Apple’s 3G iPhone is considered by many to be the launch of the year; although sales have been going through the roof and demand remains strong, there are some problems customers are complaining about.

The most delicate issue right now is the smartphone’s connection instability; Apple message boards abound in comments written by annoyed customers who ask for solutions. However, Mark Siegel, AT&T spokesman, said the way a device functions depends on a series of factors, out of which he mentioned the user’s location with regard to the 3G coverage; he added that coverage can be altered by terrain and buildings in the area. He acknowledged that people were having some bad experiences but he concluded that, generally speaking, the phone is doing great.

Although some say calls keep getting dropped because of faulty SIM cards, no official statement on the subject has been released yet.

If things are not taken care of soon, some potential buyers could be scared off by all the negative feedback that will have built up in the immediate future and turn their attention towards the iPhone’s very strong competitors: Samsung’s Instinct and Research In Motion’s Blackberry. A new edition of the latter, code named Meteor, is expected to be launched this month.

The device will also use the 3G technology from AT&T so, if the aforementioned problem does indeed come with the phone and not the network, RIM’s product could have a very successful run. Another model of the 3G Blackberry was launched for a different type of wireless technology provided by Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp.; the two companies are, as far as 3G networks go, a bit ahead of AT&T.