International iPhone Carriers Start the Apple Pile-On Over Sub-Par 3G

via Gizmodo US


After news of possible 3G driver/chipset shortcomings, many international iPhone carriers are bringing out the innocent, puppy-dog-eyed shoulder shrug regarding customer gripes with the iPhone's 3G performance. Both T-Mobile Netherlands and Vodafone Australia are the latest to go public with their passive-aggressiveness, much to Apple's delight.

Posting on its official blog [translated], T-Mobile Netherlands says "the 3G coverage of T-Mobile is as good as the competition, there can therefore not lie. We suspect that it is a hardware / software specific issue of the iPhone itself." CNET sees that "can not lie" bit as web babel-talk for a Dutch expression meaning "so that should not be the issue."

And in a Sydney Morning Herald story, Vodafone Australia also blamed Apple hardware for sucky 3G, saying “We are aware of the issues on the iPhone 3G and we’re working with Apple to provide a solution." Another anonymous source mentions the carriers had no time for device testing prior to launch, since they received handsets just one day before they were to go onsale.

It makes sense. International customers have been enjoying 3G for a lot longer than AT&T folks here in the U.S., so they're more likely to gripe if things don't meet standards set by other phones in the last few years.