Apple's iOS 5 may be capable of receiving over-the-air updates for both AT&T and Verizon iPhones, according to a new report.
Apple could
deliver future updates to iOS 5 devices over the air, according to a new blog
report.
According to
Apple-centric blog
9to5Mac, which cites "multiple sources," the next
version of Apple's mobile operating system will feature over-the-air iOS
updates. Both Verizon and AT&T are reportedly "in talks" over how this
would work, since both carry the iPhone in the United States.
The blog also
points out that Apple will need to shrink the size of the software updates,
currently topping 600MB, in order to bring the carriers onboard. "We believe
that Apple will make the updates much smaller by using incremental patches
rather than full OS downloads." The over-the-air systems might also need cloud
backups in case of a failed update.
Reports
suggest that Apple could delay the next iPhone until later in 2011 or beyond.
On May 4, the blog
MacRumors cited an unnamed reader who "received
word from an AT&T care representative" that Apple's next smartphone won't
be released in the next few months.
"Apple has
informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July
timeframe," the blog quotes the AT&T agent as telling its source, "though
there will be a newer version in the future. Unfortunately, we have not been
given a release time for a new phone."
The blog
treats that information with some skepticism. However, the rumor does dovetail
neatly with earlier reports that Apple intends to push both the iPhone 5 until
later, which would represent a radical adjustment from the company's usual
habit of releasing the latest version of the smartphone every summer.
Current rumors
suggest the iPhone 5 will feature higher-resolution cameras, Apple's A5
proprietary processor, hardware upgraded to enable 3G FaceTime video
conferencing, and NFC (near-field communication) technology that would allow
the smartphone to act as an electronic wallet. In theory, such
additions-married to the iOS 5-would allow Apple to more effectively combat the
growing legions of increasingly technologically advanced Android devices.
Apple will most
likely provide a glimpse of iOS 5 at June's Worldwide Developers Conference in
San Francisco, even if it ultimately delays the operating system's release
until later in 2011. In the meantime, Apple is still updating iOS 4, including
a new tweak designed to fix the location-tracking "bug" that recently
caused the company so much controversy.
"This update
contains changes to the iOS crowd-sourced location database cache," reads an
explanation posted on Apple's iTunes service along with the update to iOS
4.3.3. The changes include a reduction in the size of the cache, total deletion
of the cache whenever Location Services are turned off, and stopping the cache
from backing up to iTunes. The update applies to iOS 4 devices on both the
AT&T and Verizon networks.
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