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Another day, another iPhone 4 problem -- or so it seems.
The latest snafu in the iPhone 4 saga involves slow uploads in a number of markets serviced by the mobile's U.S. carrier, AT&T (NYSE: T). The carrier has traced the problem to a flaw in the software used by one of its hardware vendors, Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), although there's at least a coincidental relationship between the malfunctioning software and the introduction of the iPhone 4.
"The issue surfaced after the iPhone 4 launch because of the big increase in the high-speed uplink data that occurred when users were accepting the new applications," Alcatel-Lucent spokesperson Mary Ward told MacNewsWorld.
"But," she quickly interjected, "I also want to make it clear that this is not an iPhone 4 problem."
Ward noted that her company was working on a fix for the bug, but when that fix would be available could not be determined at this time. "We don't have a definitive time at this point, but we do expect to know that soon," she observed.
Crawling Uploads
Meanwhile, AT&T has restored conventional upload speeds to the 3G markets affected by the bug. Those speeds are around 384 kilobits per second (Kbps). That contrasts with high-speed rates available in areas unaffected by the flaw of 500 Kbps to 1.2 megabits per second (Mbps). When the upload problem came to light, one speed monitoring service reported upload speeds had plummeted to 100 Kbps, too slow to support the old multimedia features on the iPhone 4, let alone the new ones.
"AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect -- triggered under certain conditions that impacted uplink performance for Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment," reads a statement supplied by AT&T.
"This impacts less than two percent of our wireless customer base," it continues. "While Alcatel-Lucent develops the appropriate software fix, we are providing normal 3G uplink speeds and consistent performance for affected customers with HSUPA-capable devices."
A request by MacNewsWorld for the specific markets affected by the upload problem was declined by AT&T, but chatter on Internet forums suggest those markets include New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
Alcatel-Lucent was also mum on the impacted markets. "We're not releasing detailed breakouts of the infrastructure or the market share," Ward said.
Tarnishing the Magic
This upload bungle is just the latest in a series of problems that have arisen since the release of the iPhone 4 two weeks ago. Those snags include poor reception due the placement of the device's antenna and faulty calculation of signal strength.
If the problems continue, it could tarnish Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) reputation as technological magician. "They really have to worry about it because, in a sense, Apple kind of runs on magic, doesn't it?" ABI Research Mobile Devices Analyst Michael Morgan told MacNewsWorld.
The company, he asserted, may not have vetted the iPhone 4's technology as thoroughly as it has done in the past. "I think they may have taken their eye off the ball a bit, putting resources toward the development of the iPad and not putting as much brain power toward the iPhone 4."
At this point, what matters most is how Apple and AT&T address the problems at hand, he maintained. "Finger pointing is all well and good, but will the problem get fixed?" he asked. "Do they try to make right by the consumer?"
If there's any tarnishing of Apple's image or even of the iPhone, it hasn't appeared yet, according to Michael Gartenberg, a partner with the Altimeter Group in San Mateo, Calif. "Customer satisfaction is still extraordinarily high," he told MacNewsWorld.
"People have simply picked up on every aspect of this product launch, whether it was Apple-related or not-Apple-related, which tends to magnify any news about it," he continued. "But I don't see any slowdown in consumer interest, don't see any slowdown in consumer purchases, don't see any slowdown in intent to buy."
