iOS4 brought a lot of changes to the iPhone and iPod Touch, including multitasking. However, there are still areas which remain surprisingly clunky. Chief among them is updates. Let’s start with app updates.

I’ll start with the premise that updates, at least those done through the update mechanism of the App Store, are generally both free and useful. Sure, occasionally there are bugs, but these are typically resolved quickly. I keep myself up to date by regularly loading the App Store app and checking for updates. This is ridiculous. I’m better that many people don’t do this, and as a result are running old and potentially buggy versions of software. Updates should work like Apple’s own Software Update on the Mac. At some regular interval, the user should be alerted that there are updates available and be given the option of installing them. Even better would be the ability to set a time of day to download and install updates automatically. This would benefit greatly from a better notification system, but Apple would be crazy not to be working on that now.

OS updates are another chore. Right now, even the most minor OS update requires tethering via USB to a computer – no, to THE computer you sync with. There needs to be some way to push out simple bug fixes without being stuck synching with a desktop, which many people rarely do. I understand the advantage of being able to back up before any software update, and this should be an option. At the very least, the user should be alerted that an update is available and it’s time to plug in.