So far I have been quite impressed with the 2.1 update to the iPhone/iPod Touch software. It was released (for the iPhone) on Friday morning and I was able to download it without problems. One of my main gripes with the previous software was the extremely long backup time every time a sync with iTunes was initiated. This was demonstrated when I updated the software this weekend: the backup prior to installation took nearly 60 minutes. From there, however, it was all downhill. The update went well and I have now had a couple of days with the phone in its new guise. Synchronisation with iTunes is now much more rapid and is acceptable–while the previous sync time was wholly unacceptable. The other big improvement is in 3G signal sensitivity. At home I was getting one or maybe two bars; now I get a full house of five bars. I've had a similar experience in most of my local haunts, pubs, cafes and restaurants. The O2 signal now seems to be at full strength throughout my area.
There now appears to be more stability. Applications load faster and do not crash as often. In fact, I haven't had a single crash since installing the update. Before I was having frequent crashes with Splash Money and OmniFocus.
Among the small improvements is the ability to maintain application order on the "desktop" when updating. Before, updated applications would move to the end of the list which, in my case, was on the third page. I also understand that Apple have cured the security loopholes which allowed access to a locked phone by going through the emergency call option. So far, therefore, so good.
I had problems with two applications following the software update. Bloomberg lost all my stock information and I had to re-enter painstakingly. And Bookpedia lost the database information. In this case, though, it was a simple matter of resyncing with the desktop. The Splash suite–Money, ID, Shopper–maintained their databases and there were no problems.
I do have one continuing gripe about the iPhone: the lack of cut and paste. Computers have had this facility for as long as I can remember, right back to the early eighties. The Windows Mobile platform has had cut and paste since the early days, so it is all the more annoying and inexplicable that the mighty iPhone is crippled by the absence of any way of transferring information internally. You still need a notebook if you want to work seriously on the iPhone.