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iOS 5.0 - Staggered or simultaneous release?

T

thesmoth

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 7, 2008
367
0
Last year we saw the iPhone get iOS 4.0 long before the iPad. I was under the impression that this was because the iPad version of iOS was still being developed and it took them some time to 'unify' both versions. I am now under the impression that all new version of iOS (i.e, 4.2, 4.3, etc...) are released for iPhone and iPad at the same time. Is this correct?

If so, do you all think that iOS 5.0 will be released this summer with the iPhone 5.0, and will be available immediatly for both the iPhone and the iPad/iPad 2? Or do you think the iPad 2 will be released with the existing iOS version, NOT get iOS 5.0 when it's released in the summer, and have to wait a few months like before?

OR, do you think the iPad 2 will be released with iOS 5.0, which the iPhone 5 will also be released with?
 
I think the iPad 2 will be released with either the current version of iOS or a small update (like 4.3 or 4.4). If there's an update the iPhone will get it at the same time.

They'll then announce iOS 5 in March or April, and then release it at the same time for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad all together when the iPhone 5 comes out.
 
Stetrain said:
I think the iPad 2 will be released with either the current version of iOS or a small update (like 4.3 or 4.4). If there's an update the iPhone will get it at the same time.

They'll then announce iOS 5 in March or April, and then release it at the same time for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad all together when the iPhone 5 comes out.
Click to expand...

That sounds pretty good to me. It would make sense that they would announce iOS 5 and go over some features with the iPad 2 announcement, that way people aren't disappointed in the OS being the same as the iPad 1. If they announce some cool upcoming features of iOS 5 that will be on the iPad 2 then people will be excited for it and won't mind waiting as much.
 
a question for the uninitiated: if the Ipad 2 is launched with a version of iOS 4, will it be able to run iOS 5 when it appears?
 
4.3 supports multicore as found in strings referencing multicore GPUs and CPUs in 4.3... I think it is clear iPad 2 will launch with 4.3 and as suggested with jump to 5.0 when the iPhone 5 launches with 5.0 in summer.
 
A lot of you are believing that apple will release iOS 5.0 on both iPhone, iPad and iPod touch this summer.

I doubt they will...

Then why did they release iPad 4.0 software in last fall instead of last summer?

Apple's primary iOS device is iPhone. It is not iPod touch or iPad.

Expect iOS 5.0 on iPad on Fall 2011, but not the same time as iPhone.
 
hcho3 said:
A lot of you are believing that apple will release iOS 5.0 on both iPhone, iPad and iPod touch this summer.

I doubt they will...

Then why did they release iPad 4.0 software in last fall instead of last summer?

Apple's primary iOS device is iPhone. It is not iPod touch or iPad.

Expect iOS 5.0 on iPad on Fall 2011, but not the same time as iPhone.
Click to expand...

iOS 4.0 was released late for iPad because they had to branch iOS 3.2 off during the iPad development. Their OS development resources were split, the iPhone team was trying to ready 4.0 to ship in the summer, while the iPad team was busy trying to polish up iOS for the iPad, with all of the new UI elements, SDK support, built-in apps, and new features like "Open in..." and iTunes file dragging which didn't make their way to the iPhone until later.

After 4.2 updates will be synchronous across the devices, or at least that will be Apple's intention.
 
I hope iOS5 comes out at the same time for all devices. The long wait for 4.2 on the iPad was not fun.
 
shakeman0 said:
I hope iOS5 comes out at the same time for all devices. The long wait for 4.2 on the iPad was not fun.
Click to expand...

The OS is 'unified' now, so I'd expect a simultaneous release across all three devices. That being said, I expect that the 3G and the older iPod Touches will not get iOS 5. Maybe not even the 3GS.
 
SA22C said:
The OS is 'unified' now, so I'd expect a simultaneous release across all three devices. That being said, I expect that the 3G and the older iPod Touches will not get iOS 5. Maybe not even the 3GS.
Click to expand...
The 3GS should get iOS 5. Every phone model so far has gotten the next two major releases, and the 3GS started at 3. Plus with the advancements the 3GS has over the previous models, I find it runs iOS 4 great.
 
SA22C said:
The OS is 'unified' now, so I'd expect a simultaneous release across all three devices. That being said, I expect that the 3G and the older iPod Touches will not get iOS 5. Maybe not even the 3GS.
Click to expand...

My belief is that iOS 5 will require the resolution of the "retina" display or higher. Apple is famous for dropping support of older devices before their usefulness has fully run out. By the time iOS 5 is released (usually in June/July each year), the iPad will have been out for more than a year, the iPhone will have been out for a year, and the iPod Touch 4G will be nearing a year old.

I could be wrong of course. If a "retina" display isn't required by iOS 5, it will be by iOS 6.

To be clear, I mean resolution, NOT PPI. The resolution of the retina display is 960 x 640 which I believe will be the smallest resolution that iOS will support going forward.
 
Stetrain said:
iOS 4.0 was released late for iPad because they had to branch iOS 3.2 off during the iPad development. Their OS development resources were split, the iPhone team was trying to ready 4.0 to ship in the summer, while the iPad team was busy trying to polish up iOS for the iPad, with all of the new UI elements, SDK support, built-in apps, and new features like "Open in..." and iTunes file dragging which didn't make their way to the iPhone until later.

After 4.2 updates will be synchronous across the devices, or at least that will be Apple's intention.
Click to expand...

I am sorry, but that is hard to believe. You don't work for apple. iPad team split up with iphone OS? What is this...
How do you possibly know this for sure? You are all speculating unless you work for apple. If you do work for apple, perhaps, you shouldn't be even commenting in the forum.
 
hcho3 said:
I am sorry, but that is hard to believe. You don't work for apple. iPad team split up with iphone OS? What is this...
How do you possibly know this for sure? You are all speculating unless you work for apple. If you do work for apple, perhaps, you shouldn't be even commenting in the forum.
Click to expand...

Just going off of several reports I've seen from people citing inside sources. Of course you can't know for sure, but it makes sense. The iPad came with a lot of new apps built for 1024x768, that took a lot of work and development time. The iPad came with iOS 3.2, a release which the iPhone and iPod touch didn't get and which had a lot of unique features that didn't show up in those other devices until 4.0. Apple doesn't have a lot of spare developers, remember that story about how the Remote app didn't get updated because there was literally only one guy who worked on it and he was moved to a different project?

Also it's pretty well known that Apple separates its product teams. I doubt the whole iPhone team knew about the iPad.

Going forward, making updates to a shared code base is a lot different than developing a whole bunch of new apps and new UI elements from scratch. I don't really see a need for Apple to delay the release of iOS 5 for the iPad.
 
paulrbeers said:
My belief is that iOS 5 will require the resolution of the "retina" display or higher.
Click to expand...
So you think a phone Apple is selling right now (3GS) won't be compatible with the iOS version Apple will most likely be releasing this year?
 
hcho3 said:
I am sorry, but that is hard to believe. You don't work for apple. iPad team split up with iphone OS? What is this...
How do you possibly know this for sure? You are all speculating unless you work for apple. If you do work for apple, perhaps, you shouldn't be even commenting in the forum.
Click to expand...

It's simple. Very few people knew of the iPad until it was announced. They branched the iOS 3.x code and put in all the iPad specific stuff. It was then merged back in for 4.x. Meanwhile iOS 4 was being built but had no real knowledge of the iPad until those changes were merged back in. By this time the codebases were probably pretty different and required a fair amount of by hand merging of code. Which is what took so long and likely involved a fair amount of testing.

Apple being as secretive as they are this makes complete sense.
 
dave420 said:
So you think a phone Apple is selling right now (3GS) won't be compatible with the iOS version Apple will most likely be releasing this year?
Click to expand...

Very possibly, yes. The best you could hope for is iOS 5 on the 3GS, but certainly not iOS6. Right now they have to cram images into iOS for the "old" iphone display, the retina display on the new phone and the iPad. When iPad 2 or 3 (whichever gets the "retina" display), then they will have to support 4 resolutions. At some point Apple will cut the cord. Possibly 5, for sure by 6.

And even if they release iOS 5 for the 3GS, you will start to see less and less features (like how the 3G got the 4.2 update but didn't get AirPlay). Heck isn't the 3GS rumored to not get the updated AirPlay that allows 3rd party apps to stream?

Edit: I stand corrected (looked it up myself). The 3GS appears will get 3rd party AirPlay.
 
paulrbeers said:
At some point Apple will cut the cord. Possibly 5, for sure by 6.
Click to expand...

I probably wouldn't expect 6 to run on a 3GS, but I think iOS 5 is too early to cut support. As I mentioned in my other post, each phone so far has gotten two major OS upgrades. If this pattern repeats itself the 3GS would get iOS 5, but not 6.
 
paulrbeers said:
Very possibly, yes. The best you could hope for is iOS 5 on the 3GS, but certainly not iOS6. Right now they have to cram images into iOS for the "old" iphone display, the retina display on the new phone and the iPad. When iPad 2 or 3 (whichever gets the "retina" display), then they will have to support 4 resolutions. At some point Apple will cut the cord. Possibly 5, for sure by 6.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that Apple bundles a separate OS package for each device, so it's not like your iPhone 4 has wasted space because of non-retina images. Also, Apple has shown pretty good support for iPhones during the first two years.
 
Stetrain said:
I think the iPad 2 will be released with either the current version of iOS or a small update (like 4.3 or 4.4). If there's an update the iPhone will get it at the same time.

They'll then announce iOS 5 in March or April, and then release it at the same time for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad all together when the iPhone 5 comes out.
Click to expand...

This sounds most realistic to me. At this point, the iPad isn't Apple's flagship product, so I think it's unlikely they announce iOS 5.0 in tandem with the iPad 2. They are more likely to announce it in tandem with the iPhone 5 or in a standalone event touting iOS 5.0 and demoing its use across all of its mobile devices, and maybe a sneak peak into how iOS 5.0 and OS X 10.7 play with each other.
 
iOS 4 was the first version to completely shut out a model (the first-gen). I think we can expect to see that same pattern going forward (iOS5 drops the 3G, iOS6 drops the 3GS, etc).
 
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