Less than two weeks after issuing the third beta release of its iOS 5 mobile operating system, scheduled to roll out this fall, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) seeded iOS 5 beta 4, the first version of the software to arrive via over-the-air update. Apple officially introduced OTA updates late last month with the release of iOS 5 beta 2, enabling users to activate and set up iOS devices out of the box and receive software updates sans conventional computer connection--at that time, no compatible updates were available, however.
Apple first promised OTA updates when it unveiled iOS 5 during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Multiple reports state that OTA updates will not work on jailbroken iOS devices, although affected users may still download updates by connecting their device to a computer via USB cable.
In addition to a series of bug fixes and tweaks, iOS 5 beta 4 (classified by Apple as build 915274d) includes support for wireless data synchronization with Windows PC devices. (Previous builds limited wireless data synchronization to Mac users.) BGR has the full beta 4 change log here.
iOS 5 heralds more than 200 new user features and brings 1,500 new APIs. It is first and foremost about seamless integration with Apple's free iCloud service, which replaces Apple's premium MobileMe offering. iCloud automatically syncs content on Apple servers for access across iOS devices as well as Macs and PCs--each day, iCloud Backup backs up all of the user's iOS devices over Wi-Fi, storing content including purchased music, apps and books as well as photos, videos, device settings and app data. In addition, Apple's App Store and iBookstore now download purchased iOS apps and books to all authorized devices, not just the unit on which they were purchased.
For more:
- read this BGR article
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