iOS 5 will be made available for download this fall, and will be compatible for the iPhone 4 and 3GS, iPad 1 and 2, and iPod touch 3rd and 4th generation.
So lets take a look at some of the new features that iOS 5 will bring to your iDevice.
Notification Center:
The Notification Center was one of the first new features that was explained by Scott Forstall at the 2011 WWDC. The new Notification Center brings all your notifications into one place and is accessible by swiping down a menu from the top of any screen.
The Notification Center keeps track of all your notifications, new emails, text messages, Twitter updates, and more. Along with all the notifications you receive, the Notification Center also allows you to see a stock ticker and the current weather.
New notifications appear briefly at the top of your screen, without interrupting what you’re doing and if you are on the lock screen, fear not, because it also displays notifications so you can interact with them with a single swipe – similar to when you “Swipe to unlock”. One may change this back to the old alert in the middle of the screen or no alert at all in the Notification page of their settings. Notifications in the pull down menu can be dismissed by tapping on the small X button beside each notification.
Newsstand:
The Newsstand is a completely new feature that houses all your magazine and newspaper subscriptions. The Newsstand folder lets you access all your favorite publications quickly and easily. Apple not only made a separate application for Newsstand but they also added a new place on the App Store just for newspaper and magazine subscriptions. When you make new purchases on the App Store, the new publication goes directly into the Newsstand folder, and as new issues become available, Newsstand automatically updates them in the background. As Apple puts it, “it’s kind of like having the paper delivered to your front door. Only better.”
Twitter Integration:
For some, I am sure that this is going to be one of the best features that iOS 5 offers. With Twitter integration all it takes is a single tap which then allows you to tweet directly from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, or Maps. Not only can you tweet directly from almost every application, but you can even add a location to any tweet, no matter which app you’re tweeting from. Furthermore, for all you wanting to mention or @reply to your friends, with Twitter integration all you have to do is start typing a name and iOS 5 will do the rest because Contacts applies your friends’ Twitter usernames and profile pictures. It’s that easy!
Safari Reader:
Is a new browser feature that removes all unnecessary advertisements or clutter and presents the text of a web-page with no excess content, so you can read web articles without any distractions. A new and very cool feature added to the iOS browser is a Reading List.
Just like the name suggests, Reading List lets you save interesting articles and web-pages that you want to read at a later time. With the help of iCloud, all your Reading Lists will be kept up-to-date across all your devices. iOS 5 iPad users get even more from the updated Safari application; tabbed browsing. Tabbed browsing lets you keep track of multiple web pages and switch between them with ease, with a similar layout to the tabbed browsing when you use Safari on your computer.
Reminders: Yet another self-descriptive feature, but don’t let that fool you, because with iOS 5 you will never forget an appointment ever again. Not only do all your reminders sync and update automatically on all your devices and calendars, but it also works with iCal, Outlook, and iCloud. Reminders also includes due dates and locations. With location based reminders, you will never forget to pick up certain groceries at the grocery store, because as soon as you pull into the supermarket parking lot, reminders will alert you with the groceries you needed to pick up.
Camera: The Camera application with iOS5 has been completely redesigned with many new features that were definitely missing in previous firmwares. The first new features is that now there is a camera button directly on your lock screen. The camera button can be activated by double tapping the home button, just like you would when you want to access the iPod controls from the lock screen.
Not only does this make capturing those unexpected moments even easier, but also with iOS 5 you can now use the volume-up button as a physical shutter release key when you are in the camera application. Other features in the iOS 5 camera application include; grid lines, pinch-to-zoom gestures, and exposure locks to compose the best possible pictures on the go. Once again, iCloud also works with the camera and photos application. With Photo Stream enabled, iCloud automatically syncs your photos to all your other devices.
PC Free and Wi-Fi Sync:
PC Free allows you to sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch without having to use a cable. Thats right, no more cables required for syncing! Not only that, but with iOS 5, you no longer need a computer to own an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, because with PC Free, you can activate and set up your device wirelessly, right out of the box.
But what about software updates? That is included too! PC Free allows you to download free iOS software updates directly on your device, similar to when you are downloading an application from the App Store. Not only that, but with iOS 5 and PC Free, software updates on your iDevices will only contain the data that has been changed, meaning you will not have to re-download the entire operating system every time Apple opts to make a minor tweak. But wait, there is more, you can even back up and restore your device automatically using iCloud. Wave goodbye to your cables because with iOS 5 you will NOT need them!
iMessage: Perhaps the greatest and most exciting novelty included in iOS 5 is iMessage. iMessage is a messaging service exclusively for all iOS 5 users regardless of what device you are using. The messaging service comes with deliver and read receipts, an indicator when when the other person is typing, and the ability to push messages to all your iOS 5 devices.
Can anyone say BBM? Yes, it is true, iMessage is Apple’s version of BlackBerry Messenger – a very similar messaging service used across BlackBerry devices. Similar to regular texting or messaging, you also have the option to send normal text messages, as well as photos, videos, and contacts completely free to friends, relatives, or colleagues. On top of this, iMessage will allow you to start group messaging with multiple iOS 5 users.
This feature will work over either WiFi or 3G networks, and makes good use of Apple’s push notifications and the Notification Center. It should be noted that iMessage is not separate from the standard Messages application on your iPhone, however, instead it detects if the contact you are messaging is running iOS 5 and will then automatically send an iMessage instead of a regular text message. The text that normally says “Text Message” before one starts to type will say “iMessage” if the recipient is on iOS5. For iPad and iPod touch users, you will notice a Message Application on your home screen when you install iOS 5.
Although these are only a few of the features that Apple has included into iOS 5, there are still countless more cool features and hidden tweaks that will make your user experience even more pleasurable. Ease of accessibility has clearly been one of Apple’s greatest achievements and with iOS 5 they really show why their mobile operating system is the best in the industry.
Personally, I have been running iOS 5 since the first beta was released and I have enjoyed every moment of it. The features are absolutely amazing and almost irresistible. After upgrading to iOS 5 from iOS 4, I looked back and wondered how I survived without some of these features.
Personally, I don’t feel Apple could have added much more, because everything you need, they included and it just works! The only feature Apple needs to include in either the next iOS or in a iOS 5 update, is the ability to create custom text tones, once they do that, it will be perfect!
