Apple unexpectedly pushed an iOS 6.1.4 update today. Developers were not given early notice of the iOS 6.1.4 update, so it came as somewhat of a surprise when it began popping up for iPhone 5 users on Thursday.
Apple does not usually disclose the release date for upcoming iOS updates, but typically, developers are at least given the chance to play with new software and test it for glitches before it's released out into the wild.
It's likely that the iOS 6.1.4 update was not announced in advance because of its relatively minor impact. The iOS 6.1.4 update only applies to iPhone 5 users and the only thing it seems to deliver is an "updated audio profile for speakerphone."
iOS 7 update on the horizon?
Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly hard at work on iOS 7, which is likely slated for a fall release date. According to AllThingsD, iOS 7 will undergo "de-Forstallization," a quip at the expense of Apple's departed former iOS chief, Scott Forstall. In his stead, Apple has handed over the iOS 7 helm to Jony Ive — the man most principally responsible for the look and feel of Apple hardware.
Apple is apparently in such a rush to demo iOS 7 at its June WWDC event that it is reassigning engineers working on OS X 10.9 and putting them on the iOS 7 project.
iOS 7 probably won't appear before September and it's implausible that Apple would rollout a new operating system at this point without rolling out an iPhone 6 or at least an iPhone 5S alongside. In the meantime, you can at least enjoy the new speakerphone audio profile pushed with iOS 6.1.4.
