Apple has now released the first software update to its iOS 5 mobile operating system since iOS 5 was first released on October 12. The new version, 5.0.1, reportedly fixes a battery draining bug that was affecting some users of the new iPhone 4S smartphone. While Apple admitted there were some users of the iPhone 4S that experienced shorter-than-normal battery drain times, it never publicly admitted what the reason for the issue was.
The update was released in two beta versions before this morning"s official 5.0.1 update went live. According to Wired, a number of users who downloaded the beta versions said that battery life on their iPhone 4S dramatically improved after installing the update.
In addition to fixing the battery bugs, there are a few other features and improvements in the 5.0.1 update. They include adding support for multitasking gestures for Apple"s first version of the iPad tablet device. It also fixes some bugs that relate to storing documents in Apple"s iCloud service. Finally the update gives Australian owners of the iPhone 4S improvements in its Siri voice recognition software when using the dictation feature.
While the update is available to download via iTunes, this is the first software update for iOS 5 that can also be downloaded over the air, without the need to hook up the device to a Mac or PC.