News: Software Updates Galore

Besides news of the new iPad and Apple TV, Apple released a few other goodies for everyone else, including updates to its iWork suite for iOS, updates for GarageBand and iMovie, iOS 5.1, iTunes 10.6, and new Apple TV software.

iOS 5.1

iOS 5.1 includes:

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

• Japanese language support for Siri (availability may be limited during initial rollout)
• Photos can now be deleted from Photo Stream
• Camera shortcut now always visible on Lock Screen for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation)
• Camera face detection now highlights all detected faces
• Redesigned Camera app for iPad
• Genius Mixes and Genius playlists for iTunes Match subscribers
• Audio for TV shows and movies on iPad optimized to sound louder and clearer
• Podcast controls for playback speed and a 30 second rewind for iPad
• Updated AT&T network indicator
• Addresses bugs affecting battery life
• Fixes an issue that occasionally caused audio to drop for outgoing calls

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222 

For more information on: How to update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, please visit this website:  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4623

iTunes 10.6

iTunes 10.6’s release notes aren’t linkable yet, but iOS 5.1 and 1080p video seem to be the driving force items. It also seems still compatible with PowerPC Macs and Mac OS X Leopard:

iTunes 10.6 adds the ability to play 1080p HD movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store.

This release also includes many improvements for iTunes Match, including:

• Improved song matching
• Improved album artwork handling, downloading, and display
• Addresses an issue where songs may skip when playing from iCloud

Apple TV 5.0

Information of the new Apple TV software, now at version 5.0, also has not appeared on Apple’s servers, but iLounge explains it best:

Apple today released Apple TV Software Update 5.0, the latest update for its second-generation set-top box. The new update introduces a significantly redesigned user interface for the main menu. Apple has yet to update its Support page with details on 5.0 so it is unclear exactly what other improvements have been made in this latest update. Apple TV Software Update 5.0 is available now via the Update Software option in the device’s General Settings menu.

Update: According to Apple’s release notes, the latest update also includes support for Movie purchases in iCloud where availalbe, Genius Recommendations for content on the iTunes Store, new built-in screensaver photos from National Geographic and on-device sign-up for content partners on Apple TV using an Apple ID.

We’ll have more information on this as details emerge…