Apple previews iOS 5 features at WWDC

A major new part of iOS 5 will be integration with the new iCloud service, which can store your mail, contacts, eBooks, photos and music. With the introduction of cable-free syncing, all your data will be backed up to the cloud automatically every day, so you’ll always have all your content on every device. To coincide with this new reliance on the cloud, you won’t need to connect your new iDevice to a PC or Mac before you can use it; now you can log in with your Apple ID and all your contacts and accounts will automatically get pushed to the device. This functionality has long been a part of Android and Windows Phone 7, so it’s good to see Apple has finally caught up with the competition.

The iPhone won’t be alone in receiving new features, as the iPad will also gain a slew of updates with iOS 5. A new split keyboard should make it easier to type while holding Apple’s tablet up with two hands and Safari has finally been upgraded to support tabbed browsing.

Several new Apps also made their first appearance during the keynote. Reminders is a shopping list-style App that should prove slightly more useful than the basic Notes program already included in iOS, but the real highlight is Newsstand. Apple has been keen to push the iPad as a way to read magazines and newspapers, so it makes sense that the company has created a space to store them all. The App works like iBooks, displaying each publication by its front cover on a bookshelf-style pop-out folder.

The iPhone 4, fourth generation iPod Touch, iPad and iPad 2 are all compatible with iOS 5. Owners of the ageing iPhone 3GS and third generation iPod Touch will be happy to hear that their devices will also be supported when the new firmware launches later this year. Members of Apple’s Developer program can download a beta version now, but the rest of us will have to wait until the autumn for a full release, when we’ll have a more in-depth look at the new features.