While the iPhone is often heralded as the “savior” of smartphones, reception of its marriage with U.S. wireless carrier AT&T has been decidedly less positive. As customers' complaints with the network have increased, AT&T, of late, has begun to fight back.
In truth, AT&T has been the proverbial whipping boy in its relationship with Apple. As the iPhone has prospered and continued to gain marketshare, numerous surveys have found the U.S. network to be the device's least-appealing aspect. “It's a P.R. nightmare,” Craig Moffett, a senior analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, said in a story in last week's New York Times.
For months, as users have complained of the lack of features or the carrier's service, AT&T has remained relatively silent on the issues. Recently, though, that strategy has changed. Last week alone, the nation's second-largest wireless carrier announced improved 3G coverage, admitted network troubles the aforementioned Times report, released a video explaining the strains iPhone use places on its network, reached an agreement to allow one App Store application to transmit location data without
