Wrap-Up of Apple's iOS 5 and iCloud Launch Day

It's been an extremely busy day of software releases for Apple as the company has rolled out updates across all of its platforms to support iOS 5 and iCloud. To help summarize the events of today, we've put together this wrap-up to highlight the myriad of releases.

ios 5 whole new level
Apple Releases iOS 5 with Notification Center, iMessage, Twitter, and More

The highlight of the day was the release of iOS 5, bringing over 200 new features to Apple's recent iOS devices. While many of the features have been extensively profiled over the past few months as Apple has highlighted iOS 5 several times in presentations and developers have had their hands on the release for quite some time, the new operating system is finally in the hands of the public for use on a variety of devices.

For those interested in taking another look at the new features in iOS 5, TiPb has put together an extensive walkthrough full of details and screenshots.

Some users have been experiencing difficulties with upgrading to iOS 5, as Apple's servers have been slammed by heavy demand for the new release. The situation appears to be improving, however, and users should begin to have more luck getting through.

Other iOS-related releases making an appearance today include:

- Send Real Greeting Cards With Apple's New Cards App
- Apple Releases 'iTunes Movie Trailers' App for iOS
- Apple Launches Store for Text Message/Alert Tones

icloud icon textiCloud and Migration from MobileMe Services Now Live

The other major piece of today's launches is iCloud, Apple's new service for syncing and pushing content across devices. The extensive level of integration has driven the massive number of software releases today, as Apple has updated numerous software offerings to be compatible with the new service.

Headlining the iCloud compatibility releases is OS X 10.7.2, which brings iCloud support and a number of other fixes and enhancements, as well as bundling Safari 5.1.1, which itself brings a host of improvements.

Additional iCloud-focused releases for today include:

- Apple Releases Aperture 3.2 with Compatibility for iOS 5 and iCloud
- Apple Updates iMovie and iWork for iOS, Remote, Find My iPhone Apps
- Apple Releases iPhoto 9.2

Not to be left out, Apple also released a software update for the Apple TV, adding support for the Photo Stream feature of iCloud as well as a number of other improvements including live NHL games and video from The Wall Street Journal.

All of today's software releases are of course leading up to Friday's official launch of the iPhone 4S in the United States and several other countries around the world. With shipments underway and a few lucky customers having already received their orders, users with pre-orders are eagerly awaiting delivery of the iPhone 4S while others are making plans to camp out at their local Apple retail stores to try to obtain one first thing Friday morning.

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Top Rated Comments

genshi Avatar
180 months ago
If it was so critical that you had your phone for the journey, perhaps installing a major update on the day it's launched wasn't the cleverest thing to do..?
Real nice constructive help there. :rolleyes:

Like I said, I had NEVER had a problem updating any of my iDevices before, so I didn't expect this to happen, especially at the degree that it failed today.

Maybe if people like you had more of a helpful heart instead of simply bashing others, it would be a much better place for all...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gibson424 Avatar
180 months ago
Debacle

iTunes wiped my iPhone in preparation for the update, then gave me an unknown error. My phone is now stuck in "recovery mode" giving me the "plug into iTunes" logo. I can't do anything now. I now have no phone. It did the same thing to my girlfriend's iPad (which of course, is not quite as important as a phone). This has been a complete debacle and I've seen a lot of other complaints of the same thing. What a mess.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThunderSkunk Avatar
180 months ago
So what's the point of iCloud? So we can waste more money on silly Apple services?

I know, it's so expensive! How dare they expect us to pay $0.00 for seamless, automatic, global, cross-platform synchronization?! The nerve...

But, seriously, what's the point of the Calendar app, now that Reminders does the same thing with added functionality?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ladeer Avatar
180 months ago
Updating to iOS5 fails after backing up of data. Error says unable to update because update server not available.... does anyone else experience the same problem?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeekLawyer Avatar
180 months ago
It has been quite a day for any Apple enthusiast!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aldonin Avatar
180 months ago
Only positive thing so far... this update brought me back to my early years with my Macintosh and a dial-up connection :)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)