Apple's recent announcement included new additions and upgrades to software across their product line from Macs to iPhones and iPads. Macintosh will get a big update from Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard to the new Mac OS 10.7 called Lion. Lion will bring popular features from the mobile software platform iOS used on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Also announced at WWDC on June 6th was the upgrade to the iOS called iOS 5. iOS 5 will bring features and updates to please everyone's needs. The iOS 5 webpage describes the new features in full, but below is a simplified list along with abilities of the new iCloud that was introduced.
- Total renovation of the notifications. No longer will you be interrupted with a new text or alert from a game. Just swipe down from the top bar where the clock is displayed and it'll show you all your notifications from mail, sms, games, apps, and others.
- iMessage is a brand new feature that brings texting and MMS over 3G or WiFi for even the iPad, which is a nice feature. No longer will you have to search for a "free" texting app that gives you a weird number to text from.
- Reminders brings a great way to manage your Lists you create. Using reminders you can set an alert to pop up at a certain time or even once you get to a certain location to call someone for example. A great feature that will be used by all use "to-do" or list makers.
- Total twitter integration is going to help everyone post their thoughts and push media to their twitter account. Since twitter is built into the iOS it will be another option to share photos and videos just like you would share through email or MMS.
- The camera and photo apps will now have helpful features like: in app editing (no longer will you have to download apps for red eye, enhancing, or cropping), manual focus, and hard shutter button (using the volume up button, headphones as well, will now take a picture instead of clumsily searching for the on-screen button).
- Safari has improvements as well: tabbed browsing, option to download files, and a reading list (add news articles to be a list synced across iDevices to be read later, which resizes the article to one continuous page and correct margins).
- PC free allows for your iDevice to update software by itself instead of linking to your desktop.
- Calendar is updated to have a weekly view (finally) and the ability to create different calendars straight from your iDevice instead of syncing to a computer.
- New multi guestures. (swipe up from the bottom for multitask app bar, pinch to return to home screen, and 4 finger swipe right or left to switch between apps)
- iPad 2 screen mirroring to appleTV (2g). This will be a neat feature when playing games or wanting to surf the web in your living room next to your TV.
- iCloud syncs and downloads your content throughout your Apple devices automatically.
- 5GB of storage free with iCloud account. (photos, bought music, apps, and books don't count towards the 5GB)
- $25/year for music matching. If you didn't buy your music from iTunes (who does?!) Apple will match the songs you have in your iTunes with theirs and allow them to be streamed over the iCloud.
- Ability to download your music whenever you want it from the iTunes app in the cloud.
- Automatic download and syncing of your photos between your registered iDevices.
- Documents can be downloaded/edited on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.
- All the old mobileme features are included as well (contacts, calendar, and mail sync)
