iOS 5.0.1 Upgrade Fails?

Apple made a little bit of history yesterday. For the first time ever, iOS users were treated to an OTA update. iOS 5.0.1 was expected to fix the battery issues that iPhone 4S users have been experiencing. While it is nice to be able to update iOS over the air, the end result was not too encouraging this time around. Many iPhone owners who have gotten this new version are still complaining about their phones’ battery performing poorly.

Upset iOS users are flooding the Apple’s discussion forums with their complaints on iPhone’s lousy battery life. Some are even claiming that their issues have gotten worse after the update. User JohnMantooth said it best:

Upgraded to 5.0.1 this morning.  Still draining at the exact same rate.  Unplugged with a full charge 2 1/2 hours ago, and already down to 80% with light usage.  Just lost 2% during a 15 minute shower.  I see no difference at all.

There does seem to be a lot of confusion on what could be causing these issues. Some users seem to have no major issues on their phones. While others suggest their phones perform even worse after this last update. The positive recent report by Wired.com only adds to the confusion:

Frankly the difference is nothing short of amazing … To go almost an entire day without a change in the meter reading seems unbelievable. Where before I could almost watch the battery drain, now it doesn’t move at all,

A Wired reader suggested. We have not experienced such thing on our phones. The battery life remains more or less the same on the devices we have tested. At this point, this still seems to be a software and not a hardware issue.

What’s your take? Have you upgraded to iOS 5.0.1? Did it improve your phone’s battery life?