Apple

Now that Apple's iAd mobile advertising solution has launched, some may be curious just how Apple intends to target customers with ads geared towards their personal tastes. Turns out that Apple will leverage data collected from 150 million iTunes users to help determine where to place ads.

The apps you download, how long you use them, and which ones you delete delete are all known by Apple, as are any other purchases you make on iTunes. The company does not share this data with advertisers directly, but instead allows advertisers to select from different targeting options based on user preferences. Apple has already sold $60 million in mobile ads for its iAd system.

Apple now claims an error in the iPhone 4 firmware is responsible for the dramatic drop in signal bars some have experienced when the device is held a certain way. An update for iOS 4 will be released in the coming weeks to address the problem, but in the meantime several lawsuits have been filed against Apple over the issue.

The most recent suit was filed Friday in the Northern District of California and accuses Apple of false advertising, breach of warranty, and unfair competition among other complaints. The plaintiff, Steve Tietze is seeking class action status for the case and contends that Apple is guilty of "misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4 - particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software."

Cupertino, we have a problem. With over 1.7 million iPhones sold in just three days, Apple's production capacity is at its limits. With so much innovative technology packed into such a small device, there are bound to be some lemons. Many customers have received their iPhone 4 and have no issues, while others have hit the support forums and message boards to voice concerns.

Problems range from inconvenient to completely unfixable. The iPhone 4 comes with one free year of AppleCare, which means that one visit to the Genius Bar can help. With so many iPhones hot off the factory floor, its not guaranteed that even replacement hardware won't have issues of its own. Here's a list of the top 10 iPhone 4 bugs, issues and complaints to watch out for when you receive your shipment from Apple.

We've received emails from several iPhone customers, panicked over the possible loss of their yet-to-ship pre-ordered iPhone 4. These users have all received an email from Apple indicating that their pre-ordered iPhone 4, which was otherwise ready to ship, is being held by Apple based on instructions from AT&T. The letter instructs that Apple will attempt to reprocess the order daily for 7 days, at which time the order will be cancelled if the customer has not resolved the issue with AT&T.

The letter to customers reads:

We've heard all the rumors before, but a critical mass of information is making it evident that the iPhone 4 is destined for Verizon Wireless this coming January. Bloomberg reports from unnamed sources that customers will be able to buy a Verizon-compatible iPhone 4 in six short months.

This follows information from DigiTimes that an order for 10 million CDMA iPhone 4 devices will be fulfilled later this year. CDMA technology is compatible with Verizon's network. News stories about Apple negotiating with Verizon have been floating around for months, if not years.