cloud based IOS updates?

[fadij]

i like how Android has wireless updates! my buddy had an update come in yesterday and he didnt have to plug it in to computer or anything! do you guys think we will see this soon? and is this how cloud works? im not sure

 

[jmann]

There are rumors this is coming with iOS 5. I hope it does. That would be a convenient feature.

 

[Goldinboy17]

As long as they can be disabled to not ruin my jailbreak I see nothing wrong with them. Considering how large the update files are though I can't this imagine happening too soon. If carriers have a problem with streaming movies over 3G imagine a 600MB update.

 

[xAnthony]

Apple recently (may have) purchase the iCloud domain so I'm sure we'll be seeing something like this soon.

According to different websites, they paid $4.5 million for it.

 

[fadij]

As long as they can be disabled to not ruin my jailbreak I see nothing wrong with them. Considering how large the update files are though I can't imagine happening too soon. If carriers have a problem with streaming movies over 3G imagine a 600MB update.

how does Android do it?

 

[Goldinboy17]

how does Android do it?

Android updates are significantly smaller. They also occur far less often. iOS updates are released fairly often with one or so a month. An Android phone might have one or two large updates throughout its entire life. The entire Android OS is relatively small though, the Gingerbread ROM I have is only 95MB's.

 

[cwubbels]

Android updates are significantly smaller. They also occur far less often. iOS updates are released fairly often with one or so a month. An Android phone might have one or two large updates throughout its entire life. The entire Android OS is relatively small though, the Gingerbread ROM I have is only 95MB's.

Does Android patch their OS as opposed to having a new OS downloaded? (i.e. they just put a patch over the user's current OS, whereas iOS is downloaded completely and then installed on the device) I have always been curious about that...

 

[xAnthony]

Actually now that I think about it, the majority of iPhone users wouldn't be able to do this... iOS updates are pretty big and for all those with a limited data plan, this would not be a realistic thing.

Damn people with unlimited data! I'm jealous.

 

[maclaptop]

It looks like we will be waiting until the iPhone 5 with iOS 5 is released sometime in 2012.

I'm not kidding (I wish I was). The reports around the web today are emphatic that the new phone will be called iPhone 4s and only have very minor improvements.

So it's another year of glass, a flat featureless style and a tiny 3.5" screen. Oh well, for those who like to think small they will be quite happy. They are getting their wish, that a larger more usable display is not going to be appearing until 2012.

 

[smithrh]

Just because IOS updates HAVE been large does not mean that they will ALWAYS be large.

I suspect IOS 5 has some fixes in this area. The downside will be that you'll have to be on IOS 5 to get the benefit.

Also guessing it may not be OTA updates but rather served over Wifi only to keep impact the the 3G operator's networks down - and also to avoid people smashing into their download caps.

 

[frunkis54]

That would be huge chunk of data unless they send they only send an update and not the complete OS or they could send say 5 through itunes and then and update of 5.1 OTA

 

[jnolas2]

The updates now are always so large because it's always the whole OS being downloaded. They could make the OS patchable which could make the updates smaller. I think that's how iOS does it on the AppleTV already.

 

[Goldinboy17]

Just because IOS updates HAVE been large does not mean that they will ALWAYS be large.

I suspect IOS 5 has some fixes in this area. The downside will be that you'll have to be on IOS 5 to get the benefit.

Also guessing it may not be OTA updates but rather served over Wifi only to keep impact the the 3G operator's networks down - and also to avoid people smashing into their download caps.

I expect the same. I can't imagine anyone really wanting to download a huge 600MB update over 3G or Wifi from their phone. I don't see why the updates couldn't be applied over 3G though, I'm sure Apple could work something out with carriers to exempt the updates from counting towards an individuals tiered plan.

It looks like we will be waiting until the iPhone 5 with iOS 5 is released sometime in 2012.

I'm not kidding (I wish I was). The reports around the web today are emphatic that the new phone will be called iPhone 4s and only have very minor improvements.

So it's another year of glass, a flat featureless style and a tiny 3.5" screen. Oh well, for those who like to think small they will be quite happy. They are getting their wish, that a larger more usable display is not going to be appearing until 2012.

You can tell the future?! Please, tell me, how does my stock portfolio look in five years?

Actually now that I think about it, the majority of iPhone users wouldn't be able to do this... iOS updates are pretty big and for all those with a limited data plan, this would not be a realistic thing.

Damn people with unlimited data! I'm jealous.

According to rumors Apple is in talks with carriers for them to allow the updates to the phone over 3G. I fully expect that these downloads would be exempt from being counted against an individuals tiered plan. There would be a helluva lot of pissed iPhone users otherwise.

Does Android patch their OS as opposed to having a new OS downloaded? (i.e. they just put a patch over the user's current OS, whereas iOS is downloaded completely and then installed on the device) I have always been curious about that...

Both. Android phones have the occasional patch that's only a few MB's if not smaller in size. When the phone is being updated to a newer version of Android the entire OS is downloaded and installed similar to the process of how an iPhone is updated. Like I said before though, some phones are never updated to a newer OS but do receive patches. The G1, MyTouch 3G being such phones.

 

[glossywhite]

No doubt Apple will over-hype this OTA update one day in a keynote, selling it as a "revolutionary feature"

Next up, right at the end...

"But... we have ONE. LAST. THING... and we're verrrrry excited about this... Bluetooth file transfer..."

Uhm, yeah... been waiting a while for that, hmmm?