iOS

Apple updates iWork for iOS, iMovie, others

Following today's release of iOS 5, Apple has also updated several of its own apps to include support for iOS 5. Apps include Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iOS, iMovie, Find My iPhone, and Remote.

Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iOS now include enhancements for use with Apple's iCloud syncing service. Now, users can automatically keep their documents and presentations synced between all their devices using iCloud. Users can also download their iOS documents to their Mac or PC via the iWork section of iCloud.

iMovie, now at version 1.2.2, not only provides support for the … Read more

Start using Alternate Routes in Maps on iOS 5

Apple released iOS 5 today, including a small but very useful update to Maps: users can now choose from multiple routes for driving and walking directions.

This update makes it possible for you to pick from three routes in situations where there might be a detour, heavy traffic, or other obstruction in the first suggested route.

How to use alternate routes The process for using Alternate Routes is simple. When you look for directions in iOS 5, you'll be presented with three possible routes. Tap a route (Route 1, Route 2, or Route 3) to view its path on … Read more

iOS 5 upgraders reporting installation hiccups

Despite getting off to a smooth start, some users are experiencing problems upgrading to Apple's latest version of iOS.

Numerous users on Twitter and Apple's support forums are now reporting issues downloading the new version of the iOS software. The Next Web notes that most users with problems are getting a 3200 error, with the message that an "internal error" occurred, and that the upgrade process has been canceled as a result.

Other users--including at least one CNET editor--have run into problems after successfully downloading the update, with iTunes spitting out an error message as the … Read more

You can now buy text message alert tones in iOS 5

Although Apple made most of the new features in iOS 5 public, a few unexpected features have cropped up in the new operating system.

As MacRumors discovered, you can now purchase alert tones in iTunes to use as your default text message or alert tone, or as a custom alert for a specific contact who texts you.

To access these new tones, head to iTunes on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch and go to More > Tones > Genres. Scroll down to view the new section for "Alert Tones." Categories include dialogue, music, and sound effects.

iTunes … Read more

Apple releases iOS 5

After a four-month wait, Apple released iOS 5 to consumers this morning.

The new software, which powers Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, comes after seven beta versions of the software, dating back to June when iOS 5 made its debut at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.

iOS 5, which is available as a free update, brings an overhaul to Apple's notifications system, alongside a new messaging platform called iMessage that lets iOS users text and chat with one another free of charge. The software is also deeply tied to Apple's iCloud service, which ferries photos, applications, and settings back and forth between iOS devices, and serves as a built-in backup solution. Perhaps most important of all, iOS 5 lets iOS devices stand on their own, removing some of the ties to Apple's iTunes by letting users update their software and edit media right on the device.

The new version of the software can be found by plugging your iOS device into iTunes. It's compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, third- and fourth-generation iPod Touches, and both the first- and second-generation iPad. Users with older iOS devices remain on older versions of the system software.

Below is the full change log:… Read more

Apple iOS 5 review: Modest, but definitely worthwhile

At long last, iOS 5 is finally here, two days before the launch of the iPhone 4S.

(Related: We've heard that a number of users have had problems installing the update. Get the latest news on install issues in this post from CNET's Josh Lowensohn.)

Though iOS 5 is not as drastic of an upgrade as we saw with iOS 4 in June 2010, it does offer some much-needed and exciting enhancements for iOS users. A few are quiet and long overdue and others will seriously change how you use your Apple handset.

On that note, perhaps the … Read more

Apple's Find My Friends and Airport Utility apps arrive

Ahead of releasing iOS 5 to users today, Apple released two new universal iOS apps: one for keeping track of other friends with iOS devices, and another for setting up and managing the company's wireless networking equipment.

The first of those is Find My Friends (iTunes), an app Apple debuted at last week's "Let's talk iPhone" event. Like the company's "Find My iPhone" app, it lets you see where one or more iOS devices are on a map, though in Find My Friends' case, these are people who do not share your … Read more

Why iOS 5 is a big deal

commentary While most of this week's attention is going to be on Apple's new iPhone 4S and how it sells, the most important thing to come out of the company is a new version of its iOS software, which arrives tomorrow.

iOS 5, which made its debut at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, marks a turning point for the company's mobile software. Yes, it's largely a collection of tweaks, improvements, and fiddling with a tried and true formula, but it's also one that--for the first time--breaks iOS devices apart from computers running Apple's iTunes software and goes further to try to unify the devices into the same family.

That vision is miles away from where Apple's iPhone journey started and a response to the fact that iOS has long since rocketed past the company's computers in popularity, with devices like the iPad growing to compete directly. No, this isn't a "Mac OS X is dying" post, as much as now is a very good time to point out that what may seem like just another software update is something much bigger in the grand scheme of things.

The "PC Free" era For the last four major versions of iOS, stretching all the way back to the original iPhone, Apple has demanded that users plug into a computer--be it a Mac or PC--to sync music, ferry over data, and grab software updates. Now those features are built into iOS itself.

Of course, if you have a computer, you can still plug in your device and continue to use iTunes, but Apple's big idea is that these devices now stand on their own, right out of the box. That's further augmented by a new wireless sync feature built into today's iTunes 10.5 software update and iOS 5 that lets users continue to sync with their computer as they always have, but without the wires. … Read more

What we still don't know about iCloud

After months of curiosity, Apple's iCloud service will finally be active on October 12, mere days away. While there's a lot we already know about Apple's device-wide set of cloud services, it's becoming clear that the concept is still a mystery for most people--and even, to some extent, for us. Yes, iCloud's still a little cloudy.

We know about document-editing, iTunes Match, photo streams, and cloud syncing of settings and app data, but here's what still confuses us as we approach the day where we'll be figuring it all out for ourselves.

You can redownload iTunes music...but can you erase it? The beta functionality that currently works in iTunes allows downloading previously purchased music: check. However, there's no way to manually delete tunes once downloaded to make room for other files. How can this be? Will iOS 5 fix this? It seems so, but perhaps only by deleting a song at a time. Can music be deleted at a faster clip? Right now videos/podcasts/apps/photos can be deleted, but not music.… Read more