The 3G iPhone has no doubt had a bumpy introduction to the market. Signal issues, system crashes, and other glitches have plagued users. Most recently, a glaring security flaw allowed people to bypass the password lock code and gain access to the iPhone’s contact list. Firmware update 2.1, believed to be announced at today’s Apple event, might fix everything.
Today in San Francisco, Apple is holding an event. The bulk of analysts, bloggers, and media believe the event will center on the company’s line of iPods and music-playing devices. Part of the potential news could be iTunes 8, a new version of Apple’s desktop jukebox software. No one knows for sure what iTunes 8 may bring, though Digg’s Kevin Rose has predicted that it will include a Grid View, Genius Sidebar, and another feature that resembles the Pandora Internet radio service.
That’s all well and good, but the meatier reports suggest that Apple also will announce a fix to the iPhone’s bugs. Apple CEO Steve Jobs himself said in an e-mail that Apple would have a fix for the iPhone’s problems in September. The “Let’s Rock” event scheduled for Sept. 9 is the perfect opportunity for Apple to publicly own up to the iPhone’s problems and offer users some relief.
Aside from fixing the security hole and 3G reception issues, firmware 2.1 is said to bring some other new features. They include better GPS functionality, which could power true turn-by-turn directions (funny, I already have that feature on my Blackberry with VZ Navigator); and the push notification service.
Whether or not tomorrow’s event will truly “Rock” is yet to be seen, though skeptics don’t think it will. Until the iPhone’s reception issues are finally and fully cleared up, the iPod updates are secondary news.
