Apple Releases iOS 4.1

As announced last week, Apple released the first major revision to their iOS 4 mobile operating system this afternoon. The much anticipated iOS 4.1 is now available to all iPhone 3G, 3Gs, and 4 users. The update–which carries a slew of new features–also intends to remedy known issues brought forth in the original iOS 4 and its two patches (4.0.1 and 4.0.2). Among these changes are fixes to the proximity sensor and bluetooth issues, and drumroll please….improved iPhone 3G performance! Personally, the latter comes as the most welcome update of the bunch, as I’ve been running a sluggish 3G for months now.

4.1 also adds HDR photos to the iPhone 4 as well as Game Center to both the 4 and 3Gs. High-definition video uploading as well as device based TV rentals also grace the iPhone 4. The update omits these feature entirely for 3G owners, but promises increased performance in exchange.

Initial feedback looks positive, with iPhone 4 and 3Gs owners reporting the new features working well. However, just how much faster is performance on the 3G? Even though I typically sideline iOS updates for a few days following release, I feel a strange inclination towards downloading the update to see for myself. Maybe it’s the prospect of having a usable phone once again. If I continue to feel like a guinea pig this evening, I’ll report my findings first thing tomorrow morning.

Upon syncing your compatible iPhone with iTunes 10 (4.1 requires it) you should be prompted to download the update. Please feel to comment with your own experiences.

UPDATE: Eager to experience the 3G performance boost promised with iOS 4.1, I downloaded and installed the update last evening. I am pleased to report that my phone does feel faster and more stable. Though the performance increase is subtle at best, it is definitely there. Application launch time has not necessarily improved, but overall usability and app performance has. The keyboard in Messages no longer lags for instance, and Maps actually works! Even Safari seems to be a bit faster with smoother typing, faster loading, and a less jagged screen rotation. In summary, 4.1 seems to make good on its promise. Though initial benchmarks have shown it to still be slower than 3.0, the slight performance boost it does offer is great for users who have updated to iOS4.