I know I said I wasn’t going to spill any beans on iPhone 2.0 software, but this one is just too juicy. Apple, next time, get the media to NDA on things you know will leak out… media relations needs to wake up and smell the coffee on this one (you know who you are).
Anyways, the one feature I’ve really pushed for since iPhone’s release, was to enable the ability to use Wi-Fi without the GSM radio turned on. This turns the iPhone into an iPod touch, but I was asking for it before there even was an iPod touch.
Why? As I’ve explained in the past, the GSM buzz is one of the reasons why I love CDMA technology. Be it W-CDMA or CDMA2000… there’s no buzz bizz buzz buzz that ruins my speakers, and interrupts what would be an otherwise enjoyable clearance-priced HD DVD movie.
So, I’m happy to announce on Apple’s behalf, that as of version 2.0 of iPhone firmware, you can turn Airplane Mode on, and then go right over to Wi-Fi settings and turn it back on. The iPhone will no longer demand that you turn the GSM radio back on.
Which reminds me… I’ve been wondering for awhile, why is it referred to as Wi-Fi in iPhone. I could understand AirPort (Wi-Fi), or even the terribly confusing AirPort on its own. But just Wi-Fi? Could it be, Apple will eventually scrap AirPort branding on the Mac. Nah… that would be… downright logical.