Apple released iPhone firmware version 2.1, the third update to the iPhone 2.0 software, this past Friday. I updated my iPhone in the afternoon, and hoped for the best. I was not disappointed.

The update corrected several security bugs, including a nasty one that allowed anyone to bypass the iPhone's lock screen and access the contacts application. From there, the user would have access to several other areas of the device, including the Web browser. While I was happy to see this bug squashed (for a second time since the release of the iPhone last year), I was more impressed by the update's respect for my time.

The update corrected two major flaws, as I see it. First, it brought my backup times down from about 15-60 minutes to approximately one minute. Second, it cut down the time required to install an application from about five minutes to less than 30-seconds. These are two HUGE improvements, and I was more than astonished after the second synchronization with the new firmware installed. (I say "second synchronization" because the first sync took about ten minutes, but every sync after that has gone by so quickly that it's done before I really notice.)

Copy and paste functionality was left out of this update, as was expected by the rumor mill. It was assumed that Apple would leave out any new features that had been planned (also assuming that copy and paste were planned in the first place) so that they could focus on actually making the iPhone work as intended.

Now the the bugs are squashed, I don't have to wait days until I can allow the iPhone to take its time backing up or installing apps. This might be very bad, in the long run, as I've purchased a few new apps today and installed several free apps as well. Now that it's easy to install new apps and sync quickly, I can officially be worried that I might get carried away.