Apple has released a beta version of iPhone OS 2.1 to developers.
“iPhone 2.1 software update will bring improvements to the GPS functions. Specifically, the iPhone will not only know where you are, but in which direction you are going and how fast you are moving. This is being interpreted by many people as the coming of turn-by-turn GPS,” Charlie Sorrel blogs for Wired.
“Proper turn-by-turn GPS would be a huge blow for existing satnav manufacturers,” Sorrel writes.
“What this update does show us is that… iPhone 2.0 has the ability to turn the world of mobile devices upside down,” Sorrel writes. “Now that there are a 3G and a GPS chip inside, and now that the App Store is up and running, the iPhone can mimic pretty much any other class of handheld device with the simple addition of software.”
Full article here.
Andru Edwards reports for Gear Live, “Along with the 2.1 firmware, a new version of the iPhone SDK has been seeded as well, but the new SDK can’t be used for submitting applications to the App Store at the moment.”
“A few new things we are seeing in this version of the software is the addition of a bunch of Core Location features that track the direction you are heading, and the speed you are traveling,” Edwards reports.
Full article here.
There’s a loud, crunching noise rolling over the state of Washington. It is the sound of the destruction of a thousand office chairs. All MS employees will be required to stand until further notice.
I hope they fix Safari’s problem.
It crashes more than Amy Winehouse in rehab….
How about a new ‘Nike + Apple’ application – re-trace famous races seeing your speed versus the winners, or see if your friends are out running too.
I’ll bet TomTom and Garvin are sweating, and will have a harder time justifying the pricetags for their devices…
There’s nowhere to hide, Waldo.
hopefully, this will also cure some of the complaints about very poor 3G service as well.
I’d be happy with no lag time when I go to the address book, for instance… before more sugary sweet is added to slow down the phone.
Further, when I’m drive 70 down the interstate, or driving in a busy city – I’ll take my Garmin which speaks to me with a screen I can actually glance at and see over an iPhone for navigation.
@Towertone. My Safari doesn’t crash. But then, I think Amy Winetrash is a skank. Long live Perry Como. Just jokin’.
But can it mimic the Zune?
How about that universal landscape keyboard?
390 days and counting and Apple still can’t come up with this fairly simple solution to a fairly irritating problem.
I agree with all posters who are calling for 2.1 to be a promptly delivered fix for the sluggish UI. (Crashing isn’t as big an issue for me but I am seeing it a bit more of that than in 1.X)
It gets embarrassing when you try to show off your “cool new phone.” And its just a royal pain from day to day when trying to look up a contact. Add to the mix the less than stellar performance of MobilMe.
I hope Apple learns some lessons from this rollout.
I read Tom Tom is supposedly already developing a driving direction app for the iPhone. Just waiting for it to work right and work legally and be blessed by Apple, I think.
Who will be sweating are GPS device makers that are trying to convert their old gadgets into a smartphone, and other mobile OS or hardware only makers who still hope they can catch up to the speed that the iPhone is developing.
When that first turn-by-turn GPS iPhone commercial hits TV – then it will be ‘Game Over’.
What fixes the slow display of contacts for me was to turn the phone completely off then back on. Do this every couple of days or so and it should fix the contact list slowness. Did for me anyway.
But before Apple starts adding more fluff I sure wish they would add a simple reminder beep when I’ve missed a call or message. How hard could that be?
(I keep saying this every chance I get in hopes that Steve may some day read it, and do it!)
Fuck new features Apple, give me a fucking iPhone that is STABLE
Now before any of you guys and girls flame me, please know that I am probably Apple’s Number 1 fan. I love ’em. BUT, this damn iPhone 3G is about as stable as Amy Winehouse in a pub – it crashes 3-4 times a day… but this morning was something else.
After a backup of nearly 2 HOURS in iTunes, my iPhone abruptly restarted itself as I was loading up Band. Got stuck at the Apple Logo and went no further for 2 hours, so I decided to bite the bullet and restore from Diagnostic Mode.
iTunes then tells me my iPhone backup is corrupt, and so I have to start over. Fucking great.
Come on Apple, please. All I ask is you make the iPhone stable again. My 1st gen iPhone running 1.1.4 was head and shoulders above this 3G, and it’s all down to the 2.0 software. At least let us know you are working on a fix. Are you?
Jamie
You shouldn’t talk about Amy Winehouse like that…..
Long-time Apple fan and iPhone early adopter, here (purchased week 1.) Safari does crash regularly. Period. Always has. Still does. Address Book and even the phone itself can be annoyingly sluggish sometimes. Still, the iPhone is an AWESOME device. No question. But, now that we have apps and great new features, I hope the iPhone OS development team can focus on speed, stability and usability.
As for GPS, the iPhone won’t replace a dedicated GPS any more than it replaces a good digital camera. Just like the camera, it’s awesome to have, and better than none at all, but it’s no replacement. It will probably cut into sales a little for Garmin and Tom Tom, but there will still be a huge market for the dedicated devices.
How about mobile me and push that actually works?
@Jamie
Band is an unstable program (a great program but unstable) If it locks-up your iPhone (it did once for me) all you have to do is hold down the top button and the home button at the same time for a few seconds to force your iPhone to restart. You don’t need to stare at your iPhone for 2 hours.
Also, when sinking your iPhone to iTunes. When it gets to the part when it says (backing up your iPhone) just click the cancel button next to it and skip that part, you don’t need it. It goes on to the rest of the sink, even backing up your apps without taking 2 hours.
Apple does needs to fix that in the next update.
You know, I have to say I’ve had no complaints whatsoever with the MobileMe and push email, but I don’t need everything synced to the second, so the lags haven’t bothered me as they would some.
But I have to second (or third) the calls for some bugfixin’ – there definitely are times when the phone just “stalls” out and I’m left pushing my finger on an icon and pushing and pushing… and I don’t have any feedback so I don’t know why it’s not responding. It’s the old spinning beachball on the Mac, but without the beachball.
That, and far too often apps just die and dump me back to the main “desktop” of icons for no apparent reason. I’d say the iPhone team could use to take a pass through the list and improve some stability, for sure.
The turn-by-turn would be nice too, though – I can’t believe my brother bought an “Instinct” and we were comparing our cool phones. The Instinct had me beat for: GPS Turn-by-Turn Navigation, voice dialing and map searches, and customizable keyboard onscreen with vibration-feedback when you press the keys. He could set the keyboard to always open in horizontal or vertical mode, decide which style keyboard opened by default, etc.
On the other hand, the iPhone had the instinct beat with the App Store, screen size, memory size, iPod control, beauty of design (both physical phone & software GUI), and I think wi-fi, but I don’t remember for sure.
Overall, I have to say the Instinct wasn’t crappy like I thought it would be. It actually seemed decently functional.
@jamie
Either something is actually worpng with your actual hardware or you’ve installed some piece of crap app that is causing you this imstibility.
iPhone 2.1 to provide turn-by-turn navigation?
iPhone 2.1 to provide cut and paste?
iPhone 2.1 to provide fish pedicures?
It’s all rampant speculation. Any headline about Apple that ends in a question mark is not worth the electrons it’s written with.
another bug…
the volume goes back to the middle everytime u set it back to the highest setting and ELECTRONIC for SMS doesnt always work… tested on 4 iPhones… all same issues!!!
“When that first turn-by-turn GPS iPhone commercial hits TV – then it will be ‘Game Over’.”
Except for people who want it to cost $100 for the device, with no subscription and have it work when out of cellphone coverage.
I’d be happy with it making my Touch stable and responsive again.
@theloniousmac, there is nothing wrong with the hardware, it’s most certainly this 2.0 software. And isn’t the whole point of the App Store so “piece of crap app” cannot even get onto my iPhone?
This App cost me £5.99, and was featured at the WWDC. Shame they didn’t show it’s other features, like corrupting an iPhone so it has to be restored and started from scratch.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Please please Apple with sugar on top – release 2.0.1 already!