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Apple to recall 3G iPhone in 2008?

Eric Hill
Comments 10
This prediction is closed and has been judged.
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Judgment on January 5, 2008:  This did not occur by the end of 2008, which the community correctly predicted.  -- The Industry Standard

Original prediction: 

Nomura analyst Richard Windsor said in a note to his clients that an “immature chipset solution and radio protocol stack” from Infineon Technologies AG may be the source of reported connection problems with Apple's 3G iPhone.

Could the new and much-hyped 3G iPhone be seriously ill?

 “Two well-placed sources tell BusinessWeek.com the glitches are related to a chip inside Apple's music-playing cell phone. The sources add that Apple (AAPL) plans to remedy the problems through a software upgrade rather than through a more disruptive step, such as a product recall,” Peter Burrows at BusinessWeek reports

Burrows continues, “One source says the problem lies squarely with Infineon's technology, which is fairly new and untested in high volumes outside a lab setting. Not only is the iPhone shipping in much higher volumes than other handsets, it's also gobbling up far more 3G minutes as owners use it to surf the Web, watch YouTube (GOOG) videos, and utilize other bandwidth-hogging services."

Meanwhile, the inevitable fingerpointing continues as Infineon denies their chipset is to blame.  A company spokesman said, “...the chips haven't resulted in comparable problems in other phones, including those made by Samsung.”

Usually Apple won’t lift a finger until disgruntled customers file a class-action lawsuit.  That line has now been crossed.  Although the new iPhone has already outsold the original in a matter of weeks; the din of complaints could continue to rise.

Prediction: Will Apple need to recall the 3G iPhone in 2008 due to chipset problems?  Let the community decide.  Judgment will be made when Apple announces a formal recall for affected 3G handsets in 2008, or by the end of the year, whichever comes first.  If a software release "fixes" the problem to the satisfaction of the mainstream media, judgment against the prediciton will occur early.

(Photo credit: alykat)

Price History

Prediction Statistics

Betting Closes:Dec 31 2008Current Consensus:6.01%Total Bets:42
Today's Change:
0%
Life Time High:48.75%
Life Time Low:6.01%

Comments

I'm trying really hard to find one new bit of information in your just released article that has not already been reported a week ago. I can't , can you yourself? One lazy ass writer.


Perhaps because it's not intended as a news article?


@Eric, did my suggestion on 8/21/08 (http://www.thestandard.com/predictions/suggestions/iphone-3g-recall-anno...) not accepted?



@Don - this isn't an article. It's a prediction. You place a bet on it, and the community consensus (which is correct over 85% of the time) predicts the outcome. @TheStandardCommunity, this is something we see from time to time. People come in and simply don't recognize the prediction market for what it is. Part of that is because, in general, prediction markets are still relatively unknown by the masses.

Would it have helped if I put "Prediction:" in front of every prediction headline? Probably not.

What if we sent you to a completely separate site, disconnected from the news and other information The Standard has to offer? In my view, that's a poor user experience.

What if we didn't make predictions have very much content at all? Just a question, and the rules. No back story. Perhaps.


@David, it wasn't accepted because it was a word-for-word lift from here, other than the prediction paragraph at the end. It was an excellent idea, but we can't publish entire articles - without proper citations - and use them as our own (or yours).


@Eric, I would have rewritten the suggestion if it was gonna become a playable bet (upon request).


@Eric: I wouldn't worry about the people that drift in and don't see this portion of the site for what it is. Certainly not enough to change what you've got here now.


i just returned mine - too many problems. great gadget if it works. 3g is a farce imo. it just doesn't work. i went through two 3g phones.

they need to go back to the chrome backing - heard plastic backings are cracking.
they rolled this out way too fast. class action suits will grow in number imo


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