Hi Severin & Peter, At first approximation they are the same, but the mechanism of the update is different since one can be a delta and self-applied update and the other installs a complete build rather than patching the OS.
The OTA (Over The Air) update implies the OS and device is working properly, so iTunes is a good bet if you really want to ensure the update goes well or want to put the device into Recovery mode to ensure the new OS and only the new OS is written. Obviously, if the device is having problems, you should opt for iTunes to control the update rather than hoping the device installs the patch properly. iTunes downloads a several hundred megabyte IPSW file that can be used to do a more complete “Restore" if needed. It is the “Restore" that will reformat the filesystem etc. Assuming your device is working well, you can safely update OTA (plugged into power) and in many cases - the download is a delta update that is smaller than the entire image if you are doing an update that isn't a major version (8.0 or 9.0) Using iTunes also gives you a chance to transfer purchases and reduce the number of apps you will have to re-download after a major update. Again, not an issue on incremental updates like 9.0 update from 9.0.1. Cheers, Ronni 13-inch MacBook Air (April 2014) 1.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost to 3.3GHz 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM 512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage OS X El Capitan 10.11 > On 28 Oct 2015, at 12:05 PM, [email protected] wrote: > > Yes, I have noted the same phenomenon and have wondered why. Now, I wait for > Ronni's "all clear" before doing the download and always use the WiFI option. > There is no apparent downside to doing it this way - always. > > Pete. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: > [email protected] > > To: > "WAMUG List" <[email protected]> > Cc: > > Sent: > Wed, 28 Oct 2015 11:58:10 +0800 > Subject: > iOS9 downloads > > > Why are downloads via iTunes on iOS devices so unbelievably slow? I usually > do them wirelessly but today by some quirk I decided to do my iPad mini while > plugged in to iTunes. After what seemed an interminable wait I interrogated > the download viewer and was told there were 12 hours still to go. I > unplugged and went to wifi and all completed in the normal sort of time. > Why is this? > Severin Crisp > ____________________________________________________ > > Assoc Prof R Severin Crisp, FAIP, FIP, CPhys > 15 Thomas St, Mount Clarence, Albany, 6330, Western Australia > ph (08) 9842 1950 ( Int'l +61 8 9842 1950) > mail to: [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > ____________________________________________________
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