Apple user forums have been full of complaints about the dropped calls but Apple itself has stayed quiet on the topic. Now Nomura analyst Richard Windsor wrote in a research note that the problem is likely to be down to the 3G chipset from German manufacturer Infineon.
"We believe that these issues are typical of an immature chipset and radio protocol stack where we are almost certain that Infineon is the 3G supplier," Windsor wrote in the report dated Aug. 12.
"There are too many instances on iPhone blogs and Apple's own website for it to be coincidence. Furthermore, it is not just the U.S. but other countries as well,"
He said that the chipset software hadn’t ben widely tested enough in areas were cellular signals were patchy and the problems were similar to those 3G phones suffered in Europe when they were launched five years ago.
However, Apple is now reportedly working on a software update to fix the problem, and it is expected to be finished and sent out in the next few weeks.
"It's not about whether you have problems or don't have them," Ken Dulaney, a mobile analyst at research firm Gartner told the Wall Street Journal.
"It's how quickly you address them that matters. If Apple addresses them, people will cut them slack."
Infineon chipset may be cause of iPhone woes
By
Iain Thomson
on Aug 16, 2008 1:17PM
