I’ve just updated my iPhone 3g from the v2.1 software release to the latest version 3 and I thought I’d make a few notes that may be helpful to others doing the update or maybe thinking of doing the update. First thoughts after a successful update are very POSITIVE! A great update from Apple and I urge you to avail yourself of the free update.

I will cover features of this new version in other blogs, for this blog post I will keep to a few simple notes about the update process itself.

First off is connecting the USB cable to the registered iTunes PC so that the update can be performed.  If you have auto connection setup then simply connecting the iPhone will launch iTunes and a short while after will show the iPhone connected.  If not, you need to run iTunes separately manually and then the iPhone should show up in the browser window on the left hand side.

Normally iTunes will detect that you are running an old version of the iPhone operating system software and offer you the box with button to choose to begin an update. If not you may click on the check for update button.

The first thing that happens when you click to update to version 3 is that a backup of your iPhone begins.  If you have many apps on your device and / or data in the form of music and video etc.  you will find that this backup can take a considerable amount of time. In my case on a 16 Gb iPhone I waited at least 2 hours for the backup to complete.

One of the bugbears of the iPhone is the backup time. If you have 16 Gb device nearly full with reams of data and apps the actual backup window can be very high indeed.  Make sure you have enough time to do the update.  If you’re plugged in to a USB 1 or 1.1 port on your PC then backup becomes a nightmare. You really do need a USB 2 for the iPhone connection to a PC.  If you’re using a MAC then you’re fine and you already have the high speed connection in place.  For others struggling with the backup phase you need to ensure you are plugged into a USB 2 port. There is another blog entry about how to check the usb port coming soon.

Once the backup is complete and the download is complete you may encounter a few errors.  When I did my 1st 3 attempts to update, the backup and download had gone fine then I faced an error about the Apple authentication server not being available.  So I had to disconnect the phone because I needed to go out.

I came back later and re-connected and you see similar screens in iTunes to before except that fortunately, the software is smart enough to know that it has already done a full backup and downloaded the files so it goes and does a very small backup this time and straight into extracting the downloaded files and begins the install / update process proper.

Of course before you begin any of this process please ensure that your iPhone is FULLY CHARGED.  You don’t want any power outs during the update or this may be extremely bad for the iPhone.   As already mentioned, the backup and upgrade process can take a considerable time so ensure you have that time available before you begin. In my case with a fairly full 16 Gb model it took about 3 hours from start to finish, although I did experience some problems with the Apple authentication server.

What is very good news is that you don’t need to worry about having to wait a long time for the backup to work thru twice or download the update twice either as the software definitely takes care of the problem in case of initial failed installs.

See a bunch of screenshots from my upgrade…

The Update at 25%...

update nearly complete

1st Sign that all has gone well

The New Interface note the new Voice Memos Icon