14 DAY TRIAL // Trying to install iOS 7.1.1 yields an error for some users, similar to the one reported when Apple debuted the original iOS 7 firmware: “Software Update Unavailable.”
The error message in full states, “Software Update is not available at this time. Try again later.” The problem doesn’t appear to be widespread, though I’ve heard of quite a few people having difficulty downloading and installing iOS 7.1.1.
A similar error was reported in September 2013, minutes after the debut of iOS 7, a highly-anticipated software update targeting all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners.
At the time, hundreds of thousands of users (if not millions) were unable to download the firmware, to their immense frustration. iOS 7 had delivered the biggest visual overhaul yet for the mobile operating system, yet many were unable to get the eye candy.
iOS 7.1.1 is the latest in a series of incremental updates aimed at patching bugs. It makes further improvements to Touch ID fingerprint recognition, addresses a bug that could impact keyboard responsiveness, and fixes an issue with Bluetooth keyboards and VoiceOver.
For one reason or another, Apple has failed to address one of the most annoying problems in the software, namely the Shift key, which confuses a lot of customers. The problem has long been described as one of the major annoyances, though Cupertino seems insensible to this particular issue.
Delivered in iOS 7.1, the updated keyboard layout is admittedly easier on the eyes and now includes an option to make the letters stand out better (particularly helpful for visually-impaired customers).
There are several other issues in iOS 7 that Apple seems to have overlooked in this update. The keyboard responsiveness problem mentioned in the release notes hasn’t even been covered in the media, though it seems Apple was aware of such a flaw.
The security side of the update delivers code corrections in areas like CFNetwork HTTPProtocol, IOKit Kernel, Security – Secure Transport, and WebKit.
WebKit, the heart and soul of iTunes and the Safari web browser, was suffering from over a dozen flaws. Apple learned of their existence thanks to research done by security specialists and amateur hackers alike, including the Google Chrome Security Team, Ian Beer of Google Project Zero working with HP's Zero Day Initiative, and Renata Hodovan of University of Szeged / Samsung Electronics.
Customers can also manually download iOS 7.1.1 and restore their iDevice to the IPSW in iTunes.