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Techblog Thursday: iOS 5
Written by Andy Patterson
This is the first in a new series of tech blogs on abubillamusic.com, by resident geek technology fan Andy.
I have taken the unusual step of updating my iphone software to the latest version. Unusual? I hear you ask? Well, I am generally very cautious when it comes to new versions of software. I am never an early adopter of these things, and the usual reason is that there are always a few problems with version 1 software. Even when it is version 5.
The release of the new software was not to the usual fanfare that Apple greets all of its new software, due to the ongoing tribute page to Steve Jobs on the Apple Homepage. It was mentioned as part of the event they held to announce the new iPhone 4S, which also introduced the new feature ‘SIRI’ – as an aside this has already spawned the new site http://shitthatsirisays.tumblr.com/ which is worth a look.
So, how was the update procedure? Well, actually it has been quite painless. After plugging in the iPhone (maybe for the last time – given there is now wireless syncing as part of the update) I transferred my purchases and then backed up the phone. (I’ll backup the whole machine later using Time Machine just to be doubly sure). The update took a little while to download, but iTunes backed up my iphone, apps, settings and all, while I was waiting..Then when the update began all was fine. There was a little bit of a worry when the phone reset itself and began its restore, but it all seemed to go well.
And what is new about it? Well there are a few new apps, which have messed up slightly how my apps were arranged on my home screen. There is the Newsstand app which seems to be a way of subscribing to online publications. It looks a little like iBooks, but on opening the app, it says to download the papers and magazines through the app store. The Reminders app seems to be a productivity device to help, as the name suggests, remind you about things. The ipod app has now become titled “Music” and there is a new app called ‘Videos’, which as the iPhone tells you when you open the Music app, is now where videos and films and tv episodes now live.
I think most of the updates will be seen in the interaction with icloud and Lion. I haven’t upgraded to Lion yet, as for a long time there weren’t any upgrades available for many of the programs I use – such as ProTools. I think most of these are there now, so this week may see me going to Lion and upgrading (or at least cross-grading – upgrading implies improvement, and I’ll reserve judgement there…) to iCloud from MobileMe.
As with all of these things, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, and I will have to use the phone a lot to see whether it does what it says. The one notable feature I have found is that the Volume Up button now works as the shutter button for the camera. That feature is probably worth the upgrade alone.
So, what is next? Having been a dotmac and then mobileme subscriber for around 8 years now, I am keen to see how the service is going to hold up once the email side is opened up to be a free service.
I’ll update with any new features once I find them…. Over and out.