The iPhone’s squeaky-clean image seems to be demanding some up-keep efforts, as there have been several complaints from customers dealing with some rather irritating dropped phone calls in the middle of their conversations.

Apple Inc. is currently looking into the issue, searching for a rapid software fix that will restore the high number of requests for its best seller. The company refused to release an official statement, probably waiting for a clear answer from its research team.

Apple’s sole wireless carrier in the United States, AT&T Inc., released a statement through its spokesman Michael Coe, saying that the iPhone’s performance, just like any other device’s, is directly linked to a series of factors such as the proximity of the user to a cell tower and interference from buildings and trees. The question whether the iPhone recorded more problems than other phones on AT&T’s network remained unanswered. Looking to end the discussions on a positive and reassuring manner, the final message was "Overall, the new iPhone is performing just great on our 3G network."  

Such problems are extremely common through-out the market, as writing reliable software code for mobiles is considered a very difficult task. Considering the fact that almost every such high-end device runs into problems, the issue should not be considered critical. On the other hand, what sets a company apart from its competitors, is the manner and speed of finding an appropriate solution, which could easily get Apple in the clear when it comes to its image on the global market.

"It's not about whether you have problems or don't have them," said Ken Dulaney, a mobile analyst at research firm Gartner Inc. "It's how quickly you address them that matters. If Apple addresses them, people will cut them slack."

Some consider that the problems are caused by a chip produced by German company Infineon Technologies AG, which was especially designed for the new 3G iPhone and is used as the baseband processor, handling the connections between the mobile phone and the cellular networks. There are also other scenarios, bringing into the discussion Apple’s software and AT&T network, but none of them received any confirmation. These matters are far too important for any of the players involved to start making statements before the situation is properly assessed. 

Francis Sideco, a senior wireless chip analyst at semiconductor researcher iSuppli, explained that the list of possibilities leading to the problem is huge considering the complexity of the device. "It could be something as simple as a solder joint," he said.

Until the company decides on releasing its research results, all we can do is guess about the problem and talk about the possible implications of a serious glitch. In the worst case scenario, Apple could be forced to demand a general recall of its product, in order to make sure that its user-base remains satisfied with its services. This would surely be an extremely expensive and time-consuming rundown, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves and hope for a clean, easy and rapid fix.