The launch of the iOS5 operating system for the iPhone 4 this autumn will see many changes happen to the way that we use the phone. Some of these changes are subtle improvements whilst some are brand new introductions. One of these new features is the arrival of iCloud, a facility that enables you to access all of your applications across a number of different Apple devices such as an iMac and an iPad.

The iCloud service is free with iOS5 and enables each user to store a variety of material remotely. This material can range from photographs taken on your device to calendars and documents. Music will soon be added to this list and at present it is undergoing Beta testing in the US. Each user is allocated 5GB of storage with the option to purchase additional capacity if it is required. Although 5GB does not sound like a huge amount it does go a long way thanks to the way that the iCloud stores your data. Applications, photographs and books do not count towards your free storage which means that the space is reserved for items such as account settings, documents and mail. These items take up very little space meaning that your storage allowance actually lasts much longer than you would expect. The easiest way to think of this service is as a hard drive in the sky. The platform wireless synchronises your material across all of your devices so if you take a snapshot on your iPhone 4 you can view it in the Camera Roll of your iPad 2. Business users will appreciate this new system as it keeps your calendars and appointments all up to date. This new format can really revolutionise the way in which we use our mobile devices.

The theme of wireless connectivity is one which runs through every area of iOS5 for the iPhone 4. Apple are highlighting the fact that this platform is the first that is truly “PC Free”. Before this anybody who owned an iPhone for or any other portable Apple unit required a home computer or laptop to make it work. This is not the case with iOS5, you can simply take your phone out of its box and activate it without the need of wires. The all important software updates are automatically downloaded when they are available and data is all backed up on the unlock icloud that we talked about earlier. The iOS5 software installs some new features on the handset itself which would have previously required a computer. The photography facility now incorporates some basic editing tools that enables you to crop images and remove any red eye that is present on the photographs. The email feature can now be organised into customised folders and you also have the ability to add bold and highlighted text to your messages.