As promised during the Apple Let’s Rock Keynote. The iPhone 2.1 Software Update was made available yesterday.

iPhone 2.1 Software New Features

• option to wipe data after ten failed passcode attempts
• Genius playlist creation

Bug Fixes and Improvements

• decrease in call set-up failures and call drops
• significantly improved battery life for most users
• dramatically reduced time to back-up to iTunes
• improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts
• faster installation of 3rd party applications
• fixed bugs causing hangs and crashes if you have lots of 3rd party applications
• improved performance in text messaging
• faster loading and searching of contacts
• improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display
• repeat alert up to twp additional times for incoming text messages

Kernel Panic

The first time I tried installing the update I got a major kernel panic, and the black screen wipe of death. Possibly unrelated, but I haven’t had one of those for a long time.

Apple’s Let’s Rock event was a bit of a disappointment for me. Mainly because Copy and Paste apparently hasn’t made it to the 2.1 iPhone software. The upgrade will be available on Friday. Expect:

• faster sync – yay!
• less call drops
• less crashes
• better battery life

The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.

—Steve Jobs

Also, it seems strange for Apple to drop the 160GB iPod Classic. The biggest iPod you can now get is the new 120GB Classic.

I am not sure about the new iPod nano, either. The new features are cool. Especially the shake to shuffle feature. I like the colours too. I will have to get my hands on one to see what it’s like in the flesh.

The new features of the new Second generation iPod touch look pretty neat.

Really looking forward to downloading iTunes 8. The new Genius feature looks cool. I wonder how it will categorise my music?

Roll on Friday.