AirPort utility For iOS 5 will Bring airport management To The iPhone, iPad and iPod touch [SCREENSHOT]

As you will already be aware, unless you’ve been stuck under a rock for the last few months, iOS 5 is set to launch next week along with the iphone 4S, and although we’ve looked at and covered numerous of the essential features, there are still new ones being discovered all the time in what has been a rather turbulent week for all concerned with Apple.

Although it’s terrific taking a look at the find My pals and Siri features of iOS 5, it’s essential to highlight some of the smaller but nonetheless essential new features the fruit company is slipping in. One Redmond Pie reader has discovered that amongst the 200-odd updates and improvements, Apple has introduced an airport managing facility, enabling users to control numerous of its functions from the comfort of iOS. Currently, airport can only be altered through the PC or Mac, but iOS 5 GM shows that users will be able to use a little app by the name of airport utility to manage networks, which will be a downloadable through the app Store. So whilst it’s not going to be a stock app itself, the facility will be there, requiring the download for those who actually wish to use the feature.

AirPort Express, the ‘lite’ version of Apple’s main airport extreme router, and is expected to be updated sometime in the near future. The device, which is just under a hundred bucks, boasts Ethernet, USB and audio jack built in, and offers a affordable way of streaming music across a network as well as sharing printers in one tiny device. The device hasn’t been updated for several years to any terrific significance, barring the implementation of 802.11n support back in ’08, so expect to see a revitalize on that front sometime after the iPhone/iPod/iOS 5 release period.

As well as the somewhat entry-level express model, the Cupertino-based company also retails a much more feature-rich hub, known as the airport Extreme. Looking considerably much more like a conventional router, it sells for the considerably higher price of $179. Whilst the airport express is developed for those individuals, or small groups of users in a relatively confined area, the extreme is aimed at the company types seeking a larger wireless field. the time Capsule, which Apple introduced back in January 2008, is essentially airport extreme with a large hard drive inside helpful for storing Time device backups.

Thanks to Jonas Vacek for the hat tip!

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