Apple admits iPhone battery issue, promises software fix

Apple has acknowledged battery problems in its iPhone 4S after a rash of user complaints, noting that the issue is due to software bugs in iOS 5, the latest iteration of its mobile operating system released last month.

"A small number of customers have reported lower-than-expected battery life on iOS 5 devices. We found a few bugs that are affecting battery life and will release a software update to address those in a few weeks," the company said in a statement Wednesday.

User complaints over the fast-draining battery life of the iPhone became widespread shortly after the iPhone 4S was introduced on Oct. 4, and the subsequent release of iOS 5. And while the bulk of the complaints were from users of the latest iPhone 4S model, others were using older models running on the updated iOS 5, the Guardian reported Wednesday.

According to a MacRumors post, Apple provided developers with a new version of its operating system, iOS 5.0.1, which reportedly contained improvements and other bug fixes including those affecting battery life.

Greg Chan, an iPhone 4S user in Singapore, told ZDNet Asia that he hopes Apple will "resolve the battery trouble as soon as possible".

Chan said in an e-mail interview: [The phone's battery performance] hasn't been that poor so far, but saying it needs improvement is an understatement."