Recent iPhone OS reports are suggesting Apple is finally restoring the iPhone's capabilities to push e-mail in the background. iPhone OS 2.2 is also said to tweak up the phone's GPS capabilities. iPhone software 2.2 was released as a beta to developers last week, along with a new version of the iPhone SDK.

“The software apparently restores the capability to push email to the device in the background, informs Macworld UK, talking about the newly-seeded iPhone software 2.2 Beta. The same source says the update also introduces improved GPS-functionality. This will enable the iPhone to give its user more accurate reports of speed or position while on the move, according to various reports.

Upon launching its second-generation iPhone, Apple issued a new software update for users of first-gen devices (including owners of an iPod touch). iPhone 3G shipped with the 2.0 firmware pre-installed. Given that the new OS packed some major changes and additions, at least a few bugs were almost certain to arise upon its release. And they did. Apple fixed some of them with firmwares 2.0.1 and 2.0.2, and promised that OS 2.1 would iron out the remaining ones.

The 2.1 iPhone software update included the following enhancements (highlights):

- Decrease in-call set-up failures and dropped calls;
- Significantly better battery life for most users;
- Dramatically reduced time to backup to iTunes;
- Improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts;
- Faster installation of 3rd party applications;
- Fixed bugs causing hangs and crashes for users with lots of third party applications;
- Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display;
- Genius playlist creation.

While some of the fixes listed in the update did their bit, others failed to do what the changelog said and so, Apple is now faced with having to issue an additional software update to all iPhone users – iPhone software 2.2.

For the time being, Apple is known to have seeded developers only with the first beta build of the new iPhone OS and SDK. As soon as the company releases a second pre-release build of the software, more light will be shed on the removed push notification support and the still-unfixed bugs.