Cupertino (CA) – As promised, Apple posted the iPhone 2.1 software update today. The new firmware is expected to resolve 3G connectivity problems, avoid sudden application crashes and patch a bunch of reliability and security issues.
The smartphone firmware arrives on the heels of the Pod touch 2.1 firmware that was released two days ago. The iPhone is especially important for iPhone 3G owners, since the software promises to fix the device’s 3G connection problems, which resulted in dropped calls and reduced bandwidth. However, according to CEO Steve Jobs, the 3G connectivity issues affected only "a few percent" of iPhone users. The 2.1 firmware also brings new features and tweaks delivered in 2.1 firmware for the iPod touch, such as support for the Genius playlist feature.
The 231 MB update also includes many bug fixes and improvements that seem to solve most of the complaints users had about the 2.0 firmware. The long handset backup process that occurs in iTunes prior to syncing (which lasted several hours) has been reduced. Annoying bugs that caused third-party applications to unexpectedly crash or exit, have been fixed as well. The overall iPhone system is promised to run significantly faster with the 2.1 update.
The loading process of contact and searches have been accelerated and virtual keyboard appears to be much more responsive as well. Text messaging performance is significantly improved - the application doesn't slow down anymore when lots of text messages are stored on the device. Email reliability is also improved, specifically in cases of POP and Exchange accounts. There is now an option to wipe data after ten failed password entries, while alerts for incoming text messages now repeat up to two additional times. The complete list of fixes can be found in this Apple Support document.
The 2.1 firmware doesn't offer any new substantial end-user features such as copy and paste. Apple obviously sacrificed such features in the short term in order to resolve critical issues that have been plaguing the 2.0 software since its release. Those that wish to jailbreak the 2.1 software for their iPhones are advised to wait until the iPhone Dev Team releases with an updated version of their QuikPwn tool that can jailbreak the latest firmware.
The group noted that Apple introduced additional security measures in iTunes 8 that prevent users from using the media jukebox software to update the handset with a jailbroken firmware image. According to the post, the team already published patch that circumvents the iTunes 8 protection for the iPod touch and will soon deliver a similar patch for iPhones.
The iPhone 2.1 software is available through iTunes 8 (Help -> Check for Updates).
The smartphone firmware arrives on the heels of the Pod touch 2.1 firmware that was released two days ago. The iPhone is especially important for iPhone 3G owners, since the software promises to fix the device’s 3G connection problems, which resulted in dropped calls and reduced bandwidth. However, according to CEO Steve Jobs, the 3G connectivity issues affected only "a few percent" of iPhone users. The 2.1 firmware also brings new features and tweaks delivered in 2.1 firmware for the iPod touch, such as support for the Genius playlist feature.
The 231 MB update also includes many bug fixes and improvements that seem to solve most of the complaints users had about the 2.0 firmware. The long handset backup process that occurs in iTunes prior to syncing (which lasted several hours) has been reduced. Annoying bugs that caused third-party applications to unexpectedly crash or exit, have been fixed as well. The overall iPhone system is promised to run significantly faster with the 2.1 update.
The loading process of contact and searches have been accelerated and virtual keyboard appears to be much more responsive as well. Text messaging performance is significantly improved - the application doesn't slow down anymore when lots of text messages are stored on the device. Email reliability is also improved, specifically in cases of POP and Exchange accounts. There is now an option to wipe data after ten failed password entries, while alerts for incoming text messages now repeat up to two additional times. The complete list of fixes can be found in this Apple Support document.
The 2.1 firmware doesn't offer any new substantial end-user features such as copy and paste. Apple obviously sacrificed such features in the short term in order to resolve critical issues that have been plaguing the 2.0 software since its release. Those that wish to jailbreak the 2.1 software for their iPhones are advised to wait until the iPhone Dev Team releases with an updated version of their QuikPwn tool that can jailbreak the latest firmware.
The group noted that Apple introduced additional security measures in iTunes 8 that prevent users from using the media jukebox software to update the handset with a jailbroken firmware image. According to the post, the team already published patch that circumvents the iTunes 8 protection for the iPod touch and will soon deliver a similar patch for iPhones.
The iPhone 2.1 software is available through iTunes 8 (Help -> Check for Updates).