Apple iOS 5 review

Follow this link for our full Apple iPhone 4S review – with photo and video comparisons to the previous model, plus benchmarks and Siri tested.

The iOS operating system has been steadily updated ever since the original iPhone was launched. iOS 5 is one of the biggest updates Apple has released, and unlike early upgrades, is free to download via iTunes. The iPhone 4S and iPad 2 (as of now) will ship with iOS 5 pre-installed, as will the 4th generation iPod Touch. Owners of the iPhone 3GS, 4, iPad and 3rd-gen iPod Touch can download the update free via iTunes 10.5.

One of the main grumbles about iOS devices is that they require a connection to PC or Mac before you can use them. iOS 5 changes all that. You can start using the iPhone 4S straight out of the box, creating an Apple account if you don’t already have one. Future updates to iOS can be downloaded via Wi-Fi straight to the device, so there’s no need to involve a computer at all.

In tandem with the release iOS 5 Apple has launched iCloud in the UK. This is best thought of as an internet version of iTunes which lets you store all your music, photos, videos on Apple’s servers, plus backup your settings. iCloud is another service that removes the PC from the equation, but it also brings benefits to the PC and Mac, since it provides a way to sync your device via Wi-Fi.

Annoyingly, you have to plug your iPhone into a power source before synching, and the PC or Mac has to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the iOS device. The good news is that all your content automatically synchronised across all your iOS devices (and iTunes on your computer) automatically, including music, photos, apps, documents, calendars and contacts. Email can also be synchronised, but only if you have an @me.com address. You can create a free account in the settings menu. The iCloud service is free if you can live with 5GB of storage space, but this won’t be enough for most users. An additional 10GB costs £14 per year (or 20GB for £28). 50GB of storage will set you back £70 per year.