iPhone 3GS Discoloration Due to Covers?
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In today's news, the Apple iPhone 3GS' overheating issues were attributed to iPhone covers, and in yesterday's news its battery issues rested with the OS. An analyst with Strategy Analytics explains that as smartphone complexity increases, so, too, will similar headlines.
The French tech site Nowhere Else broke the story, on June 26,
that some white iPhone 3GS handsets were heating up to the point of
causing discoloration. Now, FrenchiPhone.com is reporting that the
discoloration was simply due to contact with an iPhone cover.
Cnet.com offers a very helpful
translation of the FrenchiPhone site, which reportedly wrote: "The
problem seems to come not from a hot 3GS but contact with some covers!
This was evident by ourselves on a device with a small sticker (a
warning not to listen to music too loud) remained stuck, part of the
hull below remained white."
FrenchiPhone, in Cnet's translation, goes on to instruct users with
discolored phones to lightly clean the back of the device with a bit of
alcohol, which for their test device did the trick.
News of overheating 3GS phones has been accompanied by reports of the
smartphone's battery life not being all that Apple promised. Some suspect the latter is a problem that will be fixed once OS 3.1 is rolled out later this year.
Neil Mawston, a U.K.-based analyst with Strategy Analytics, told eWEEK
that the battery issue could be any number of things, and is an
expected bump in the road as devices become increasingly complex.
"The problem, if it is widespread, could be caused by badly designed
components, poorly written software, suboptimal manufacturing processes
or even clumsy users," Mawston wrote in an e-mail.
Mawston continued, "What is clear for all smartphone vendors is that
the more complex devices become, the greater the risk of hardware or
software failures. We are going to see more of these types of headlines
about smartphone vendors in the future."
While these - and other problems
- are worked out, are more consumers likely to check out this summer's
crop of Apple competitors? Namely, the Palm Pre, Nokia N97, BlackBerry
Tour and even the HTC Touch Diamond.
"The negative headlines for this problem are not doing Apple any
favors, but Apple fans tend to be very loyal," said Mawston, "so if the
firm can resolve it quickly and cheaply, the impact on its core
customer-base should be limited."
