Earlier this week,
Apple rolled out yet another update for its
iOS 6.1 software, this time, in the form of iOS 6.1.2.
The update, which is the second of two that Apple has rolled out since
releasing iOS 6.1 back in February, is aimed at wiping out an Exchange
issue that had been wiping out the battery life of iPhones and iPads
since the arrival of iOS 6.1. As we’ve mentioned, and as
iDevice owners
know, these smaller updates can often fix other unspecified issues or
bring other problems along with them. That said, here are our
impressions of the iOS 6.1.2 update for the
iPad 3 in particular.
About three weeks ago, Apple released the long-awaited iOS 6.1 update
for iPhone, iPad and
iPod touch owners. The update brought quite a bit
new to the table as it represented the first major update to the iOS 6
operating system since its release all the way back in September of last
year.
Instead of just bug fixes, the iOS 6.1 update actually brought a
number of new features to the table for owners of Apple’s devices
running iOS 6 or above. Those include new movie buying functionality for
Siri, a larger Report a Problem button in Apple Maps and my personal
favorite, the new lock screen music controls that were a big improvement
from those found in iOS 6, particularly on the iPhone.
Of course, for all the good that iOS 6.1 brought with it, there was
also quite a bit of bad as well, so bad in fact, that Apple has had to
issue two iOS 6.1 updates since then.
The first was iOS 6.1.1, an update strictly for the
iPhone 4S, and
one that tackled a 3G connectivity issue that iPhone 4S owners were
struggling under after the release of iOS 6.1.
iOS 6.1.2 was released for the iPad earlier this week.
The second was released earlier this week in the form of iOS 6.1.2,
an extremely small update that arrived for owners of all iPhone, iPad
and iPod touch models running iOS 6. This update was issued, according
to Apple, to take care of some battery drain issues that arose due to an
Exchange bug that was housed inside its calendar.
Exchange, a common email service used by both small and large
businesses had an issue in its calendar wherein network activity would
increase and the iPhone would start losing battery life quickly. Again,
in one particular case, we saw iOS 6.1 battery life on the iPhone 4S
drop to 55% with just a few hours of actual usage.
Apple promised a fix shortly after the bug came to the surface and
after companies advised their iPhone users to refrain from updating
until the bug was worked out.
So, earlier this week, iOS 6.1.2 finally rolled out the very
necessary update to owners of the iPad. The update is available now
through iTunes or through an Over-the-Air update.
That said, here now are my impressions about the iOS 6.1.2 update for the iPad.
Easy Installation
As I’ve stated in my reviews several times, many times I’ve run into
issues installing iOS updates. Typically, they happen during major
upgrades, say iOS 5 or iOS 6, but I’ve also encountered some problems
with incremental updates as well whether its an update freezing or an
update taking longer than it should.
iOS 6.1.2 for iPad was an extremely flawless installation. I decided
to install the software Over-the-Air as I typically do, and while it was
a bit larger than the iPhone 5′s iOS 6.1.2 update, checking in at
around 40MB, it still went fairly swiftly.
From start to finish the process took all of seven so minutes. After
that was through, my iPad installed the update automatically and started
up with iOS 6.1.2 on board.
Of course, iPad owners looking for something new from iOS 6.1.2
aren’t going to get it. The software will look exactly the same as iOS
6.1 did on the iPad and there are no new features.
New iOS 6.1 Features Still Working Well
Speaking of the new features, all of them are still working well in
iOS 6.1.2. While the ability to purchase movie tickets with Siri may
have been the largest addition to iOS 6 in iOS 6.1, I am still finding
the new lock screen to be the best overall addition.
I still love the lock screen controls.
When iOS 6.1 first arrived, I wasn’t in love with the iPad’s new lock
screen controls. At least not as much as I was with the iPhone 5′s. Due
to the larger display, the controls are a bit different than the
iPhone’s as they aren’t as spread out on screen.
Still, they’ve grown on me and while I wish there was even more space
between all of the buttons, they are certainly an improvement over the
previous version of the lock screen music controls, which I encountered
on an older iPad earlier this week.
The other feature, the new Report a Problem button in Apple Maps, is
still there, though I will say that I haven’t used it yet as I haven’t
used the
Maps app on my iPad since installing iOS 6.1.
I own a Wi-Fi only version of the iPad third-generation which means
that I rely solely on Wi-Fi connectivity when I need to get on the web
or check my email from my tablet. So, if and when an iOS update bungles
Wi-Fi, I am in big trouble.
Fortunately, I have come out of iOS relatively unscathed. Prior to
iOS 6.1, I had indeed heard from a few iPad owners who were complaining
about Wi-Fi connectivity and for the most part, those have settled down.
iOS 6.1.2 seems to keep the same snappy Wi-Fi connection that I have
been accustomed to. And so far, my connection to public Wi-Fi has been
stable as well.
As I’ve said before, I suggest checking in with
this thread if you are indeed experiencing issues after iOS 6.1.
After installing iOS 6.1, I saw iPad owners
complaining
about battery life issues. It now appears that those issues, at least
for most people, were likely caused by the Exchange bug that was
plaguing Apple’s mobile device owners.
As someone who doesn’t own a cellular enabled iPad or one that has an
active Exchange account on board, I can’t confirm whether or not the
issues have been hashed out by iOS 6.1.2. From what I have heard though,
the issue should be taken care and battery life should have returned to
normal. I suggest taking a look at our how to fix iOS 6.1 battery life in ten seconds if you’re still experiencing issues.
iOS 6.1.2 battery life is solid.
What I can confirm is that after installing iOS 6.1.2, my battery
life is solid on my Wi-Fi only iPad model. It’s as good as it was when I
got iOS 6 and as good as it was after the iOS 6.1 update rolled out.
So those that are accustomed to the iPad’s fantastic battery life can expect more of the same from this update.
Security Issue Still an Issue
One issue that still is an issue in iOS 6.1.2 is the lock screen
security bug that allows users to bypass the lock screen by using the
Emergency Call button.
The issue was not taken care of in iOS 6.1.2, likely because Apple
needed to rush out a fix for the Exchange battery drain bug, but it does
look like relief will be coming soon in the form of iOS 6.1.3.
Today, iOS 6.1.3 Beta 2 rolled out and sure enough, Apple listed a
fix for the security flaw. The company has not yet said when the update
might roll out though given the stature of the bug, we imagine that it
will likely be released in the near future.
No Other Major Issues
So far, I haven’t discovered any other major bugs within iOS 6.1.2.
All of the features seem to be working properly on my iPad including all
of the applications I use on a daily basis.
I haven’t discovered any major iOS 6.1.2 bugs.
Often, these updates find a way to break the harmony with some apps, I
saw it with iOS 6.1 in Chrome on my
iPhone 5, but so far, iOS 6.1.2 has
performed admirably and I haven’t noticed any significant issues.
Should You Install to iOS 6.1.2?
At this point, I can’t find any reason for iPad owners not to install
the iOS 6.1.2 update, at least those that are already on iOS 6.1.
Battery life is solid, the Exchange issue seems to have been taken care
of, Wi-Fi connectivity is strong and I haven’t been able to dig up any
significant bugs.
In addition, the Evasi0n jailbreak currently supports iOS 6.1.2.
iPad owners are safe to install iOS 6.1.2.
We recommend that those who may still be lingering on iOS 5 wait for
iOS 6.1.3 to patch the security bug. Other than that, iOS 6.1.2 is
perfectly safe to install through iTunes or Over-the-Air through the
iPads settings.
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Apple's iOS 9 will be centered around enhancing solidness and destroying bugs, as per another report from the solid 9to5Mac. The real upgrade for Macintosh's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch for 2015 is relied upon to make a stride back from the fast arrival of new gimmicks for expanding on the current structure to verify everything effectively offered works all the more reliably. Apple has done likewise thing with desktop overhauls before, most strikingly with "Snow Panther," the redesign to OS X that emulated Panther and brought precisely the sort of steadiness upgrades portrayed in this new answer to Macintoshes. 
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