Hot handsets aren't the only problems Apple is facing with its latest batch of iPhones.
Yesterday, reports surfaced of overheating iPhone 3G S models, along with one photo of a pinkish brown hue around the back of a white phone. Now, iPhone Faq reports problems with the iPhone OS 3.0 as well.
Icons are reportedly sometimes disappearing or representing the wrong application. That's not as catastrophic as a lightly baked piece of technology, but it's certainly a nuisance for a gadget promoted for ease of use.
The iPhone FAQ suggests a couple of fixes. One involves removing the offending Apps and reinstalling them through iTunes. Resetting iPhone settings could also do the trick (by navigating to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings). If all else fails, a system restore may be necessary.
Some users have also reported short battery life in the 3GS, though it's possible they're just getting a little too comfortable with phone's more hardware-intensive uses, such as gaming. Apple has released an application allowing owners to monitor the problem.
As for the overheating issue, Apple has remained silent since the news broke. It's possible that reports of discoloration are overblown, as no other reports have emerged with evidence, but there's no shortage of users saying the phone at least gets hot to the touch. In the past, Apple has been able to fix hot hardware with firmware updates, at least for its computers. With more than a million 3GS phones sold, a fix may be that simple. Otherwise, we're looking at a wave of returns.
With all this in mind, can the iPhone 3GS be considered broken? Probably not. Keep in mind that the Palm Pre suffered similar glitches at launch and Research in Motion once dealt with overheating and other issues in its Blackberry Bold. For now, chalk this one up as another plight of the early adopter.
