First iOS 5.1 Beta Does not Fix Battery Issues

Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 5.1 to developers. Users who have updated and tested this version claim that it does not fix battery issues. Ars Technica sat with Michael Morgan from ABI Research to analyze the various reports of poor battery life. Many users are claiming a shorter battery life after updating their iDevices to iOS 5. This has affected both iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 users alike, along with customers who have recently purcahsed the iPhone 4S (which comes with iOS 5 pre-installed, naturally). The iOS 5.0.1 update has fixed some bugs and a major security hole, but has not fixed the battery problems completely. Michael Morgan claims that a software fix is, indeed, the real answer. There has been some speculation that the iPhone 4S's newer dual-core A5 processor may be the culprit, as it seems iPhone 4S users have it worse off than others. Morgan stepped in to explain that the hardware isn't that different. Morgan explains they've tore down the 4S and tested some of the major components, including the new A5 processor, but nothing that they tested was significantly different from the iPhone 4, and power draw was right where they expected it to be. Additionally, Morgan also mentioned that it can be very difficult to find and fix all of the various issues that lead to poor battery life, especially when looking at such complex software. This is only the first beta of iOS 5.1, there's only one way to go and that's up so things are bound to improve. - Ars Technica

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