Firmware 2.0.1, Placebo Or Real?
August 10, 2008 by Ryan Ray
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
By now we all know that the iPhone 2.0.1 software update is out. It’s probably on everyone’s iPhone as well. It supposedly was full of “bug fixes” as Apple calls all of their updates now. I really wish we received more info on what these updates correct. I remember when Apple used to let us know what the updates actually fixed. It would say something like “This update fixes the issue users were having with exporting photos as jpg’s.” Now we just know that it is a “bug fix.” So this could mean the iPhone 2.0.1 software was nothing more than a placebo. The iPhone 2.0.1 could have just been a sugar pill, or could it have been the real thing.
Now, there were numerous issues that cropped up with the 2.0 software. Many people, including myself, felt like this update was half-baked and not quite ready for prime time. It did bring us a lot of new features, but many bugs at the same time. We got our app store and Exchange support was built right in, but there were issues with apps crashing, data being lost, update an app and it loses it’s spot, annoying keyboard lag, battery life issues, Safari still doesn’t play well with the iPod, etc…It seemed like a simple 0.1 update couldn’t fix all these issues. Well I’ve spent a few days now with my updated iPhone and I’ll fill you in on what I’ve experienced.
Keyboard Lag
My first major concern with my iPhone was the annoying keyboard lag. It seemed my iPhone didn’t have it as bad as other iPhones had it. I didn’t run into the lag all the time as many did. Sure it happened every once in awhile, but it only seemed to happen when I was in Safari trying to type a URL. I didn’t get the lag in any other apps. My texting was smooth in the SMS app, in the app store itself, in the mail app, just not in Safari. I was hoping this update would fix the issue for me, but sadly I still get lag when I’m using Safari. Granted it is better at catching up with my texting, at the same time though this hardly happened before the 2.0 software. I have faith that Apple can fix this, they’ve fixed bigger things before.
Apps Crashing/Updating
The updating part isn’t so much a bug, but something that was overlooked. When you update your app it should keep it’s position in your iPhone’s home screens. This isn’t the case when you update any app from the app store. It automatically gets pushed to the first open spot on your screen. It’s annoying because I already spent the time to position my apps how I want them. Then the update comes in for numerous apps and just throws a rock into your homescreens throwing them all out of order. Secondly there was some sort of glitch where you couldn’t open certain apps without redownloading them. It came out of nowhere and suddenly you couldn’t open Pandora or Last.fm, etc…, you had to delete the apps and redownload them. A major pain, especially over EDGE. I suffered that fate a few times.
With this update I’m experiencing a new kind of crash. It’s not as bad as having to redownload it, but it’s still a crash! Now when my apps crash I get hung in this iPhone limbo world. My screen is all black but the menu bar is grey. I sit there and sit there, nothing happens though. What it takes to get your iPhone back to normal is a push of the sleep/wake button. This turns off the screen then you can unlock it and give it another try. A weird way to fix a crashed app. It works for now though.
Battery Life
Like I said, we don’t know what this update fixed thanks to Apple’s lack of description. I still had hoped though that the update would bring better power management. For instance if you are in an app and push the sleep/wake button or just let the iPhone lock the screen, you are still in that app and it drains the battery very quickly. This update should have fixed that but alas it doesn’t. I haven’t noticed any changes to my battery, but I will never know if this update was supposed to anyway…UGH!
Safari & iPod
This has been a huge issue since the iPhone came out, and it still has yet to be totally fixed. The problem is that if you leave the iPod playing then try to browse the web in Safari, the iPod crashes and your music quits playing. Even I have experienced this iPod crash in other apps. It seems it’s only safe to use the iPod when you are going to use it by itself. If you leave it playing and try to use any other app it’s just going to be bad news. I was hoping the new iPhone software would fix the problem, it didn’t and neither did the 2.0.1 update. I do have to say that the problem isn’t as extreme as it used to be, but if you push it right the iPod will crash.
So these are the issues I am still experiencing with my iPhone. What issues are you having, and is it driving you insane? Do you want to switch phones now? I’m sticking with the iPhone as I know Apple will fix these issues and my iPhone will be better than ever. Many users might not even have updated yet, so let me know what software you are on and if you’ve updated. Thanks!
Related Articles:
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!