Apple has re-released iOS 5.0.1 (Build 9A406) specifically for its new-ish smartphone, the iPhone 4S.
The device, seen by many as a modest touch-up from the preceding iPhone 4, has been dogged with battery issues from the get-go, with many consumers claiming 10% depletion per hour of the A5-powered device.
The fruit company isn’t unfamiliar with post-release issues of its smartphone range; after all, the iPhone 4 gained worldwide notoriety last year when antenna-related issues saw the Cupertino-based company issue free bumpers to consumers in a rather embarrassed attempt to paper over the preparation oversights.
Initially, iOS 5.0.1, released for each and every iOS 5-capable device, was said to amend those lingering battery issues, but that hasn’t turned out to be the case and most users have not noticed any signs of the promised improvements.
With iOS 5.1 (a somewhat more significant upgrade over iOS 5.0.1) released in beta to dev-program devotees, it was thought Apple would kill two birds with one stone – making Siri-related upgrades and battery amendments in one hit. But whilst this stop-gap solution will suit iPhone 4S users, it does also alleviate the pressure on an iOS 5.1 release date, which we’ll now presume, given Apple’s often lackadaisical timekeeping, to be a very early 2012 release.
While the unprecedented move to re-release 5.0.1 solely for the iPhone 4S is officially not known yet, but by the looks of it, it should (hopefully) amend at least some of those battery woes, enabling us to concentrate on the more pressing issues such as Siri hacking and the teased untethered jailbreak progress, which is thought to be tantalizingly close to release.
Please note, this release of iOS 5.0.1 is only for the iPhone 4S, thus not available to those of you on any other iDevice. It’s just a new build number of the exact same release. Thus, you’re not missing out on anything the iPhone 4S user will be gaining – well, aside from the A5 chip, 8 mega-pixel camera, Siri, and the many other bells and whistles associated with owning the very latest gadget.
Let’s hope this time around, Tim Cook’s company has sorted things out.
Download iOS 5.0.1 9A406 for iPhone 4S [Direct Link]
Download iOS 5.0.1 9A405 for iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, iPad 2, iPad 1, iPod touches [Direct Links]
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