Computerworld - A day after Apple Inc. released its iPhone 2.1 update, users were split on whether the new software improves 3G reception and cuts the number of dropped calls, a major goal of the release that CEO Steve Jobs promised earlier in the week.

Jobs' pledge that the Friday update would mean "fewer dropped calls" was aimed at iPhone 3G owners who have complained since its July launch of trouble keeping a connection with mobile carriers' faster networks. Yesterday, iPhone 2.1's release notes echoed Jobs' promise, saying that the update would result in a "decrease in call set-up failures and dropped calls."

However, reaction to iPhone 2.1 was mixed on Apple's own support forum. Unlike the response after the release of iPhone 2.0.2 last month -- most users reported that the update did not fix 3G reception issues -- by Saturday, it was apparent that users were divided over 2.1.

Some reported improved 3G reception -- a few said the difference was dramatic -- while others said they were still experiencing significant problems making calls.

"I have better signal in my home than usual, [and] I have had no failed calls so far. Great update," said "tsmithband", one of many on Apple's iPhone support forum who said they were happy with the update.

Another user, "boston_turtle," seconded that on Saturday. "I just updated and then got a call. Usually, any walking around in my apartment would drop the call. This time, it stayed on and had good quality."

But others were remain frustrated.

"Just loaded 2.1 and made a phone call," said a user with the alias "Victor98109" on Friday morning, just hours after the update was posted for download. "Call dropped three times. I don't know how the other 'fixes' work, but the main one of dropped calls does not work with this update."

Others said they encountered even more dropped calls than before. "Ever since I updated to 2.1, my calls are dropping more often than not," a user identified as "Mike295855" said Saturday morning. "I am really upset because I thought this was going to be fixed."

Comment Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Jump to comments

iPhone

Additional Resources

WHITE PAPER

EFD vs. HDD - What You Need to Know

Enterprise flash drives provide a new Tier 0 storage layer capable of delivering high I/O performance at a very low latency. Proper use of EFDs in an Oracle environment can deliver increased performance compared to fibre channel drives. Read the recommendations for identification of the best DB components for EFDs.

WHITE PAPER

Gartner Research Report: Magic Quadrant for Application Delivery Controllers, 2009

The market for products to improve the delivery of application software over networks remains dynamic and innovative. Vendors focused on solving enterprises' most-pressing application problems have become the top players.

WHITE PAPER

Eight Criteria for Server Load Balancing

Server load balancers are a simple yet highly effective means to scale an application environment while ensuring its availability. Today's solutions should also address application performance and security. Read about the top eight criteria you should consider when choosing a server load balancer and how Citrix NetScaler meets those requirements.