iOS 5 coming on October 12

Tim Cook held the stage at his first Apple event as CEO yesterday. Senior Vice President iOS Software, Scott Forstall, introduced the new and improved iOS 5 which promises to keep the operating system at par with Android.

 iOS 5 will be available for download on October 12, exactly a week from now. It will work across Apple devices including iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4G, iPad, iPad 2 and the third and fourth generations of the iPod Touch. The upgrade to the new OS is free for all Apple users. The release of iOS 5 will be accompanied by the release of the much anticipated iCloud too.

 With the many features that iOS 5 offers Apple has spruced up its systems. Now users can flag messages and search their inboxes in the mail app.

The new iMessage works a lot like the BB Messenger, allowing free messaging over 3G and Wi-Fi to Apple users across Apple devices. What’s more, messages will be encrypted in order to ensure security and can include video files and pictures. Deep Twitter integration into the iOS ensures that users remain connected all the time. Twitter can now be used across applications like Safari, YouTube, Photos etc.

Notifications from all applications including email, social networking sites, games etc will now be stored in the notifications centre and will not interrupt iOS activity. Users can access notifications whenever they desire by simply scrolling down the iPhone’s screen.

Location based reminders will always keep Apple users on the top of their to-do lists. Apple loyalists have another thing to cheer about. The Newsstand feature automatically keeps downloading content across paid news applications like magazines and newspapers.

Scott Forstall’s favourite feature on Safari, Tab Browsing, allows users to switch between pages that they are reading simultaneously. If one doesn’t have the time to read everything they he is browsing, he can save the page for viewing later on too.

The camera app has got a much needed face lift too. Now users can click pictures on their iPhones without having to unlock it. Features like auto focus and exposure, red eye removal, crop and pinch to zoom bring the phone’s camera almost up to speed with other digital cameras in the market. A revamped gaming app and the new Card and Find my friends apps make staying in touch more fun than ever before.

iOS 5 has made the Apple world wireless as well. Users can now update and sync their content over the air with iCloud. The iOS is everything the world was expecting, and more.

Apple has proved once again that it is indeed a player to contend with, especially since some of its features take Android head on. The competition between the operating systems is heating up! It will be interesting to see how well the iOS 5 is received by users next week.