Apple has released version 2.1 of its iPhone software, promising a wealth of bug fixes for a device that has suffered a number of problems.
Chief executive Steve Jobs had promised the iPhone update in a speech made on Tuesday during a launch event for next-generation iPod music players, saying: "This is a big update, and it fixes lots of bugs."
The company's software update page says the update will lead to:
- A decrease in call set-up failures and dropped calls
- Significantly better battery life for most users
- Dramatically reduced time to back up to iTunes
- Improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts
- Faster installation of third-party applications
- The fixing of bugs that cause hangs and crashes for users with lots of third-party applications
- Improved performance in text messaging
- Faster loading and searching of contacts
- Improved accuracy of the 3G signal-strength display
- Alerts being repeated up to two additional times for incoming text messages
- The enabling of an option to wipe data after 10 failed password attempts
The page also instructs iPhone owners to use the latest version of iTunes to perform the update.
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The iPhone 3G has generally won acclaim for its design and the range of third-party applications that can now run on the device, although some users have said they miss features such as copy and paste and voice-command dialling. Network-connectivity troubles and other issues have also tarnished the iPhone 3G's debut.
Talkback
I was pleased to see battery life has noticeably improved but disappointed with some of the bug fixes.
For example Safari would often close at random - like as it had crashed. Now instead of closing when it stalls it locks up instead, forcing me to reset/restart the phone completely. I think things are worse now.
Other problems include a change in the way it maintains phone signal. It maybe showing full 3G signal but web access is extremely slow it timesout and then after a minute or so it will drop to 1 bar or GPRS and then leaving idle will show full 3G again. I don't know if this is related to battery saving but it took my a half hour to get 1 email attachment that normally would have taken 2mins at most. I hope this was O2 network having trouble rather than the update.
Touch typing seems more responsive which speeds up typing. However Reading. PDFs was really sluggish. Scrolling or zooming was hampered by pauses and stuttering. The same PDF on my iPhone 1 was zippy. Which makes me think that added more features like GPS, 3G and Mobileme syncing and not upgrading any of the processor/ram hardware will mean a slower experience to the original iPhone. The iPhone I've been waiting for? I think I've given up waiting.