The iPhone 5 News Blog

Apple may be preparing to upgrade iOS 5 to 5.1 in a matter of weeks. Will this foreshadow a refreshed iOS 5.2 for the iPhone 5, and not a full iOS 6 overhaul? [UPDATES at the bottom of this article.]

Ever since the release of iOS 5 at last year’s WWDC, there has been a great deal of attention paid to Apple’s mobile operating system. Considering that the iPhone 4S turned out to be a mixed bag of refresh and overhaul as far has hardware is concerned, Apple wagered a lot of the 4S’s success on software upgrades in iOS 5. But for as much as iOS 5 ushered in a feature-rich platform for mobile Apple users, it has also been branded as at least partly to blame for the iPhone 4S’s battery life issues, with Cupertino developers issuing new versions in hopes that they can further optimize the software for energy economy.

It would appear that they are now preparing to release iOS 5.1, ostensibly as another fix for the energy use issues. According to News Sizzle, “Carriers of the iPhone in Europe and Japan are now indicating that the new OS may be released on March 9^th.”

News Sizzle is quick to point out that “Perhaps not coincidentally the iPad 3 release date is widely speculated to be or at least be revealed in the same timeframe,” assuming that the iOS 5.1 build could not only seek to fix battery issues on the iPhone 4S, but also give the new iPad 3 — which is expected to feature battery-sucking 4G LTE and a load of new display-related upgrades — a better start as far as energy consumption is concerned.

What remains to be seen, however, is if Apple will continue to upgrade iOS 5 heading into the iPhone 5 release, of if June will see the release of iOS 6.

Historically, Apple has released a fresh, new version of iOS, starting in 2007 with iOS 1. Thus, for Apple to opt for equipping the iPhone 5 with iOS 5.2 would break with a long-held tradition of deploying a new mobile operating system at the Worldwide Developer’s Conference. Add to this the rumors that the iPhone 5 could feature an approved Siri — dubbed “Assistant” — as well as NFC, and it would seem that a new iOS 6 might still be in order.

Regardless, an iOS 5.1 that improves battery life on the iPhone 4S would most definitely be a welcome addition at this juncture for many iPhone 4S users who remain frustrated with their smartphone’s energy limitations.

By Michael Nace

[UPDATED 2/18/12] — A recent report indicates that iOS 5.1 is set to get two new features. One is a new camera button located on the iPhone’s lock screen, while the other is a Japanese language Siri. you can read about it in our post here.