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iPhone Software Update 2.1 arrives

Sep. 12, 2008 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

So if you're using an iPhone 3G especially, race over to iTunes (which you did just laboriously reinstalled, right?) and download the iPhone Software Update 2.1 release. Or, wait and see how it goes. I will say this: After several painful dropped calls while in Seattle, I'm ready to take my iPhone 3G back to AT&T and just throw it at the first customer service rep I see. It's a disaster. If this update doesn't fix things, and I mean really fix things, I might just give up. The reliability/expense equation is not working out in the device's favor at all.

More info on the Apple Web site, which is treating this release just a little bit different than your typical iPhone update. Just a bit.

The iPhone 2.1 software update

The iPhone 2.1 software update contains many bug fixes and improvements. To get it, connect your iPhone to your computer using iTunes 8 and click Check for Update.

Update includes:

  • Decrease in call set-up failures and dropped calls
  • Significantly better battery life for most users
  • Dramatically reduced time to backup to iTunes
  • Improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts
  • Faster installation of 3rd party applications
  • Fixed bugs causing 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
  • Repeat alert up to two additional times for incoming text messages
  • Option to wipe data after ten failed passcode attempts
  • Genius playlist creation

OK, maybe more than a bit. :)

Discuss this Article 66

Ocean
on Sep 12, 2008
I think this quote tends to apply to both Apple & MS: >>“Fundamentally, their thinking shows that they are a software company at heart,” said one veteran manufacturing executive. “They put something out and figure they can fix it with the next patch or come up with a bug fix.” -- this kind of problem — where technology fails and no one knows what to do about it — can happen to any company.<< http://venturebeat.com/2008/09/05/xbox-360-defects-an-inside-history-of-...
shark47
on Sep 12, 2008
"When you get older, you tend to SHAKE more." Hahaha. What was that all about?
gorath
on Sep 12, 2008
If I was to use an ipod with "shake to shuffle" whilst riding a mountainbike, for example, would it constantly shuffle my music? Or can the feature be turned off?
tayme
on Sep 12, 2008
@Mike - Then Xerox it is.... Oh, and for Al Franken's lies...here are about 52 or so - http://www.frankenlies.com/ --tayme
shark47
on Sep 12, 2008
Gorath, the feature can be turned off. Also, it works only if the main screen is on.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 12, 2008
tayme A page that says that saying "Bush lied us into war" is a lie not because other people lied, too, clearly isn't exactly playing with an understanding of difficult words like "Bush lied"
chuckb84
on Sep 12, 2008
@Mike "The same? You're actually saying Calc is the same as Sidebar gadgets? You could just as easily say "I can open Word and leave it open in a small window so that's the same" No, that would be Quicklook. I'm sure Microsoft thought of that first too!
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 12, 2008
no chuck There's no difference between opening any app and leaving it open and opening calculator and leaving it open. And you say Mac Calculator is the same as a Dashboard gadget. So, by your standards, Word is a gadget, so is Outlook, so is Excel, so is Photoshop
tayme
on Sep 12, 2008
@Mike - Do you need e to send you links to all 52 of the lies that are outlined, or did you click past the first page at all? Come on, Mike...you are hilarious...totally unable to control yourself...Always needing to get the last word in... One example that itself is full of lies, that Franken even admitted to on CNN - http://www.frankenlies.com/lies/zahncnn.htm Have a good weekend...and read all of Fanken's lies...not just the front page. --tayme
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 12, 2008
To anyone in the Western Gulf of Mexico and espcially the Galveston/Houston metro area, as we say in the music business, break a leg. Lots of us are hoping you guys do better through Ike than has been feared.
techboy2000
on Sep 12, 2008
I was disappointed that the shake/shuffle function did not get included in the ipod touch. I also don't think it is such a bad thing to copy good features that other's may have created. Creating a good copy is a lot harder than most believe. Thankfully after a less than impressive start, Windows 95 leap frogged the previously superior Mac OS. Thankfully Windows added UAC support even though UNIX and OS X had things similarly years in advance. Firefox was not the first at much of anything but Firefox has created the current best browsing experience in my opinion. Here is my wishlist of things that MS would copy: I wish Windows would add h.264 support and podcast functionality to Window Media Player. I wish windows would add native ISO burn capability. I wish the Mac would have its firewall on by default like Windows. I wish Jobs would add a second mouse button to his laptops.
Ocean
on Sep 12, 2008
Anyone worried that Jon Gruber is an iCabalist should read his latest rant: http://daringfireball.net/2008/09/app_store_exclusion
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 12, 2008
To all I hope you had a happy Programmer's Day (Celebrated on the 2^8th day of the year) Today starts the remainder which cannot be represented in a byte... Take that as you will.
shark47
on Sep 13, 2008
Here's an idea. Why doesn't everyone who hates the content on this site visit roughlydrafted.com and comment over there instead. That dude is so obsessed with Paul and MS that you'll get ample opportunities to bash both. Everybody is happy that way. :-)
shark47
on Sep 13, 2008
One more irrelevant comment. I was wrong about the Nano. I actually like it better than the 2nd gen form factor. The shake and bake feature may be useless, but, hey, at least it's a feature, no? I bought my mom a Sandisk Sansa player a couple of years ago because she needed the recording feature. I will probably give her a Nano now. That said, I think electric blue is an amazing color.
shark47
on Sep 13, 2008
Another OT post: You are insulting women (Sarah Palin in particular) by referring to the new electric blue Zune as 'lipstick on a pig'. I think they're both gorgeous. Also, I thought Paul would link to this: http://www.istartedsomething.com/20080908/applications-coming-soon-to-a-... Paul was right. This is becoming bigger than MobileMe. Interesting!

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