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Apple has previewed the forthcoming new version of iOS at this years Worldwide Developer Conference.
Apple claims that the latest version has over 200 new features, over 1500 new APIs, and – apparently most importantly – is optimised to work seamlessly with Apple’s iCloud service.
The new features include Notification Centre, which collates all notifications, alert messages, missed calls, and texts from various Apple devices in one place. Newsstand is essential iBooks, but for magazine subscriptions while iMessage is an integrated messaging system.
A Game Centre has also been added, which is essentially an app store dedicated to games and allows the creation of profiles and social networking, and AirPlay will wirelessly display everything done on an iPad 2 directly to an AppleTV.
Apple has also introduced an update to the Safari browser, which Apple claims is the worlds most popular mobile browser (presumably because it can’t be removed from an iPhone without jailbreaking). This features the Safari reader, which optimises a webpage for the device it’s being read on, and the ‘revolutionary’ inclusion of tabbed browsing.
"iOS 5 has some great new features, such as Notification Center, iMessage and Newsstand and we can’t wait to see what our developers do with its 1,500 new APIs," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.
"Perhaps iOS 5’s paramount feature is that it’s built to seamlessly work with iCloud in the Post PC revolution that Apple is leading."
Google may dispute that claim to post-PC leadership, but in the meantime, iOS5 will be available later this year.
