Today's the day for Apple fans, as the company prepares to officially go live with both the iCloud and iOS 5, Apple's latest iteration of its mobile platform. While the iPhone 4S may have disappointed some, these latest cloud and software products should at least give a bump to those customers holding out for the iPhone 5.
Together, iOS 5 and iCloud will enable iOS users to wirelessly sync content — photos, music, contacts, app, documents and email — across devices. The iCloud product will eventually include the iTunes Match service, which hasn't gone live yet. The service allows users to sync to iCloud all their iTunes music, including songs that weren't purchased through Apple, for an annual fee of $24.99.
Apple says users will receive 5 GB of free cloud storage but can purchase more if they need it.
Perhaps the more dramatic of the two products for iOS users will prove to be iOS 5, which features a completely overhauled notifications system. Also included are the ability to access the camera app right from the lock screen and snap a picture using the volume-up button; deep integration of Twitter; and iMessage, a BlackBerry-like messaging app. Apple boasts 200 new features in all in this latest OS.
As of this writing, iOS 5 was still waiting in the wings, but Apple has confirmed that users will be able to download the free software at some point today.