The technical problems that have plagued the iPhone 3G to date may be the result of an immature radio protocol stack, and have little to do with Apple, according to an analyst.
Apple is hoping that the release of version 2.1 for the iPhone will clear up the radio issues, but chances are good that the problem lies in the iPhone’s chipset, according to Richard Windsor of Nomura.
Fixing a problem that is embedded in a cell phone’s chipset will be difficult without a hardware upgrade, Mr. Windsor said.
“It will be difficult but not impossible. Apple can make the fix through a firmware upgrade,” he said. “They can give it a few weeks to see if the problems have stopped.”
Firmware is a program embedded in computer devices that relates to hardware components in the device. The programs can be upgraded fairly easily and inexpensively.
But history is not on Apple’s side. History has shown that firmware fixes for persistent problems of the kind Apple is facing won’t work, Mr. Windsor said.
It took Nokia and Ericsson a long time to fix problems in their 3G radios, he said.
If the problems persist, they would give Nokia, RIM, and HTC some breathing room to improve their software offerings.