Free iPhone Update Adds New Features
Jan 15th, 2008 | By James Lewin | Category: iPhone 
Apple today announced a free software update for the iPhone that allows users to:
- automatically find their location using the redesigned Maps application;
- text message multiple people in one message;
- create Web Clips for their favorite websites;
- customize their home screen; and
- watch movies rented from the new iTunes Movie Rentals right on their iPhone.
“iPhone doesn’t stand still, we’re making it better and better all the time,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve delighted millions of users with this revolutionary and magical product and it’s great to share these improvements with them.”
With its revolutionary multi-touch user interface and pioneering software, users can easily add significant new features to their iPhone through software updates whenever an update becomes available. New iPhone products shipping from the factory will include the software update and existing iPhone customers will automatically get the update for free when they sync their iPhone with iTunes (www.itunes.com).
Maps, one of the most popular and helpful applications on iPhone, has a new interface that is simpler and easier to use and adds incredible new features such as the ability to find your location automatically. With just the tap of a button, iPhone can now triangulate your position using nearby Wi-Fi base stations or cellular towers. You can use this as a starting or ending point for directions or to find local points of interest. The new hybrid map view combines map view and satellite view so you can see major street names overlaid on satellite imagery.
Users can now create Web Clips-icons on the home screen that take you directly to your favorite websites, including to the exact spot you have zoomed into. Web Clips are a great way to easily track websites that you frequently check such as news, blogs, sports sites and movie listings. In addition, users can now customize their home screen by repositioning any of the icons, and even create up to nine different home screens that they can easily flick between.
iPhone’s new software update also adds the ability to send the same SMS text message to multiple people, and iPhone saves a history of your text messages, so with one tap you can send a new message to the same group.
With Apple’s new iTunes Movie Rentals, movie fans can rent movies on their computer, easily and quickly transfer them to their iPhone, and watch them anywhere on iPhone’s gorgeous 3.5 inch screen. Users can also now navigate forward or backward through their movies by chapters, select alternate language tracks and view subtitles, if available.
Pricing & Availability
The iPhone software update 1.1.3 is available immediately for free via iTunes 7.5 or later for all existing iPhone customers in the US, UK, Germany and France. New iPhone products shipping from the factory will include the software update and existing iPhone customers will automatically get the update for free when they sync their iPhone with iTunes (www.itunes.com). iTunes Movie Rentals are available in the US only. Further information for iPhone can be found at www.apple.com/iphone.
Update: Liveblog of announcement here.
[…] Podcasting News says:automatically find their location using the redesigned Maps application text message multiple people in one message create Web Clips for their favorite websites customize their home screen and watch movies rented from the new iTunes Movie Rentals read more ->Dallas Morning News says:Granted there was some cool stuff But Time Capsule didn t do much for me and while some of the features in the iPhone update are neat especially the location tracking I think we were all secretly hoping for the unveiling of the iPhone 2 The read more ->iLounge says:Apple today announced the release of iPhone software version 1 1 3 a free update for the device which adds several new features including Maps with location the ability to send SMS messages to multiple recipients and the ability to customize the read more ->Pocket-Link.co.uk says:On the subject of the iPhone Jobs moved on to talk about the new features that the latest iPhone update will bring The new functionality that firmware update 1 1 3 will offer iPhone owners will include improved mapping that can find a user s read more ->TechNewsWorld says:There are also reports of an iPhone update and an improved Apple TV device that allows consumers to watch content from their computers on their televisions Desktop Like Experience For now however the only new products at Macworld are the Google read more ->Computerworld says:Also expected and delivered were details on an iPhone update scheduled for today Jobs ran through a quick tour of its features virtually all of which had been leaked earlier Among the new features of the 1 1 3 update customizable home screens read more ->NPR News says:NPR org January 15 2008 It s not an iPhone but Apple s new ultra portable computer may spark a flurry of purchases by people ready to update their laptops Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the model Tuesday at the Macworld Expo conference in San read more ->PC World says:Please Wait Just as iPhone users were getting new capabilities via an iPhone software update announced during Steve Jobs Macworld Expo keynote today iPod touch users will get new features for their handheld device too But unlike the free read more ->Mac Central says:Just as iPhone users were getting new capabilities via an iPhone software update announced during Steve Jobs Macworld Expo keynote iPod touch users will get new features for their handheld device too But unlike the free iPhone update iPod users read more ->Contra Costa Times says:His second announcement is about the iPhone quot I ve got some great news for you quot he says Apple has sold 20 000 iPhones a day on average and it has 19 5 percent of the smartphone market this quarter in the United States He then introduces maps with read more -> […]