iOS 4.1 released for iPhone and iPod touch

Apple has released version 4.1 of its iOS operating system for iPhone and iPod Touch devices. The major update includes a number of new features and addresses several critical security vulnerabilities in the mobile OS. In total, the 4.1 release of iOS closes a total of 24 security holes, 20 of which are related to the WebKit rendering engine used by the OS's Safari web browser. The company says that all of the WebKit issues could allow an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.

Apart from the security fixes, after updating their devices, iPhone 4 users can shoot high dynamic range (HDR) photos and upload HD videos via Wi-Fi to YouTube and MobileMe. Users with iPhone 4, 3GS or iPod Touch (2nd generation or later) devices can also play games against their friends using Game Center. Other changes include the addition of support for the Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) Bluetooth profile, allowing users to control media playback on their mobile devices using, for example, Bluetooth headphones, performance improvements on older devices like the iPhone 3G and heavy integration with Apple's iTunes Ping social network.

The updates range from around 500 MB for iPhone 4 devices, to 300 MB for the iPhone 3G and are available to download via iTunes. Apple iPad owners will have to wait until November for an update, when iOS 4.2 will help reportedly improve performance and provide support for AirPlay, which directly transmits music and video to wireless speakers, on all iOS platforms.

(crve)