“Something’s in the air“; that’s the sentence Apple coined a few years ago and applies here as well. Over the last few weeks, we’ve heard tidbits regarding a possible release timeline for iOS 5, including today, when a report claimed that the system will reach Golden Master status on or around September 23rd. If this wasn’t enough evidence, it now turns out that AppleCare employees were told to brace themselves for an increased flux of calls around October 10th.
AppleCare is Apple’s support channel, and part of it is phone support. More requests for support are common after a significant new software update is launched, due to previously undetected bugs, questions regarding some of the new features and potentially even hardware damaged from a poorly-conducted upgrade.
iOS 5’s final release is indeed imminent, with the system already in its seventh beta and soon receiving its final bug-squashing Beta 8 seed to be issued on Friday before Golden Master is finally released. As we have previously mentioned, the Golden Master build will then be sent to Apple’s manufacturing contractors, since the upcoming iPhone 5 will come with iOS 5 built right in, not long after it’s seeded to registered developers to assist Apple in finding any critical bugs, if any.
Traditionally, whenever Apple releases a new version of iOS, a new iPhone hardware release isn’t too far behind, which is backed up by the numerous past rumors that pointed to an iPhone 5 release in October. Indeed, increased AppleCare claims only proves that a product launch is happening around that date. Judging by the information we have today, we can confidently say that iOS 5 will be released around the same time frame as the iPhone 5 in October, just in time for the holiday season.
iOS 5 is Apple’s new operating system that runs on the iPhone, the iPod touch and the iPad. First shown off in great detail at WWDC, Apple’s annual developer conference, iOS 5 has since undergone rigorous testing to make sure it’s in tip-top shape for the public release. Among many of the new features that the new system will include, a few of them are incredibly relevant such as a redesigned notification system known as Notification Center, system-wide integration with Twitter and a simplified set up process for new devices that doesn’t require a connection to iTunes.
(via AppleInsider)
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