Apple’s iOS7 includes a surprise: a ticket to the next generation of the internet

[dkf]

For five years, researchers have toiled over an obscure bit of fundamental internet infrastructure that promises to make the connections to our mobile devices faster and more reliable than ever, and if you’ve already downloaded Apple’s iOS 7 to your iPhone or iPad, you could be using it already.
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It’s called multi-path TCP, and here’s why it matters and how it works: At present, if your phone or tablet is connected to Wi-Fi and a cellular network at the same time, it can only use one or the other connection to transmit data. But what if your Wi-Fi connection or your 3G connection drops? Whatever data was being transmitted—data for an app, a webpage, an iMessage—will fail to arrive, and you have to try again, usually after getting a frustrating error message or a blank page. Just as importantly, if one of your connections to the internet slows down, or speeds up, your phone has no ability to use its other connections to its advantage, leading to a poorer and slower experience overall.
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Activate Siri to feel the power of the future

Multi-path TCP allows your phone to send data by whatever way it’s connected to the internet, whether that’s Wi-Fi, 3G or ethernet (say, if it were running on a laptop connected to the internet via a cable). And if you want to activate it, says one of the researchers who built multi-path TCP, you have only to use Apple’s voice command software, Siri.
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This is the first time that this new means of connecting to the internet has appeared in a commercial product. That it showed up in Apple’s software and not Google’s shows that Apple’s technical chops are substantial, even when the company isn’t highlighting what it’s up to.

http://qz.com/126642/apples-ios7-includes-a-surprise-a-ticket-to-the-next-generation-of-the-internet/

I wonder if this mucks up the NSA. I hope so.

[TheDeputy]

1. Quite fascinating. Thanks for the link. Nt

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Wow. I just downloaded 7 onto my iPhone 5 & iPad Mini yesterday.

I had no idea.

So far no glitches except that my Kindle app stopped working until I downloaded the newest version (4) & wove a couple of ancient Rune spells around it.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. I'm confused

Is this a special feature that we need to activate using Siri or is it part of the Siri tech?

[grahamhgreen]

4. Yes, does this only work with Siri data?

[Logical]

8. I think that might of been another link to another story embedded in what they copied. n-t

[PowerToThePeople]

5. I do not think this tech is too exciting on personal devices

A simple script can keep the connection alive.

Data centers is where Multi-path shines.

But, Apple is known to add "something new and exciting" on many of their product launches.

[dembotoz]

6. soooo even when you are using wifi you are also using your data plan

so you really can now owe your soul to the company store

[dkf]

11. That's why an unlimited data plan will be even better!

I'm grandfathered at ATT. I can't switch.

[Motown_Johnny]

7. Give it 3 months, it will be everywhere. 6 months at the most.

I can wait.

[Ruby the Liberal]

9. For years now, AT&T has had voice + data

at the same time. (Send an email while in a conversation). My work back then used Sprint and it drove me nuts that we could have that capability for a few dollars more a month.

Is that the same concept?

[dkf]

10. Don't the phone and data run on different frequencies or something?

I think this is different because it takes the data and allows it to jump back and forth between wifi and 4g instead of restarting when one connection drops.