Apple releases iOS 4.1 beta to developers
Thursday, July 15, 2010 11:18Apple has released the beta version of iOS 4.1 to developers just days before the company’s anticipated iPhone 4 press conference. Apple has been working quickly to get this update out the door to iPhone users to address the iPhone 4′s well-publicized signal reception issues. But Apple has also added a few more rumored tweaks and maybe even some bad news for the jailbreak community.
Here’s what’s going on:
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Fewer (but taller) bars in more places
It didn’t take long after the iPhone 4 launch for users to complain of signal loss and dropped calls when they covered the lower part of the iPhone 4 with their palm–a feature now known as the iPhone 4 death grip. Apple responded to the complaints by saying it was “stunned” to find out it had been using a formula for measuring cellular signal strength that was “totally wrong.” The company promised a fix in iOS 4.1.
Developers got their first look on Wednesday at Apple’s promised fix for the iPhone’s signal reception display. The new display uses AT&T’s recommended formula to measure signal strength, and Cupertino says the new display is more accurate. Apple has also made the first three reception bars taller so they will be easier to see. “The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately,” Apple said earlier this month.
