Apple has publically released iOS 5.0.1 today to address battery life issues introduced when the company launched iOS 5 last month. The fix went live this morning and can be installed through iTunes or for the first time, over-the-air on devices already running iOS 5.
Apple hasn't publically said what exactly led to the poor performance that some customers have experienced on iOS devices, but the new incremental update supposedly rectifies the issues. In addition to the battery fix, iOS 5.0.1 also adds multitasking gestures to the original iPad, resolves bugs relating to Documents in the Cloud and improves voice recognition for Australian users using dictation.
To install the update over-the-air, tap Settings then General and finally Software Update. The device will check Apple's servers for the latest software update which can then be downloaded and installed without fooling with iTunes. The update is about 45MB and users are prompted to connect their device to a power source during the process.
Battery life issues sprung up shortly after iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S were made available in October. Initial reports claimed that iOS 5's location services was responsible for the excess power drain while others put the blame on the new notification system. Based on Apple's statement to All Things D last week, there were a few bugs at play so either or both of the above mentioned scenarios could be accurate.