for the heads up.]
Nothing of substance. Massive conjecture. Leaping to conclusions with little or no evidence. Quoting shills who charge to help shape public opinion about products regardless of the facts or lack thereof. These two articles are excellent examples of just how horrible mainstream “news reporting” can be.
Be critical of everything you read, hear, and see, regardless of the subject matter.
From what we hear, and we will state clearly that this is not the official word from Apple, AT&T, Infineon, or any other party that is actually involved, but that it does come from trusted sources and is the best information we have right now: iPhone 3G reception issues most likely can be and will be taken care of via software/firmware and the issue as should not involve a product recall.
Yes, we used “most likely” and “should not” because we do not currently have definitive confirmation from Apple, AT&T, and/or Infineon. Rather than invent things, we’re content to simply report the best information we have at hand.
[UPDATE: 12:14pm EDT: The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that “Apple Inc. is working on a software fix for its new iPhone 3G to remedy dropped phone calls that some users are experiencing” and that “new iPhone software aimed at addressing the problem is expected to be made available in the coming weeks to iPhone 3G users, who will be able to download and install it on their devices through Apple’s iTunes Store.”]
I’ve had my iPhone 3G since day one and still haven’t experienced any of these connectivity issues.
“Most likely” and “should not”… hmmm. Sounds similar to something I read just a few lines earlier.
I just got mine the other day and even sitting here at my desk in Chicago it will bounce between 3G and Edge, and I’m not even moving it. I finally just shut 3G off unless I really need to surf since it sucks so much battery life.
These are wonderful reports. If some small competitor was having the same issues they wouldn’t be important enough to burn 3 minutes of air time over.
But Apple IS important enough, hence the reports.
Further, no one has shown that these reports have slowed iPhone sales. To the contrary The Mac Observer tracking effort shows increasing sales. You can check that out here:
http://tinyurl.com/5e5o7f
as a new 3G owner, if it’s true, it needs to be fixed.
But if reports don’t know, don’t make crap up either.
Still the coolest phone I’ve ever used. Went to a party last night and my girlfriend wanted to show off our vacation pictures so I pulled up her Facebook page and did a little slideshow.
the FUD may cause Apple to lose some money but they have more than enough to lose. in the end I’m not sure whether the so-called mainstream media can do anything to stop Apple’s success… but they are trying… I wonder who we’d find if we followed the money?
You have a problem with Swedes, MDN?
WE’LL KICK YOUR ASS!!!
sigh MDN.
It’s true.
It’s not FUD.
It should be discussed.
If it was anyone els’s product especially Microsoft, you’d report it with glee.
2.0.0 did have problems 2.0.1 is a lot better. 2.0.2 will solve the rest.
Have had my 3G for a week now. I’m pleased.. happy to have it. The integration with mail / iCal / iTunes etc. is flawless, and some of the apps are really handy.
For me however it’s weakest feature by far is the phone component. The reports in the press might be poorly researched and badly written but there is, undeniably, a problem.
I took my iPhone to a family member’s house outside of Rogers official coverage zone in northern Ontario. Nevertheless, I had access to email, web and phone inside the house and on the 45 acre property. Not all the time, but enough. Actually, my iPhone got better reception there than my old RAZR from Motorola.
You are so full of scheisse..you kept chanting that the problems with several vendors like Motorola is due to the iPhone even tho it’s market share was almost zero in the first 6 months (only 1.7+0.7 million sold..).
Now..it might be a diff story from now on with iPhone3G and lot of new carriers, but you hardly ever provide any proof yourself.
This is major egg on the face for Apple. Mistake after mistake = tarnished Apple. I have had numerous 3G problems since I got the iPhone including dropped calls, slow keyboard when typing eMails, and ultra short battery life. If this were a Microsoft problem you would be pointing to how they still have their head up their ass. Apple customers SHOULD be concerned as this is indicative of problems since the company has diversified
I though Sweden was a peaceful and globally neutral country…
I have a friend with an early (purchased second day) iPhone 3G. It does drop calls fairly consistently. I am sure Apple will fix it shortly.
“trusted sources” > “unnamed sources?”
“Be critical of everything you read, hear, and see, regardless of the subject matter.”
I would like to believe everything that MacDailyNews said in this article, but I am highly critical…
I get tired of the FUD and hack jobs used to trash Apple and, in the end, their stock. I believe that Ford, GM and any other car manufacturer would be very proud if they only had 1% to 3% of their cars with a problem.
Apple has a very tuff standard. It is the one they set for them self. We know it as “It just works”! Apple will get to those 1% of the iPhones that are stepping back to a more stable 2G signal as soon as they are ready.
@ roobler
“the FUD may cause Apple to lose some money but they have more than enough to lose. in the end I’m not sure whether the so-called mainstream media can do anything to stop Apple’s success… but they are trying… I wonder who we’d find if we followed the money?”
The article says it right in there, it is Rob Enderle (and his Enderle Group™ consisting of him and his wife). Since we know that Enderle now works for Dell (which he didn’t disclose in his comments there, btw), we can deduce that the money trail ends right there with Enderle. He has money and time invested in Dell, so now he is trying to protect his “investment” in the guise of being and “informed” “technical” “journalist” (*tries to keep sarcasm to a minimum*)
“Apple will get to those 1% of the iPhones that are stepping back to a more stable 2G signal as soon as they are ready.”
That will be just as soon as they complete their regression testing.
The problem here is not that there are problems with the iPhone. The problem is the way the writers of the piece are misleading their readers. Carefully ready the article, and a lot of ‘If there is a problem…’, and ‘Apple could be…’. They have already chosen the conclusion they want and are inventing facts to support it. FUD.
I can’t get any 3G coverage anywhere in Portland, Oregon on my iPhone. Never have since Day 1. I have tried all over the city, which ATT assures me has excellent coverage, but No Signal.
It isn’t the end of the world, as I have Edge to fall back on. But 3G is the whole focus of this revision, yes?
If this had been an M$ product, MDN, you would have tried, convicted and buried them for this major problem. Why so hypocritical?
You guys are unbelievable. Yeah, so this article may not be entirely accurate. But you’ve been dishing the same mainstream-media FUD about Vista as truth and proof that Vista sucks! It’s all FUD!
Vista may not be perfect, but it’s not the crap that the mainstream and you make it seem. Likewise, the iPhone may not have the problems the mainstream points out. I must say, though: one of the claims in this article is amazingly similar to those from Vista, “rushed”. And yet the take is exactly the opposite.
No problems in Baltimore!
1 question … what percent of reported problems are from hacked devices?
Thanx