As the release of the iPhone 5, iOS 5 and iCloud creep ever closer, a new report claims that a near-final version of iOS 5 is already in the final stages of testing with wireless carriers.
The significance of this is that once wireless carriers finish their testing of the iOS 5 firmware, the device could launch on wireless networks at almost any point from them on. This should be taken as a strong sign that iOS 5 (and the iPhone 5) are very near to public release.
The build being tested by carriers is newer than betas seeded to developers, and includes new features such as FaceTime over 3G, and Nuance-powered speech-to-text dictation functionality. It’s important to note, however, that 3G FaceTime will not necessarily be available in the final release, and will likely be an opt-in for each carrier.
The source, speaking to 9to5Mac, also claimed that this build of iOS 5 was very polished, fast, and accurate, which indicates that iOS 5 is very near to being completed.
