14 DAY TRIAL // Sources close to Apple have been able to leak an iOS 4.3.1 build which, according to those who’ve installed it on an iPhone, focuses on fixing bugs, including battery life woes.
The existence of iOS 4.3.1 was documented by BGR earlier this week, with the technology blog observing baseband updates for the 3GS and iPad (original), a resolved memory hang, fixed problems with NTLM authentication in apps and websites, fixed issues with the Springboard and 3rd party apps not recognizing the gyroscope on the new iPad 2, as well as patched jailbreak vulnerability.
Now, BGR claims to have noticed battery life improvements with the pre-release iOS 4.3.1 build, after testing it out for two full days on a handset exhibiting battery drain under iOS 4.3.
An issue plaguing many iDevice owners since the launch of the first iOS 4 builds last summer, battery drainage has been present in most subsequent firmware updates, either for one userbase (iPhone) or another (iPod touch).
Cupertino is apparently aware of the battery life woes surrounding its newest iOS software update and has scheduled 4.3.1 for release in the coming 1-2 weeks, the Apple source talking to BGR said.
With this many bugs in need of patching, iOS 4.3.1 is expected to arrive not only for GSM iPhones but also for CDMA versions of the smartphone, and perhaps even original iPads.
iOS 4.3 was released on March 11 just ahead of the iPad 2 official launch, delivering a faster web browsing experience with the Nitro JavaScript-enabled Safari, iTunes Home Sharing, enhancements to AirPlay, more functionality for the iPad side (hardware) switch and the Personal Hotspot feature for sharing an iPhone 4 cellular data connection over Wi-Fi.
iOS 4.3.1 and on will be available only for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 3rd and 4th generation devices, as well as the original iPad, and the iPad 2.
Apple has dropped software update support for iPhone 3G and lower, and old-generation iPod touch players starting with iOS 4.3.