In September 2008, the traditional “music event” featured Iphone OS 2.1, new generations of several iPod models (including iPod touch), iTunes 8, Genius and some music at the very end. In 2008, Steve made many mistakes. He was in too much of a hurry. He was sure that if he ceased to go into all the details of important projects, they would fail, and the position that was safe for Apple in the market was still far away. But the forces were not the same, and several such projects failed – the same MobileMe and “cloud iWork” required additional time for testing and debugging.

As in 2003-2004, he postponed treatment – trying to keep up with everything. I managed a lot. He was lucky: he had time to finish the job. But more about that another time …

He looked bad. He was even diagnosed “from a photograph,” predicted that in a month, at best in two, it would all end. Shareholders (very nervous creatures – their investments depend on the well-being of the company, and it directly depends on the well-being of its charismatic chapter) accused him of unethical behavior, believing that he does not have the right to hide the truth from them.

Finally, some publication published a message about his death. Judging by the inscription on the gravestone, it was a joke, but the news was immediately reprinted by others … without a picture, maybe on purpose. A sensation!

And so, on September 8, 2008, Steve opened the Apple Music Event with the statement “rumors of my death are somewhat exaggerated”, thin but cheerful and happy with life. Applause and laughter. If you imagine what it all cost him, it becomes no laughing matter. But the Apple press service professionally fulfilled Steve’s demand, and no one could even imagine how much everything hung “in the balance”.

iPhone OS 2.1 was no longer a beta version. But in the title, I did not mean her …

This is the sixth part of the iPhone and similar series, the previous parts are here:

First part: MacWorld Expo 2007 ;
The second part: Touch-interface comes to iPod ;
The third part: iPhone for businesses, iPhone SDK and the App Store ;
The fourth part: Leopard moves to the iPhone .
Fifth: Next step: iPhone 3G, iPhone OS 2.0 and much more …

Another mistake Steve

To access the iPhone section of the developer.apple.com site, where you could download Xcode and the official version of the SDK, you had to sign up for a free subscription. On the other side, something was checked – and after a while, as a rule, they gave access to the section.

I have not heard of a single case of refusing anyone to subscribe, but this was not a formality either. To subscribe, it was necessary to “sign” an obligation “not to disclose information about the SDK, not to discuss issues related to the SDK in blogs, on public sites, on forums, in print media and anywhere in the public space”. In fact, it was a non-disclosure agreement. A check was needed, most likely, to confirm the seriousness of the signed commitments.

I don’t remember exactly if free subscribers got access to the beta versions of iPhone OS 2.1 (in my opinion, the right to access the beta versions was one of the privileges of the iPhone Developer Program participants, I was), but everyone signed the commitment.

Imagine: a new operating system and a new SDK, imperfect and incomplete documentation, bugs and problems, just riddles – where did the developer usually go?

This prohibition strongly interfered.

And not only to developers – because of him, dozens of books about the iPhone OS SDK were not published. Publishers consulted with lawyers, and found out: even despite the unusualness and mass character of the non-proliferation agreement, he who signed it in case of violation may be held accountable.

Steve wrote a whole petition … But he was not up to it.

The authors of the books and the developers would have understood with understanding the requirement to keep secret the features of the beta versions, but the rest was clearly detrimental.

Information about the beta versions, however, penetrated the media. Push notifications, which were presented at WWDC as an alternative to parallel processes, were in the first and second beta, but did not work. From the third beta they disappeared. In the release of iPhone OS 2.1 they were not. No one was hurt for it.

Restrictions on free subscribers have been removed. It seems in December. The petition, apparently reached.

No more beta version …
David Pogue, who called the iPhone one of the major computer platforms (Windows, Mac OS X and iPhone OS 2.0), after testing iPhone OS 2.1 after its release, announced that all previous versions of the iPhone and iPod touch systems were beta versions of the iPhone OS – and this is no longer beta, this is the real and real iPhone OS.

Hangs, bugs, emergency shutdowns and other problems, which were an incredible number in iPhone OS 2.0, have been fixed.

The speed of many operations has increased significantly. iPhone OS 2.1 was more robust and prudent than its predecessor. The minute delay at 95% when loading an application purchased in the App Store is a thing of the past. And the download itself was faster than one and a half times.

On September 8, 2008, it would be more correct to consider the date of birth of the iPhone OS (today, iOS).

A live operating system cannot be perfect: in iPhone OS 2.1 some of the old “sores” have survived, and new ones have appeared – but now everything has been within the limits of propriety.

second generation iPod touch

I will not retell the video: better than Jobs will fail.

Here is a fragment with this presentation (duration 00:18:23):

I will write only about what he did not say.

iPod touch (2G) was not shipped with iPhone OS 2.1 at all. And with iPhone OS 2.1.1.

And attempts to upgrade iPod touch of the first model from iPhone OS 2.0.x to iPhone OS 2.1 in iTunes in the first days ended in nothing. The problem was fixed after two or three days.

The iPod touch model ID (2G) was iPod2.1. He also had a slogan: “The funnest iPod ever”. “The funniest iPod ever.” If you do not like the translation, tell me.

And, for the first time from the very beginning of the epic, the iPod touch (2G) has increased the processor clock frequency (all the same ARM1176JZ (F) -S, with a nominal frequency of 620 MHz), from 412 to 532 MHz.

What made it noticeably quicker than the iPhone 3G.

According to unconfirmed reports, ARM1176JZ (F) -S v1.0 in iPod touch (2G) was replaced by ARM1176JZ (F) -S v4.0.

In addition, when opening in 2G, they found a “smuggled” Broadcom BCP4325 chip, this is Bluetooth support. It was not reported at the presentation, except indirectly: otherwise, there was no talk of any support for the iPod + Nike.

Other
About iTunes 8, with the Genius feature and about this feature itself, about a small iPod Classic upgrade and about iPod nano (4G) – see the video.

(Duration 01:04:28):

By the way, on the same day, iPod shuffle was also repainted in new bright colors – what was not said, I won’t say a word