Apple releases iOS 4.3.1, but iOS 5 is a question
The update resolves some issues when connecting to cell networks and throws in a couple of minor changes. Meanwhile, iOS 5 may not debut until fall, according to TechCrunch.
Apple has released the latest update to iOS 4, and TechCrunch reports that iOS 5 will be pushed back to the fall.
Launched on Friday, iOS 4.3.1 mostly fixes a few bugs here and there in the operating system for the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Apple TV, according to Apple. The update resolves connectivity issues when joining certain cellular networks and authenticating with some enterprise Web services. It also takes care of a couple of graphics-related glitches--one affecting the 4G iPod Touch and another between Apple's Digital AV adapter and certain TVs.
iOS 4.3.1 is compatible with both generations of the iPad, the 3G and 4G iPod Touch, and the iPhone 3GS and 4. But Verizon iPhone customers are out of luck as the latest update is available only for the GSM model iPhone.
Though Apple has been busy updating iOS 4 since its release early last summer, a couple of "solid" sources tell TechCrunch that iOS 5 won't launch this spring as would be expected. Instead, Apple is reportedly looking at a fall release date to revamp its mobile OS with a greater focus on cloud-based services and other enhancements.
According to TechCrunch's sources, Apple could launch several cloud-based services to work with the new OS, including some type of "music locker" service and a location service aimed at tracking down family and friends. The idea of a music locker follows recent reports that Apple is looking to expand its MobileMe service into a music storage and streaming service.
If the report is true, then Apple is likely to use its 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference, now scheduled for June 6 to 10, as a opportunity to preview iOS 5 and the new cloud-based features.
There have also been rumors suggesting that Apple may release an iPad 3 this fall. Speculation seemed to take off after Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber snuck a comment about an iPad 3 into a post last month. Since then, the chatter has focused on whether such a new product would be more of an iPad 2.5 or mini iPad rather than an iPad 3 as Apple gears up for the holiday season.
And what of the iPhone 5? Though Apple traditionally tries to pair a new iPhone and a new OS together, there's nothing to suggest the iPhone 5 won't launch this summer as expected. If TechCrunch's sources are right about the timing of iOS 5, the new iPhone would simply be equipped with the latest revision of iOS 4.