Everywhere you look today, if there was a mention of the iPhone 4, they mentioned the 4.01 update. The update from Apple is a full OS update, as are they usually are. Installing this on your iPhone 4 will not get you a big speed bump you may have noticed on earlier OS updates. This has nothing to do with the update… or other updates. Those speed bumps are usually brought about due to the device being wiped, the OS being installed and then all your apps being installed again. Just like your desktop, things are better organized and you feel like you got more than you actually did. In the case of the iPhone 4, there hasn’t been enough time for things to get scrambled around much.
As far as what this update will do for you, it corrects the math Apple used to calculate how many bars are shown to represent signal strength. I’m sure this will make AT&T happy that you don’t think you have 5 bars but bad reception or 2 bars when they are actually covering you with 5.
This update has nothing to do with the antenna issue you have also been seeing everywhere. The issue of your skin shorting the antennas around the outer edge of the iPhone at the gap on the left side. I have seen the bars drop off on a coworker’s iPhone 4 when they specifically put their finger there. I have not had a single issue when holding the phone in my left hand and using it for a call. Is that because I’m ‘not’ or ‘too’ conductive?
A cheat for Apple would have been to released a patch to watch for the issue to happen then resort to a single antenna. Not sure that is possible with their set up, just me thinking outside of the box. Happy they didn’t go there. Placing any variety of sticky bit over that gap will make the problem actually go away for you. Or, buy a case. Or, just not put your finger there. Big problem? Recall? Nah! None of the folks I deal with have reported any of their fellow iPhone 4 owners have returned their devices. There are plenty of options for power Smartphones these days but there doesn’t seem to be much of a switch away campaign.
Heard about developers getting iOS 4.1? Yes, it’s true. Not seeing any antenna fiddling going on there either. So far, it appears to help with Bluetooth issues and give us the Game Center back we saw in early 4 betas.
Enough on the negatives… I’m sure enjoying my folders and quick switching. And now that my wife has a iPhone 4, we actually do use FaceTime. Camera, compass, movies, screen… yea, we like it!