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Report: Software fix in the works for iPhone 3G

<i>Business Week</i> reports that a software fix could be the answer to reception problems that have been frustrating iPhone 3G owners, rather than a more drastic recall.

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
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Tom Krazit
Apple is said to be planning a software fix for the iPhone 3G's reception problems. Apple

The issues plaguing the iPhone 3G are indeed related to a chip inside the phone, according to a new report, but the solution could be easier than expected.

Business Week is reporting that, according to its sources, Infineon's chip inside the iPhone 3G is the root cause of the reception problems that numerous iPhone 3G owners have reported over the last month. Nomura Securities analyst Richard Windsor first suggested Infineon was to blame in a research note earlier this week.

The good news, however, is that apparently Apple believes it can fix the problems with a software upgrade, according to Business Week. A Swedish researcher who had discovered sensitivity issues in the iPhone 3G's chipset thought the problems would have to be solved through some sort of recall, but Apple and Infineon are said to be testing a software update that could be released perhaps as early as the end of this month.