Key New Features of Apple’s IOS 5

Released on October 12, 2011, iOS 5 offers over 200 new features for users of Apple’s iPhone, iTouch, iPad, and Apple TV. Though many of them will go unnoticed by the average user, iOS 5 offers several key upgrades over its predecessor. These upgrades focus on ease of use, accessibility, and convenience.

First and foremost, users can finally sever their tether to the personal computer: iOS 5 is completely wireless out of the box. Apple devices will update all software and sync independently, and iCloud also offers wireless data storage and backup. Once stored, users can access it from any iOS device. The first 5 GB of data storage are free, and the most prevalent data such as apps, movies, and music do not count against the storage limit.

Users will applaud the new notification system that finally abandons the chronically interrupting dialogue boxes for the less intrusive system used by Apple’s competitors. Users now receive all notifications with a small banner on the top of their screen, and one swipe allows full examination of all of them. iOS 5 then groups all notifications by their relevant applications, sorts them by time, and allows the owner to launch the application directly from the notification screen. Users can customize the notifications to include or ignore things like weather, news, stock, email, instant messages, and so forth.

Owners with full schedules and no secretary can rely on the new location-based reminder system. For example, a user can create a reminder to “pick up lunch meat and paper towels” at a local grocery store, and iOS 5 will chime in with a reminder whenever the user approaches the location. Furthermore, iCloud allows users to update all of their iOS devices with new calendar information from any single one.

For photographers, iOS 5 offers enhanced camera control and coveted editing features. Since photo-worthy moments tend not to announce themselves, users can quickly activate the camera directly from the lock screen. The volume-up button serves as the shutter release. Apple also added digital camera staples like red-eye reduction, rotating, and cropping. In addition, Photosteam uses unlock icloud to automatically upload photos to all of the user’s iCloud devices and desktop PCs.

Apple also chose to embrace Twitter by fully integrating it into iOS 5’s camera, maps, Safari, and photos. Once a user has properly configured their username and password, it’s possible to Tweet directly from all enabled applications, frequently with the touch of a single button.

Finally, those with magazine subscriptions will take advantage of easy access of all of them within Newsstand. The application acts more like a folder than a traditional application, and the device automatically downloads new issues upon their release.

Enhancements to iOS will help keep Apple at or near the top of the smartphone market while providing mobile application developers with ample opportunities to expand the limits of what’s possible with mobile. The real winners, of course, are the users, who benefit not only from enhancements to the operating system, but also to the wealth of iOS applications which are available in the App Store.