It seems we are one step closer to the release of iOS5. Apple have shipped an over the air update to developers of the 5th beta, equalling the number of beta releases for any version of iOS. Surely the wait is not too much longer for iCloud support, improved notifications and hundreds of other tweaks to reach mainstream consumers.
To add fuel to the fire, it is also now the longest duration between iPhone releases. With an additional couple of weeks for testing last minute bugs in beta 5, the Gold Master of iOS5 should arrive before the end of the month. From that point it’s up to the Chinese manufacturer to ramp up production of millions of iPhone5’s with iOS5 built-in. I suspect Apple will try and launch to more countries on day one this time, rather than schedule different market segments a month or two later.
This means manufacturing time may be longer than normal, potentially around a month, leaving us closer to October, which would marry up with current speculation from ‘a source close to the matter’ online.
More @ MacRumors.com
