When users attempt to do this in iOS 5 GM, a pop-up notification notes that an application (called “AirPort Utility”) is required and directs users to an iTunes link that is not yet live. Apple has noted that one of its aims in developing iOS 5 is to make iOS devices PC free and this feature obviously meant that iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners running iOS 5 could set up an AirPort station without needing to use a computer. A MacTalk forum member noticed that in the W-Fi settings of the latest beta there is a button to Manage this network that prompts you to download the app and earlier betas of iOS 5 let users set up their new AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule directly within the mobile operating system………………..
A popup in iOS 5 Golden Master that was seeded to developers earlier in the week suggests that Apple may soon release an AirPort Utility app in the App Store for iOS devices and AirPort Utility presently is available as an app on Mac and Windows that allow users to configure their AirPort Base Station or Time Capsules from their computers. The feature was spotted by Twitter user @SonnyDickson, who posted a screenshot of the alert that prompts users to download the AirPort Utility app from the App Store and trying to install the app however returns an error since the app hasn’t been released on the App Store yet. The popup appears when the Manage this Network button in the Wi-Fi section of the Settings app is tapped and the app could be released in the App Store as soon as October 12th, the day iOS 5 is scheduled to release. Earlier betas of iOS 5 had similar functionality which allowed users to set up their new AirPort base stations right from their iOS devices, the only difference being that it was built right into the Settings app. The decision of removing this functionality from the Settings app and bundling it as a whole new app available (not yet) in the App Store might have been taken because not all iOS users own AirPort Base Stations. PC-free is one of the major features of iOS 5 and the ability to set up your AirPort Stations right from scratch further increases the independence of your iOS devices from PCs.
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