Apple fans loyal despite iPod, iPhone 3G woes

The entrance to Apple’s New York store is sleek in design, just like many of its products.
(AP) — First, an iPhone price cut left early buyers feeling foolish, and then came reports that some iPods were spitting sparks.
Now, the new iPhone 3G has been marred by bugs, spotty service, disappearing programs for the device and [...]

Apple releases fix for iPhone connectivity woes

SEATTLE – Apple Inc. has released an iPhone software update it says improves communication between the smart phone and wireless networks.
The iPhone 3G, which went on sale July 11, connects to cellular providers’ speedier third-generation networks and was meant to deliver snappier Web surfing and online video viewing than the year-old original model.
But some customers [...]

Swedish magazine blames iPhone woes on hardware

SEATTLE – Spotty wireless broadband connectivity for some of Apple Inc.’s new iPhones most likely results from a hardware problem introduced during mass production, a Swedish technical magazine reported Wednesday.
Ny Teknik, Sweden’s foremost engineering weekly, obtained a report on tests conducted by unnamed experts that showed some handsets’ sensitivity to third-generation network signals is well [...]

New iPhone music to users’ ears

DENVER (Billboard) – When it was unveiled in June, Apple’s new iPhone didn’t appear to offer anything new for music fans.
But thanks to the subsequent launch of the App Store on iTunes, iPhone users can download a host of applications to add new functions to the device. Many of them are music-oriented and all are [...]

(Update) Software problems bug Apple’s launch of new iPhone

NEW YORK – The launch of Apple Inc.’s much-anticipated new iPhone turned into an information-technology meltdown on Friday, as customers were unable to get their phones working.
“It’s such grief and aggravation,” said Frederick Smalls, an insurance broker in Whitman, Mass., after spending two hours on the phone with Apple and AT&T Inc., trying to get [...]

iPhone makes Asia-Pacific debut in Japan

TOKYO – The new iPhone model went on sale in the Asia-Pacific region Friday, making its debut in Japan amid swirling smoke after a 30-second countdown chanted by hundreds of people lined up, some for days, snaking around the block.
The celebration at Japanese carrier Softbank Corp.’s store, which included a digital clock display ticking away [...]

Amid hype, Apple iPhone expansion also runs risks

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Apple Inc.’s iPhone has had a remarkable run over the past year, shaking up the stodgy design of cell phones and securing Apple a lucrative slice of the wireless business.
To sustain that momentum and keep fickle consumers and Wall Street happy, the company needs a dramatic second act with the next [...]

Apple fans begin camping out in Tokyo for iPhone 3G launch Friday

TOKYO – Hiroyuki Sano, a graduate student who turns 25 on Thursday, can’t think of a better way to celebrate his birthday than being the first person in Japan to own an iPhone.
So he ditched class in Nagoya and headed 160 miles north to Tokyo’s trendy Omotesando district, home to mobile carrier Softbank Corp.’s flagship [...]

iPhone’s hype to benefit all cellphone companies

MANILA, Philippines – Instead of being worried about the newest incarnation of the iPhone, mobile device manufacturers should look forward to its Asian launch since the product’s marketing hype will benefit the industry.
An analyst of Ovum, a UK-based research company, said that mobile device manufacturers offering products with functions similar to the iPhone are expected [...]

Apple unveils new iPhone with faster Internet speeds

SAN FRANCISCO – The iPhone will soon be $200 cheaper — and come with satellite navigation, faster Internet access and other new features — but higher monthly service charges are likely to erase most of the savings.
Apple Inc. revealed Monday that it has scrapped its pricing plan for the iPhone as it unveiled a model [...]