Apple’s iPhone 3G Woes
First, it was Apple’s MobileMe data sync service downtime. Then, it’s the alleged faulty 3G connectivity issue. AT&T said it would look into the issue on a case to case basis. Sure, Apple fanatics would give Steve Jobs and company the benefit of the doubt but either way, if the 3G complaints are to be believed, it looks like it’s a matter of quality control on the mass production of iPhone 3G.
Web 2.0 companies may have the benefit of putting the ‘Beta’ sign on its product/service offerings while still refining its development. On the other hand, PayPal in its early years was beset with combating fraud and other technical issues but it was able to cross the chasm when it was able to deploy its service on a global scale. With Apple right now, it’s like fixing a plane while it’s flying. The sheer marketing hype is putting its weight on the reliability and reputation of Apple.
With Apple iPhone 3G, I would say the technology adoption is still in the early adopter stage. Those early adopters would bear the consequence of device faults/lapses while the device and software are still in the process of continuous refinement. Nevertheless, it’s really a good start. For now, I might just wait for the mobile internet device to mature. When the price and the network infrastructure matures, and hits the sweet spot for the ordinary Joe, you may just hear that ubiquitous computing is finally upon us.