While the launch of Apple’s latest iteration of the iPhone, the iPhone 4S, has broken records and generally turned out to be a smash-hit, it hasn’t been without its problems.
One of the principle issues users are reporting is shortened battery life in the new iPhone release. Generally, iPhones get better than 10 hours of battery life, but iPhone 4S users are reporting that the new device gets substantially less than that.
Apple acknowledged that there might be issues with battery life last week, except it didn’t admit that the problem was an issue with the iPhone 4S hardware. Instead, Apple said it was bugs within iOS 5 that were inadvertently sucking power from the battery, for example, if the GPS in the device were allowed to remain on even when the phone was locked, it would experience extremely reduced battery life.
According to Apple, iPhone 4S users weren’t the only ones experiencing reduced battery life because of iOS 5. Some older devices were also having battery issues, Apple reported, which led the company to think it was a software issue rather than hardware. So it released iOS 5.0.1 in order to fix the issue.
A story from PC World, however, suggests that some iPhone 4S users are still experiencing problems even after downloading iOS 5.0.1. In fact, according to a forum thread on Apple.com, the bug-fixing patch may have actually made battery life on the device worse somehow.
Not everyone is continuing to complain about the battery issues, however. Some users are reporting significant improvements thanks to the new patch. Others suggest that the issue could be user error. Apps running in the background, for example, can have a big effect on battery life, and it can be easy to lose track of them and leave them running.
We’re still waiting for Apple’s official response following the patch. We can expect that the tech giant is still actively trying to figure out what, if anything, might be the issue with the iPhone 4S. It’s possible that continued feedback from users might help Apple to track down the real battery life culprit; or the company may instead release a statement saying that the trouble is iPhone 4S users, no the phone itself. Either way, it’s probable not all 4S owners are going to be happy with the official outcome.
