Sam OliverAccording to sources that spoke with TechCrunch, Apple allegedly will not unveil the latest version of iOS this spring, a timeframe it has followed in the past to preview its mobile operating system update to developers. Instead, Apple is said to be hard at work on a "major revamp" of the platform that will arrive this fall.
Apple could decide to preview the next version of iOS at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, likely to be held in June. Author MG Siegler said he has heard nothing about the iPhone 5, which is typically released at WWDC, but speculated that Apple could release its next-generation handset running a version of iOS 4 rather than a new release.
The report also said that iOS 5 would arrive alongside a rumored iPad 3, a rumored expansion to the iPad product line. That would run counter to speculation that stemmed from Apple declaring 2011 the "Year of the iPad 2," potentially suggesting that no upgrades are planned.
Apple's iOS 5 upgrade is rumored to have major integration with cloud-based services. This would include a digital "locker" to hold users' music, a service that would allegedly also launch this fall at Apple's annual music-themed event.
But the report claimed that Apple will preview much of its future cloud-based offerings at this summer's WWDC. One of those features is said to be a location-based service for finding out where friends are, something that was hinted at in a beta build of iOS 4.3.
The latest report runs counter to a separate rumor from earlier this month, which claimed that Apple plans to introduce iOS 5 at a media event to be held in early April. That would be the same timeframe as last year's event for the iOS 4 developer preview.
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135 Comments
It's impossible to believe that 2011 will be the year of the 2 iPads. It is entirely possible to believe that all of our stuff will be migrating to the cloud beginning in 2011.
If iOS 5.0 will be heavily tied to their new data center and that or it’s SW services won’t be ready in time then it certainly makes sense to delay the release. I don’t think sales of the iPhone 5 would be hindered over its lifetime by a delay in iOS 5.0, and potentially even help to spread out the sales by those opting to wait for iOS 5.0 to arrive before committing.
I don't know about a cloud based mobile OS, data charges are still so high. Unless it was an optional form of cloud storage, and everything that's normally on iOS is still there locally.
It was rumored the iPad 2 would be delayed until June. Ended up coming out a few weeks earlier than Apple's normal 1 year cycle. If April comes and goes without iOS 5 preview, then I guess the rumors are true.
It's impossible to believe that 2011 will be the year of the 2 iPads. It is entirely possible to believe that all of our stuff will be migrating to the cloud beginning in 2011.
I disagree. I do see why anyone would think all your data will migrate to a remote site. I do think that there will be better services for accessing data via the cloud, but local storage for media will NOT be going away. I see something akin to how Dropbox and Time Machine works, delta encoding and sparse bundles that only updates changes into a log file once the content is on the server in some form. This would mean that you don?t actually upload your music to the cloud or, worse, everyone with the same song having a separate upload for it on the server. It would be a single file that all users are tied to because the content is exactly the same. This is how Dropbox works and it?s brilliant!