Over-The-Air Wi-Fi Syncing And Backup In iOS 5 Should Make For A Less Tedious Routine
June 7, 2011
Apple's keynote unveiled a number of very interested factoids today. Two of the big announcements were iCloud, the online syncing and sharing service that will be the successor to MobileMe, and iOS 5. A significant feature set of the next generation of iOS will provide syncing beyond the 'cloud'. Specifically, iOS 5 will almost completely unlatch the physical tether of your iDevice to your computer.
Apple's "iTunes in the Cloud" system automatically synchronizes iTunes Store and App Store purchases amongst your devices. The iCloud service in general will offer even further synchronizing abilities with personal data, such as more in-depth iCal support and photos.
However, Apple decided to take user feedback to heart and expand wireless syncing to a third area. Most commonly referred to as just "over-the-air synchronization," iDevice users running iOS 5 will no longer need to have their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch within a foot of their computer to perform syncs and backups of the device.
Wirelessly sync your iOS device to your Mac or PC over a shared Wi-Fi connection. Every time you connect your iOS device to a power source (say, overnight for charging), it automatically syncs and backs up any new content to iTunes. So you always have your movies, TV shows, home videos, and photo albums everywhere you want them.Removing the requirement of restraining your iDevice to your computer does more than just eliminate the need to use time and effort of connecting a cable, it opens up the capability of syncing and having a recent backup of your iDevice without ever really needing to think about. Especially considering the backup, this process will take some time. Therefore, Apple has the OS perform the necessary tasks in the background whenever applicable and possible. In fact, you'll see a syncing icon next to the Wi-Fi symbol on the left side of your iDevice's status bar (as pictured above) when the activity is in progress. That way, you'll know if you're about to leave home, you could be interrupting a sync -- though the process is intended to occur overnight. There is one drawback. It is mandatory to connect your iDevice to a power source, which will require the Dock cable we were trying to avoid, because the use of Wi-Fi and CPU will drain the battery noticeably. Of course, you can now charge your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad away from your computer, such as near your bed, and still get everything synced and backed up for the next day.
