iPhone

A financial analyst believes Apple's iPhone 3G reception issues may be the result of some faulty chips.

Richard Windsor of Nomura published a research note (spotted at GigaOm) Tuesday singling out the iPhone 3G's chipset, made by Infineon, as the probable culprit for the reception problems we reported on Monday. The dropped calls, service interruptions, and abrupt network switches experienced by iPhone 3G users reminded Windsor of similar complaints five years ago, when 3G phones were first launched in Europe.

"We believe that these issues are typical of an immature chipset and radio protocol stack where we … Read more

If you're an iPhone 3G owner in the U.S., we need your help.

Earlier Monday, we reported on the 3G reception issues that a number of iPhone 3G users have run into during their first month with the device. We'd like to have a little more data to see if there are any patterns connected to who is having problems, and who isn't.

In the comments below, or in an e-mail to me (tom.krazit@cnet.com) please post the following:

Area in which you live.

Date on which you bought your iPhone 3G.

Do you … Read more

Apple's MobileMe suite of Web services suffered another outage Monday that affected an unknown number of its users.

Of the included services, Mail was inaccessible for approximately two hours. Earlier in the day we had received scattered reports from users who were unable to access their mail. Those reports were later confirmed both through Apple's MobileMe status ticker and Twitter's real-time search tool. For those affected, all other aspects of MobileMe were reportedly up and running.

Monday's problems centered on a lack of access to Mail on three fronts: through the Web, on the iPhone, and … Read more

According to a report in the Hollywood Reporter by way of Reuters, Microsoft is talking to talent agencies and production studios in Hollywood in hopes of licensing some exclusive video content for the Zune. This isn't a first for Microsoft: the company has exclusive Internet-only shows on MSN Video through its MSN Originals program, and just last month the company announced a plan to offer original short movies through the Xbox Live service.

Are these rumors true? I have no idea. Will they help the Zune? Probably not. Exclusive video makes sense for a game console because it's … Read more

It's been a month of mixed reviews for Apple's iPhone 3G. One on hand, millions of users have clearly given the Apps Store a vote of approval by downloading 60 million applications to their phones in the first month. Even though many of them are free, Apple CEO Steve Jobs tells The Wall Street Journal that translates into roughly $30 million in sales, or 1 million bucks per day.

The bad news for Apple is the constant stream of complaints coming in about the phones' 3G connectivity. In Monday's edition of the Daily Debrief, I sit down … Read more

Straight from the horse's mouth: Apple's iPhones do indeed have the capability to check for, and potentially defang, software that Apple deems unfit for the iPhone.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed the existence of the so-called "kill switch" capability, following last week's ruckus over early reports of just such a function. The word from Jobs was tucked at the bottom of a story in The Wall Street Journal about Apple's hot-as-a-pistol first month of sales at its App Store.

The intent behind the capability is high-minded, Jobs said. Apple would need it in case … Read more

In a variation on the new math, 2.0 plus 3G equals $30 million now and about $360 million next summer.

Or in plain English: Apple has raked in about $30 million in sales of iPhone applications in the one month since the company opened its App Store and brought the iPhone 3G onto the market, CEO Steve Jobs told The Wall Street Journal. Jobs also sees big numbers ahead, if Apple continues its current pace of selling an average of $1 million worth of applications per day.

That rate would add up to $360 million by the first anniversary … Read more

Note: CNET News' Tom Krazit and Marguerite Reardon co-wrote this article.

After his third iPhone 3G continued to cut him off in the middle of his conversations, Ryan Shaw had seen enough.

"The phone was a disappointment from the standpoint that it couldn't maintain a consistent connection with the 3G network...All the other features were fantastic," said Shaw, a sales professional living in a Cleveland suburb. But those other features weren't enough to prevent him from returning to Verizon and the BlackBerry after deciding the hassle just wasn't worth it.

Widespread complaints about the iPhone 3G's reception … Read more

The $1,000 application on Apple's App Store, which lets people know how rich you are simply for buying it, has been removed without explanation, making some developers wonder what it takes for Apple to pull the plug.

The "I am Rich" application developed by Armin Heinrich, a German software developer, does nothing more than display a picture of a red ruby on the iPhone screen. After initially approving the $1,000 application, Apple removed it from the store this week. Eight people managed to dish out $1,000 to buy the useless application, generating about $5,… Read more