How to fix an iPhone which fails restore

Apple released the iPhone 2.1 Software Update today. When I got home, I immediately put my iPhone in its dock, launched iTunes, and clicked Check for Updates. There it was... the iPhone 2.1 Software Update waiting to be downloaded. I told it to continue and then I popped in a movie because these updates tend to take a while.

A while later, I went back to my computer to find a message stating that the update had failed and the iPhone would have to be restored. That sucked, but I didn't give it a second thought (since there were no other options presented to me) and chose the Restore option.

As the progress bar reached the end, I was presented with this fun message:

The iPhone "iPhone" could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (6).

 

 

When I clicked OK, it told me that iTunes found my iPhone in a safe mode state and I repeated the process of clicking Restore which led me right back to this same error. I went through this a third time (third time's a charm... right?) but had the same results. My phone was officially bricked!

I clicked the Help button and that took me to the "Update and restore error messages on the iPhone and iPod touch" article on Apple's support site.

I have worked in technical support for most of my adult life, and I could tell immediately that this is your very typical 'all-in-one' BS article that does not resolve the issue. I didn't even have to try the steps mentioned. Someone at Apple needs to take a good look at their knowledge base and review answers such as these. It is rediculous that you would have your customers jump through a lengthy string of hoops only to not resolve the issue or be told to call support (we all know how long those phone calls can be).

The REAL problem was that the file that iTunes downloaded was corrupt. The problem, however, is that once your iPhone is bricked there is no way to tell iTunes to re-download it.

(Note: These steps worked for me. I don't claim that this will work for everyone. I am not responsible if these steps make your situation worse, but let's face it... at this point your iPhone is already bricked so how much worse could it get?)

STEPS TO RESOLVE:

1. Manually download the appropriate iPhone 2.1 firmware from Apple (iPhone 2G / iPhone 3G).
2. On the iPhone screen in iTunes, hold down the 'Option' key ('Shift' on PC) and click the Restore button. In the file selection window, point it to the file you downloaded in step 1 and click OK.
3. After the firmware is installed, it will ask you whether you want to (1) set your phone up as a new iPhone, or if you want to (2) restore from a backup of . Choosing the latter will restore your phone to it's previous condition.

If you want, you can delete the original file that iTunes downloaded and replace it with the good file that you downloaded for safe keeping.

Mac OSX: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates

That's it! Now why couldn't Apple provide a simple soution such as that instead of making their customers get frustrated spending hours going through troubleshooting steps that are not going to resolve their issue or having to call support? Their support team surely doesn't need the extra workload! The customer is already frustrated and upset. They just want a quick and easy solution.

Geotagging Photos With The 3G iPhone

In my last post, I mentioned that I hoped the GPS built-into the 3G iPhone would permit me to use the iPhone for geotagging photos. Apparently Apple already had that in mind. However, it is not clear whether this can only be done for photos taken with the iPhone's built-in camera or if you can use this feature with a real camera too.

Here's an excerpt from the 3G iPhone GPS information page:

iPhone 3G provides GPS-powered location feeds to built-in applications as well as to applications available on the App Store. Take a photo with the camera, for example, and iPhone can geotag it with GPS location information. That way, when you share photos online, friends and family can see where every snapshot was taken. And you can shop the App Store for GPS-enabled applications such as mobile friend finders or interactive city guides.

3G iPhone announced today

To no surprise, Apple announced the 3G iPhone today. I remember waiting in line for a few hours to get my iPhone the day it was released approximately one year ago today. It has easily been my favorite and most useful gadget that I have ever purchased, although I can't get a signal inside my home without running to a window on the opposite side of the house. Damn you AT&T! I had excellent reception in the same location when I had Verizon. But life's not perfect. I could get a signal repeater but it's just been a minor inconvenience. If I had to go outside to take a call then it would be a different story.

The 3G iPhone has everything that my current iPhone has PLUS the 3G speeds and built-in GPS. The 3G network speeds are nice, but the built-in GPS is what I am really looking forward to!

It will be interesting to see how the GPS can be used. Obviously, it can be utilized with the iPhone's Google Maps software. But can it be used for geotagging photos? I hope that if it is possible that someone create an iPhone program to do so. That would be worth it's weight in gold!

The only real thing that I feel is lacking now is an SD memory card slot. As it is now, there is no way to add additional memory. If you want more memory then you have to purchase a new iPhone with a higher capacity (if there even is one). That doesn't seem like a huge deal now, but once the iPhone apps are released I suspect that they can fill up the memory fast, leaving less room for your music and videos. And a file browser (sorry... that's two things).

I am disappointed that they chose plastic for the back of the case rather than aluminum used on the current iPhone. The aluminum was a draw because it can be easily recycled.

I am also interested to find out what people are to do with their perfectly good 1st gen iPhone that is being replaced. I think that Apple should create a way for iPhone owners to disable the phone features to convert their iPhone to an iPod Touch for use without phone/data service. It's basically the same equipment. I'd like to give my iPhone to my sister once I upgrade. She needs a good iPod, but has no use for an iPhone since she is locked into a contract already with another phone carrier.

The 3G iPhone will be released on July 11 and requires a 2-year contract with AT&T.