I just downloaded and installed the 2.1 Update on my 32GB iPod Touch.

It says there that the update costs $9.95. However, I wasn't charged anything when I downloaded it. I've had my Touch since April of this year; paid for the 2.0 update; but for some reason, wasn't charged anything for the 2.1 update. It's strange; but I'm not complaining. :)

It's supposed to address the frequent crashes brought about by various apps. It also addresses the very long backup times that most users have been complaining about. There's also something about Mail handling improvements. Of course, it brings the various things mentioned in today's Keynote (like the Genius playlists feature, etc.). Note: the Nike+ feature is not included; it's a hardware thing that's available only in the new iPod Touch model.

So far, I must say that backup time has indeed been reduced. I'm thinking this is great news for a lot of people.

I never really experienced frequent crashes/resets but I'm hoping this update answers the needs of those who actually do.

Genius feature is working well.

If you go to Music > Songs, you'll notice that you'll find album name and artist name below each song title. Before, all you'll find are the song titles. This is cool, especially if you have songs that have identical names. (for example, CRAZY. There's the Aerosmith song, the K-Ci and Jojo song, and the Snoop Dogg song). With this feature, it's now easier to select songs.

johannes, I think SJ did mention that it'd be free for current 2.0 firmware users from last night's keynote :)

Do you have a comparative time between the previous backup time with the 2.1's? Just asking to get a comparison when 2.1 for the iPhone is released by end of week too.

johannes, I think SJ did mention that it'd be free for current 2.0 firmware users from last night's keynote :)

Do you have a comparative time between the previous backup time with the 2.1's? Just asking to get a comparison when 2.1 for the iPhone is released by end of week too.

Oh right! I completely forgot. Stupid me... to think I even took notes!

It's free if you already have 2.0 installed. $9.95 if you're still on 1.x.

As for the reduced backup time, ballpark figure is that compared to pre-2.1, it now takes almost half the time to do a backup. The difference for me is really noticeable. It's a good update all-in-all.

By the way, the 2.1 update also makes Apps installation faster. :)

This is great. I hope the Genius feature is also on the iPhone 3G 2.1 FW update, among others. :)

By the way, the 2.1 update also makes Apps installation faster. :)
Thanks for the comparison. I really hope the firmware 2.1 for the iPhone would fix the Apple Logo Screen of Death too since it's caused by application installation :confused:

2.1 Update is working well for me too. I've gone legit and all my apps are from the app store. games are getting better too. EA's Virtual Pool is fabulous. Best pool game there is. Very realistic. My real game improved too.

I hope so, too, bacchus_3.

I just downloaded the update for Scrabble using my iPod Touch's App Store. Yes, the installation seemed faster than before.

I also discovered something different in the audiobooks section of my iPod Touch after the update. It now displays how much time is left in each audiobook. Said time is displayed below the audiobook title.

so far so good,

installing apps are indeed faster now, and hopefully doesn't hang/apple logo when updating.. :D

backup was also faster now, :D

i just talked to power mac megamall awhile ago and asked them about the payment. they said that when you paid for a firmware update, the succeeding update will be free as long as your using the same pc/mac that you used to buy the update :)

Here's another observation after I updated to 2.1:

Remember when we download and install application updates on our iPhones/iPod Touch? Isn't it that when you go to Finder > Music > iTunes > Mobile Applications, you'll find duplicates of the apps you updated? And if you have 50+ apps, this totals to a lot of wasted space. So you end up deleting the older versions one by one. Basically, instead of overwriting the older version of an app, they just create a new one with a 1 or 2 and so on after it.

Not anymore. :)

Actually, I'm not sure if it's because of the 2.1 iPod Touch update or the iTunes 8 update. Nevertheless, this isn't the case anymore. After updating about 4 apps today, I noticed that there's something in my Trash. When I opened it, I found the older versions of the 4 apps I just updated. When I went to Music > iTunes > Mobile Applications, all I found were the most recent versions of said 4 apps. No more duplicates! :) No more wasted space. This happened only after I did the 2.1 update and iTunes 8 update.

EDIT:

I'm beginning to think this has more to do with the iTunes 8 update. Then again, it could be a combination of iTunes 8 and the 2.1 update.

Good find johannes! I'll try to check it on mine as I don't have fw2.1 yet but iTunes 8. I would bet my money on iTunes 8 but I'll look into it to make sure :)

Does the Genius Playlist feature work in the Philippines? I keep getting a warning on iTunes 8 that it doesn't work "in my country". Hence I am unable to enable the feature on my 2.1 firmware Touch, as it can only be enabled via iTunes.

It's working fine in my end, bon. What type of iTunes account do you have? US or PH?

I have a PH account. Are you in town johannes?

Yes, I'm in Manila, bon.

I did a little experiment. I have 2 iTunes accounts--one PH, one US.

I logged into my US account. Genius worked. I clicked a song in my playlist and the Genius sidebar gave recommendations.

I logged off.

I logged into my PH account. I clicked a song in my playlist and the Genius sidebar said that it "does not work/is not available in your country".

I guess the Genius sidebar doesn't work with Philippine accounts.

Apparently, Genius and iTunes 8 is still a bit buggy. I got quite a lot of syncing error coded as 13213 as i did my regular sync.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g77/macmackie/ipoderrorjpeg.jpg

I found out I'm not alone (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8057676) and also found out that you just have to quit iTunes, unplug your iPod, reopen iTunes and then replug the iPod and resume syncing. If that fails, restart your mac, reopen iTunes then sync your iPod.

Pretty straight forward solution but still not worth the little anxiety over what I thought happened to my iPod. I thought, "Naku sira na iPod ko, at least may valid reason na ako para bumili ng bagong generation ng ipod."

I just did another backup of my iPod Touch. Definitely faster after this update, folks! In my experience, it now takes less than half the time it used to take before. Impressive!

I also updated my Tangrams app. Like the 4 apps this morning, iTunes automatically deleted the older version, sent it to the Trash, and replaced it with the newer version. No more duplicates in the Mobile Applications folder (unlike before).

Furthermore, this update has (finally) addressed my issues with the Chinese input!! Before, I would send e-mails in Chinese from my iPod Touch and they would come out in gibberish in the recipient's end. Now, what I send is what they receive. All Chinese characters come out perfectly. Outstanding!

I love this update! Thank you Apple! :)

I'm hoping for a cut, copy & paste this Saturday for the iPhone.. Also hoping for SMS forwarding, 75% decrease in downloading time, and more detailed usage stats. :)

what time is the release of FW 2.1 for the iPhone?

I just noticed another different thing with my Touch since updating to 2.1

Unfinished movies and TV shows now have a semi-circle icon beside the title (half-blue, half-white). Before it was either solid blue if unwatched, and once you've watched a good chunk of it or have finished it, the blue dot disappears. No in-between.

This new feature should be convenient for those with lots of videos in their iPod Touch.

what time is the release of FW 2.1 for the iPhone?
it's been out since yesterday night. around 6AM PST?

Silly me, for some reason I assumed this thread was about 2.0.2. I am now updating my iPod Touch to 2.1.

how do you erase or uninstall application or icon in iPod touch v2.1? I just erased the games on icon but I cannot recall how do it it.. Just something came out with an X mark on each application icon.

just touch and hold the icon you want to delete, it will jiggle with the X icon.

Just to add to what rdy0329 said, make sure you also delete the application in iTunes, otherwise, it will sync back to your touch next time you connect it. You can also set iTunes to only sync selected applications, if you want to keep certain apps around but not have them installed on your touch.

Hey.. Many thanks to all :)

No problem, Glad to help. :D The Update has been holding well for me.

I want to download the 2.1 software update, but is there any other way to pay for it besides using a credit card? Thanks. :)

@mongy, you can buy iTunes Store gift cards and load up your account, I've seen some of them sold in Power Mac stores. Make sure you can use the gift card with your particular iTunes Store account though, I'm not sure if the gift cards are country-specific