Apple faces lawsuit over iPhone performance

[mauricio]

Apple faces lawsuit over iPhone performance

A large number of bloggers who got hold of the iPhone too had found the features to be less than expected

At a time when Apple has launched its new 3G iPhone in India, there is a hue and cry over the phone across the other geographies where it was launched earlier, with an Alabama-based consumer actually taking legal recourse over the claims that the company made about this next-generation telephone.

Media reports today said Alabama resident Jessica Alena Smith has filed the complaint this week, calling out the new iPhone's performance issues and suggesting that claims made by Apple's aggressive marketing campaign were far from fulfilled. Given the fact that a true fix has not yet been issued for users 3G problems, this could be seen as a tip of an iPhone suit iceberg, reports arstechnicia.com.

Smith reportedly purchased her new iPhone 3G sometime after it went on sale on July 11, after being bombarded with ads on TV, radio, and print about the device. "One could barely turn on the television without hearing that the new iPhone 3G was 'twice as fast for half the price,'" reads the complaint.

However, soon after the purchase the celebrated 3G phone has reportedly soused all her expectations. She claims in the lawsuit that the iPhone's data connection, e-mail, SMS, and other communications were slower than expected. The device only appeared to connect to AT&T's 3G network less than 25 percent of the time. Inordinate amount of dropped calls was another concern cited by Smith in her lawsuit.


A large number of bloggers who got hold of the iPhone too had found the features to be less than expected. However, when it comes to India, one will have to wait and watch about the longevity of the iPhone craze, especially in the backdrop of the general apprehension that iPhone price in India is higher than global costs.

The lawsuit by Smith asked the company to repair or replace all defective iPhone 3Gs and pay for the unspecified damages and attorney’s fees.

Media reports across India today suggested that both AirTel and Vodaphone may not be able to convert registrations into sales though it must be said that users actually queued up outside sales centres last night to be amongst the first to pick up this new gadget that seems to have caught the imagination of geeks.

[Humberto]

Apple has been known for its unshakeable thirst for perfection, with product launch after product launch proving almost flawless. But the launch of the iPhone 3G has changed all of that, and it could lead to a massive class-action lawsuit being filed against the company.

Ever since the new iPhone 3G went on sale last month, there have been complaints from users about the spotty 3G coverage. This has been evident all across the U.S, including major cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, and also in other countries such as the U.K.