
Could it be that Apple’s latest smartphone is plagued with a troubling design flaw? Just ask the handful of iPhone 4S users who’ve experienced issues with their SIM cards, and they’ll tell you this is very much the case.
While we have no reason to believe a majority of iPhone 4S owners are affected, the problem appears to span across numerous carriers and parts of the globe — even Sprint and Verizon Wireless users aren’t immune. Some report resolving the problem with a new SIM card, while others have reason to believe it’s the reader itself.
Apple seems poised for a strong holiday season, at least according to two new surveys. Both those doing the shopping and those writing up their own personal wish lists seem to be in sync about one thing: Apple’s iPad and iPhone are in high demand.
Consumer Reports found that 17 percent of those it surveyed planned on giving an Apple iPad this year, and 10 percent intended to buy an iPhone 4S for someone on their shopping list. Another survey conducted by online opinion site SodaHead found that 39 percent of respondents wanted to receive an iPhone 4S, while 31 percent were hoping to find an iPad 2 under the tree this year.
Apple’s mobile products were among lots of other electronic gadgets cited by shoppers in Consumer Reports’ poll of 1,013 adults, but only a few of those were mobile phones or tablets. Amazon’s Kindle Fire also received quite a few mentions, though it wasn’t nearly as popular as either the 4S or the iPad. Internet-ready and 3D TVs were also popular among consumers.