AT&T is attempting to placate irate iPhone 4 owners by pledging to fix a software defect responsible for slowing data transfer rates.
Company spokesman Mark Siegel explained that AT&T would “gradually fix” the glitch over the next month.
“This patch will be deployed on a phased basis over the next two to three weeks,” Siegel told Reuters.
He added that AT&T had already begun rolling out an Alcatel-Lucent software update coded to restore uplink speeds for HSUPA high-speed data services.
However, until the fix is fully deployed, iPhone 4 owners will only be able to achieve a maximum (and paltry) upload rate of 384 kilobits per second, instead of 5.67 megabits.
Slow upload speeds is only one of the issues plaguing Apple’s newest mobile phone, which also suffers from poor reception.
The widely reported “Antennae-gate” forced Steve Jobs to offer frustrated iPhone 4 owners free bumpers in a valiant attempt to improve diminished signal strength.
“Pick a case, zoom, we’ll send it off to you…That simple,” Jobs said on July 16 at an emergency conference in Cupertino.
“No restocking fee or anything…We want to take care of everyone. We want every user to be happy.”
Of course, users who are still unhappy with the iPhone 4 can return the device “undamaged” within 30 days for a full refund.
