iOS 5, Apple Inc.'s latest operating system for iPhone, the iPad and the iPod Touch, called iOS 5, is already available to users of Apple mobile devices.

iOS 5 boasts of 200 new features, which Apple says takes "a mobile operating system that was already years ahead of anything else and moving it even further ahead."

The new operating system will be pre-installed in the iPhone 4S that will be released globally Oct. 14. The iPhone 4S does not boasts of any design changes (still has a 3.5-inch screen) but it has a host of new features: an 8-megapixel, 1080p high-definition camera; an A5 chip processor that is seven times faster than the graphics processor in the iPhone 4; two antennae to transmit and receive data; CDMA and GSM connectivity; and new applications like Siri and Find My Friends.

Aside from the iPhone 4S, iOS 5 is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch third and fourth generation, iPad and iPad 2. Apple is offering iOS 5 upgrade free of cost to users.

iOS 5 is released along with the iCloud, the new service that ferries data between Apple devices and stores device backups in the cloud.. The first 5 GB of storage is available for free. Users will be able to upgrade their account to up to an extra 50GB for a premium. Extra 10 GB of storage costs $20 a year.

The new features for iOS 5 include a revamp on its notification system; Siri, which would transform voice commands into actions; integration with iCloud, the new storage service of Apple; wireless syncing; a new messaging service for i-gadgets; a new reminders app; a newsstand app for organizing magazine and newspaper subscriptions; an improved Safari Web browser; full integration to Twitter; easy access to the camera right in the lock screen; new services for editing photos; an AssistiveTouch that allows you to use your iOS device if you have difficulty touching the screen; and new shortcuts for multitasking on an iPad.

Quick Way for Downloading

A quick way to check for the availability of iOS 5:

1. Plug your Apple device into computer with the USB cord.

2. Launch iTunes.

3. On the left side of iTunes, find your device and click on it.

4. You'll see "Version" and then click "Check for Update".

5. If iOS 5 not yet available, a pop-up box will inform that you have most current version.

6. When box informs that new software version is available, click "Download and Update".

iOS 5 is here

More HTML5 Capabilities

Network World reports that an improvement in iOS5 is a major jump in HTML 5 compatibility. InfoWorld has determined that iOS 5's Safari browser has more HTML5 capabilities than the Android 3.2 "HOneycom" tablet browser and other mobile browsers. iOS 5's Safari also performed well compared to desktop browsers, running "slightly" behind Mozilla's Firefox 7.1.

Enhanced Twitter

Rue Liu at Slash Gear reported Oct. 11 that the Twitter app in iOS 5 features an enhanced sign up experience (making it easy to access your account for the first time) and allows photo sharing directly through Twitter. For iPad users, according to Liu, there's a Direct Message interface that shows threaded conversations in chronological order.

iOS for Gaming

Daniel Perez at Into Mobile points out that aside from the dual-core processor running the iPhone 4S, iOS 5 also has features that gamers will embrace. It says that the new notifications center, the iCLoud infrastructure, and the Game Center service will entice gamers.

Dual Core A5 Apple TV

J. Angelo Racoma at TFTS, the code in iOS 5′s file system indicate that Apple might be working on an Apple TV refresh, which will include a more powerful A5 processor, and other upgrades.

SMS Killer

Telecom TV One

Telecom TV One points out that the iMessage is exercising the most attention. It notes that unlike SMS, which carriers charge for a fee, iMessage texts are free and are not limited to 160 characters per message. But Telecom TV says that iMessage won't be the SMS killer, noting that Apple only has 5% of the entire mobile phone market and the iPad and iPod are not cellular.

Major or minor upgrade?

Jason Parker at CNET says iOS 5 is not as drastic of an upgrade compared to iOS 4 but it does offer some much-needed and exciting enhancements for iOS users.

He says the biggest of all is the addition of over-the-air updates, which removes the need to tether your iPhone to a computer for syncing.

Multi-Touch Gone?

Tech site The Next Web says users of the original iPad may no longer have a "developers only" feature that allowed system-wide four- and five-finger Multi-Touch gestures. "(W)hat Apple giveth, Apple also taketh away. Users of the original iPad will find that iOS 5 takes away the system-wide Multi-Touch gestures that they have grown so used to in the past few months," The Next Web says.