iPod 2.1 offers promise for Friday's 'big' iPhone software update

[AppleInsider]

Apple on Friday will unleash iPhone Software v2.1, a major bug fix release for all iPhone owners that will include a number of other improvements that iPod touch users are discovering as part of yesterday's similarly number iPod touch update.

"The [iPhone] 2.1 software update is a big update. It fixes lots of bugs," said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs. "You'll get fewer call drops; you'll get significantly improved battery life for most customers."

In addition, Jobs said the update will patch a number of bugs related to third-party App Store applications, namely crashes experienced by those users who've installed a large number of apps. Backing up to iTunes will be "dramatically faster," he added.

Meanwhile, some of the other "great new performance enhancements" that Jobs alluded to, but did not describe, are being discovered by first-generation iPod touch owners who've just installed iPod touch 2.1, which will be very similar to Friday's free iPhone Software 2.1 update.

One AppleInsider forum member remarked that he was "blown away" by the speed at which App Store applications are able to update themselves after applying the 2.1 update. The process seemed to have sped up fivefold, he said. What's more, icons of updated applications now retain their pre-set position on the Touch's home screen, rather than being thrust to the end of the home screen, where they previously needed to be forcibly repositioned by the user.



Another forum member notes that a second line of information, containing artist and album info, is visible when viewing songs. The responsiveness of the iPod application has also seen improvements, and a longer scrub bar makes it easier to scan through songs, he said. The app's 'shuffle' and 'continuous play' buttons have also been repositioned.

Separately, Wired has highlighted changes to the iPod app's Podcast manager. A completely filled blue dot next to a podcast subscription serves as a notification that a new episode is available, while a half dot means that a user hasn't finished listening to a particular episode.



AppleInsider will provide full coverage of Apple's iPhone 2.1 software on Friday afternoon.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[MacTel]

This update may end the numerous lawsuits out there about Apple's performance promises of the iPhone 3G.

Too many trigger happy lawyers eyeballing Apple's pile of cash.

[Virgil-TB2]

Welcome fixes indeed. And the backup speed is phenomenal relative to the previous performance.

I still wish the new Genius recommendation feature was available on the mobile iTunes store though. It's the single most useful part of the update for me, but it can only be used from home.

[MatthewGavin]

I can finally got buy my iPhone. I was not going to buy it until Apple released this update.

[w00master]

I just want to know if this 2.1 update will fix the "update" application bug. I have a bunch of apps that I've tried updating but continually iTunes says that there has been an error. Because of this (especially for the paid apps), I have been very hesitant of updating anything.

The only workaround that I've seen online is to completely remove the app both on the phone and iTunes which works but is a huge pain in the butt.

Any comments on this?

[nace33]

I really get excited when Apple announces new products. I think most of us will really be reading everything we can get our hands on when the next big thing is announced (tablet, DVR, or something we don't even know about yet). But, it is the little things that Apple does that really make me happy. The 1/2 blue dot for podcasts I haven't finished listening to is great. Sure most of the time I probably won't need this, but it just makes me happy to know its there.

[cameronj]

Can anyone with a 2.1 Touch comment on the lag that was present if you had a large contact list?

[a_greer]

Originally Posted by MacTel

This update may end the numerous lawsuits out there about Apple's performance promises of the iPhone 3G.

Too many trigger happy lawyers eyeballing Apple's pile of cash.

Frankly, I am happy with the lawsuits in this case: They drove the company to fix the bugs rather than deny them as they did for the first month of the iphone2s release.

This is a textbook case of what class action law SHOULD do, keep companies on the streight and narrow, make them correct their mistakes and deliver the product that was advertised.

If the fix works, and the lawsuits dissappear, or are quickly settled for a small (sub $100,000) figure, I say that the system worked as it should.

[lepton]

I'm in the middle of a multi-hour iPhone backup as I read this. I'll be thrilled if this is fixed!

[Mr Underhill]

Originally Posted by MatthewGavin

I can finally got buy my iPhone. I was not going to buy it until Apple released this update.

You do realise by delaying your purchase you've missed all the fun.

[skottichan]

Originally Posted by cameronj

Can anyone with a 2.1 Touch comment on the lag that was present if you had a large contact list?

I used to have a little lag (with around 120 contacts), now it's nearly instantaneous.

[O4BlackWRX]

Spoken like a true liberalist that has probably never worked a single day in corporate America or for any large company at all. The previous lawsuits were absurd (if you even bothered to read them and had half a brain you'd notice that). Should I sue because my car doesn't get the MPG it said I would? It's an estimation, people want everything now for nothing and when they don't get their hopes & dreams satisfied (like that's even possible) they sue. America has gotten way out of hand.

Originally Posted by a_greer

Frankly, I am happy with the lawsuits in this case: They drove the company to fix the bugs rather than deny them as they did for the first month of the iphone2s release.

This is a textbook case of what class action law SHOULD do, keep companies on the streight and narrow, make them correct their mistakes and deliver the product that was advertised.

If the fix works, and the lawsuits dissappear, or are quickly settled for a small (sub $100,000) figure, I say that the system worked as it should.

[w00master]

Originally Posted by O4BlackWRX

Spoken like a true liberalist that has probably never worked a single day in corporate America or for any large company at all. The previous lawsuits were absurd (if you even bothered to read them and had half a brain you'd notice that). Should I sue because my car doesn't get the MPG it said I would? It's an estimation, people want everything now for nothing and when they don't get their hopes & dreams satisfied (like that's even possible) they sue. America has gotten way out of hand.

Ugh, can we please not make this a political debate? Please.

OT: Any comment on "updates" to 3rd party app error? Is it still around?

[a_greer]

Originally Posted by O4BlackWRX

Spoken like a true liberalist that has probably never worked a single day in corporate America or for any large company at all. The previous lawsuits were absurd (if you even bothered to read them and had half a brain you'd notice that). Should I sue because my car doesn't get the MPG it said I would? It's an estimation, people want everything now for nothing and when they don't get their hopes & dreams satisfied (like that's even possible) they sue. America has gotten way out of hand.

The level of varriance from the estimates is the issue here:

If a car said 20MPG and you got 17 ot 18, that is likely acceptable, if you got 7 or 8, that is not acceptable, and if the car manufacturer will not correct it, and many millions of unikts have the same issue, that is what this type of law is all about. It shouldnt be about getting rich which it sometimes is, sadly. but really it is the ultimate and final line of consumer protection.

[Timon]

Originally Posted by a_greer

Frankly, I am happy with the lawsuits in this case: They drove the company to fix the bugs rather than deny them as they did for the first month of the iphone2s release.

This is a textbook case of what class action law SHOULD do, keep companies on the streight and narrow, make them correct their mistakes and deliver the product that was advertised.

If the fix works, and the lawsuits dissappear, or are quickly settled for a small (sub $100,000) figure, I say that the system worked as it should.

Do you REALLY believe that Apple would not have fixed the problems if none of the lawsuits were filed? If you do I have a bridge to sell you. It takes time to figure out what the issues are. I'd rather have Apple finding the problem than sending out press releases with un-founded information.

Some people are just so cynical.

[a_greer]

Originally Posted by Timon

Do you REALLY this that Apple would not have fixed the problems if none of the lawsuits were filed? If you do I have a bridge to sell you. It takes time to figure out what the issues are. I'd rather have Apple finding the problem than sending out press releases with un-founded information.

Some people are just so cynical.

All I am saying is they denied denied denied until the first suit was filed, then they said "oh shit, fix in Sept! we promise!"

[Mr Underhill]

Originally Posted by a_greer

Frankly, I am happy with the lawsuits in this case: They drove the company to fix the bugs rather than deny them as they did for the first month of the iphone2s release.

This is a textbook case of what class action law SHOULD do, keep companies on the streight and narrow, make them correct their mistakes and deliver the product that was advertised.

If the fix works, and the lawsuits dissappear, or are quickly settled for a small (sub $100,000) figure, I say that the system worked as it should.

Did Apple deny the bugs I can't remember reading any denials Please correct me if i'm wrong

To be honest i have not had too bad an experience with my 3G unlike some unlucky buyers. As an Apple/Mac product user for many many moons i have always been satisfied with how quickly they have fixed bugs.

On saying that i have seen a progressive increase in buggy software over the years as Apples business has multiplied. Even some hardware issue's have caught me out lately and i've invested in a lot of that over the years.

I guess it's part and parcel of playing in the same arena with the big boys

[aplnub]

Originally Posted by a_greer

The level of varriance from the estimates is the issue here:

If a car said 20MPG and you got 17 ot 18, that is likely acceptable, if you got 7 or 8, that is not acceptable, and if the car manufacturer will not correct it, and many millions of unikts have the same issue, that is what this type of law is all about. It shouldnt be about getting rich which it sometimes is, sadly. but really it is the ultimate and final line of consumer protection.

It is software. I think everyone knows Apple would have corrected this stuff regardless as they do with Leopard and every OS before it. Otherwise, they would not be in business very long would they? It is absurd to believe or even think Apple would have let the iPhone go on with so much trouble with the high profile gadget.

[jbella]

Originally Posted by a_greer

Frankly, I am happy with the lawsuits in this case: They drove the company to fix the bugs rather than deny them as they did for the first month of the iphone2s release.

While I agree with you in principle, I don't necessarily think this was the case with the iPhone. The problem seems to be that in the Apple-world, Apple itself is very quiet and everyone else is very noisy. And it's hard to really know what is true and what just came fresh from the ass of some random blogger.

For example, when did Apple actually deny that there were any problems with the iPhone? As far as I can remember, they really didn't say much about it. AT&T issued some press releases about how the iPhone was working well on their network and problems only affected 1% of the iPhones out there. (Which, by the way, may or may not be true... but in the internet echo-chamber there is no longer any such thing as a 'small percentage' of users)

joe

[mutant]

Originally Posted by Timon

Do you REALLY believe that Apple would not have fixed the problems if none of the lawsuits were filed? If you do I have a bridge to sell you. It takes time to figure out what the issues are. I'd rather have Apple finding the problem than sending out press releases with un-founded information.

Some people are just so cynical.

Man I hear this all over the Apple discussion boards also. Everything is a conspiracy! Everything is done on purpose to get my money! Yes both Apple and AT&T are companies that try to make money. Is that hard to understand? What benefit would Apple gain by not updating/bug fix there products? They didn't do it because a few complained. They would of done it anyway in order to make their product better and to stay ahead of the competition. After spending millions of dollars and countless man hours developing a product, there're not just going to cut and run for a quick buck.

[Mr Underhill]

Originally Posted by Timon

Do you REALLY believe that Apple would not have fixed the problems if none of the lawsuits were filed? If you do I have a bridge to sell you. It takes time to figure out what the issues are. I'd rather have Apple finding the problem than sending out press releases with un-founded information.

Some people are just so cynical.

I agree!! After all are we not Beta testers? And without the feedback there's nothing to fix right!!
In my experience Apple users tend to be rational people but i'm seeing a lot more anger over bugs than ever before.

Do you think it's because there's a lot more M$ users switching over and maybe didn't expect Apple to have bugs? Maybe high expectations have been lowered somewhat.

I mean us die-hards do tend to get a little over enthusiastic about Apple don't we? Maybe we've oversold ourselves this time

[alanrock24]

I think a glaring omission is a way to sort Apps. Seems like we really need 2 choices:

1: Sort Alphabetically
2: Leave them where I put them.

[dm3]

What about the notification service support that was supposed to be coming in September? Is there yet another major released planned for this month?

[w00master]

Originally Posted by dm3

What about the notification service support that was supposed to be coming in September? Is there yet another major released planned for this month?

Perhaps the update includes the ability to do push notifications (I doubt it), but there are some other issues to contend with:

1. None of the apps released have this capability
2. Apple (at least this is my understanding) removed push notifications from the last SDK release.

[wilco]

Originally Posted by O4BlackWRX

Spoken like a true liberalist that has probably never worked a single day in corporate America or for any large company at all. The previous lawsuits were absurd (if you even bothered to read them and had half a brain you'd notice that). Should I sue because my car doesn't get the MPG it said I would? It's an estimation, people want everything now for nothing and when they don't get their hopes & dreams satisfied (like that's even possible) they sue. America has gotten way out of hand.

Blah blah blah.

Corporate America will always do the right thing for the consumer.

Except when it's in their financial best interests not to.

[joelesler]

Originally Posted by skottichan

I used to have a little lag (with around 120 contacts), now it's nearly instantaneous.

Yeah, but I have 893. I want to know THAT performance.

[technosmurf]

[ Edit ]

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by MacTel

This update may end the numerous lawsuits out there about Apple's performance promises of the iPhone 3G.

Too many trigger happy lawyers eyeballing Apple's pile of cash.

Doubt it. They will say too little too late, emotional anxiety, loss of work, etc.

Originally Posted by a_greer

Frankly, I am happy with the lawsuits in this case: They drove the company to fix the bugs rather than deny them as they did for the first month of the iphone2s release.

This is a textbook case of what class action law SHOULD do, keep companies on the streight and narrow, make them correct their mistakes and deliver the product that was advertised.

If the fix works, and the lawsuits dissappear, or are quickly settled for a small (sub $100,000) figure, I say that the system worked as it should.

How about just a little perspective. This 2.1 beta was first seeded on July 24th. The first lawsuit regarding the iPhone 3G was filled on August 19th.

• http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...ification.html
• http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...3g_speeds.html

Originally Posted by alanrock24

I think a glaring omission is a way to sort Apps. Seems like we really need 2 choices:

1: Sort Alphabetically
2: Leave them where I put them.

We need folders to organize our apps.

[dfiler]

Edit: (deleted tinfoil jab at an earlier conspiracy theorist post)

My wish list for 2.1...

Less lag.
Exchange support for push that actually works.

[stonybrookadam]

Originally Posted by O4BlackWRX

Spoken like a true liberalist that has probably never worked a single day in corporate America or for any large company at all. The previous lawsuits were absurd (if you even bothered to read them and had half a brain you'd notice that). Should I sue because my car doesn't get the MPG it said I would? It's an estimation, people want everything now for nothing and when they don't get their hopes & dreams satisfied (like that's even possible) they sue. America has gotten way out of hand.

I don't think America has gotten out of hand -- it's ADVERTISING which has lost touch with reality. Why should we, as consumers and citizens, accept a company making outlandish claims? There are regulatory agencies which deal with certain industries (FDA and pharmaceuticals, for example), but for many sectors, one can say almost anything in print/radio/television without fear of reprisal.

As much as I love Apple, there is much to be said for gently underrepresenting a product, such that A) most consumers will be pleasantly surprised, and B) there is greatly reduced chance of litigation based on falsely inflated claims. Apple, like most other companies, has fallen victim to the kind of "megahertz-myth" meaningless number spouting that their own ads once targeted.

I would be thrilled to support a company that said "our REAL WORLD battery life is (x)." It's incredibly frustrating try and deconvolve specifications through the reality distortion field. I know I'll NEVER see 5 hours of of my MBAir. That's false advertising as "wireless productivity". Does my girlfriend's iPhone 3g get "300 hours of standby"? Not on your life. Try 20 on a good day. I'm sorry, but a FIFTEEN FOLD difference isn't excusable. These are not uncommon "real world" stories. Should I know better than to believe the spec? Sure. But ask yourself for a question WHY you should have to distrust a vendor to whom you're paying thousands of dollars.

I thought that Apple, as a corporation, was above such unsupported posturing. Perhaps that left with the "Computer" portion of their name...

[NeilM]

Originally Posted by technosmurf

The following picture shows that sound effects can be activated on an individual basis (I think this is new with firmware 2.1):

There seems to be new changes within the Mail app. For example, when the cursor is in the "To:" field, the keyboard changes so that there is an "@" key, and the space bar shrinks (I guess because you don't need it in this field). Is this a new change?

Both those things are in 2.0.2 on my iPhone 3G - but I confess I had to go look to be sure!

Thx for the other feature update screen shots. Of course for iPhone 3G users it'll be the phone performance fixes that we'll mostly be looking for.

[Virgil-TB2]

Are you John McCain?

Yours seems to be the comment that everyone wants to post about, even though you are simply 100% wrong on the actual facts. This is way to eerily similar to McCain/Palin for me.

You can't just spout falsehoods and make stuff up. Only *half* of the USA will believe you if you do that.

Originally Posted by a_greer

Frankly, I am happy with the lawsuits in this case: They drove the company to fix the bugs rather than deny them as they did for the first month of the iphone2s release.

This is a textbook case of what class action law SHOULD do, keep companies on the streight and narrow, make them correct their mistakes and deliver the product that was advertised.

If the fix works, and the lawsuits dissappear, or are quickly settled for a small (sub $100,000) figure, I say that the system worked as it should.

[stonybrookadam]

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

Are you John McCain?

Yours seems to be the comment that everyone wants to post about, even though you are simply 100% wrong on the actual facts. This is way to eerily similar to McCain/Palin for me.

You can't just spout falsehoods and make stuff up. Only *half* of the USA will believe you if you do that.

Way to bring totally irrelevant politics into this. Perhaps HALF of the US is sitting on their collective duffs as open-mouthed consumers instead of being irate with the status quo of false advertisements and unsubstantiated claims of performance.

Lawsuits are designed to act as a check and balance of the system. When the system is in equilibrium, there will be frivolous lawsuits, and there will be suits of merit. I wouldn't consider holding an advertiser to their claims to be frivolous. Making sweeping statements for fifty seconds followed by a few microscopic lines of "disclaimer" does not truth in advertising make. If we stop requiring TRUTH in print/radio/TV, all of our information sources will further ride down a slippery slope.
Perhaps we're all just to accustomed to being fed lies and half-truths to know any better or care. Coming full circle to politics, I would argue that we've forgotten that there was a time when the word "libel" meant something.

[Shintocam]

Well, I've just done the upgrade and interesting the first thing I needed to do after the upgrade was use the calculator. Looked fine except when I turned my touch over to get into the scientific calculator I was surprised to find out the calculator no longer fit on the screen. It was off to the side and up too high cutting of part of the picture. After a couple resets of my iPod touch it seems to be back to normal.

Just a weird quirk I guess.

[cameronj]

Originally Posted by technosmurf

Finally, a user asked about long lags when initiating the Contacts app. Well, after starting that app for the very first time after upgrading to 2.1, there was indeed a lag, but after that, every new initiation of that app is instantaneous (even after powering off and on again). I have 263 contacts that are synced with a push service. The search bar is now always at the top of the contact list (it seemed like before, you had to touch the magnifying icon on the right bar or something like that). I should note that I do not have any pictures associated with my contacts. After reading somewhere that this could cause very long syncs, I deleted all pictures from my contacts. I don't know if picture contacts will still cause long lags in the firmware 2.1 Contacts app.

Great post. It's very good to hear that about the Contacts, that is promising.

I also was always bewildered by the fact that to get to the search, you had to go all the way to the top. Of course if doing that didn't take 20 seconds on my phone, it would be not as bad, but its boneheaded either way.

Thanks!

[robb1068]

What's more, icons of updated applications now retain their pre-set position on the Touch's home screen, rather than being thrust to the end of the home screen, where they previously needed to be forcibly repositioned by the user.


Hallelujah!!!!

[joelesler]

Originally Posted by dfiler

My wish list for 2.1...

There will be no wishing here. That belongs on DearCupertino.com

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by dfiler

Edit: (deleted tinfoil jab at an earlier conspiracy theorist post)

My wish list for 2.1...

Less lag.
Exchange support for push that actually works.

Sounds like you need to switch carriers. "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW"?

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

Are you John McCain?

Yours seems to be the comment that everyone wants to post about, even though you are simply 100% wrong on the actual facts. This is way to eerily similar to McCain/Palin for me.

You can't just spout falsehoods and make stuff up. Only *half* of the USA will believe you if you do that.

You mean like the lie that your pastor, the anti-American racist hate mongerer, never spewed any vile while you sat in his church for 20 years, married you, and baptised your kids?

[mjtomlin]

Originally Posted by stonybrookadam

As much as I love Apple, there is much to be said for gently underrepresenting a product, such that A) most consumers will be pleasantly surprised, and B) there is greatly reduced chance of litigation based on falsely inflated claims. Apple, like most other companies, has fallen victim to the kind of "megahertz-myth" meaningless number spouting that their own ads once targeted.

I would be thrilled to support a company that said "our REAL WORLD battery life is (x)." It's incredibly frustrating try and deconvolve specifications through the reality distortion field. I know I'll NEVER see 5 hours of of my MBAir. That's false advertising as "wireless productivity". Does my girlfriend's iPhone 3g get "300 hours of standby"? Not on your life. Try 20 on a good day. I'm sorry, but a FIFTEEN FOLD difference isn't excusable. These are not uncommon "real world" stories. Should I know better than to believe the spec? Sure. But ask yourself for a question WHY you should have to distrust a vendor to whom you're paying thousands of dollars.

I thought that Apple, as a corporation, was above such unsupported posturing. Perhaps that left with the "Computer" portion of their name...

First of all, I always find it funny that people just "put up" with what is obviously a faulty device. Not sure what's wrong with your girlfriend's iPhone, maybe she should take it back? If my iPhone did that, I would definitely return it and get one that worked as advertised; I can leave my iPhone sit for several days without needing to recharge it, while occasionally using it. Also, you do understand that "standby time" means the time left in uninterrupted sleep mode?

Secondly, any specification, especially when there are a lot of variables involved, is pretty much a "guestimate" based on what that company perceives real world use to be (and they usually claim so). Battery life and wireless speed are never guaranteed, they are an estimate, just as MPG rating on cars, or life expectancy of light bulbs, or bandwidth throughput. Some people may actually get more, some will get less, it depends on the circumstances; use, location, etc.

The only people caught in a "reality distortion field" are those that are ignorant of real world situations and influences. I'm surprised you're not here bitching about the fact that your USB 2.x throughput isn't actually 480Mbps!? Maybe you should sue Intel or something.