iPhone 5

Traditionally iPhone users have always had to plug their phones into a PC or Mac and update it via iTunes to get the latest operating system. Now however it is rumored that the latest iOS5 will include ‘over the air’ updates, this means users can leave their USB cables in a drawer and receive updates wirelessly without the need for a desktop.

For Android and other smartphone users this feature is usually taken for granted, but if the rumors are true iOS5 will be the first iPhone operating system to include this. Whilst it’s probable ‘over the air’ updates will require the users consent before downloading, they will allow Apple to respond faster to security holes to prevent virus’s and jail breaking which is unlikely to go down well with a sizeable minority of iPhone users.

The biggest hurdle preventing earlier implementation of ‘over the air’ updates has been the reluctance of network carriers to sign up to the idea. iPhone updates are now usually in excess of 600mb and a simultaneous release on every iPhone would put considerable strain on a networks bandwidth.

Responding to this problem it’s likely Apple will move away from occasional large updates to more frequent releases of a smaller size. Given that the updates will be downloaded in the background, it’s likely that this method will be well received by users who are often annoyed by having to download and then install a large update for their phone via iTunes.

Whilst Apple’s negotiations with Verizon to implement this feature have been on-going for almost a year, it’s unknown if Apple have reached a deal with other domestic or international networks and so far it seems the feature will only be available on Verizon iPhones within the US.

There is a large downside to ‘over the air’ updates and this is the fact that many iPhone users pay for their data by the megabyte and so a 600mb update could cost a user up to $50. Whether carrier networks will charge users for these updates however is as of yet unknown and it seems unlikely most users would opt for ‘over the air’ updates if they had to pay for the data used.

As ‘over the air’ updates are rumored to be incorporated to iOS5 it’s highly probably that iPad and iPod Touch users will also share these benefits. In the future it’s likely that ‘over the air’ capabilities will play an important role into removing a iPhones dependency on iTunes and turning them into stand-alone devices.