iPhone may get OTA software updates with iOS 5 release

[Mika Technika]

We live in a world where more and more stuff is starting to get done wirelessly. So why is it that every time your iPhone needs a software update, you have to hook it up to your computer? Well, it looks like the days of tethered iPhone updates may be coming to an end pretty soon, and Apple may be already working hard on it.

According to rumors circulating on the web, Apple is going to make iPhone users' lives a bit easier by enabling hassle-free, over-the-air updates. No more looking for the iPhone's USB cable anymore ? software updates will be delivered straight to the smartphone over the carrier's cellular internet connection. Android users, for example, have been enjoying that feature for ages so probably many have been wondering why Apple is not doing anything to make updates a bit more convenient.

If the rumors turn out to be true, OTA updates are very likely to be introduced as a part of iOS 5 when it launches later this year. Some say that Apple and Verizon are already negotiating the details around the feature, but there is no word about talks with AT&T or other carriers around the world just yet. It wouldn't be very kind of them to make OTA updates Verizon-exclusive now, would it? Anyway, we are hoping to learn more in about a month's time, on June 6, when Apple is going to host WWDC and hopefully give iOS 5's first preview.