When it comes to patches and updates, most people (especially the IT officers) will yawn “not again!” because the process is often clumsy and users do not get any material improvement (other than eliminating one of the many bugs).  iPhone’s updates (available for both 2G and 3G version) are a lot different though, because they are not so much about bug-fixing.  Rather, new updates are usually signs of new features and improvements which can give users a lot of excitement!



The new version 2.2 of iPhone brings about a lot of new things that can more than justify the hassle of the update process.  The v2.2 software improves battery life (so so so important for a non-replaceable battery), better network management, fewer Safari crashes, faster loading of Contacts and Messages and a scientific calculator (I love it!).

If any of these free improvements sound appealing to you, it’s time to pull your iPhone and cable out!  Follow this simple procedure to upgrade your iPhone:

First, download the new iTunes 8 software from http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/.

Do not bother with the e-mail address or the Newsletter preference, just click Download Now and install it.  The next step is connecting your iPhone SECURELY to the computer and run iTunes.  Make sure the cable is plugged in firmly on both sides or you risk “bricking” (making it a non-booting brick of electronics) the iPhone.  Now if you have more than one iPhone connected to the computer, remove the not-for-upgrade one from the computer, then choose the remaining, for-upgrade iPhone from the DEVICES on the left side of iTunes.  In the iPhone Summary pane, press the “Check for Update” button, then click “Download and Install”.  The software will be streamed to your iPhone automatically.  Make sure that everything is done before you unplug the iPhone.