Apple updates iOS for iPhone, iPad

Stephen Withers
Friday, 16 July 2010 08:24

Your IT - Mobility

Apple has released the iOS 4.0.1 software update for the iPhone and iOS 3.2.1 for the iPad.

In its typically terse way, the only detail given by Apple about iOS 4.0.1 is that the update "Improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display".

Earlier this month, Apple revealed that the algorithm used to calculate the number of signal bars to display was prone to overstatement.

If an iPhone 4 was showing four bars when it should only have been showing two, then a loss of one or two bars of signal - perhaps caused by the so-called 'death grip' - could well result in reception problems and dropped calls.

At that time, Apple officials said the update would use AT&T's formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The way the bars are displayed on the screen has also been slightly modified - the shorter bars are slightly taller.

Apart from the signal strength display fix, Apple only refers to unspecified "bug fixes and improvements". There are some reports that it also improves ActiveSync performance.

What about the iPad update? See page 2.