Bugs In New iPhone Bugging Users

(CBS)  Apple's been getting bruised by its prized iPhone 3G.

Released with the fanfare of a Hollywood premiere a month ago, and with long lines to buy it, the device appears to be giving some users fits, and message boards have been in overdrive with gripes about things like dropped calls and slow -- or no -- Web service.

As CBS News correspondent Daniel Sieberg put it, "They were promised the future of mobile phones, but many owners of Apple's iPhone 3G say the only future they have seen since its July 11th debut is a series of problems and software updates."

The Early Show did an informal survey of iPhone 3G users in four big cities, and the results won't please Apple.

A user in New York said his device wasn't loading, despite a software patch.

One in Los Angeles said, "It basically does everything I want it to do, except for sometimes, it doesn't. ... It will open up, give me a title page or splash card for a couple of seconds, and then it'll just go back to the home screen."

A man in San Francisco said, "We're here in the heart of the financial district, and I don't even have 3G connectivity, so it's kind of a bummer."

iPhone carrier AT&T's 3G network is relatively new, but in London, where 3G's been around longer, a woman told CBS News, "It's frozen quite a few times, and I've only had it for two weeks. It's a little bit annoying."

In a statement to CBS News, Apple said its latest software update improves the iPhone's communication with 3G networks.

However, Sieberg pointed out, the exact cause of the glitches may be in the handsets themselves, not in the software, "which could mean the headaches for some iPhone 3G users aren't going away anytime soon."

CNET-TV Senior Editor Natali Del Conte is blunt about the woes she's been experiencing with her iPhone 3G, saying, "It's just kind of crapping out all the time. Before the update on Monday, it wasn't really getting calls very well. It was dropping calls all the time. Then, I updated on Monday, and now the calls function works fine, but I'm having a lot of problems with the application and the Internet-browsing function. So, it's really wonky these days. It's not very dependable."

Del Conte adds that iPhone 3G's problems are especially noticeable in big cities, where service tends to be really slow. They work better in the suburbs. They drop calls, and the 3G network isn't as fast as it's supposed to be. It takes a long time for the phone to load Web pages in Safari, and many users have become frustrated with its performance.

As for the fixes, Del Conte says the patch Apple issued Monday night made things worse and didn't take care of many of the bugs it was supposed to. The problem with Apple is that they don't tell you what they are fixing, so users are forced to download the patch and things become more buggy than they were. Often you have to read blogs to see how the patches work. Apple said they will issues a new patch in September, but users will just have to wait and see.

Still, Del Conte said on The Early Show Thursday, "We have to remember that, when 3G was launched in Europe a couple of years ago, they had very similar problems. So, we shouldn't blame this only on Apple. It's a brand new network, it's a brand new technology. T-Mobile's gonna have a bunch of 3G phones really soon. They're rolling out their 3G network. So, we're gonna see problems with this across the board, because 3G's very new to us."

How much patience should consumers have?

"I'm giving the iPhone until Halloween," Del Conte says. "That's my deadline. If it's not working by Halloween, I'm gonna go back to my BlackBerry. But, I think we should have some patience. Either that, or maybe I'll just write the word 'sucker' across my forehead, because I have faith in the iPhone."

Apples problems extend to its iPod Nanos, as well.

Japan is looking into reports that, as Del Conte observed on The Early Show, "Some of the last-generation Nanos have been overheating and giving their owners minor burns. So, it's not just spontaneous combustion where it's going to light on fire and your hair catches on fire, something like that. But, it will overheat from time-to-time, and then you get some burns. But this is the last-generation Nano, the one they sold about two years ago. The current generation of Nanos hasn't had any problems reported."

Also, some words to the wise from Del Conte: "All gadgets are prone to overheating like that -- computers, laptops, things like that. We should expect that pretty much all gadgets may overheat.

"There are things you can do. You can run your battery for the full lifecycle of your gadget's battery life and never, ever, ever buy a counterfeit battery, ever, because those are prone to explode."

One more area of concern for Apple: Its MobileMe application keeps crashing, Del Conte says, and users are finding that it simply doesn't work. Apple had to offer users free time as compensation. Apple wanted users to put their entire digital universe into the application, and the whole thing kind of backfired.

[cyberus-2009]

AppleSoft anyone? WinMacOS?

[shippg]

I learned back in the 90s that you should never buy new technology in the first 6-12 months. Companies purposefully put out buggy software and wait for the users to be their free QA.

They take complaints, make the fixes, send out new software. This was the policy of Microsoft then and now. Why else was "Vista" so terrible? Sounds like other companies realized the cost-saving aspects of such a strategy.

[shippg]

I learned back in the 90s that you should never buy new technology in the first 6-12 months. Companies purposefully put out buggy software and wait for the users to be their free QA.

They take complaints, make the fixes, send out new software. This was the policy of Microsoft then and now. Why else was "Vista" so terrible? Sounds like other companies realized the cost-saving aspects of such a strategy.

[loonymike]

I think Apple failed at meeting the end user expectations. I mean where do you get off saying "twice as fast" when it''s not. Maybe on WiFi but no way on 3G. It''s a phone which happens to do a lot of other stuff. Apple gave off the "This is the holy grail" of mobile devices. They should never have done that.

[loonymike]

I think Apple failed at meeting the end user expectations. I mean where do you get off saying "twice as fast" when it''s not. Maybe on WiFi but no way on 3G. It''s a phone which happens to do a lot of other stuff. Apple gave off the "This is the holy grail" of mobile devices. They should never have done that.

[loonymike]

I think Apple failed at meeting the end user expectations. I mean where do you get off saying "twice as fast" when it''s not. Maybe on WiFi but no way on 3G. It''s a phone which happens to do a lot of other stuff. Apple gave off the "This is the holy grail" of mobile devices. They should never have done that.

[antoniof123]

This is funny why not use a cell phone as a phone. If you want videos watch a DVD or go to a movie. If you want to text and I am not certain why you want to go back in time but use a PC.

Never buy a product to be the first unless you have money to throw away and you also have a back up.

Too funny.

[credibility2]

It''s because of "bugs" in new tech toys like this one why no one should race out and buy one just so they can think they''re a trendsetter or important. Wait until the bugs are worked out. Maybe companies should put out even these types of devices in a beta configuration specifically for these purposes. And, Microsoft is just as culpable on putting things out that are flawed and full of bugs; just consider their new versions of operating system software. Apple isn''t the only one, including ATT as the service provider.

[idnnsg]

"I dont see any reason to start stabbing at Apple who delivers truely innovative products."
-- Posted by shaihalud at 12:20 PM : Aug 21, 2008

Really? What''s "innovative" about the iPhone if it doesn''t actually do what conman S.Jobs says it will do?

See, I''ve got some REALLY NEAT, AMAZINGLY INNOVATIVE hardware/software that I''ll sell you. It is REALLY COOL and it comes in BRIGHT, PRETTY COLORS! You can play GAMES on it! You can SURF THE WEB! You can AMAZE YOUR FRIENDS by texting them clever remarks! You can even TALK TO THEM! It''s REALLY, AMAZINGLY FAST! Demonstrate how HIP/RAD/COOL/GROOVY/HOT/DOPE/etc. you are by being the FIRST in your neighborhood to flaunt this thing!

Only $599 where available*.

* Not guaranteed to work in all areas.
* Web connection not guaranteed.
* Phone connection not guaranteed.
* Connection speed, when connection is possible at all, is not guaranteed.
* All games sold AS IS, without any warranty, whether expressed or implied, as to merchantibility or fitness for any particular purpose.
* G.O.T.C.H.A S.U.C.K.E.R!

[bhrater-2009]

It would seem the rush to put out the new phone has come back to bite. Yes I am sure in the next version the bugs will be ironed out. And although the 3G networks in the states are new, they are not in Europe where they are also experiencing bugs.
Apple learned a lesson, which is to slow down and make sure the product has been tested properly before selling it.