As is the case most iOS updates, the iOS 7.1 update with SXSW app support is hotly anticipated. It’s been the talk of the Mac-loving communities for several weeks now, especially since the SXSW festival in Austin, one of the biggest and most important ones in the United States, is scheduled to begin quite soon. The music fest, which starts this year on March 11, is going to be streamed live via iTunes Festival and, of course, there’s also going to be an app for that. Apple is planning to release the app before the commencement of the music festival and since it’s going to be iOS 7.1 reliant, rumor has it that Apple will also have to release the update before that date. But just how trustworthy are those rumors? Read on to find out what we learned off the web about this.

The rumors about the iOS 7.1 update with SXSW app support originated on Daring Fireball, whose author, John Gruber, says he’s heard all about the coming app. The festival, which is scheduled to begin early on in March, is going to be the first ever Apple iTunes Festival in the United States. Not only are all the performances within the festival going to be streamed via an app, to all iOS-operating devices. That app is most definitely going to require iOS 7.1, says Gruber. This would, of course, explain why the application has yet to be released, even though the Austin based festival is basically just around the corner. However, since time is ticking away and it’s a matter of days before it begins, this means the anticipated iOS update is also just around the corner. In fact, Gruber says it’s a matter of days: “iOS 7.1 should ship any day now”, so that it’s available to all devices before SXSW.

Why is the iOS 7.1 update with SXSW app support such a big deal, anyway?

The app itself is probably not going to be relevant for those who aren’t interested in the SXSW festival itself – though the concept of live streaming for music performances from one of the coolest festivals in the U.S. is definitely appealing. FYI, if you’ve never heard of the festival before, you should know that some of its headliners include Coldplay, London Grammar, and Imagine Dragons. The release is also relevant because it marks yet another first in Apple’s current marketing efforts, to focus on youth culture and nurture the brand’s image as one that speaks to the trend setters and early adopters. And it’s all the more important, as the iOS 7.1 has spent a relatively long time in development and beta testing. The update was first tested in the middle of November; at the time this article was written, the developers involved in the test process had seen no fewer than five different versions. You can find details and reviews on all the beta versions of this update online, but if you’re curious what to expect from the iOS 7.1 update with SXSW app support, in a nutshell, it’s all about small, but important visual tweaks:

• Cooler looking, updated versions of the shift and caps lock keys of the iOS keyboard
• Sleeker icons for several built-in apps, which include the Phone, FaceTime and Messages apps
• A substantially updated look for the Phone dialer

So will the iOS 7.1 update with SXSW app support really be rolled out to users around the world before mid-March? Many signs point to an answer in an affirmative. There have, thus far, been several reports that Apple was counting to launch the update in March. So, then, why haven’t the beta testing devs received a Golden Master of the update just yet? Hard to tell – but we’re really hoping to see the iOS 7.1 build as soon as possible.