Apple trims push notification out of newest iPhone firmware beta

According to Appleinsider, the newest beta of iPhone firmware (2.1, beta 4) has been seeded to developers, but takes one crucial element off the table -- push notification. If you'll recall, the new feature will allow third-party developers to take advantage of Apple's servers for real-time push of data to applications. Apparently, the feature has been cut from the most recent beta for "further development" with no indication of when it will be reinstated. Of course, this is a beta seed of the firmware -- the actual release is slated for September -- and it makes sense that Apple would be tweaking major additions like this before going live, especially considering its recent launch debacles.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Bryan @ Aug 17th 2008 12:03PM]

RIP RIM!? BAHAHAHA.

[tony @ Aug 17th 2008 2:36PM]

Why would an evil genius try to destroy RIM. Wait, you are an evil genius, right? The laugh confused me.

[Carl Vitullo @ Aug 17th 2008 7:26PM]

I think "malevolent dullard" is more appropriate, actually.

[Blackstar @ Aug 18th 2008 12:56AM]

I would pay money for someone to swap that picture of the iPhone with one that has an iWash girl on it during an Apple Keynote presentation. Just once.

[PDubs @ Aug 17th 2008 12:07PM]

As long as GPS and 3G gest fixed, take out whatever you want.

[imacmatt09 @ Aug 17th 2008 2:16PM]

They don't need to take stuff out.. They need to add something.... like copy and paste! I mean my crappy old razr v3 had it and my iPhone doesn't!?

[kccboy2004 @ Aug 17th 2008 7:07PM]

if they would just get the reception sorted out. I am waiting to see this work consistenty as a phone.

good news though... my girlfriend's husband can never get hold of her coz' the reception is always phasing out.

i know we like too blame AT&T.... but Apple did pick AT&T as its partner. (that is what I keep telling my girlfriend when she goes on about her husband and their lousy marriage.

[Nabil @ Aug 18th 2008 2:09PM]

No kidding...just fix the darn reception. I could care less about anything else.

[Nabil @ Aug 18th 2008 2:14PM]

[off topic]

@ kccboy2004

Is your girlfriend using her iPhone to cheat on her husband with you? Like that SNL skit?

[Homeslice @ Aug 17th 2008 12:13PM]

Finally! We get some features that Apple should have given the iphone from the beginning.

[PuBeLeSs @ Aug 17th 2008 12:18PM]

the point of the article was there taking stuff out.

[Phoenix @ Aug 17th 2008 12:23PM]

The feature that you've wanted is them NOT putting in a new feature... Riiiight. Yes, companies should ALWAYS announce a new feature which they then take out. Cos that's what we consumers want.

[nerdtalker @ Aug 17th 2008 4:31PM]

What? Are you daft or just illiterate? The feature is being taken OUT, as in REMOVED until it they fix MobileMe which was admittedly a mistake in the first place.

[d @ Aug 17th 2008 12:16PM]

xth
know what else they need to do? lift the NDA so that Adium for iPhone becomes even a possibility.

[tf @ Aug 17th 2008 12:24PM]

wow, glad one of the reasons i bought this phone wasn't because i wanted this feature...... oh wait it's one of the main reasons.

[totoro @ Aug 17th 2008 1:03PM]

Never buy a product (esp. one with a TWO YEAR contract) based on a feature that is "coming real soon now.", if that is the "main reason". Wait til it actually, you know, 1) ships, and 2) is shown to work?

[happy_penguin @ Aug 17th 2008 8:20PM]

I agree with totoro. I bought the iPhone liking what it was already. While I also was looking forward to new features and improvements I certainly didn't buy it thinking "I have to buy this now so that I'll have it when Xwhatever comes out". Xwhatever may never happen.

[Tim @ Aug 17th 2008 12:25PM]

What happened to the canon 5d mark ii post?

[Phoenix @ Aug 17th 2008 12:48PM]

I'm guessing it was either vastly wrong or they were made to pull it by Canon's lawyers....

[Taylor @ Aug 17th 2008 12:50PM]

Anyone catch the content? I clicked the title bar to read the article on it's own and didn't get to read any of it. It was an empty page when it loaded.

[Zach @ Aug 17th 2008 1:01PM]

It was the same rumored specs from months ago.

[Robert Pugh @ Aug 17th 2008 1:02PM]

Canon 5D Mark II:
- $2399.95
- 16 MP
- 6 FPS shooting
- ISO: 25600
- Weather sealed
- VGA display

[Phil Perman @ Aug 17th 2008 1:13PM]

Basically everyone in the comments pointed out that the source they were linking to was a month old and completely unsubstantiated.

[Seth Porter @ Aug 17th 2008 2:44PM]

That is a freaking buttload of ISO

[CraigJ @ Aug 17th 2008 12:30PM]

That sucks. I'm looking forward to push tech for some apps I'd like to write, and also for a decent IM client.

I can only conclude that the Mobile Me problems caused Apple to re-evaluate their infrastructure, and that is is lacking. This is disappointing, but better they pull that code out and make it right, than ship it half-baked.

Probably a lot of "I told you so" going on in Cupertino...

[totoro @ Aug 17th 2008 1:06PM]

Yep. That photo above really says it all: That cloud thing :p

[Jon @ Aug 18th 2008 10:24AM]

Palringo is a pretty nice IM client and it's free.

[indiekiduk @ Aug 17th 2008 12:47PM]

Maybe they realised their push implementation doesnt work when the iphone goes into standby? Since it only happens when the phone isn't docked it would be easy to miss that when testing.

[Taylor @ Aug 17th 2008 12:48PM]

Where did the Canon 5D Mark II article go?

[MMisterio @ Aug 17th 2008 12:51PM]

ah screw it, I'll do it.

IFAIL!!!!!!

[Raheem @ Aug 17th 2008 1:03PM]

You certainly do!

[tony @ Aug 17th 2008 2:33PM]

Is that clever or just ironic?

[Raheem @ Aug 17th 2008 1:03PM]

I have to admit, I was an iPhone lover during the last year, however this new firmware sucks so bad. It's so buggy and constantly freezes. I may be tempted to go the way of another manufacturer. It's becoming a joke when I have to wait 20 seconds for my contacts list to load.

[CraigJ @ Aug 17th 2008 1:40PM]

I've been using 2.0.1 since it was released with no problems. Maybe the apps you have installed are the problem?

[puhsitch @ Aug 17th 2008 1:49PM]

@Square: You sound a little disturbed.

@Raheem: That was the case for me during 2.0, but 2.0.1 performs much better. Did you run the update yet?

[Eric @ Aug 17th 2008 2:06PM]

I haven't had any problems with 2.0.1

Contacts load in no more than 3 seconds, usually less.

Improvements from 2.0.0 to 2.0.1=Pretty great
Complaining that it still isn't good enough=Not so great

[Raheem @ Aug 17th 2008 2:19PM]

While I have seen problems occur less often with the update guys, I still think it's a bit of an ask to be running such buggy firmware on what was supposed to have been a revolutionary device. Sometimes it takes a lot of will power not smack the thing against the table out of frustration.

I think things should always be improving so whilst I'm not 'complaining' as such - it's criticism that needs to be heard.

[Conorkirkpat @ Aug 17th 2008 2:59PM]

I think the people calling people sheeple are the real sheeple, seeing as there seems to be more people who call people that then there are sheeple.


Anyway, I have had no problems with the contacts app. Although I figured out a way to make it perform almost instant:

Just use the contacts in the phone app. I have an iPod Touch, and I am going to buy an iPhone, but I put the phone app on my iPod Touch to see if the contacts there are any faster, and they were ready as soon as I opened it.

[Raheem @ Aug 17th 2008 6:27PM]

I demand someone explain the low ranks to my reasonable statements.

[Carl Vitullo @ Aug 17th 2008 7:31PM]

I dunno what the iPhone is, but it isn't revolutionary. It's barely even evolutionary.
It has a good browser and visual voicemail, which are both firsts for a phone, but beyond that, everything it has has been done before, as well as a few things it *doesn't* have, like push or copy-paste.

[derX @ Aug 17th 2008 7:49PM]

Yeah, I was quite surprised at the ranking myself. I don't see why any of the replies to your original comment got low ranked. The only one that deserved it has gotten nothing.

[Chris @ Aug 17th 2008 8:19PM]

Raheem,

I'm assuming your iPhone was purchased pre-2.0. 1.1.4 was quite stable and if that is the most important thing to you, maybe you should go back to that. Not many phones have so many features added to it so quickly. If you don't like the bugs, go back to the stable software. You should buy and rate a product based on what is available at the time of purchase. Anything added later is icing on the cake, so to speak. They will get the bugs worked out, they are just moving a bit too quickly because they have entered a very competitive market.

My last phone was a Windows mobile smartphone and I was never able to install an upgraded OS onto it, nor was it ever as stable as a 1.1.4 iPhone. It's amazing to me how high people's expectations are becoming.

[Phoenix @ Aug 18th 2008 6:24AM]

@Chris

Not many phones were lacking so many features and had to have them added. Also to say you can't install a new OS on Windows Mobile? Bullshit. Maybe not from a 1.0 to 2.0 style, but a cooked ROM can add a ton of features and stability.

[Kris @ Aug 17th 2008 1:21PM]

The push is only TO the application. Push from the application? That makes no sense Engadget!

[Justin B @ Aug 17th 2008 1:28PM]

Enough is enough. I'm tired of this phone being a piece of crap now. It was smooth sailing with 1.1.4 and now with 2.0, it's really become a bother to use this phone. As soon as HTC releases their android phone, I'm jumping ship.

[god_mode @ Aug 17th 2008 4:51PM]

Arrg! still in beta?

C'mon Apple, we desperately need 2.1. Hire more people if you have to. Just make the phone stable and not drop calls. The bar is set really low!!

[Striker @ Aug 17th 2008 1:57PM]

"**** it! We'll do it live!" -Steve Jobs, Mobile Me/iPhone 3g/iPhone 2.0 Launch

[WhiteyxPimp @ Aug 17th 2008 2:44PM]

Well I don't have to worry about that feature being taken out because it is one of the only features I don't use on the iPhone 3G. The only feature I care about in 2.1 is copy & paste.

[Phoenix @ Aug 17th 2008 4:44PM]

Who says it's in 2.1? I remember a post of apple's "List to do"... with copy and paste not near the top

[MadCow234 @ Aug 18th 2008 2:45PM]

Of course you don't use it, nobody does, it's not out yet.