iPhone 4S: Apple Announces Timeline for Battery Fix
More than two weeks after complaints started pouring in over weak battery life on the new iPhone 4S, Apple is responding.
In a prepared statement, Apple said, “A small number of customers have reported lower-than-expected battery life on iOS 5 devices. We have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life, and we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks.”
Short and sweet. But a “small number” of customers is a bit of a stretch unless you’re used to dealing with huge numbers as Apple is. A couple of hundred pages on the computer giant’s community support forum are filled with people having issues with their iPhone 4S battery life some saying they’re only getting a few hours out of a single charge.
Patience, apparently, is the word. Waiting a few weeks for a software update won’t make a lot of customers happy, but at least it’s a software issue rather than one based in the hardware. That would get plenty messy. Unfortunately, other Apple devices could be impacted as well since the problem lies within iOS 5.
The 4S actually was supposed to offer improved battery life, with up to eight hours of talk time, and maybe it still will.
Meantime, we’ve learned that there’s actually a carrier out there that doesn’t want the iPhone that badly and will no longer sell it. A Czech newspaper reports that Telefonica Czech Republic won’t sell the 4S and is dumping its selection of all iPhone models in a dispute with Apple over contract terms. Residents of the Czech Republic will still be able to get the device since Apple has deals with Vodafone and T-Mobile International in that European nation.
