Apple is promising to fix a loophole in the iPhone that would allow anyone to access the user's personal information, such as contacts, even if the phone is password protected.

The hole was first disclosed on MacRumors.com and then Gizmodo.com shortly thereafter, before the bulk of the media picked up on it. The iPhone can be password protected, but the two sites found that simply by quickly pressing the iPhone home button twice, which is the only button on the front of the device. That defaults to the user's favorites, thus exposing the contents to anyone, regardless of the password.

An Apple spokesperson told Reuters via e-mail that Apple was aware of the iPhone security flaw and is preparing a software update to fix the flaw, but did not say when the fix would be available. Apple did not return inquiries by InternetNews.com.

For now, there is a workaround for iPhone users. The iPhone's "Home" button can be reprogrammed to something else, such as their music listing.

Since its July 11 launch, the road has been very rocky for the iPhone. While enjoying brisk sales and lengthy backorders, the iPhone has been plagued with problems and bad news. The 3G service, which Apple promised would double performance, has been found lacking.

Cracks have developed in the phones after less than one month, Apple developers are in open revolt over the restrictive NDA for iPhone developers, and MobileMe, an online service that replaced .Mac, has suffered outages and syncing problems.

In addition to a fix next month, Apple is rumored to be preparing a new batch of its best-selling iPod line for launch, as well as possibly new MacBook notebooks. It's been more than a year since the MacBook line was refreshed and it has gotten a little long in the tooth compared to other notebook lines.

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