July 11, 2008 10:13 AM PDT

iPhone 2.0 update wreaks havoc on 1st-gen devices

Several bloggers and readers are reporting that when they tried to update the firmware on their iPhones Friday, the devices were "bricked," or rendered unusable.

CNET Blog Network contributor Matt Asay reported around 7 a.m. PDT Friday that when he attempted to use iTunes to update his iPhone, he got an error message and his phone stopped working. He says he can't access contacts or make calls.

CNET News reader Peter8105 reported the same thing Friday morning. Blogger Dave Winer posted the error message he got to his Flickr page Friday morning, and complained of the same bricking phenomenon. He does report that he can still make emergency calls, however.

Just from the few reports trickling in, it appears this is only happening to people who tried to update their firmware Friday. There were no such reports when many iPhone owners were able to update their devices Thursday.

Apple has not responded to requests for comment yet, but at first glance the problem appears to be stemming from the severe overload Apple's iTunes servers experienced Friday as people across the world came out to buy the iPhone 3G.

We'll keep updating the story, but let us know in the comments section if you're having similar problems with the 2.0 firmware update Friday.

Update 11:20 a.m. PDT: A reader added the text of a note he received from Apple in the comments. Apple blames the problem on "network congestion on the iTunes server," but says you should be able to update or restore the firmware once the traffic dies down.

Update 2:20 p.m. PDT: Many readers are reporting that they have been able to restore or update their iPhones now.

Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica.