• : A suit in Alabama says dropped calls, connection trouble, and slow speeds make the iPhone far less useful than advertised. The case calls for class-action status, suggesting that "perhaps tens of thousands" of iPhone owners should be included.

Ready, Aim...

Seem like a lot? Maybe, but I wouldn't expect to see Apple panicking here. A company of its magnitude is always going to be a legal dartboard (we just saw another case last week), and -- regardless of any of the suits' potential merit -- odds are, each just amounts to one more line on the legal team's to-do list.

Already, Apple has of the earlier suits, and that seems like a strategy it could easily employ with the others. In the end, given the company's seemingly magical ability , I wouldn't be surprised if it somehow managed to morph all of this into positive publicity.

That's my two cents, anyway. I'd give you some more specifics, but my 3G connection just went down and I can't get anywhere.