Blog: Infineon Drivers May be Cause of iPhone 3G Dropped Calls

by , 3:00 PM EDT, August 19th, 2008

In the recent flap over the iPhone 3G dropped calls, AT&T said it's not their problem. Instead, sources have suggested that the problem is Infineon's driver code for their 3G chip, according to Chuq Von Rospach in his blog on Tuesday.

"What I was told was that 90% of the disconnects are initiated inside the phone, which would exonerate AT&T. Most of the disconnects are being generated by crashes in the driver code for the 3G chip, which comes from the chip vendor," Mr. Von Rospach was told by a source.

It's not Apple's code, and that would get Apple of the hook as well.

The immediate problem is that the vendor turnaround for fixes is running 2-3 months, and there may be a lack of a sense of urgency.

If this is true, it could sour the relationship between Apple and Infineon. The blogger, an ex-Apple sysadmin with good connections, suggested that Apple's investment in PA Semi is designed to eliminate such problems in the future.

"The best aspect of this rumor (if true) is that the hardware is fine; once they can get the drivers fixed (or replaced), the units should be fine, Mr. Von Rospach wrote. "Thinking 'recall' is unecessary and overkill, the real question seems to be how quickly Apple can beat the fixes out of the vendor."