iOS 5 Includes Airport and Time Capsule Setup Software

[MacRumors]

One of the major highlights of Apple's iOS 5 discussion at the WWDC keynote was "PC Free" a series of changes designed to make it easier for users to own an iOS device without the need for a Mac or PC for activation, syncing, and other activities.

Apple noted during the event that it is increasingly hearing from users who want an iPad or iPhone to be their only Internet-connected device, and changes such as on-device activation, over-the-air software updates, as well as app enhancements such as calendar creation/deletion and new photo editing features are making it easier for users to cut the cord.

As noted by 9 to 5 Mac, Apple has even included in iOS 5 tools to allow users to set up AirPort and Time Capsule base stations, removing yet another obstacle to removing the Mac and PC from the equation entirely.

Article Link: iOS 5 Includes Airport and Time Capsule Setup Software

 

[LimeiBook86]

Very cool idea. Like most routers that require just a web browser to setup it's nice to see that Apple is letting users setup their access points without the need to rely on a specific computer application. Having this on the iPhone is a very cool and handy feature!

Thankfully Wi-Fi isn't turned off by default like some routers I've setup...

 

[xUKHCx]

Can iOS backup to, and ultimately restore from, a Time Capsule?

If not seems an obvious extension.

 

[LimeiBook86]

Can iOS backup to, and ultimately restore from, a Time Capsule?

If not seems an obvious extension.

Hmmm interesting. With all this iCloud and iTunes Wi-Fi syncing it would be interesting to have your whole iTunes library on a Time Capsule... however a computer is probably still needed to update/sync items. Maybe if the new Time Capsules had an A4 chip in there they can handle it. But who knows what Apple has up their sleeves.

 

[Hydramus]

Can iOS backup to, and ultimately restore from, a Time Capsule?

If not seems an obvious extension.

As there is the ability to back up your iOS devices to the iCloud and restore from, I doubt they will impliment this feature as it probably would be redundant.

 

[roadbloc]

Excellent. I've been wanting this.

 

[Biolizard]

As there is the ability to back up your iOS devices to the iCloud and restore from, I doubt they will impliment this feature as it probably would be redundant.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but iCloud won't back up stuff like text messages and application data (data saved by the app through usage, not the app itself), so there is still a gap that the Time Capsule can fulfil.

 

[sweex]

Ow nice! I often take my airport express with me and need to change the settings to the environment so it will come in handy not needing a computer every time.

 

[Cougarcat]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but iCloud won't back up stuff like text messages and application data (data saved by the app through usage, not the app itself), so there is still a gap that the Time Capsule can fulfil.

ICloud does back that stuff up, but unlike apps they go towards your 5 GB limit.

 

[Peteman100]

Lends some credability to the Time Capsule refresh rumors

 

[thatisme]

ok, now does this open the door for airport configurations? There were concerns a while back about using an airport express while travelling with an iPad in hotels with just wired connections in the rooms... will we now be able to actually configure the airport express from the ipad in order to make it work with these locations?

 

[dage007]

Does the time capsule or airport extreme require a firmware upgrade? I am not seeing mine with the new OS. I am connected via wifi to my airport extreme.

 

[Le Big Mac]

Ow nice! I often take my airport express with me and need to change the settings to the environment so it will come in handy not needing a computer every time.

This. I have it set up so it works most places (extend network), but just in case it would be good to be able to tweak it.

 

[Le Big Mac]

Lends some credability to the Time Capsule refresh rumors

Not sure why. Why wouldn't this work with existing models? It appears to be the same as the Airport Config utility except built for iOS--that's just software.

 

[cere]

I've been wanting this for years and even wrote Apple about creating an Airport Admin app for iOS. Nice to see.

 

[Gotta Hankerin]

Necessary for videos in iTunes in the cloud

Apple made three clear points: iTunes in the cloud is not a streaming service, the PC is no longer the digital hub, and they still hold true that users want local files for immediate access and playback of favorites. So when Apple adds video to it's cloud service how will that work within those parameters? I think the solution is a video hub at the router level that stores your latest videos and favorites for immediate playback. The rest of your catalog is available in the cloud for download anytime, from any device.

 

[bacaramac]

I have a feeling that a new TC will be release that supports iTunes libraries for iOS. I am guessing that it will be based on Home Sharing and will allow you to purchase movies either direct download to iOS device or a TC. I think this is awesome as it would allow you to not have your Mac running 24/7 to gain access to iTunes library on iOS devices and Apple TV.

EDIT: I don't see Apple Supporting iCloud for movies and not providing a local solution via TC as well. I see a lot of good things coming out of iCloud and the whole "cut the cord" approach they are moving to.

 

[Richdmoore]

I carry my airport express router for when the hotels I stay at only have wired service. Being able to reconfigure on the go is a much needed feature.

 

[spazzcat]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but iCloud won't back up stuff like text messages and application data (data saved by the app through usage, not the app itself), so there is still a gap that the Time Capsule can fulfil.

You can do your iTunes backup to the cloud. I tried it and used all 5GB of space....

 

[rikscha]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

I have a feeling that a new TC will be release that supports iTunes libraries for iOS. I am guessing that it will be based on Home Sharing and will allow you to purchase movies either direct download to iOS device or a TC. I think this is awesome as it would allow you to not have your Mac running 24/7 to gain access to iTunes library on iOS devices and Apple TV.

EDIT: I don't see Apple Supporting iCloud for movies and not providing a local solution via TC as well. I see a lot of good things coming out of iCloud and the whole "cut the cord" approach they are moving to.

Unfortunately they didn't show a new TC. I finally want to cut the cord between my apple tv and my mac. Perhaps in September when they hold their iPod event.

 

[jonnysods]

Now THAT is cool. I can set this up or modify anywhere in my house now.

Who knows? Perhaps in a few more revisions of the iPad my house will be computer free!

 

[registerednerd]

You can do your iTunes backup to the cloud. I tried it and used all 5GB of space....

How did you go about it? The reason that Apps, Books, and Purchased Music don't count is because they don't actually store your copy of the song (or other stuff), they just put a flag on your account that you've bought it, and will allow you to download Apple's copy of it again. If you manually uploaded the music files, then that's making another copy under your storage space, which you don't need to do.

 

[justinfreid]

Excellent. I've been wanting this.

I have, too. Since there's no web browser based access, configuring an AirPort Express, for instance, with only and iPad or iPhone has been impossible.

It seems like someone loosened the reins on the iOS development team for version 5.

 

[RayK]

I carry my airport express router for when the hotels I stay at only have wired service. Being able to reconfigure on the go is a much needed feature.

Used to do this myself. Very much needed I'd say!

 

[nebo1ss]

This is totally the wrong approach. Creating an iOS app to manage Time capsule and Extreme which now adds to the Mac and Windows versions is an unnecessary and wasted effort. A much better approach would be a Web interface like every other router on the market. It is unbelievable that in 2011 there is no Web interface to manage these devices.