Whilst still awaiting an official change log, developers have now been able to place their hands on the first beta of Apple's iOS 5.1 operating system. Hopes are that this update will fix continued battery concerns that had not been addressed in the 5.0.1 patch update, and that Apple will continue to improve its Siri voice assistant service. Typically the 0.1 increase would suggest a more significant release than just patches and so we're expecting perhaps one or two minor feature additions.
What everyone's really interested in, with this update however, is the presence of new product ID references within the beta. There are apparently now entries for an iPhone 5 device, iPhone5,1 and two entries for an iPad 3 device, iPad3,1 and iPad3,2. There are also entries that suggest a refresh of the iPad2, iPad2,4 perhaps a 3G variation from Sprint and a new J33 device, rumoured to be a new Apple TV product.
We all know that the iPad 3 is likely to hit early this spring but the presence of an iPhone 5 entry is a little shocking, perhaps sending shivers down the spines of any recent iPhone 4S owners that there's a risk of obsolescence less than a year down the line. Perhaps this is all just a part of the development process and no real indication of a sooner rather than later release, either way, we now all know that the iPhone 5 is real and it's coming; assuming the information provided is legitimate of course.
