Reader receives word from Apple's CEO on the next iPhone OS update

Aug 21, 2008 07:34 GMT  ·  By

As soon as we covered the release of iPhone software 2.0.1, one of our readers promptly wrote, "at last - bug fixes for 2.0!" These are the feelings of the whole iPhone community, which is downright fed up with the issues surrounding Apple's new iPhone 3G. However, word on the web is that Apple has finally zeroed in on the problems, and has actually set a release date for a new iPhone OS update.

An AppleInsider piece reveals that one of their readers "has received one of Steve Jobs' characteristically brief and rare personal responses, assuring them that his company is aware of the problem and has a solution." According to the publication, Jobs stated that "this is a known iPhone bug that is being fixed in the next software update in September."

Although Apple has released not one, but two software updates for the iPhone, following widespread complaints, iPhone 2.0.1 and iPhone 2.0.2 have had little to no impact on the glitchy nature of the OS. In some cases, the updates broke what was running properly before, the same source reveals. Following reports saying iPhone users were experiencing camera shutter bugs, as well as some issues with the accelerometer, Apple was expected to release a minor update to fix these problems, and other minor ones on a very short notice.

While no one could confirm that the two major problems were fixed after installing the update, AppleInsider posted some user-discovered changes in iPhone/iPod 2.0.1, which included the ability to drag an app icon across multiple pages in one motion, rather than having to drag it, drop it, pick it up again and drag it over to next page, and repeat; contacts were more responsive; successive backups were much faster; changed calibration of the iPhone's reception "bars" while connected to a 3G network to reflect a stronger signal than before; and smoother screen rotation in Safari.

Most of the complaints, however, speak of iPhone 2.0 firmware suddenly failing to load third party apps. One user, going by the name of Jespes, claims he installed 2.0.2 only to find that his downloaded apps weren't working anymore. "I installed 2.0.2, and now downloaded apps don't work," he wrote on Apple Discussions. "When I launch them, they immediately close. That's Annoying. They worked prior to update." According to the user, some of the apps experiencing said problems included Remote, NYTimes, Mobile News, Ambience, Box Office, Wiki Me, Shazam and City Transit.

With September just around the corner (if you consider 10 days to be that), iPhone users should breathe a sigh of relief, at least at knowing that we've cited some reliable sources saying iPhone 2.0.3 is coming soon, packing the fixes everyone is expecting.