iPhone 4 getting a firmware upgrade… now

It’s not officially available in Ireland yet but the iPhone 4 is already getting its first firmware upgrade.
According to Engadget iPhone 4 users are being prompted to upgrade to iOS 4.0.1 right this second, just weeks after iOs 4 itself became available.

The main reason for the new software is to fix the apparent software bug which over-estimated the amount of reception a user had in any given area. This – according to Apple – goes a long way to explaining why iPhone 4 users could go from full to zero bars depending on the way they hold the phone… unfortunately no software fix will be able to stop the design issue itself, however.
Apple are also due to hold a press conference tomorrow to talk about issues people have had with the new iPhone. Rumours of a product recall have been circulating but so far this looks unlikely.
As far as Irish customers go this is all meaningless. Originally given a late-July launch date there is still no word on an Irish release for the iPhone 4 (or the iPad for that matter) and the reception issues are sure to be part of the reason for the delay.
Moves by both Three and Vodafone suggest there may be some progress, however. Both are taking pre-orders online and promising the device ‘soon’, though anything more precise than that is still anyone’s guess.

Source:
http://www.teic.ie/2010/07/iphone-4-getting-a-firmware-upgrade-now/

iPhone 4 to launch in Ireland on 30th July

The iPhone 4 should be on sale in Ireland on the Friday 30th July, if Apple CEO Steve Jobs is to be believed.
Until now Irish customers – along with those in a number of other countries – have been given nothing more than a vague ‘end of July’ time-frame and this is the first time a precise date has been officially confirmed.
At the time of publishing there was no mention of this date on the Irish Apple Store or on the websites of the various networks that will carry the phone. As mentioned before some networks are already taking pre-orders, however.
Jobs made the date announcement towards the end of his press conference on the iPhone 4′s antenna problems, which has seen reception disappear when the device is held in a certain way.
At it he accepted there were issues with the phone but contended they were not unique to Apple’s device. He said the company would offer a free case (which would stop the antenna from being interfered with) to anyone who buys the phone before the end of September and a full refund to those still not happy.
With a date now set for the iPhone 4 in Ireland next week should see the call packages of each of the three  carrier networks – O2, Vodafone and Three – along with details of upgrade and purchases costs.
What is still missing is word of an iPad release date, something that was also promised in July. Given the high demand for that tablet, however, and the fact that there is still no word half way through the month, August is probably the earliest it will be seen here.

Source:
http://www.teic.ie/2010/07/iphone-4-to-launch-in-ireland-on-30th-july/