Advisor-bar

iOS 5 cuts the USB cable for good

Posted June 8, 2011 5:00pm by Kyle Ripley Tags: iOS5, Apple, WWDC

On Monday, Steve Jobs took the stage for Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote. After going through all the juicy new details on Mac OS X Lion, Scott Forstall came on stage to share iOS 5 and all that we can expect this fall. Among the list of the 200 new features that will be included within iOS 5, two of them stood above the rest. First of all, Apple (AAPL) will be totally overhauling the notification system for the mobile devices, and secondly, iOS 5 will be cutting the USB cable and bringing in over-the-air setup and updates to all iOS devices. The SDK went out to developers yesterday and we can expect the final version of iOS 5 sometime in the fall.

Apple realized that the old notification system was annoying. To create a more intuitive way to handle the quantity and types of notifications you get, there will be a notification bar, similar to the Android pull down bar, that will also update the lock screen. Along with notifications, iOS 5 introduces Reminders, which is a smart to-do list that reminds you of something based on time, date, and location.

What exactly will going without a USB cable mean? It will mean that your iPhone is no longer bound to a computer. With the new iOS 5 allowing OTA updates on Apple mobile devices, the company will be able to seamlessly push out updates, hot-fixes, security updates and more to wherever you are. In addition, with the iCloud drifting just out in the distance, you will also be able to transfer your music from one device to another without plugging in. You will be able to sync your calendars, your mail, your docs, your everything... No plugs, only freedom.

haywoodudume

Missing

No plugs, only freedom? Freedom from what? How about no freedom? Now you have to use the iCloud service. You will have NO FREEDOM on how to access your device. This isn't freedom, it's Apple's decision to take away your choice. It's a friggin' USB port, what's the big deal?

Wait, I get it. Now there will be no more Jailbreak for your iDevice. All updates, patches, and whatever else they decide will be pushed out to you whether you like it or not.

Reply to comment Posted August 02, 2011

singerdave2001

Missing

Windows phone 7 already has all of these things. instead of icloud it is called skydrive and the music market and app market is right on the phone. The Notification system is State of the art allowing apps to register with Push servers so they do not need to run in the background in order to alert users when an event occurs.

Reply to comment Posted August 19, 2011

comran

Missing

Freedom is what you want and obtain

Reply to comment Posted October 22, 2011

comran

Missing

I simply use an open source OS phone and combine this with clear.com ISP services to get VoIP services anywhere from the states... all this for the price of internet access only! (3G/4G)
So, rethink communications technology deployment, guys!!

Reply to comment Posted October 22, 2011
Facebook Activity