iPhone & Android: To OTA or not to OTA?
Going to the store to pick up software is an inconvenience that can be avoided. Want the new version of Photoshop? Download it. According to the team over at Mashable.com, Apple is planning to release their next iteration of Mac OS X (titled Lion) through the Mac App Store. As Mashable mentions, the Mac App Store became part of the OS X family in January 2011. The release of a full OS through the wires will bring an influx of traffic to the current perhaps-not-so frequented Mac App Store.
Technology updates are seeing an on-demand world growing faster than ever. So where are the on-demand updates for my iPhone? Up to this point, Apple has used the medium of iTunes to update, organize, and backup its mobile devices. The iTunes plug-in process has, and will continue to be, the bane of my iPhone usage. If you have used Android, you are very familiar with over-the-air updates, and now it looks as though Apple is going to be getting in the OTA game. Over at 9to5Mac Mark Gurman shares details about Apple’s preparations for future OTA updates to their devices with backups to the Apple cloud. Yes, that cloud you’ve been waiting on for so very long.
However, perhaps over-the-air isn’t the best way to go. How is that possible? I want over-the-air updates too, believe me, but the statistics don’t lie: Over at TechCrunch MG Siegler discusses the (should be) simple update regarding the iPhone-location-cache press fiasco that has been on Apple’s plate for the last couple weeks. According to TechCrunch, it took Apple just one week to push out an update to all iOS users. Yes, to everyone, and all using the old-school plug-in USB method.
On the flip side, Android has version 2.3 out, but according to their own numbers, only 4 percent of Android users are using the new software and it has been out for 5 months, but admittedly, much of that is down to carrier and manufacturer fragmentation.
Obviously there are some holes in the over-the-air process. I look forward to Apple’s approach and I imagine we’ll hear all about this at Apple’s WWDC event between June 6-10, 2011.
(Source: appolicious.com)
