iPhone 2.1 software update announced (update: $10 for some iPod touch owners)

Ah, bug fixes galore. Apple just announced firmware 2.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch. "No crashes," says Steve. He's calling it a big update with the promise of fewer dropped calls, big battery improvement, and faster backups. Is this a dream? We'll find out when it's released this Friday.

P.S. No mention of copy and paste.

Update: 2.1 will be available for iPod touch owners for $10. Come on, you didn't really expect it to be free did you? There's a "buy now" button at the end of that link but it only downloads v2.0 at the moment.

Update 2: Fine print says free to those who paid for iPod touch 2.0 update. Lucky you. [Thanks, Foad]

[Shao @ Sep 9th 2008 1:51PM]

about time! faster backups!! hopefully this should be good!

[JJV @ Sep 9th 2008 1:56PM]

wasnt there something about a mi...whats i called?...micro....MICROSOFT thats it couldnt remember...... werent they doing something today?

[OneLove @ Sep 9th 2008 2:10PM]

promises, promises.

[Rod @ Sep 9th 2008 2:29PM]

Well, I was mostly waiting for them to add some functionality to the GPS, which is pretty much useless right now.
When is TomTom going to make their software?
When is SlingMedia going to get their Sling box for iPhone?

[iPhoner @ Sep 9th 2008 2:38PM]

Come one they used to have copy and paste on a Newton for crying out loud!

http://www.iphone-hacks.com

[Jakob @ Sep 9th 2008 3:19PM]

I think they have some surprises left for us. Why would the new iPod touch get Genius playlist and iPhone not? Hopefully we're seing this on Friday:

*GPS-turn-by-turn
*Genius playlists
*New unknown features (copy and paste?)

[Lane @ Sep 9th 2008 4:08PM]

Sorry to piggyback, but the Apple website's fine print says:
*If you’ve already upgraded to the iPhone 2.0 Software Update for iPod touch, the 2.1 update is free.

So most people won't have to pay for the update!

[Johan S @ Sep 9th 2008 1:51PM]

Yes, but can I cut & paste?

[Jamma @ Sep 9th 2008 1:55PM]

Any Push/background for apps?

[Homeboy @ Sep 9th 2008 2:19PM]

No, but you can use your iPhone to cut cake.

[Jon @ Sep 9th 2008 2:44PM]

I will gladly skip cut and paste for a phone I can use without crashes and dropped calls.

[d @ Sep 9th 2008 4:35PM]

how about this for iPhone in general? Not yet, but I'll be watching for this closely.

[John @ Sep 9th 2008 5:22PM]

Seriously this is pathetic. They cant make a clipboard application and allow all applications to access it? And add the ability to use it from the browser and all native apps?

Its almost as if this is something that apple doesnt want you to have. This thing has been out for over a year, in development for several before that, and this simple functionality still isnt in.

[slowburn @ Sep 9th 2008 8:51PM]

Apple is releasing the cut and paste function for the next $10 update. Maybe.

[Noodles2k @ Sep 9th 2008 1:51PM]

"Some great new performance enhancements... free to all owners, available this Friday."

Ah so, it actually does "just work" now?

[Veraxus @ Sep 9th 2008 1:56PM]

Thank God. The laggyness is maddening - not to mention the general instability of the thing. Still want:
1) Hands-free/voice calling
2) Cut/paste
3) No more wildly fluctuating signal without even moving
4) Flash Support
5) Document syncing/offline viewing

[Phil Perman @ Sep 9th 2008 1:59PM]

I seriously hope it does just work. The text lag if maddening, and at the moment I can't open a single downloaded app, they all just close after about 2 seconds.

Come on Apple, 5th time lucky with the version 2 software?

[zbot @ Sep 9th 2008 2:08PM]

@phil:

me too. apps crash every time now. phone is completely laggy, and buggy. the iphone has seriously gone downhill.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Sep 9th 2008 3:01PM]

God I hope so. I haven't reverted to 1.x because I do enjoy the activesync and apps which I rarely use, but it took the iPhone from 'works perfectly' to 'occasionally as slow as WinMo' which is unacceptable for a device that is a phone first. It was the #1 thing that Apple got right when they released the iPhone, making it a great phone. Lately the 'phone' part seems to have been coming in second... or third.

[maveric101 @ Sep 9th 2008 3:53PM]

with this 2.1 update, we are announcing several new features:
-less dropped calls!
-no crashing!
-decent battery life!

some great features in that update, apple, where are the actual features? like tom-toms gps nav app?

btw, i do have an iphone.

[MBS @ Sep 9th 2008 6:42PM]

Phil & zbot: I had that same problem too. It started with one of the apps failing while in sync and after that I couldn't open any apps at all; they would just close after ~2 seconds.
I removed all the apps, re-downloaded them, and re-synced them and they started working again.

[Curtis Joslin @ Sep 9th 2008 1:52PM]

thank god, my 2.0 seems unusable at times.

[Unknown @ Sep 9th 2008 2:28PM]

About effing time.

[Johan S @ Sep 9th 2008 1:52PM]

Does it to do video yet?

[Roberto @ Sep 9th 2008 1:52PM]

Better battery life has got my ears perked up. I find gaming difficult because of the lackluster battery life.

[sdr @ Sep 9th 2008 1:53PM]

i want link for download

[404 @ Sep 9th 2008 1:53PM]

"Look out Steve! It's behind you!"

*Whack!*

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[Josh @ Sep 9th 2008 1:53PM]

now if att would just get their 3g shit together...

[Totalfixation @ Sep 9th 2008 1:56PM]

It's the phones that are the problem for me, 3G internet is perfectly fine for me.

[patriotsn1 @ Sep 9th 2008 2:14PM]

My tilt's 3g is fantastic.

[kjb434 @ Sep 9th 2008 2:26PM]

Me too, my ATT Tilt is great. YouTube viewing is awesome.

And with the free Tilt tweaks available, i can turn on HSPDA speeds.

[Apreche @ Sep 9th 2008 1:55PM]

Will it get the native genius feature that the new nano has?

[Nomi @ Sep 9th 2008 2:24PM]

Yes...its coming in 2.1 for the touches...

[ajc @ Sep 9th 2008 1:56PM]

still no copy & paste? What a joke.

[jrk @ Sep 9th 2008 2:08PM]

indeed.. my sony ericsson w580i 'dumbphone' has copy/paste... i use it plenty. get with it, oh innovative apple

[Jesse @ Sep 9th 2008 1:57PM]

They never said if this update gives iphone users the genius playlists and the nike+ update. It seems weird that they would give it to tough users but not to iPhone users.

[Seth @ Sep 9th 2008 2:01PM]

Yeah, that would be some crap if I couldn't get it on my iPhone 3G. I was stoked seeing the Nike+ UI, but they never said anything about the update for iPhone. Here's to not having Apple screw me into having to get another device for only one purpose.

[Gilbert Tang @ Sep 9th 2008 2:39PM]

Seems like it Nike+ transmission requires either the external or internal transmitter, neither of which the iPhone currently has.

Very, very annoying.

Aside from "bug fixes," which should have been there since day 1, there should have been other material announcements concerning the iPhone, like (duh) copy/paste and Flash support.

[Jason @ Sep 9th 2008 2:25PM]

I do not think the nike stuff will work with the iphones or current touches, they stated that the new touch will have the hardware needed and all you would need to do is buy the shoe dongle. I imagine there will be a dock connector sometime in the future but for now it appears to be touch only (newer ones that will be released)

[joel_mc @ Sep 9th 2008 3:06PM]

I'm a bit confused. The Nike+ is built in then this picture from that other tech blog has this picture:

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/ipodletsrock/ipodletsrock61.jpg

That could be it synching or maybe you can use your old chicklet nike+ system with it.

[KennyWRX @ Sep 9th 2008 11:44PM]

I can't see why wouldn't they take advantage of bluetooth for this. I don't know what kind of radio the nike+ thing uses though.

[Psychosocial @ Sep 12th 2008 7:20PM]

hey that pic with the nike+ was a before after thing like you used to have to use this but now *poof* it went away

thus built in unless the 3g can do something with the gps i doubt it will work i would think they would have shown it then not now

[Meltman @ Sep 9th 2008 1:57PM]

Blast, gotta wait for a jailbreak'd version

[nakedoldguy @ Sep 9th 2008 5:20PM]

No, when the hell will an unlock utility come out for 2.0?? I've been on the 1.1.4 bandwagon for a while because I refuse to sign a 2 year contract for a used phone. How the hell is THAT legal?

[cmil1212 @ Sep 9th 2008 1:57PM]

apple and genius don't mix..lol

[grull27 @ Sep 9th 2008 4:14PM]

So I'm guessing you've never heard of the Apple Genius Bar. Poor you.

[cakes05 @ Sep 9th 2008 2:00PM]

so...what was so important about this update...what was the cannot miss part of this entire show? What a let down.

[gqquiring @ Sep 9th 2008 2:00PM]

No voice dial? Come on Apple every 5 year old phone has voice dial. It's also a law now in many states.

[cmil1212 @ Sep 9th 2008 2:00PM]

That's it? Performance enhancements and fewer dropped calls? Way to slide past 2.1 in there Stevie since its probably the only worthwhile thing you got going on there today. No features? Nothing? Guess i will be selling my bloatphone sometimes 3g

[Zak @ Sep 9th 2008 3:51PM]

So Apple releases an update that contains fixes to the very problems you're whining about, and you're going to sell it because there aren't a boatload of new features? Even though you're complaining about the problems, not the features? Do you understand how stupid that sounds?