Difference Between iOS 5 and iOS 5.1

iOS 5 vs iOS 5.1 | Performance and Features Reviewed | New Features and Improvements Compared
 

The mobile operating system by Apple Inc was called iOS 5 when released for the 5th iteration. The second update to the platform is 5.1. The first update was 5.0.1. Following is an analysis of the differences between the two versions of iOS.

iOS 5

The mobile operating system by Apple Inc, (known for its amazing finish) has been released for the 5th iteration. Released in October 2011, iOS 5 meant for all versions of iPad, 3rd and 4th generations of the iPod touch and iPhone 4S, 4 and 3S.

Though many expected significant UI changes to iOS 5, it remains more or less similar to the previous version in terms of the overall look and feel.

However, the notifications have been improved, and an all new “Notifications Centre” has been introduced. Users can either ignore or respond to notifications. Users can browse through the list of notifications by up and down swiping. If the user decides to interact, he will be taken to the relevant application. This implementation of ‘Notifications’ has a big resemblance to how ‘Notifications are implemented in Android. A useful widget included in the Notifications section is the weather widget, which is location aware and will update the user on current weather update. The new notifications appear in a non obtrusive manner. These notifications will appear briefly at the top of the screen. The lock screen will also display notifications and users can act on them by simply unlocking the screen.

The iMessage available in iOS 5 enables users to reduce messaging costs. It allows users to send text messages between iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices via Wi-Fi and 3G. Since iMessage is built into messaging it allows users to send text, images, video, as well as locations. Group messaging is also enabled with iMessage and users can relax about security of the content that they share since these messages are encrypted. If the intended recipient supports iMessage, the contact will be coloured in blue; if not, the contact will be coloured in green. This enables users to know if the phone is using data package or their phone connection to send the message.

Siri ; the voice assistant made available in iOS 5 along with iPhone 4S is the biggest innovative feature of the platform. ‘Siri’ is an interactive assistant capable of doing many tasks for the phone user. The uniqueness of ‘Siri’ is the ability to behave based on context and appears less robotic than other assistants in the market. The downside of this amazing feature on iOS 5 is that it’s only supported by iPhone 4S. Read more on Siri at our review here.

iCloud is another innovative feature of the iOS 5. iCloud is a cloud based service which enables users to sync content between many Apple devices without effort. Contents are synchronised between many devices almost instantaneously. In combination with iCloud, iOS 5 enables users to install updates and software without the help of the desk top. iOS 5 devices can now sync over Wi-Fi if iTunes is open in the desktop.

The camera application also has received few upgrades with iOS 5 release. The camera app can be opened from the lock screen. The application provides many features such as grid lines, pinch-to-zoom, and tap focus to compose a quality snap shot. Photos can be taken by pressing the volume up button (Hardware Button) in the device. Improved enhancements to photo s are also available with iOS 5.Users can edit, crop, auto enhance and remove red eye of the photos taken, as iCloud will send a copy of the photo to iPad as soon as the photo is taken.

The browsing experience on iOS 5 is another area improved by this iteration of iOS. Tabbed browsing is available for iPad users for the first time. Users can open a total of 9 tabs at one time. Reading list is another feature available with iOS 5 which enable users to keep track of what they are reading.

In addition to the main feature upgrades mentioned above, iOS 5 has introduced a new multi tasking gestures to the platform. ‘Air play’ mirroring, reminders App, Newsstand and Twitter integration are other areas of improvement on iOS 5. iOS 5 appears more polished and refined with a new bundle of enhancements. This version of the OS seems stable in many previous versions of Apple hardware it is intended for, as well.

iOS 5.1

This second update to iOS 5 was released on March 2012. This update is compatible with a range of Apple hardware including iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (3rd generation).

This enhancement includes bug fixes and many improvements to features.

Japanese language support has been introduced to Siri. With this new update, Siri is now supporting 4 different languages including English, French and German. However, in English Siri supports Australian, British and American dialects.

Photos uploaded to photo stream can now be deleted. In the previous version (iOS 5), when a photo was added to “Photo Stream” it could not be deleted. The current upgrade to iOS allows deleting images that was added.

A useful feature added to iOS 5 was the short cut available in lock screen to take photos. This allowed users to take instant photographs without needing to unlock the phone. A problem that existed with iOS 5 was that the short cut was not always visible on the lock screen. With iOS 5.1, that issue has been resolved, and the camera shortcut is now always visible. According to Apple the enhancement is consistent on iPhone 4S, iPhone 3Gs and iPod Touch (4th Generation).

Another enhancement on iOS 5.1 is the camera application. It now can highlight all detected faces. While the accuracy of face detection is questionable, there is no doubt that the enhancement to camera application is useful. The camera application is redesigned for iPad, as well.

Few enhancements are focused on improving the multimedia experience on iOS 5.1. Genius Playlists and Genius suggestions have revisited iOS. This enhancement is significant to users who have subscribed to iTunes Match. Improved audio and video is available for iPad users. Apple has decided to make the enhancement where most necessary, as TV shows and video are mostly watched on iPad screen. The iPad gets another useful enhancement on Podcasts. New controls are available for changing Podcast speeds on iPad. A 30 second rewind speed is also available for Podcasts on iPad.

For those who have iPhone 4S on AT & T, a network indicator is available. A 4G icon will appear when connecting to HSDPA network.

As for the bug fixes, issues affecting the battery performance have been fixed. As a result, users can expect their phones performing better in terms of battery life after the upgrade. On iOS 5, an issue was identified on outgoing calls. The audio occasionally dropped. This also has been fixed with the latest release of iOS 5.1.

What is the difference between iO5S and iOS 5.1?

Siri ; the voice assistant made available in iOS 5 long with iPhone 4S is the biggest innovative feature of iOS 5. ‘Siri’ is an interactive assistant capable of doing many tasks for the phone user. With the new enhancement to iOS 5.1, Siri is available in Japanese, as well. The Japanese support was not available in iOS 5.In previous version (iOS 5), when a photo was added to “Photo Stream” it could not be deleted. The current upgrade to iOS allows deleting images that was added. The camera application also received useful upgrades with iOS 5 release. The camera app could be opened from the lock screen. A problem that existed with iOS 5 was that the short cut was not always visible on the lock screen. With iOS 5.1, that issue has been resolved, and the camera shortcut is now always visible. According to Apple the enhancement is consistent on iPhone 4S, iPhone 3Gs and iPod Touch (4th Generation). Photo application on iOS 5 did not have highlighting detected faces feature. With iOS 5.1, the camera application can now highlight all detected faces. A redesigned camera application is also available on iPad for iOS 5.1. Among the multimedia enhancements to iOS 5.1 Genius Playlists and Genius suggestions to iTunes Match subscribers and Improved audio & video is available for IPad users is prominent. These were not available in iOS 5 release. However, the reviews suggest that the audio & video enhancements are not very significant. New controls are available for changing Podcast speeds on iPad on iOS 5.1. A 30 second rewind speed is also available for Podcasts on iPad with the iOS 5.1 upgrade. For those who have iPhone 4S on AT & T, a network indicator is available with iOS 5.1. A 4G icon will appear when connecting to HSDPA network. This feature was not available with iOS 5. Battery performance issues and issues related to audio drop on outgoing calls on iOS 5 was fixed in iOS 5.1.