iOS Needs a Low-Level Installer

[Dwalls90]

Apple is trying to make iOS devices standalone from computers, and while iOS 5 really helped with that endeavor, I think we need to see a feature that is utilized in OS X Lion brought over to iOS.

Basically, in the event of the software corrupting (which is rare) and DFU mode is required, when the device is powered on, the phone should display the ability to restore to a clean installation of iOS (probably if only your phone is on wifi so it's faster and doesn't clean out your monthly data allotment, but this is at the discretion of the user) and restore the phone to a usable state.

If updates can be installed over the air (I understand they're much smaller), and this system was implemented in Lion, surely iOS can do it too.

Thoughts?

 

[yeah]

Apple is trying to make iOS devices standalone from computers, and while iOS 5 really helped with that endeavor, I think we need to see a feature that is utilized in OS X Lion brought over to iOS.

Basically, in the event of the software corrupting (which is rare) and DFU mode is required, when the device is powered on, the phone should display the ability to restore to a clean installation of iOS (probably if only your phone is on wifi so it's faster and doesn't clean out your monthly data allotment, but this is at the discretion of the user) and restore the phone to a usable state.

If updates can be installed over the air (I understand they're much smaller), and this system was implemented in Lion, surely iOS can do it too.

Thoughts?

Kind of like lion recovery. But wait, wouldn't that take up alot of space on the iDevice?

 

[Dwalls90]

Kind of like lion recovery. But wait, wouldn't that take up alot of space on the iDevice?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Lion recovery contains utilities too, which take up space. I think Lion has to actually be downloaded even in Lion Recovery?

But in either case, iOS would be downloaded remotely over WiFi (or Cellular if user wants that), not stored locally on the device as to save space!

 

[AdrianK]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Lion recovery contains utilities too, which take up space. I think Lion has to actually be downloaded even in Lion Recovery?

There's two recovery modes; "Internet Recovery" and the recovery partition.

Internet recovery is baked in to the firmware, so it has to has to download the OS.
The recovery partition keeps the installer and some utilities on the internal disk.

An "Internet Recovery" option could work, assuming there was enough free space on the device.

 

[Dwalls90]

Guess no one sees an interest in this haha.

 

[Lunchb0x8]

I like the idea, it would be a great option, especially as my friend had his phone randomly ask for activation after a month of use, when he tried to activate over 3G it failed, he tried a public WiFi AP, no joy, he took it to the carrier's local store, who then wiped the device, and then screwed up the restore, so he is without phone until it is sorted by Apple.