iphone 3g If you’re having problems with your 3G reception on your new Apple iPhone 3G – it might very well have to do with the phone and not so much the area that you’re in. BusinessWeek is reporting that the Infineon Technologies communications chip inside the iPhone 3G could be the culprit behind the rising number of complaints related to 3G connectivity. Several sources have told BusinessWeek that faulty software on the Infineon chip causes problems “when the iPhone needs to switch from wireless networks that allow for faster Web downloads to slower ones”. Apple and Infineon both had nothing to say about this matter although Infineon did say that other handsets using the same chipset have not had any problems at all. Despite this claim, some are theorizing that the Infineon chip is still rather new and fairly untested at high volumes.

Of course, there are some other theories on why the iPhone 3G is having such poor 3G performance. These include:

  • 3G network is just over-saturated – people are using the 3G networking for data related tasks (OMG!!) such as browsing the web and watching darn YouTube videos!
  • Possible glitches in the Apple software or possibly in the AT&T network? One possibility – Apple programmed the Infineon chip to require a more powerful 3G signal than is required for the phone – hence lost connections to 3G networking
  • Too many darn iPhone owners out there? Problems linked to high iPhone populations – like San Francisco, Boston, etc. The more people using the 3G network, the more network saturation there is.. that’s one theory at least

So what will Apple do to remedy this situation? Well the same sources tell BusinessWeek that the company will likely issue a software fix.. errr update, by the end of September (though it could come out as early as the end of this month). If all it takes to remedy this problem is a software update, then Apple will be in pretty good shape (although it’s taken a bruising over the last few months with the crappy MobileMe launch and the long lines for the iPhone 3G phone). The worse scenario would have been a product recall .. which in many ways is unimaginable (and quite damaging) for Apple.

I must say that I’ve had a pretty poor 3G experience myself. When I do get a strong 3G signal, things are pretty good.. but that’s usually when I’m at work and sitting in the top floor of my building mind you. When I’m at home – nada. No 3G signal whatsoever. Step outside a few feet – woah.. a faint 3G signal. Phone calls come in and out and I’ve definitely witnessed more dropped calls with this iPhone 3G than with my first generation iPhone handset.

Now in other iPhone related news, News.com is reporting that HSBC is considering dumping Research in Motion BlackBerry devices in favor of… you guessed it, the iPhone. Should HSBC standardize on the iPhone as their standard staff mobile device, this could lead to a tremendous order of 200,000 iPhone 3G handsets.  If this move happens, it would be a blow to Research in Motion – not so much in revenues as much as perception – and of course a major win for Apple – which can further prove the point that the iPhone is ready for the enterprise market. No word on when a decision will be made on this matter.

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