We’ve heard rumblings about it in the last few months and last June 7, Apple officially unveiled the latest version of their very popular mobile operating system — the iOS5. There is big reason to pay attention because iOS5 is installed in iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices, combined this will mean that iOS5 is installed in a big majority of smart device, and we all know how rabid the following is for these Apple gadgets. Consider that over 200 million iOS-run Apple products have been sold worldwide and you will know that the world’s attention is on this new operating system.
The iOS 5 offers a slew of changes and new features that will make it an essential OS upgrade for your Apple device. Apple boasts that it has included more than 200 new features to the operating system. That is quite a lot for any kind of OS regardless of their devices they are installed in.
There are so many features that I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s start with the fairly simple additions. First, Twitter updating is now made so much easier with the iOS 5 because it is now integrated natively into the system. This also means that any new apps can take advantage of this integration and allow you to tweet from within. I foresee a lot more Weiner-like scenarios appearing in the next few months.
Taking pictures with the built-in camera is now made so much easier with the iOS 5. With the previous OS, you need to unlock your screen and click on the Camera app to start taking pictures. Even though it’s fast, that’s still shaving away precious seconds from a perfect moment you might want to capture with a photo. With iOS 5 a Camera button has been placed on the Lock Screen. So instead of sliding the Unlock bar, just press the Camera button and you’re good to go.
I think it’s annoying that I have to attach a new Apple device to my Mac or PC to activate it. Apple apparently heard my complaints and has introduced PC Free, a new feature that now allows you to activate your Apple device wirelessly. But PC Free is so much more, you can now also sync your devices wirelessly and even receive software updates over-the-air. This really made me sit up because untethered updating is really how things should be.
Another nifty feature is iMessage, a handy messaging app that you can be used to send and receive messages from other Apple devices. Apple said that this new feature will allow users to send unlimited messages to other Apple device owners over WiFi or 3G. Aside from messages you can also send photos, contacts and even video.
There’s just so many things to the new iOS 5. I can’t wait to play with it when it finally arrives this fall.