Apple releases iOS 5, iCloud to the masses

Apple continued its string of product releases when the latest version of its mobile operating system iOS 5 and the new cloud computing service iCloud were made available to customers on October 12. The iPhone 4S, the last in the new line of products, will be released to the public on October 14, though the pre-order period began on October 7.

The company has previously discussed all the new releases, most notably at its Cupertino, California, headquarters for the Let's Talk iPhone press event on October 4. End-users looking to install the latest version of iOS, which comes with the iCloud service, can do so from Apple's iTunes Store. Apple ID users can also log into the iCloud service at iCloud.com.

Compatible iOS 5 products include the iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S, both versions of the iPad and the fourth- and fifth-generations of the iPod Touch.

While all the releases have been highly anticipated by experts and Apple enthusiasts alike, the iCloud service has earned much attention since first being introduced by the company at its Worldwide Developers conference earlier this year. The service carries plenty of features that could prove useful for mobile-end users and companies practicing mobile device management.

"Once they're in, users can view, add, or change Contacts, input events into calendar and store documents in the cloud with the help of the platform's iWork application," according to a recent CNET report.

At the initial iCloud launch, the late Steve Jobs said that the cloud-based service would help users maintain a level of consistency across several devices. That's something enterprise users can relate to, as some now carry tablets in addition to smartphones on a daily basis.

“Keeping these devices in sync is driving us crazy,” Jobs said in June of the need for a service like iCloud.

The new version of iOS should also draw in many new users. According to Apple Insider, the latest OS contains several tweaks that should improve the overall experience of using it. For example, more notifications and features are now available from the lock screen.

"We're constantly challenging ourselves to figure out how can we make the user experience even easier, even more intuitive, while at the same time adding more more powerful functionality," Scott Forstall, the senior vice president of iOS Software, told the new provider.