Rumor: Apple may not release cloud-based iOS 5 until this fall

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
According to a new rumor, Apple plans to release iOS 5, the next major update to its mobile operating system, at a later-than-usual date, arriving this fall with long-rumored cloud-based features for online storage of music, photos and video.



According to sources that spoke with TechCrunch, Apple allegedly will not unveil the latest version of iOS this spring, a timeframe it has followed in the past to preview its mobile operating system update to developers. Instead, Apple is said to be hard at work on a "major revamp" of the platform that will arrive this fall.



Apple could decide to preview the next version of iOS at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, likely to be held in June. Author MG Siegler said he has heard nothing about the iPhone 5, which is typically released at WWDC, but speculated that Apple could release its next-generation handset running a version of iOS 4 rather than a new release.



The report also said that iOS 5 would arrive alongside a rumored iPad 3, a rumored expansion to the iPad product line. That would run counter to speculation that stemmed from Apple declaring 2011 the "Year of the iPad 2," potentially suggesting that no upgrades are planned.



Apple's iOS 5 upgrade is rumored to have major integration with cloud-based services. This would include a digital "locker" to hold users' music, a service that would allegedly also launch this fall at Apple's annual music-themed event.



But the report claimed that Apple will preview much of its future cloud-based offerings at this summer's WWDC. One of those features is said to be a location-based service for finding out where friends are, something that was hinted at in a beta build of iOS 4.3.



The latest report runs counter to a separate rumor from earlier this month, which claimed that Apple plans to introduce iOS 5 at a media event to be held in early April. That would be the same timeframe as last year's event for the iOS 4 developer preview.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 135
    It's impossible to believe that 2011 will be the year of the 2 iPads. It is entirely possible to believe that all of our stuff will be migrating to the cloud beginning in 2011.
  • Reply 2 of 135
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    If iOS 5.0 will be heavily tied to their new data center and that or it’s SW services won’t be ready in time then it certainly makes sense to delay the release. I don’t think sales of the iPhone 5 would be hindered over its lifetime by a delay in iOS 5.0, and potentially even help to spread out the sales by those opting to wait for iOS 5.0 to arrive before committing.
  • Reply 3 of 135
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,141member
    I don't know about a cloud based mobile OS, data charges are still so high. Unless it was an optional form of cloud storage, and everything that's normally on iOS is still there locally.
  • Reply 4 of 135
    wurm5150wurm5150 Posts: 763member
    It was rumored the iPad 2 would be delayed until June. Ended up coming out a few weeks earlier than Apple's normal 1 year cycle. If April comes and goes without iOS 5 preview, then I guess the rumors are true.
  • Reply 5 of 135
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AllanCook View Post


    It's impossible to believe that 2011 will be the year of the 2 iPads. It is entirely possible to believe that all of our stuff will be migrating to the cloud beginning in 2011.



    I disagree. I do see why anyone would think all your data will migrate to a remote site. I do think that there will be better services for accessing data via the cloud, but local storage for media will NOT be going away. I see something akin to how Dropbox and Time Machine works, delta encoding and sparse bundles that only updates changes into a log file once the content is on the server in some form. This would mean that you don?t actually upload your music to the cloud or, worse, everyone with the same song having a separate upload for it on the server. It would be a single file that all users are tied to because the content is exactly the same. This is how Dropbox works and it?s brilliant!
  • Reply 6 of 135
    pxtpxt Posts: 683member
    Apple worry me with their tendency to delete data during data migration and sync.



    Do I want them to try doing that with more of my data?
  • Reply 7 of 135
    Lotsa other goodies in the pipeline till fall.
  • Reply 8 of 135
    jensonbjensonb Posts: 532member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tipoo View Post


    I don't know about a cloud based mobile OS, data charges are still so high. Unless it was an optional form of cloud storage, and everything that's normally on iOS is still there locally.



    Of course it would be optional.
  • Reply 9 of 135
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member
    TechCrunch's track record with rumor mongering is very mixed.



    the "standard model" would have Apple release iOS 5 with iPhone 5 in June, and then the iPad version of iOS 5 in the Fall. the rumor may be picking up on only the second part of that sched.



    Apple TV 2 was also released last Fall, so it could get its iOS 5 update at the same time as the iPad. we might also see Apple TV 3 then, with the new A5 chips. that would make sense especially if there are further expansions of AirPlay in iOS 5.



    Apple has updated the iPod line in the Fall for years, ahead of the Holiday sales season, and there is no reason for that to change. that could include bringing iOS 5 to the iPod touch.



    and if Apple were ever going to release an iPhone Nano, the Fall would also make sense. because it would likely be some version of an iPod combined with a very simplified iOS phone, and the Holiday sales season would be best for it. we keep hearing rumors about that too ...



    so plenty of "routine" stuff could happen to make this Fall a big deal for Apple and iOS 5.



    but shifting to a Fall sched for the leading iOS annual updates would make no sense. a big selling point of new model iPhones each Spring is their simultaneous fresh iOS update. why would Apple screw that up?



    the standard model would also have Apple fully unveil OS X Lion at WWDC for release in Summer. that is the obvious best big hype moment for it, to focus on it in full detail. why would Apple screw that up too?



    so that leaves only the launch of the new MobileMe/iTunes cloud thing. we know for a fact Apple stopped signing up old MobileMe subscribers in February in anticipation of it. why would Apple wait 4 months then to launch the new one? we also know on May 5 the old version of iCal in MobileMe will simply stop working completely! so it is pretty obvious something technical is going to happen by then that makes it technically un-workable. it is not hard to add 2 and 2 together here and come up with an April launch of the new Apple cloud, as rumored elsewhere.



    Apple rumor reports are like trying to envision the proverbial elephant inside a totally dark room. they feel just one part of the animal and then speculate on the nature of the whole beast. usually badly.
  • Reply 10 of 135
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Alfiejr View Post


    TechCrunch's track record with rumor mongering is very mixed.



    the "standard model" would have Apple release iOS 5 with iPhone 5 in June, and then the iPad version of iOS 5 in the Fall. the rumor may be picking up on only the second part of that sched.



    Apple TV 2 was also released last Fall, so it could get its iOS 5 update at the same time as the iPad. we might also see Apple TV 3 then, with the new A5 chips. that would make sense especially if there are further expansions of AirPlay in iOS 5.



    Apple has updated the iPod line in the Fall for years, ahead of the Holiday sales season, and there is no reason for that to change. that could include bringing iOS 5 to the iPod touch.



    and if Apple were ever going to release an iPhone Nano, the Fall would also make sense. because it would likely be some version of an iPod combined with a very simplified iOS phone, and the Holiday sales season would be best for it. we keep hearing rumors about that too ...



    in general, shifting to a fall sched for all iOS annual updates would make no sense. a big selling point of new model iPhones each Spring is their simultaneous fresh iOS update. why would Apple screw that up?



    the standard model would also have Apple fully unveil OS X Lion at WWDC for release in Summer. that is the obvious best big hype moment for it, ot focus on it in full detail. why would Apple screw that up too?



    so that leaves only the launch of the new MobileMe/iTunes cloud thing. we know for a fact Apple stopped signing up old MobileMe subscribers in February in anticipation of it. why would Apple wait 4 months then to launch the new one? we also know on May 5 the old version of iCal in MobileMe will simply stop working completely! so it is pretty obvious something technical is going to happen by then that makes it technically un-doable. it is not hard to add 2 and 2 together here and come up with an April launch of the new Apple cloud, as rumored elsewhere.



    Apple rumor reports are like trying to envision the proverbial elephant inside a totally dark room. they feel just one part of the animal and then speculate on the nature of the whole beast. usually badly.



    You make a lot of good points. The only thing I?d question is your questions as to why Apple would screw that up. While I don?t think this rumour rings true (at least not yet), it?s possible that they have no intention of purposely screwing things up, but circumstances beyond their control have pushed the release of iOS 5.0 back a couple months. I?d say it?s better to get a later release than a half-baked release just to meet a self imposed time table.
  • Reply 11 of 135
    pokepoke Posts: 506member
    The acceleration of disinformation about iOS 5 probably means we're going to see it soon. Same thing happened before the iPad 2 was unveiled.
  • Reply 12 of 135
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by poke View Post


    The acceleration of disinformation about iOS 5 probably means we're going to see it soon. Same thing happened before the iPad 2 was unveiled.



    That is the most believable iOS 5.0 rumour I?ve read.
  • Reply 13 of 135
    dagamer34dagamer34 Posts: 494member
    I am very dissatisfied when all the tech blogs use one site as a source, as it's very shoddy reporting. You never see the NYT use USA Today as a source.



    At the very least, please point out something like "our sources have not stated anything like this to us" in the article, so we know very clearly that TechCrunch is the source of this info.



    You get things like "possible iPad 2.5/3 in Fall?!?!" when a person like John Gruber posts rubbish on his site but other people pick it up like wildfire.
  • Reply 14 of 135
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    They're going to have bring 4G data support for cloud features. I wonder how they would get e.g 60GB of music onto the online account. I could understand being able to sync iTunes purchases on the go but not media you imported from CDs etc.
  • Reply 15 of 135
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    I am very dissatisfied when all the tech blogs use one site as a source, as it's very shoddy reporting. You never see the NYT use USA Today as a source.



    At the very least, please point out something like "our sources have not stated anything like this to us" in the article, so we know very clearly that TechCrunch is the source of this info.



    You get things like "possible iPad 2.5/3 in Fall?!?!" when a person like John Gruber posts rubbish on his site but other people pick it up like wildfire.



    1) I don?t understand why people want to compare national daily newspaper reporting with tech rumour reporting.



    2) Gruber?s track record is good, but don?t confuse his opinion with a site?s rumour he?s linked to with a rumour from a source he?s obtained directly.
  • Reply 16 of 135
    This rumor could be true if:

    1) Most of the iOS programmers have been shifted over to polishing/finishing Lion.

    2) Apple's plan is to get Lion done and shipped, then shift most of their people over to iOS 5.

    3) iOS 5 ties into Lion in some manner that Apple wants to make the "truck" work, first (borrowing Steve Job's new term for pcs), then build out the client iOS interface. This also makes sense with Apple's decision to sell Lion server as part of Lion (not as a distinct version).



    I think the rumor is doubtful, but it's not impossible if Lion is the server for iOS devices, and the vision is to have one-two workstation/servers running Lion in the house, an iPad/iPhone for everyone in the house, and a subscription to mobileme to keep everyone sync-ed. If that's the goal, then you finish the server software first (summer), then build out the client interface (fall). And even that would be pretty ambitious.
  • Reply 17 of 135
    nofeernofeer Posts: 2,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    They're going to have bring 4G data support for cloud features. I wonder how they would get e.g 60GB of music onto the online account. I could understand being able to sync iTunes purchases on the go but not media you imported from CDs etc.



    They already have a record

    They could simply ask you if you want x song(s) in cloud

    I don't know if I would need ALL my purchases available

    Just last 6 months

    They could just copy them over

    The delay is more about the music co rather than apple
  • Reply 18 of 135
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Who do these idiots and rumor mongerers think that Apple is?



    If Apple were like the other companies and copycats, they'd be releasing a brand new iPad every couple of months. Apple is not like them and Apple sticks to a yearly release. Apple can't even make enough iPad2's to fill the current demand, which is beyond anybody's wildest expectations. A company like Apple, which puts a lot of effort into designing and researching new products is going to want to have the longest product life span as they can, which is yearly.



    Only Fandroids thinks that Apple needs to come out with a new iPad3 in the fall. It's a ridiculous idea and contrary to what Apple stands for. These rumor mongerers act as if Apple is desperate and that they need to do something to react to all of the garbage products coming out from the competitors. Apple couldn't care less about what those monkeys are doing. Who should we believe, Steve Jobs saying that 2011 is the year of the iPad2, or some loser rumor mongerers who have ulterior motives and not a clue.



    As for iOS5, it's supposedly a whole new redesign and overhaul, so who knows when that's coming out. It's better to wait and get it right instead of pushing out buggy junk prematurely which other companies do.



    This holiday season, the hottest product will be the iPad2 running iOS5.
  • Reply 19 of 135
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    Every summer, WWDC helps developers understand new iOS and Mac OS technologies. So it makes sense to release major OS updates after WWDC. Months after, to give developers plenty of time to code the new technologies into their apps. Apple learned many years ago that a major new OS release needs apps to showcase it.



    Apple also learned not to roll out significant server-side technology until it has been fully tested and proven. The iPhone OS 2.0 release along with iPhone 3G in 2008 was a disaster. Push notifications really didn't work, and heads rolled. So although the North Carolina data center may be physically finished, Apple is going to make sure that its services are fully tested before going live.



    Rolling out an iOS update toward the end of the year makes sense from a marketing perspective too. iOS 5 will add new features to iPhone and iPad without a hardware update. Apple gets two boomlets of publicity for iPhone and iPad. One boomlet when the hardware is released, and a second boomlet when iOS 5 is released.



    Announce iPad in Q1, iPhone in Q2 with the existing iOS. Introduce new iOS in the latter half of the year to add new life to the existing iDevices. Apple can then hype the updated iPhone and iPad (and iPod touch) for two or three months leading up to the holiday buying season. Perfect.
  • Reply 20 of 135
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MyopiaRocks View Post


    This rumor could be true if:

    1) Most of the iOS programmers have been shifted over to polishing/finishing Lion.

    2) Apple's plan is to get Lion done and shipped, then shift most of their people over to iOS 5.

    3) iOS 5 ties into Lion in some manner that Apple wants to make the "truck" work, first (borrowing Steve Job's new term for pcs), then build out the client iOS interface. This also makes sense with Apple's decision to sell Lion server as part of Lion (not as a distinct version).



    I think the rumor is doubtful, but it's not impossible if Lion is the server for iOS devices, and the vision is to have one-two workstation/servers running Lion in the house, an iPad/iPhone for everyone in the house, and a subscription to mobileme to keep everyone sync-ed. If that's the goal, then you finish the server software first (summer), then build out the client interface (fall). And even that would be pretty ambitious.



    good point that there may be strong linkages between iOS 5 and OS X Lion to account for this year.



    but Apple could handle that in two ways without delaying iOS 5 this year - intro a "Lion ready" iOS 5 in June as usual. or release the "Lion update" for it as iOS 5.1 in the Fall.



    presumably iOS 5.0 will already be "Apple cloud ready" in June, for any OS linkages that might enhance the new Apple cloud services. like the much-desired easy universal file sharing for iOS. this is why an event in April launching the new Apple cloud and unveiling iOS 5 at the same time makes a lot of sense.
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