The iPhone 3GS has been an undeniable marketplace hit since its release on June 19, and will likely continue to soar in sales despite three customer complaints that have surfaced recently. The big three gripes: the iPhone 3GS battery life is dismal, the 3GS overheats, and there's a serious SMS vulnerability.
Historically, Apple does a poor job of sharing details about its technology and is sometimes slow to respond when such complaints arise or Apple's response falls short of expectations, analysts say.
"Apple needs to get better at this so that buyers can understand what the limitations are upfront," says Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney. "This is why Apple and the enterprise have a somewhat rocky relationship."
The biggest complaint concerns a short battery life, which is ironic since Apple touted improvements of the iPhone 3GS battery at its Worldwide Developers Conference last month. Among those claims, Apple said the iPhone 3GS would deliver 9 hours of use on Wi-Fi, 10 hours of video playback and 30 hours of music on a single charge-about a 30 percent upgrade to the iPhone 3G. Indeed, the iPhone 3GS battery is physically a little bigger than the one in the iPhone 3G.
More than a few users, however, have reported that the iPhone 3GS drains the battery quickly. The problem may be that the software isn't managing power efficiently, analysts speculate. For instance, iPhone OS 3.0 supports push notification-that is, alerts-when apps aren't running.
The iPhone constantly buzzes during an instant message chat even if you're on the computer and not the iPhone. This could be draining the battery if the software isn't handling push features properly. If so, the problem won't be fixed until the next OS update.
Apple's response? An Apple spokeswoman told the LA Times that battery life is highly dependent on usage-so if you don't change your usage pattern from the old iPhone 3G, then performance shouldn't change either. It was a lukewarm response to a potentially serious problem, analysts say. "The battery is the first concern because it could be potentially dangerous," Dulaney says, "and we have no clue, except for some dos and don'ts, why it's happening."
Recently, some iPhone 3GS users also began noticing that their cool new devices were overheating: Some units with the white casings turned burnt-brown. Other issues surfaced, such as rattling noises and high-pitch sound emissions. Apple responded by issuing a set of simple guidelines to prevent overheating-guidelines that did little to put out the fire.
One of Apple's tips: "iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS should be used in environments where temperatures remain between 32 degrees and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures outside of this range could decrease battery life temporarily or effect performance."
Here's another: "Avoid using data intensive applications, like GPS or streaming-media apps, for extended periods of time on hot days or while in direct sunlight."
The most serious of the iPhone's problems concerns a new SMS vulnerability that could allow an attacker to remotely install and run unsigned software code with root access to the iPhone. Security expert Charlie Miller, who hacked a Mac via Safari in 10 seconds at this year's PWN2Own contest, said in a presentation that the weakness is in the way iPhones handle text messages.
The seriousness of this problem has spurred Apple's intent; Apple is reportedly working on a patch that should be available later this month. "I believe that the SMS vulnerability may be the most pressing, since stories of hijacked, zombie, misbehaving iPhones are more likely to leave a long-lasting negative impression than are the heat and battery life issues," says Forrester analyst Charles Golvin.
But is the vulnerability an Apple or AT&T problem? Does it affect other manufacturers? Apple's lack of formal releases and documentation frustrates analysts like Dulaney. For instance, Apple said the iPhone OS 3.0 SDK released earlier this year has hundreds of new features - "but you can't really find them," Dulaney says.
Dulaney also points to Apple's lackluster documentation practices with the iPhone 3GS hardware-based encryption. "You can't find out how the encryption is done," he says. "For those who know encryption, it's not a simple word. It's about how it's implemented."
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Comments received
James Donevan said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
As your reporter (and the quoted analyst) should know, the battery issue is not the huge concern that it appeared to be two weeks ago. A quick look at the Apple Discussion boards will confirm same. Obviously a large number of the users concerned have now found and corrected the settings/software that was causing the drain. Similarly the colour burn to the rear case currently has little traction. These appear to have been singular problems that may well have been caused by user misuse or third party outer cases.
While agreeing wholeheartedly re Apple's reticence to quickly acknowledge such problems, in this instance their slow response may well have been genuine puzzlement (about why the problems were being encountered) as opposed to subterfuge.
James Donevan said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
As your reporter (and the quoted analyst) should know, the battery issue is not the huge concern that it appeared to be two weeks ago. A quick look at the Apple Discussion boards will confirm same. Obviously a large number of the users concerned have now found and corrected the settings/software that was causing the drain. Similarly the colour burn to the rear case currently has little traction. These appear to have been singular problems that may well have been caused by user misuse or third party outer cases.
While agreeing wholeheartedly re Apple's reticence to quickly acknowledge such problems, in this instance their slow response may well have been genuine puzzlement (about why the problems were being encountered) as opposed to subterfuge.
James said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
This is one of the reasons I buy very little Apple kit now. I am fed up having to wait for them to accept there is a problem and wait even longer for a fix/replacement.
They are only just recalling 1st Gen iPod nano's in Thailand now for a problem that has been known about for years.
The premium price used to ensure a premium product, it no longer appears to be the case.
nom said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
Meanwhile I'm loving my iPhone 3GS here with no problems
what percentage of the new iPhone purchasers have reported any problem?
I'd guess it's a small fraction of one percent - but don't let that get in the way of a non-story
@nom said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
"what percentage of the new iPhone purchasers have reported any problem?"
Guessing - that is all you will be allowed to do. My 3GS went back because of various problems, sticking with 3G now.
Adam said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
Is the lack of documentation about the iPhone's encryption really a problem? Surely encryption will be inherently more secure if no one knows how it is done?
Reality Check said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
Just a reality check here - my iPhone 3GS still has 60% charge by the time I go to bed, and I'm a moderate user. So no problems here…..
DM said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
My battery life is still terrible - If I do any decent amount of email traffic, the battery is empty by early evening.
Nic said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
Whatever anyone says about battery life software release 3.0 has definitely changed something. My 3G battery life has declines by about 30% - my wifes original iphone by about 50%. Hers was improved back to standard by turning off push and leaving it in check for mail. However, that sorta defeats the whole point....
@nom said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
"but don't let that get in the way of a non-story" - head in sand approach, way to go.
3GS owner said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
I have to confirm that my new white iPhone DOES LOSE ITS CHARGE QUICKER than my original iphone (I never use vibrate and both run os 3.0). I also confirm that my iPhone 3GS DOES RATTLE and that this affects both the sound output and its quietness should I wish to use vibrate. Also I have notices that my iPhone DOES HEAT UP MORE than my old iPhone. MACWORLD, PLEASE HELP US TO PRESSURE APPLE INTO A) RECALLING AND REPLACING THE PHONES and B) KEEPING STANDARDS.
nom said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
If I was having problems and pretending not to - that would be head in sand approach.
I have no problems with my 3GS
Sorry to disappoint you (whoever you are)
Donevan TheClueless said on Mon, 13 Jul 2009
hate to break it to you pal, but the battery life on the 3GS is horrible. Apple's response was "turn off 3G, turn off brightness, turn off location services, turn off everything and you will get longer battery life." No kidding. The problem is Apple sold all of us that this phone would last 5 hours of 3G usage and 9 hours of WiFi usage. Turning everything off but WiFi and you still won't come anywhere close. Regarding 3G - that's another laugher since you're lucky to get over 2 hours before you hit the critical 10% and lower point. If you read the forums at Apple, there are long threads of concerns where people KNOW the software is draining the battery as well as the problem with Apple decreasing the size of the battery from the original iPhone so it just looked good. False promises all jazzed up in a pretty box - that's Apple for you.
Mystified said on Tue, 14 Jul 2009
"But is the vulnerability an Apple or AT&T problem?"
And this from Macworld.co.uk
How much time and effort would it take to either proofread and correct for the UK market, or say upfront that this is a story lifted direct from the US magazine?
Dan said on Tue, 14 Jul 2009
@Donevan TheClueless
Clueless you are mate. Since OS 3.0 10% battery is no longer. 20% is the new low indication. Why is it that everywhere Apple is mentioned, trolls are abundant? Damn InnoHaters (as in innovation haters)
Dan said on Tue, 14 Jul 2009
Oh, to all the InnoHaters out there, if you really have an iPhone, and you are really only getting 2 hours of battery life, exchange it instead of wasting time babbling about it. You have a faulty unit stupid! 1 out of every 1000 units sold. Gees, you guys want perfection, go to the planet Kapax, you sure aint gonna find it on this planet!
Tom said on Thu, 23 Jul 2009
More info at : www.iphoneinsecurity.com
With buzzwords like, "hardware encryption" and "remote wipe", many enterprises have been misled into believing that the iPhone 3G[s] is secure enough to store confidential correspondence or other information. Apple is no doubt pushing the enterprise market, but is the iPhone truly secure enough?
The following apply not only to the iPhone 3G[s], but also to earlier generation devices.
1. The 3G[s] passcode and encrypted backup password can easily be bypassed in about 30 seconds. This allows an identity thief who gains physical access to the device (for only a short time) to not only access the 3G[s], but to sync an unencrypted copy of its data through iTunes, creating a copy of the owner's contacts, correspondence, photos, and other valuable data. If it can be synced with iTunes, it can be stolen in a very short period of time.
Tom said on Thu, 23 Jul 2009
2. The 3G[s] promised hardware encryption, but this hardware encryption does not protect the information on the iPhone from an information thief. The operating system needs to automatically decrypt the iPhone's disk in order to boot, allowing anyone with the right know-how to easily acquire all of the data - including deleted data - on the device, bypassing any encryption. In fact, the only useful benefit for hardware encryption thus far has been the ability to quickly format the device, discussed next.
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