Apple iOS 5 Outshines Previous Versions: First Look

Apple’s addition of Reminders is also welcome. It’s easy to add tasks, and the customisation options make setting up timed reminders quite easy. The application is a little basic, and there are better options in the App Store. But those who want a simple solution will find a lot to like in Reminders.

iCloud

Thanks to iOS 5, users are also able to access Apple’s free iCloud service. That offering allows users to store some content in the cloud, as well as sync Mail, Contacts, Calendar and more.

I was pleasantly surprised by how quick and easy it was to integrate iCloud into iOS 5. As soon as the software was added to my iPhone, I was able to configure the cloud service and determine what files and data I wanted to synchronise. What’s more, I was able to access the service online, and find my information with ease.

What’s nice about iCloud is that it keeps everything up-to-date without requiring users to do anything. So, when I added Reminders on my iPhone, it was immediately available on the iCloud Website. And when I added a task to my calendar in iCloud, it was added to my iPhone in seconds.

In many ways, iCloud might be a fine solution for business professionals. The Calendar function can be accessed from anywhere, and content is quickly added across all platforms. It’s an advantage that many other services don’t have, and could be a go-to option for many professionals.

In the end, I was impressed by iCloud. As Apple said, the service “just works” and it makes keeping up-to-date much easier than before. If this is the beta version of the service, I can’t help but be excited to try out the release version.

Final Thoughts

From beginning to end, Apple’s iOS 5 Beta 5 was impressive. The process started out with an over-the-air update that took just a few minutes and had no hang ups. Best of all, this evaluation ended with the feeling that this is the best version of iOS so far.

Prior to the announcement of iOS 5, many folks could find several features on Android, BlackBerry OS and even Windows Phone 7 that trumped Apple’s option in some way. For some folks, that’s undoubtedly still the case. But iOS 5, as a whole, is the best mobile operating system on the market, and it sets a new benchmark for all others to match.