How did Apple introduce new features w/out upgradeing OS?

[tigress666]

Ok, I'm just curious.

So now we can go into our itunes on our phone and check out purchased music, go to the app store on the phone and check out purchased apps, and there is a setting on the phone to automatically synch apps, books, and music.

Great.

But I'm pretty sure I haven't updated the OS since the keynote when they introduced these features.

Did Apple use the cloud to update my phone? Or maybe were these features hidden in 4.3.3 and they did something so they became unhidden?

I'm just curious how they got my phone to do that when far as I know I was running the same OS as before the keynote (and I don't think I downloaded updates for itunes and app store and as far as I know those are only upgraded with OS upgrades. Plus settings is definitely tied to the OS).

 

[Jagardn]

The software was probably waiting for iCloud to come online.

 

[VPrime]

Because the content in in the appstore, itunes store, and ibook store is all server side. Meaning apple can make any changes on their end and it will affect all users.
How do you think the top apps, apples picks, whats hot etc. type apps appear on your phone with out updating?

 

[DDustiNN]

My App Store never changed...

I'm still running 4.2.6 though, not sure if that matters.

 

[saving107]

My App Store never changed...

I'm still running 4.2.6 though, not sure if that matters.

Automatic Sync only works on your iOS device running 4.3 or higher.

Did Apple use the cloud to update my phone? Or maybe were these features hidden in 4.3.3 and they did something so they became unhidden?

Yes, and just like VPrime already explained, these changes were made on the Server side and so your iOS device was just waiting for this feature to be turned on by Apple.

 

[DDustiNN]

Automatic Sync only works on your iOS device running 4.3 or higher.

Man, Apple sure gimped us Verizon users...

 

[tigress666]

Because the content in in the appstore, itunes store, and ibook store is all server side. Meaning apple can make any changes on their end and it will affect all users.
How do you think the top apps, apples picks, whats hot etc. type apps appear on your phone with out updating?

I had assumed the tabs on the bottom of itunes (and top of appstore) were part of the program and stuff like the what's hot, apple picks were the content it was loading. I didn't realize it was loading the "tabs" too (though I notice in the app store the purchased does look like content loaded when you hit the updates tab).

So is the settings the same way then though?

Edit: Nevermind, I think I got it.

 

[saving107]

Man, Apple sure gimped us Verizon users...

Unfortunately you currently can't view "Purchased items" in the App Store or iTunes from your Verizon iPhone, but you can download iTunes 10.3 beta from apple.com to at least get that functionality now on your Desktop, but you still won't get Automatic Sync.