User:Evelyn Harthbrooke/iOS version history (revamp)

This is the version history for the iOS mobile operating system, developed by Apple Inc. for iPhone and iPod touch. Updates for the iOS mobile operating system are released through iTunes, and, since iOS 5, via over-the-air software updates. With the announcement of iOS 5.0 on June 6, 2011, a USB connection to iTunes was no longer needed to activate iOS devices; data synchronization can happen automatically and wirelessly through Apple's iCloud service. New major iOS versions are announced yearly during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, and are usually released in September of the same year.

Overview
iOS did not have an official name until the official release of the iPhone software development kit (iPhone SDK) on March 6, 2008. Before then, Apple marketing simply stated that iPhone ran a version of Mac OS X made specifically for iPhone. When the opearting system was first introduced, it was named iPhone OS, or iPhone Software. It was officially renamed iOS on June 7, 2010 with the announcement and introduction of iPad. The introduction of iPad, and the existence of iPod touch, meant the iPhone was no longer the only device to run the mobile operating system. iOS 4 was the first major iOS release that reflected the name change. Apple licensed the "iOS" trademark from Cisco Systems.

iPhone OS 1
iPhone OS 1 was the first iteration of Apple's touch-centric mobile operating system, and was released coincidentally with the iPhone 2G on June 29, 2007.

iPhone OS 2
iPhone OS 2.0 was the first major update to the iOS operating system. It was announced on March 6, 2008 as part of Apple's "iPhone Software Roadmap" event and was initially released on July 11, 2008 coinciding with the release of the iPhone 3G. It was the first release to include the App Store, a marketplace for purchasing and downloading apps on iPhone and iPod touch. The update was free for iPhone owners, and cost $9.95 for iPod touch owners. iPhone OS 2.1.1 added support for the iPod touch (2nd generation). Support for iPhone OS 2 ended with the release of iPhone OS 2.1.1 in January 2009.