Apple has previewed the next generation operating system, iOS 5, for their mobile devices and the new features are already being celebrated by journalists, users and tech enthusiasts alike. The company, who have apparently listened very closely to the Apple community, has taken pretty much all of the features that were lacking in iOS 4 and have produced a revamped iOS with a huge amount of major new features such as over the air software updates, wireless syncing and activation, software patching and a new notifications system.
With iOS 5 scheduled for launch in the fall, users will be eagerly awaiting the new software, although no specific release date has been announced as yet. Subscribed developers registered with Apple’s iOS Developer program have been given access to beta versions of the software but the general public release will not take place for some months yet. Before all that happens however, here are some thoughts on the new features that Apple announced for iOS 5.
The notifications system has been completely revamped with a new gesture, swiping down from the top of the screen, being used to access a Notifications Center which aggregates all notifcations from any app into one area. This is a phenomenal addition to iOS which previously used pop-ups and the apps themselves to notify of changes. Now all notifications are displayed in an subtle notifications bar at the top of the screen and, perhaps best of all, more information is provided on the iOS lock screen. Several jailbreak apps had provided this option already but Apple has listened attentively to users and applied this functionality to iOS. This means that all notification events will be easily accessible, will not interrupt users when working with their device and will hopefully save battery power in the long term as users don’t have to unlock their device to see what’s going on.
The revamped software structure means that Apple can now deliver delta software updates over the air meaning that the days of physically attaching your iOS device to your Mac or PC and downloading the full iOS installation package for a small fix are gone. The ability to activate new devices without tethering has also been added meaning that Apple has delivered in a big way on the whole ‘post-PC device’ talk that went on during the iPad 2 launch. Finally, wireless syncing to your Mac or PC means that, essentially, the only time you need your USB cable will be for charging the battery. This moves iOS devices into the realsm of true ‘post-PC’.
A completely new feature called iMessage is going to be useful not just for personal users, but for business users and it is clear that Apple are targeting the Blackberry crowd. The iMessage system allows users to send messages over their data connection to other users with iOS devices. This new service evolves text messaging and makes text communication much more like a unified discussion rather than a series of short messages, especially given that you can see in real time when someone is typing a response to you.
Another new feature is NewsStand which acts like iBooks for newspapers and magazines. Using Apple’s new subscription manager, users can easily manage their periodical subscriptions and will receive new issues automatically. As an iPad only New Yorker subscriber, I think this will be a transformative and killer app on the iPad, encouraging many more users to ditch their paper subscriptions for digital ones. iBooks is in the same category and, as long as publishers on NewsStand get the prices right, users will be flocking to use the new service.
There are many other new features which could be mentioned here but I wanted to highlight the ones above. Smaller improvements to core Apple apps like Safari and Mail will improve the overall experience but beautiful small touches like geolocation aware reminders will really highlight the new notifications system. All the new features are described on Apple’s iOS 5 page and are well worth a look.
Fall is gonna be fun.
Fall Now…