back to article iPhone customers lay into Apple after iOS 4.0.1 update fails to install

iPhone customers are struggling to install Apple’s latest software patch and have been grumbling about the problems on Cupertino’s support forums. The company released its iOS 4.0.1 update yesterday, and immediately some users began complaining that they couldn’t successfully install it on their iPhones. “On a Win7 PC. …

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  1. David Simpson 1
    Jobs Horns

    Oh Apple what wonderful support.

    Any more LOLs from this iPhone and I'm going to wet myself !

    1. LinkOfHyrule

      title goes here apparently

      It's the gift that keeps on giving! Oh such lolz!

  2. chewyfruitloop
    FAIL

    o'reely?

    works on my phone

    aww one or two people have a problem therefore its a massive failure

    1. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      oi! Rielly

      using the same logic, because it works for one person it's a massive succes.

      ******************************************************

      Warning : Jobsian Reality Distortion field detected

      ******************************************************

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        RE: oi! Rielly

        OK, using your logic, it's failed for under 100 people.

        How many iPhones have been sold?

        Statistically speaking etc etc etc

      2. David Beeston

        Worked for me too, and probably many others too

        Actually, worked fine for me too. When things go wrong for someone they scream and shout, and rightly so. But if it works fine they often just go on their merry way. They don't post on forums saying "Just thought I'd let everyone know that X worked as expected". So, just because a number of people complain doesn't mean it's necessary a disaster.

        Out of interest, is this happening on Macs & Windows machines or just Windows machines ;)

        Fanboi? Maybe.

    2. blackworx
      Paris Hilton

      Or...

      Works fine for me, therefore it can't be a significant issue?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        Huh

        Then I pray to the lord god above that I never have to see any of the software, hardware or duct taped together server rooms you guys build.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      RE: o'reely?

      You're the first poster here who has actually tried it.

      ...and it worked.

      Surprise, surprise, it worked for me too.

      I'll probably get downvoted just as much as you did though.

      Some people don't like the truth. Next they'll be claiming that the holocaust never happened.

      1. JBR

        whoops

        I call ....... GODWIN'S LAW!

      2. Doshu

        @AC: relax

        Stop whining like a victim. It's nice that it worked for two people.

        Doesn't mean there isn't a bigger problem.

      3. Dozy
        Troll

        Yesssss!!!!!!!

        Godwin's Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law) has been invoked and applied!!!!

        Well done AC!

  3. Dan Atkinson 1

    USB - been there

    USB static interference is a pain in the butt for Apple updates - have had several probelms with it in the past. Best fix I've found is before doing the update remove all USB devices excepet the iPhone, power down the machine, unplug it, hold the standby button down to drain all power from the machine totally (well, as much as poss) and then have a crack, preferably from a port furthest away from the power supply.

    Took me three hours to update to OS4. No way I'm bothering for this one.

    1. PsychicMonkey
      Jobs Halo

      so usn is the problem

      nothing to do with Apple. thats great.

      I'm glad the saint Jobs doesn't need to look into this one.

    2. Kubla Cant
      Happy

      Instructions incomplete

      You should also stand on one leg in a bucket of water while wearing a bishop's mitre, a cricket box, and three vests.

      Under no circumstances should you attempt the update when the moon is waxing crescent or waning gibbous.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Mmmm

      Perchance the heady combination of cheap nylon underwear and freely available web pRon is the reason for all the static.

      Paris

    4. JWS
      FAIL

      Ouch

      Probably best to just ditch the rubbish phone and supplied software and get a phone that was actually properly tested for functionality instead of looks!

    5. Big-nosed Pengie

      The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

      You left out "stand on one leg while reciting Burns' Ode to the Haggis".

    6. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      "have some crack" did you say?

      Sounds like the only sensible way to get a handle on Apple kit these days!

  4. SMFSubtlety
    Pint

    new keyboard please

    "Maybe you touched the USB cable in the lower left corner. ‘Don't hold it that way’, okay?

    brilliant!!!

    Made me choke on my cuppa!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coffee/keyboard

      iconic

      i think this is the icon you are looking for

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Four

    Maybe it's just that "4" is not a good number for Technology ?

    Was't Microsoft DOS 4 a bag of spanners ? Didn't MS go from Windows 3.x to Windows 95.

    I'm sure there have been other major 4 failures from Applications and Vendors.

    1. Dr. Whoosh

      I think you are right.

      After all 3 - that's the magic number.

    2. Dr. Whoosh
      Thumb Up

      @AC I think you are right

      Coz .....3, that's the magic number

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Pint

      bad luck

      4 is considered bad luck in many asian cultures.

      I remember Panasonic as one company that usually avoids product numbers starting with 4.

      The moved from Fz30 to Fz50.

      The must know something Apple did not.

      1. James Hughes 1

        NT4.0 was OK....

        NT

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Thumb Up

        Indeed

        Also, I think this was the reason that Psion went from the Psion 3a direct to Psion 5.

        Perhaps, there is some truth here.

        Or perhaps this is the average number of models that a successful manufacturer has to go through before they get complacent and shoddy.

      3. Ben Ryves

        S60 too.

        S60 jumped from S60v3 to S60v5 as a "polite gesture" to Nokia's Asian customers.

        1. Dan 55 Silver badge

          And...

          Nokia don't have a 4000 series.

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Happy

        Canon?

        Exception!

        Canon 40D, 400D and 450D all reasonably good cameras for the markets they were aimed at.

  6. Si 1

    Installed OK for me

    It installed OK for me, but for the first time ever I saw iOS crash today. I think Apple are in a bigger panic than they let on, and have rushed out a patch to try and disguise the antenna problem.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Failed iPad update to 3.2.1

    I had a very similar problem to this with my iPad updating to 3.2.1. I was on a laptop with Windows 7 x64 using iTunes x64 9.2.

    I got error 14 when trying to update my iPad when trying the initial update and also the restore. I had to go to my x86 Windows 7 desktop and run the restore. Luckily I had a backup of my settings and apps so I just went back to my laptop, copied all the apps back on and then restored my settings backup.

    At the time I assumed as per the apple kb that it was a problem with my usb ports (which are a bit funny on this laptop).

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    It's all gone pear-shaped

    Only suggesting this cos it's Friday afternoon. Does anyone else think that there might be a saboteur at Apple? In all honesty if Jobs was to wake up one morning (assuming he sleeps) and think to himself "How could I destroy the reputation of my company?" he couldn't have done a better job than the fiasco the iPhone 4 is turning into.

    Is there someone on the inside trying to bring the company down, maybe planted there by MS/Google/Adobe/take your pick of any of a myriad of disgruntled iPhone app developers.....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Much more likely

      Is that they got in a panic about the antenna issues and decided they needed to rush out the bar update to try and quieten things down. Unfortunately when you rush out updates they are routinely not very well tested, and one of the hardest thing to test is the installation process.

      Funnily enough, Apple's reputation for quality comes partly from the fact that they control the entire stack from hardware through to software. iOS is a significant departure from this in the fact that the application layer has many many more 3rd party apps on it than other Apple platforms. But installation is something that requires 3rd party hardware quite often as well. Anyone willing to bet that Apple don't test updates from anything except Macs? Anecdotally the problems seem to be when installing iOS 4.0.1 from anywhere except a Mac. My suspicion is that they have a non-standard feature in the USB implementation which works fine with Mac OSX hardware. And don't tell me that it is a Windows problem since the installed base of USB devices on windows that don't have an issue is rather a lot larger...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Go

        no

        I have updated iPhones on both windoze and mac, and have been fine - suspect its just hype like all of the reporting so far.

        1. The Indomitable Gall

          Re: no

          "I have updated iPhones on both windoze and mac, and have been fine - suspect its just hype like all of the reporting so far."

          I suspect it's a problem in tolerance and depends on the quality of the USB controller in your computer. Macs are more expensive than low-end Windows boxes because they use high-end components. Mid-to-high-end PCs use the same components as Macs.

          If the iPhone USB slave chipset has a low tolerance to static (either in hardware on in the software config) and drops the connections too easily, it won't be an OS-specific problem but rather a hardware-specific incompatibility.

          Many device manufacturers have shot themselves in the foot by taking liberties with the specs and producing items that aren't compatible with other devices operating on the same specification....

          1. Mephistro
            FAIL

            Agreed but...

            ... the windows program installer and the components of the iPhone that receive the data should have some answer to this kind of error, like, say, several retries, instead of just exiting immediately. Other programs that use USB ports have been doing this for ages.

            One way or another, Apple has a lot of responsibility for this failure.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        RE: Much more likely

        "Unfortunately when you rush out updates they are routinely not very well tested, and one of the hardest thing to test is the installation process."

        Except if you'd read the article, you'd know it's due to USB issues. Oh, wait. You did know that since you mentioned it later in your post.

    2. Martin 37

      @Beaker's love child ..

      Aaah Grasshopper - never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Thumb Up

        @Martin

        Of course, silly me - maybe one day I'll have your wisdom

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Jobs Horns

      hogwash this is not fanboy heaven

      Maybe it was Microsoft who did the damage or maybe it was a disgruntled fanboy. Never blame the obvious source the manufactures because we all know Apple is perfect and cannot make a mistake.

  9. Pavlov's obedient mutt

    worked fine for me

    Not the slightest issue - and it was way fast too

    sorry - I know you want as many bad-apples reported but I ain't one of them

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      @worked fine for me

      "Not the slightest issue - and it was way fast too" - fair comment. A bit of balance.

      "sorry - I know you want as many bad-apples reported but I ain't one of them" - idiot comment whereby you identify yourself as that which you purport to ridicule - an intolerant 'tard not interested in truth - and blow the validity of your initial comment.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    installed OK here

    in fact it fixed the downright sluggishness that iOS4 brought with it and my phone is back to pre-iOS4 speeds.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    hmm

    Worked for me too, when doing updates I only use the genuine sync cable provided with my 3GS, the £1 retractable pound shop one is for charging only.

    I wonder how many of the folk with problems were the folk whom had problems when IOS4 was released?

  12. Rogerborg

    Works For Me

    Now my iPhone 4 can scan for neutrinos, detect subspace distortions, and guide me to the nearest dilithium deposit.

    No, wait... that's Star Trek. I find it hard to keep fiction and... Apple marketing... distinct.

  13. Joel 1
    Thumb Up

    Downloaded, installed, works nicely....

    Well installed here (remarkably quickly) with no issues.

    For a detailed analysis of the update, the marvellous anandtech does the business:

    http://www.anandtech.com/show/3821/iphone-4-redux-analyzing-apples-ios-41-signal-fix/1

    Interestingly they point out how the iPhone 4 works well with much lower signal strengths. So maybe the corollary of having an antenna that can suffer from attenuation is that it can work better at lower strengths.

    By putting the antenna on the outside, there is the possibility of working with worse signals. However, you can also get your "bags of salty water" a lot closer to the antenna, so the attenuation is more.

    Speaking as someone who lives in areas of dodgy signal, I am happy that there is a way I can hold the phone for maximum signal strength. Saves standing on the toilet seat hanging out the window to get that text to go....

    Of course, now that I have a SureSignal, the problem has gone away anyway.... ;-)

  14. JaitcH
    Jobs Horns

    Lemon Aid leaves bad taste

    Why are seemingly normal, rational people unwilling to accept the fact that the fourth revision of this telephone a dud? They wouldn't accept a defective bar, television, etc but when it comes to a telephone not working they toss all their normal reactions out of the window and get defensive?

    Many, including myself, stated you couldn't fix the antenna problem with software and now even some of the Apple supporters now accept Apple has failed (they have already admitted they have an 'issue').

    But these people still proclaim they are satisfied.

    Maybe I expect people to honour their word, their 'commitments', their warranties and had I any product that failed in such a spectacular fashion I would (and have done) bypass the supplier and sue. I have received two new cars in different settlement, a replacement $1749 bicycle and several monetary awards.

    Apple has also treated customers with disdain and arrogance accusing them of not being intelligent enough to know how to hold these things.

    Unless people stand up for their rights companies will simply continue cheat them of their due.

    Meanwhile we await the pronouncement from the Lemon Factory as to what they are willing to do, without being directed by a court.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      RE: Lemon Aid leaves bad taste

      "Why are seemingly normal, rational people unwilling to accept the fact that the fourth revision of this telephone a dud?"

      This article has nothing to do with the iPhone 4 and everything to do with the latest iOS - which works perfectly on my iPhone3GS btw.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      "..a defective bar"

      What, one that serves horrid American beer?

    3. Frank Bough
      Stop

      reiteration of the bleeding obvious

      "Why are seemingly normal, rational people unwilling to accept the fact that the fourth revision of this telephone a dud?"

      Simple. It's because, whatever minor failings it may have, it's still far and away the best phone on the market.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Pint

        Ah!

        So please Mr Blinkered-Expert, define "best phone on the market"?

        To me, it's simply being to see the sodding display in sunlight, buttons that were made for adults and not a 5 year old's hands oh and actually being able to make a phone call without jumping through 17 menus to get to it. This isn't levelled at Apple alone, simply modern phones in general.

        To my old man, it's a phone with the odd text message once in a blue moon.

        To my kids it's ease of texting and nothing else.

        To my Missus it's the phone and games.

        You see just 'cos it's shiny and you believe the marketing BS, doesn't make it so. People are different in a million wonderful ways and we all like different things for lots of reasons.

  15. B99YYK

    God Bless Apple

    Not much been said about IOS4 screwing with 3GS and 3G phones which it is and has reduced mine to a parody of its former self.

    Any other company would allow you to un-install crap software and revert back to a previous working version but Church of Jobs is not normal and make it as difficult as possible to do.

    And people have been bashing Microsoft for years but at least you have an option with them when they cock something up.

    Chances are that they will never admit its them they will blame the finger of god or the weather or a dust cloud or the little aliens for this bless em!

    1. Richard Reeve
      Jobs Halo

      3G woes?

      I was about to reply agreeing with you about my 3G running like a dog, but I've just noticed that it's actually zipping along much faster since the update to 4.0.1 this morning - it may be a coincidence, but I'm in a faintly good mood with Jobs for the first time in a couple of weeks today... I have won the victory over myself. I love Big Brother^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Steve Jobs.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      RE: God Bless Apple

      "Not much been said about IOS4 screwing with 3GS and 3G phones which it is and has reduced mine to a parody of its former self."

      Details please, otherwise I call BS on this as iOS4 brings added functionality but doesn't remove any.

      1. Richard Reeve
        Stop

        No really...

        Up until today my iPhone 3G has been running like a dog - it crashes Safari every other time I try to load a web page, and it frequently can't even open Mail without crashing. Even when it succeeds it hangs for >30s (to free memory?) before allowing scrolling *every* *single* *time* I use it. Completely frustratingly unusable. As I said above it seems to be fixed now with 4.0.1...

  16. Electro Boy
    Thumb Up

    Worked fine for me too.

    Updated last night. No problems at all.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    USB static interference?

    That's a new one. Never heard that before!

    1. Richard 12 Silver badge
      Boffin

      USB static issues are pretty common actually

      I've seen some really odd issues with that in the past - a device that happily takes the 'full whack' of static shock given in the EU standards, but dies if you give it a half-size shock.

      The USB standard doesn't require the shield of the cable to be earthed at the host, which might be part of the problem - that's only recommended, IIRC.

      Also, devices may connect the shield to 0v - again, it's optional.

      Which leads to ground loops and all kinds of other fun and games - most other standards do specify exactly where and how to connect the shield. (And are then ignored by the cheaper manufacturers.)

      For maximum reliability during reflashing I'd genuinely suggest that you don't touch either the device or the PC chassis during the upgrade - relatively large static charges can be built up quite easily.

      I am however very confused by the concept of it 'bricking' due to a failed update though. Almost every firmware-upgradable device I've had experience with copies the entire update across into RAM, checks that it's ok and then burns the image into flash.

      Loss of connection should just result in "Oh dear - upgrade failed. Please try again."

      The only exceptions are the devices that have almost no RAM - we're talking really small embedded systems here, generally based on Microchip PIC or similar.

      - Even then you shouldn't lose the bootloader so even if the device is a brick until a firmware update completes, all you do is retry the upgrade.

      Any modern phone simply isn't that class of device - they've got RAM sticking out of their ears!

    2. BingBong

      Search this then ..

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus

  18. Hipster Dufus
    Jobs Horns

    Apple

    It just works!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Flame

      Does for me...

      maybe i am lucky, or i actually have some apple products?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Absolutely!

      Mine, I bite into it, it is crisp, tasty, a chunk separates, masticates like a pro (oo err!). Looks lovely too with the red blush and no blemishes (though I do wonder how much GM stuff I'm eating these days!).

  19. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Have yet to be able to determine...

    ...if Apple is paying retards to post positive comments on all these articles, or if the people are just trying and failing at trolling.

    The point of trolling is to outwit your opponents, not to demonstrate a clear lack of knowledge on intellectual debate or statistics.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      RE: Have yet to be able to determine...

      "...if Apple is paying retards to post positive comments on all these articles, or if the people are just trying and failing at trolling."

      Since most of the comments on all these articles are from people who own no Apple gear, have never even seen an iPhone and are just slating Apple, it would seem that the opposite was the case...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        It's a wonder

        you're still alive, if you don't think you can spot a really bad idea and/or patent dishonesty without personally suffering the consequences! One could spend the rest of one's life just listing all the different scenarios for you to die because you dismiss passive observation as a learning tool! But I'll leave that for someone else.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Works on my phone. No Problems here.

    I cant reproduce any of these problems on my phone no matter how I hold it, and I got my over the air update without any usb hassle cant understand what these twonks are doing wrong? any way as I said my HTC Desire is just fine.

    1. Lottie

      Funny

      I was thinking soemthing similar about my Xperia.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

    Upgraded to iOS 4.0.1 on my iPhone 3GS last night - the upgrade process went absolutely fine, no problems whatsoever. I can honestly say, mind you, I've never had any problems updating iOS (or iPhoneOS or whatever) right from the days of my 1st Gen iPhone either. Nor, to be honest, do I personally know anyone who has.

    I rather suspect this is all being hyped out of all proportion by people with hidden agendas...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Another one bites the dust

      Great, rational, balanced, just what I for one want to see...

      "I rather suspect this is all being hyped out of all proportion by people with hidden agendas..." and then you crock it. You are the one with the (not very) hidden agenda, which is presumably to deny that people are justified in being astonished, angry, sarcastic at an incompetence and dishonesty you could see from space, coming out of Cupertino this summer. And exasperation at their fellows who really do appear to be brainwashed.

      I think it is time psychologists around the world investigated this phenomenon. Maybe it is the same one Milgram elucidated?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        RE: Another one bites the dust

        "You are the one with the (not very) hidden agenda, which is presumably to deny that people are justified in being astonished, angry, sarcastic at an incompetence and dishonesty you could see from space, coming out of Cupertino this summer."

        I'm astonished.

        The number of people with problems is less than 0.01% of the number of people who own iPhones.

        It seems limited to certain Windows set-ups. It's a USB problem and my suspicion (due to having similar problems with different gear) is that it's a virus checker causing it.

        "Great, rational, balanced, just what I for one want to see..."

        ..I wanted to see it too. It didn't come from you though.

        Does any of that clear things up for you?

  22. David McMahon
    Jobs Halo

    Why did they release a patch...

    To hide the wrong number of bars?

    With the same duct tape used to protect to insulate the casing, you can just put tape over the bar indicators!

    By 2025 Apple will have taken over the world so am adding this disclaimer

    *****All Apple products are perfect, By order 2025 ©Apple 2025*****

  23. LB

    Ham-Man

    Thank god I am not an apple user.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Me too...

      I thank God that you're not an Apple user, as well.

  24. Adam T
    Stop

    How many is "Many"?

    "Many customers have been reporting firmware problems with the update, which keeps spewing out ‘error 9’ messages."

    Out of the 10 pages, how many unique error reports are there?

    I've upgraded mine...wife upgraded hers (on her own comp), nobody else out of the five others i know with iPhone 4s had any problems.

    So according to my market research, 7/7 people had no problems.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      OK

      Well that appears to be a darn sight more testing than Apple have done lately!

  25. Ian Davies
    Thumb Up

    For the sake of balance

    4.0.1 just installed quickly and without problem on a 3G

  26. RB---
    Paris Hilton

    Jesus Phone... More like Paris Hilton Phone!!!

    Can you see the similarities? Good looks, no substance, always up to no good, ALWAYS in the media!

    The Reg and the rest of the IT media must be so thankful for the iPhone and the story opportunities it presents!

    ROFL!

    1. LinkOfHyrule

      And...

      Some fanbois even get sexually excited when iFixit do a teardown of a new Apple product - its the tech equivalent of Paris doing a nudy centrefold photo shoot in Playboy!

  27. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    not a brick

    I love the people who don't know what a brick is -- the person quoted in the article claimed the failed install resulted in a brick, then IN THE SAME SENTENCE say they reverted to the factory install. If they managed to do that* they did not have a brick.

    *(Without having to crack it open, connect wires directly to some JTAG header, or directly to a flash rom, or whatever...)

    Anyway.. *shrug* I won't even give Apple any grief over this. Frankly, Windows USB stuff is fickle, I usually see it work fine, but have seen it not work fine (for no good reason) often enough to not even bat an eye at this.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Heart

      RE: not a brick

      "Frankly, Windows USB stuff is fickle, I usually see it work fine, but have seen it not work fine (for no good reason) often enough to not even bat an eye at this."

      At last, a word or two of sense!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        RE:RE: not a brick

        Yes, but it is still bad to run the update over the USB.

        I put the Motorola Phone Tools on Windows7 last night, to back up my pics prior to wiping them and had to 'reinstall' Internet Deplorer to run it's update! Well, I always figured Mobe Co.s are a bucket of shit when it comes to software. But why would Apple be too? They actually have vast experience doing SW.

        OTH QuickTime. Safari. iTunes.

        Hmm. When I built my non-interactive XP installation disc many moons ago, I made the company name "Microsoft Despisers". And yet Apple make them look good.

  28. Keir Snelling

    Well, this guy managed to install it, not that it did anything about the signal problem.

    My friend applied the software fix today - His experiment seems to dispute Apple's claim that the signal drop is only a problem in low signal areas.

    iPhone 4.0.1 signal indicator fix fails to do what Apple claimed - From 5 to 1 in just a grip of the hand... http://bit.ly/9Clh5Y

  29. Robocat
    Happy

    Very smooth

    Worked fine for me. Updated and carried out a full re-sync in about 30 minutes. No problems with any of my apps or functionality.

  30. Ben Suffolk
    Thumb Up

    I had no problems

    Not sure what all the fuss is about, it told me there was an upgrade, and got on with it with ho drama.

  31. Ed 11
    Thumb Up

    Fine here

    Updated and jail broken in about 15 minutes. Smooth as you like.

    However I'm not sure that fact they've made the lowest signal bar significantly higher than it was previously counts as solving the reception issue. However given I've only got a iPhone 3G, it's all a bit of a non-issue.

  32. Alan Denman
    Go

    A bad placebo?

    And we all knew that the update was only a placebo anyway.

  33. Andy 70

    bad new travels faster

    the tabloids know this...

    for every reported failed update there are probably thousands of successfull updates. (and maybe tens of unreported unsuccessfull)

    there will always be problems for some people doing this and this is no slight on them, it's just that shit happens.

    and as the iPhone is a device that is in the public eye, then every screw up gets more publicity.

    as the song goes "that's just the way it is".

  34. Rob Dobs
    WTF?

    Just works huh?

    I'll be nice and leave the fanbois alone with just that.

    Do have to say though, the person commenting in the article does not understand what a BRICK is..

    A BRICK is just that, only useful to hold up other bricks, or keep papers from blowing away.

    You can not reset a brick, and then turn it into a $600 crappy apple iPwn

    When a device is BRICKED its just that... DEAD to the world.

    What you had was a device that was hung up, or had a corrupted software, both of which can be fixed with a reset, flash firmware, update driver etc.

    The horror of an update or software BRICKING a device is that there IS NO GOING BACK.

    Please stop making us all dumber and mis-using words! (understand this was not the authors words, but commentors)

  35. F'tangF'tang

    2 USB or not 2 USB, That is the Question...

    Update worked OK for me, 20 mins start to finish... but bowing to peer pressure I will say it bricked my phone... Can I be in your gang now...

    You cant expect a normal USB cable to work... This place has them on special... And you must be to buy one...

    http://www.divineaudio.co.uk/audio-cables/wireworld-starlight-usb-cable-type-a-to-type-b-3m/prod_1684.html?review=write

    2 bars now ... 5 before... Oooh... its just gone up to 3...

    4.0.1 rocks...

  36. Doug Glass
    Go

    THE Letters

    Given the press conference announced the ultimate fix is to use rubber covers they'll be supplying, the letters from The Sacred J are going to be classics in the world of botched and premature communication. You fanbois need to get copies of them for framing.

    The fix sounds like a large condom type thingies to me.

  37. Jessica Werkz

    Works OK for me

    But then some people have trouble with all sorts of technology, poor blighters.

  38. David McMahon
    Jobs Halo

    Hold the front page!

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7895612/Apples-Steve-Jobs-admits-we-are-not-perfect.html

  39. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Antenna solution

    Apple have also acknowledged the faulty antenna by selling rubber bumpers for £25. Only Apple could achieve such fandom, ship a faulty phone and then get the cutomers to pay for the unbelievable arrogance as to actually want to make a phone call with their new phone.

  40. pctechxp

    @AC Re: Four

    95's version number was 4.0

  41. Dan Keating
    Linux

    Fail saturation point

    I'm not getting an iPhone .... but I'm starting to feel sorry for Steve Jobs. You can have a free bumper or send your phone back for a refund - or stfu.

    Anyway - all this will be yesterdays news after Microsoft release their fabulous Kin here in the UK ... ... What?!!! No, really - it's going to change everything again .. again!

  42. Richard Cartledge
    Alert

    Good grief

    Apple really need to put up the price to keep the thick riff-raff who don't know how to do a Restore away from our telephones.

  43. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    4.01 install on 3G - no problem

    IOS4 was running terribly on my 3G. Having read Richard Reeve's comment above I was encouraged and completed trouble free install of 4.01. I too am finding that my phone is a much happier little thing with 4.01 than it was with 4.00

  44. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    Really?

    "This article has nothing to do with the iPhone 4 and everything to do with the latest iOS - which works perfectly on my iPhone3GS btw."

    really? Not noticed any performance issues? Not finding your 3GS now runs like a dog?

  45. LaeMing
    Coat

    Re: grumbling about the problems on Cupertino’s support forums

    Are they allowed to do that?

  46. LARPKitten
    Pirate

    I can fix it!

    Sounds like a common problem with USB ports. On Windows computers, there's an option for USB ports to automatically shut off after a period of time to conserve power, especially on laptops. If that interrupts the update (which must be a pretty long update for that to interrupt the connection, I might add), it would logically cause an error. All people need to do is make sure their USB ports aren't set to shut off for power conservation.

    Start > Settings** > Control Panel > System** > Hardware** > Device Manager > Universal Serial Bus Controllers > Right-click USB Root Hub > Properties > Power Management

    **For Windows XP and earlier only

    Too bad Apple's not familiar enough with Windows to warn its customers about this all too common issue.

  47. jamesrhamilton
    Thumb Down

    50% success

    Fine updating my 3G to 4.0.1 on my Windows XP netbook. Updating my girlfriend's 3G on her Vista machine was a while different story - exactly the problem described, compounded by iTunes then losing the last good back-up and me almost getting my nuts torn off (metaphorically speaking).

    Anyone had problems with this on a Mac or XP? Something tells me it's got something to do with Vista and Win 7...

  48. aberosco
    FAIL

    The Lucky Ones?

    So the lucky ones post about their success and comment on the failures... Gee, even Lucky ones can win at Russian Roulette.. maybe you should try that great luck with an Automatic next time for the benefit of us normals?

  49. Revolutn

    Couldn't even get to 4.0 previously

    I give.

    I couldn't get my older 3G to even take the 4.0 update so I gave up and just am using it on 3.1.3 still.

    All I can say is after all this non-sense on Apples part what with the B.S. explanations and excuses, hurried and shoddy rushed out the door patch....

    I have finally made a decision to not upgrade to 4 and instead am choosing Samsung's Galaxy S handset which they're calling "Captivate" on AT&T.

    For what it's worth AT&T is fine in my particular area, so even though I could move to another provider, and get a Galaxy S based handset that they offer...there's not real incentive to do so.

    Our (wife) account is linked together and she gets a small discount on account of her employer + other MaBell services such as u-verse mean I'm pretty well tied to AT&T, so I thank goodness their service is not as horrible in my particular area as the horror stories I've read.

    I did have occassion to be in NYC at start of the month and now I 'get' what all the bitching is about. I had horrible signal strength in midtown Manhattan on the 3g, dropped the few calls I made and heaven forbid I tried to pull something up on the web it would take. ... f..o.r...e.....v....e........................................r to load.

    It will be my 1st android based phone and I will miss a few apps that I know aren't available (*yet) on the platform....but enough is enough I can't justify forking over another $200 USD for so much grief.

    I'll just have to learn how to 'root' it.

    Up until 8 days ago I was certain my next phone would be the iPhail 4, but as someone who's not an emotionally invested fanboi to the product, I've seen the light and moving on.

    Maybe next major ( tock cycle ) product refresh will see me come back, particularly if the android market fails to produce in the interim time the most important (to me) currently unavailable apps.....but that'll be then, and this is now.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      Android will be great

      Well right up until the next release of the AndroidOS which your handset manufacturer wont support, and then even if they do, your carrier wont provide. Be careful what you wish for with your phone. The android is potentially a great environment, but like linux it is just too likely to fragment and has even worse issues not down to the OS itself but down to support from the people who want to sell you a new phone. Google can sort this but they wont, as they know they need the handset makers and carriers to get their ad platform out there.

      How many handsets on how many carriers have had a real supported "update" to Froyo? Sure good luck with rooting the device and doing your own updates, working in a console to get base stuff working etc, I am sure some people love doing that kind of stuff.

      Will I get an Android next year? Possibly, I am not a fanboi, but I also want my phone to just work and to get the latest updates when they are available.

  50. Mike Ball
    Pint

    Straightforward

    16GB 3GS successfully updated last night from 4.0 to 4.0.1 . Didnt run like a dog before, doesn't now. Not jailbroken. Desktop PC, not laptop (so no power management interference). Decent USB cable, not a 75p eBay cheapie. Boring. But I like the pretty taller signal bars.

  51. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Apple is evil and leading a pack of lemurs..

    Check this out for a laugh - www.thedisenchantedjourno.com

  52. Demon5
    Linux

    Idiots...

    Ok. I'm going to say this. I used to be iPhone tech support tier2 before apple shut down my building. So I don't have ANY love for apple. I do love my iphone though.

    Error 9 is generally caused by the low end users ANTI VIRUS. Which when you try to restore. The anti virus says ok there's no device here. Then windows goes. But yes there is I see it right there! IF you disable your anti virus and unplug external storage devices you should have no problem with error 9 unless you have usb timing issues. If you have usb timing issues that would usually be fixed by a simple software update. Error 6 9 12 and 13 are generally just standard error's that people with anti virus's or conflicting usb devices will see.

  53. mafoo
    Grenade

    iRecovery

    anyone pugged on of the bricked phones into iRecovery to see what the actual problem is? As opposed to flapping around like headless chickens now they conduit to the reality distortion field has temporally disconnected.

    I blame the fnords.

  54. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    I now have a brick

    no, you have an iBrick, which is much more sophisticated and desirable than the average brick.

  55. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    No problems here

    Works perfectly on 3GS for me, and where previously I could grip the 3GS tightly and see the bars drop, this no longer happens.

    Worth noting I did the grip thing as an experiment recently, and sure enough the bars dropped on the 3GS just like every other phone I've tried, however I had never noticed it nor suffered from any issues such as dropped calls.

  56. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

    Weird - mine just, well, worked

    I have a 3GS which is scandalously denying me a rant at Apple. It, it, it .. well, just works.

    Upgrade to iOS4: diverted the phone to another mobile, plugged it in and went shopping. Came back, done. Upgrade to 4.01: left it for a couple of hours while I did something else. Came back to a iPhone that wanted password and SIM unlock, so I have no idea what the fuss is about. I feel left out :)

    It appears very similar to an erect d*ck: it stays up as long as you don't mess with it. So far, so good.

    Having said that, the 3GS can also be brought to full disconnection if you cup the bottom..

    Oh, that other phone? A good old trusty Motorola v3i. Totally crap UI, but the best designed hardware ever. Right size, easy to use flip, swappable battery. If someone could simply take the exact same dimensions and put a decent hardware (3G), OS + UI in it it would mean perfection to me.

  57. Richard 20
    Alert

    No issues here…

    Updated fine. Has anyone tried updating an N95 - now there's a world of hurt!

  58. Richard Scratcher
    Jobs Halo

    Worked for me.

    I only had one minor problem with the install. When my iPhone rebooted it seemed to bugger up another USB port that was feeding the TV signal into my Mac. It caused the TV picture to freeze and I had to restart my EyeTV app. It happened just as Poirot was about to announce who the murderer was. It was a moment most inopportune.

    I updated my old iPhone 3G too, which had been running - ow you say - like a dog since the previous "update" This seems to be better now.

    My iPhone 4 doesn't show a dramatic signal loss anymore when I pick it up. It just shows a weak signal all the time. God bless you Steve!

  59. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Don't want no stinking update!

    My wife has an iPhone 3GS still running on the 3.21 firmware. When I heard the 4.0 update was bricking handsets I told her to steer clear. Now the 4.01 update is bricking handsets too, she won't be installing that update either.

  60. nekomata
    FAIL

    fail

    Apple business model failure will be ugly and they will be last on earth to notice.

  61. Ninram
    Thumb Up

    Count me as a success!

    Installed the update on my iPhone 4 and my friends 3G and it went smoothly!

  62. Winkypop Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    I didn't install it

    I didn't install the patch on my non-existent iPhone 4, and I've had absolutely no problems!!

  63. Jason Tan
    FAIL

    Been here before

    They're just holding it wrong... um I mean, it's just a bug in the installer software.

    The software is installed, just the algorithm we sue to confirm it is not right.

    Here, have a free bumper.....

  64. FTM
    Happy

    another successful install here

    worked here and phone is now back to pre-IOS 4 speeds

  65. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Sings and Round-abouts

    Bugger

    Upgraded my 3GS to 4.01 on Windows Vista x64 over USB - and that worked fine

    Now i can see how rubish the general reception is on the iphone, or is it that Vodafone have over cooked thier network in the Greater London Area?

  66. Dark Apple
    FAIL

    Another fail srsly?

    Took me 4 hours to do the last update, think i will be doing this one? No way. Why do apple have to make the iphone, that’s got to be the worst thing about it.....any other manufacturer wouldn’t be this delusional.

  67. Gene Poole
    Happy

    Worked for me

    Just to keep a sense of perspective, I'm pleased to say that the update installed normally on my iPhone 3G. I used a Mac and a genuine iPhone USB cable for the job, and I accept that this may have contributed to the success of the operation.

    1. Edward J Benton
      Jobs Horns

      Heil Jobs

      You mean you didn't wear the official Apple gloves? or headgear? By God you're lucky you didn't brick it!

      Heil Jobs!

  68. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Ummm. Not much to see

    Looking at the first page, half the posts are from the same guy...

  69. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    for crying out loud

    It's one piece of software for use on 1 piece of hardware. Or are the updates designed to work on all iPhones, in which case it's what, 4 phones? Not exactly difficult to test them all properly.

    Maybe the problem is due to the USB bus on the device hosting the iPhone. Even so it's quite telling that the iPhone is the only device that won't play nicely with these systems. Presumably these people aren't dumb enough to do a firmware update on a USB port they know doesn't work (wait... scratch that - I can easily imagine them using a cheese string if you told them it was a USB cable)

    And why are Apple users so excited about firmware updates anyway? Even the geekiest hardcore Windows gamer doesn't update his BIOS every time a fresh one comes out.

  70. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nothing to see here, move along

    Predictably, it just works. if you're having problems, try using the sync cable that came with the phone, not that £1 EBay cable.

  71. Jamie 27

    Unlucky #4

    #4 is considered unlucky in Japan because the character for "4" is the same as for "death". Hence very little comes in 4's.

  72. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It updated ok from my Windows machine

    Must be the Macs causing the problem.

    /flamebate

    1. Gene Poole
      Go

      Nah, Macs are fine

      Maybe it's the Linux boxes running iTunes under Wine that are the problem.

      if (!tinFoilHatOn) (

      GetTheHellOut();

      } else (

      WaitForTheFlames();

      )

  73. Ed 12

    install prob

    A mate of mine had problems installing the 4.01 update on his 3GS. He tried several times and it failed doing the install (error 14 I believe) from his windows 7 laptop. He had to take it to the apple store to have it fixed (although only took them 5 mins to get it sorted). Same thing happened to him with the 4.0 update too. He also tried several different usb cables including the apple one.

  74. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    My lucky day.

    I only buy electronic goods that are fit for the purpose. Good job I stayed away from this.

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