With a third beta of iOS 4.3 released to developers this week, everyone is wondering when Apple might release the official version for all to enjoy. According to a review of the Verizon iPhone by New York Times writer David Pogue, it may be soon.
AppleInsider has collected a pair of stories related to the launch of iOS 4.3, attempting to predict when Apple will push the software from beta status and make it available for the public at large to download.
The first bit of evidence comes from New York Times reviewer David Pogue, who noted in his review of the Verizon iPhone 4 on Wednesday night that Apple’s new Mobile Hotspot feature would be coming to AT&T users on February 13 -- which has since been removed from the review entirely.
We happened to read Pogue’s review last night, which originally referred to the Mobile Hotspot feature as “incredibly convenient. Many other app phones have it -- AT&T’s iPhone gets it on Feb. 13 -- but Apple’s execution is especially nice.” Since last night, the review has been revised and now simply states, “AT&T says its iPhone will get it soon.”
February 13 would seem like an odd date for an Apple software update since it falls on a Sunday -- but a Friday update would not be out of the question, which would prepare iOS devices for AT&T to flip the switch on Mobile Hotspot along with other devices on February 13.
Meanwhile, Daring Fireball scribe John Gruber predicts that iOS 4.3 will be “released within two weeks,” which falls in line with Pogue’s slip -- but for different reasons.
Gruber cites the two-week sponsorship of The Daily, the iPad-only newspaper which launched on Wednesday, with the first two weeks courtesy of Verizon Wireless. The Daily is the precursor of in-app subscriptions on the device, which many believe will come baked into iOS 4.3.
“During that period, Gruber noted, Apple could make the Daily app available without a billing system in place by negotiating a ‘sponsorship’ with Verizon, a move that would also direct buzz toward the coming launch of the Verizon iPhone 4, just as early reviews began to hit the major media outlets,” AppleInsider noted.
Apple’s vice president of Internet Services, Eddy Cue, announced at The Daily event in New York City that in-app subscriptions will be coming to other apps “soon,” although in the case of The Daily, it appears that such subscriptions may be built into the app itself and not iOS -- so no one knows for sure if such an update will be required.
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