The Joy of Tech has a great diagram that explains how Apple’s app review system works. This is vital, urgent, information that every developer and app store customer should read. It clearly explains why apps like Pull My Finger are not available in the store while seemingly less functional flashlight apps continue to proliferate.

View App Review Diagram

Apple released iPhone 2.1 software yesterday and follows the 2.1 update available for iPod Touch owners on Tuesday.  The new release brings a host of improvements according to Apple:

• decrease in call set-up failures and call drops
• significantly improve battery life for most users
• dramatically reduced time to backup to iTunes
• improve email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts
• faster installation of 3rd party applications
• fixed bugs causing hangs and crashes if you have lots of 3rd party applications
• improved performance in text messaging
• faster loading and searching of contacts
• improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display
• repeat alert up to two additional times for incoming text messages
• option to wipe data after ten failed passcode attempts
• Genius playlist creation

Among the features most important to our endeavors here at Useless Productivity, I have to say that app installation and backup improvements are most welcome and badly needed. And they seem to be working great for us. 

One feature not mentioned in Apple’s list is that when you update an existing application it keeps it’s home screen location, rather than being shuttled over to the first open position. This is another welcome change that will make managing updated apps much easier. 

Nice work Apple. Now, how about copy and paste already?

Learn More:

• Apple iPhone 2.1 Software Update