iOS 5 said to sport over-the-air update facility
Patches pushed
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Apple's iOS 5 will support over-the-air firmware updates, it has been claimed.
So say "multiple sources" - none named, mind - who've spoken to 9to5 Mac. Once iOS 5.0 has been installed on devices using the customary method based on iTunes, iOS 5.0.1 or whatever comes next will be pushed direct to handsets.
Presumably punters will have the choice to upgrade that way, or follow the current process.
As it stands, a small tweak to the OS, such as last night's iOS 4.3.3 update, which changes how the operating system records location data, involves the entire OS being swapped out when all that may have changed is a few kilobytes of code.
As 9to5 Mac notes, Apple already has this technology in place in iOS: it's how the iOS-based second-generation Apple TV updates itself.
You might not want to download the best part of 600MB over a pricey 3G connection, but a small patch should be no problem.
Interestingly, this potential shift away from iTunes comes as Apple is rumoured to be expanding into the cloud. Online back-up - whether full disk protection or a more Dropbox-style affair isn't clear - music streaming and a host of other such services are rumoured to be soon to join Apple's existing personal info sync service, MobileMe. ®
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COMMENTS
As usual
Welcome to several years ago, Apple. I don't even remember the last phone I had which wasn't happy to update itself OTA.
Bet they'll trumpet it as a new thing, and the fanbois will bleat about how innovative Apple are, while the rest of us just go "oh, you didn't have that already? how quaint."
I welcome your downvotes.
This almost never happens
"Bet they'll trumpet it as a new thing"
This almost never happens. In fact, sometimes Apple acknowledge that they've been left behind.
Usually, when you read an Apple hater's comment complaining that Apple is claiming to have invented something that was already commonplace, that comment has no basis in fact. It was made up. Other times, they're reacting to the media reaction rather than what Apple themselves are saying.
Not sure I want this
Sure hooking up to iTunes to update is a bit of a pain - BUT its big advantage is that your entire phone contents are safely backed up should anything go horribly pear-shaped with the update.
And that's useful. I had an update completely brick my iPhone about a year ago.
Quick trip to the local Apple Store, who replaced it on the spot with a brand new one, then back home, plugged it into iTunes which completely restored it from the backup.
Result: shiny new phone with EXACTLY the same contents as the old one.
So unless this OTA update offers some way to backup (and I'm not sure it can) then I'll be sticking to tethered updates thanks.
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