iOS 5 beta 5 download lands on weekend, hints at iPad 3 release date

Apple has served up the download of the fifth beta test version of its upcoming iOS 5 operating system to developers today, and for once, it arrives on a Saturday. The move bypasses the typical business-hours release schedule of the beta, and suggests that the arrival of the official finished iOS 5 for end-users of iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch devices is imminent. More than the mere fact that this beta 5, meaning that Apple and developers have put it through significant paces, the fact that this one pops up on Saturday points to the final release date being sooner than later. The “5″ number means little, as Apple could theoretically release as many beta versions as it wants or needs to; iOS 4.2 for instance went through so many paces that would-be waiters lost count. The key difference here is that once beta 5 was ready, Apple opted not to wait til Monday to post the download, even though it would only have meant holding it back another forty-eight hours. And that means the clock is ticking.

Apple’s procedure of launching new hardware (in this case the new iPhone, probably the iPod touch 5, and perhaps the iPad 3) with the brand-new version of iOS installed and also pushing the installable version of the new iOS out to existing users in the same week means that the timing of it all is tricky. iOS 5 must be ready to go at the same time as the new hardware. And while the latter is simply a matter of finalizing the design and getting enough units manufactured ahead of the designated release date, an operating system is a more fluid thing. iOS 5 is ready when Apple decides it’s ready, with super-late-stage beta testing often a luxury only afforded if there’s enough time before launch. Any obscure bugs not found in iOS 5 before release can be cleaned up in iOS 5.0.1 a week or two later, and any features which aren’t quite perfected enough to make it into iOS 5 can always be rolled into iOS 5.1 once they’re ready (look at how AirPlay and AirPrint were scaled back a bit in the iOS 4 era for the sake of getting that particular release out the door, for instance). But after releasing the first four betas in mozey mode, Apple is now suddenly in a rush with the fifth one. And that’s a good thing…

What it means is that somewhere along the Apple food chain, the signal has been given that the new hardware expected to debut alongside iOS 5 has been locked in for release date. Now, Apple’s software team is suddenly dealing with a finite timeframe for accomplishing whatever else it needs to before launch. As such, iOS 5 beta 5 has been pushed out out a weekend so Apple can get feedback from workaholic third party developers immediately rather than losing another two days simply for the sake of a tidier-sounding Monday release. And now the game is afoot, because the clock is ticking on the iOS 5 release date, which means the clock is also ticking for the iPhone 5, the iPod touch 5, the iPad 3 and/or whatever else Apple is planning to shove out the door that same week.