Monday, November 08, 2010, 01:00 pm

Test shows Apple's iOS 4.2 further improves iPhone 3G performance

By Slash Lane

Apple's iOS 4.2 software update, set for release this month, offers improved performance on Apple's second-generation iPhone 3G, first released in 2008, a new hands-on demonstration shows.

TiPb took the golden master of iOS 4.2 and installed it on an iPhone 3G to test its performance. The software is believed to be the final version of the iOS software update, which is scheduled to be released for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad this month.

A video of the handset's performance shows that the device is much more responsive to touches, as well as doing activities like loading websites. While not as fast as an iPhone 4, the iPhone 3G has just a quarter of the 512MB of RAM found in Apple's latest phone.

After iOS 4 was released, iPhone 3G users complained that the software ran extremely slow on their device. The iPhone 3G also does not run some features of iOS 4 found on newer, more powerful handsets, such as multitasking and background wallpapers.

Apple addressed some of iPhone 3G performance concerns with the release of iOS 4.1. However, some users have remained dissatisfied with the performance of their smartphone with Apple's latest mobile operating system.


One recent lawsuit has taken aim at Apple for the performance of the iPhone 3G, dubbing it the "iBrick." The California suit alleges that Apple engaged in "unsavory, dishonest and deceptive business practices" by offering iOS 4 with subpar performance to iPhone 3G users.