Review Apple iOS 5

With the new release of the iPhone 4s and iPod updates an new iOS operating system update is only natural. Apple has put in a lot of though and time to create a iOS that takes portable devices to a whole new level. Five features stood out to me.


1. Notifications: Apple has redesigned their notifications. In the last iOS, updates and notifications would pop-up and stop you from your work and game play. It would require you to stop what your doing and hit the ignore button to get rid of the pop-up. Now all notifications come in on a small scrolling bar at the top of your screen. If you want to view the notification simply tap the bar at the top and if you want to ignore it, it disappears in a few seconds. And this doesn't stop game play at all. Also the new notification center can be accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen to the bottom. The center will have all the updates and notifications and can also be accessed from the lock screen as well.

2. PC free & wireless sync: You used to need a computer to dock your brand new iPod or iPad to in order to register it and unlock it for use. Now you can buy a new iPod or iPad with iOS and you can register it right on your device. This makes it easy to start using for those who are new to Apple devices but you can also then dock it with a computer. Also you can sync your device without using a cable to connect to your computer. Now as long as your computer and device are in a wifi area then the wireless sync can take place.

3. Reminder: Apple put a new app that ships with the new iOS. This allows you to create lists and reminders. You can tag these lists and reminders with dates and times so you can set it to push out a reminder. This can work for either time or location. Say that you want to remember to shop as you leave work. You can set a shopping list to remind you as you leave the store.

4. Newstand: Apple released iBooks in the past and it allowed for users to buy books and read them on their devices. Now, Apple released Newstand which allows for the user to subscribe to magazines and read them on their deceives. These magazines update automatically and will be right in the Newstand ready to read the day it comes out.


5. iMessage: With the new iOS comes a new app from Apple. iMessage allows for all iOS users to communicate via photo or text message right on their iOS device. This only works if both deceives have wifi or 3G connection and it doesn't work with other devices such as a computer or phone since they aren't running iOS 5.

These are only 5 of 500+ features that Apple says has been updated with the new iOS. However not all features will work on all devices. For instance, multi-touch gestures will only work for the iPad and not the smaller iOS devices. Also in order to access the new camera feature from the lock screen you need to double tap the home button. This is only a minor inconvenience. Also when changing the music from anywhere on the device I find a bit of a lag, longer then I had before. This can be annoying sometimes but again it is nothing more then a minor inconvenience. Lastly I would have expected to see more major updates however I was impressed with this update and I would give it a 5/5.

Sources:

Apple