Apple Disappoints Fans with iPhone OS 3.1

It’s not everyday that a company such as Apple takes a step back with an update for its product. iPhone has always been iffy for many businesses. Microsoft has always criticized the iPhone for not being business-friendly enough. The criticism coming from Microsoft can be somewhat ignored as Steve Ballmer and co have taken every opportunity to attack the iPhone due to it being one of the hottest gadgets on the market. But the latest update to iPhone OS has not only created a lot of headaches for businesses, it’s locked in a lot of individuals in the process.

If you have been using a jailbroken iPhone, you probably have stayed away from iPhone OS 3.1 so far. While you will still be able to unlock your iPhone, Apple is making it harder with each and every update. So far we don’t have any information on when a complete hack will be available for iPhone 3.1, so it’s no surprising that many iPhone websites are encouraging people to stay away from iPhone OS 3.1 now. The Dev Team has a useful set of information on how you can go about jailbreaking your iPhone without any hassle.

The latest version of iPhone OS has been somewhat of a headache for businesses as well. The last update has fixed a few major bugs, but has rendered the iPhone incompatible with Exchanger Server 2007 servers that require data encryption. A few IT experts have also talked about the overall security of iPhone and whether it is safe for businesses to use the device to exchange information. Apple has indeed fixed a few security holes to make iPhone more business friendly. But if you have dealt with an IT department before, you know how easy it loses trust in products and services that are not secure enough for business.

If you have upgraded to iPhone 3.1 and don’t like what you see, you can always go back to iPhone 3.01. All you have to do is run a downgrade, and you are all set. In most cases, I wouldn’t recommend doing that. But it can be done easily. Apple has indeed introduced many great features with iPhone OS 3.1 (such as anti-phishing). The software is not perfect, and it will get some grief from Apple fans. But it’s still a good step forward.

Your take: have you experienced any major issues with iPhone OS 3.1?