On Monday, Steve Jobs took the stage for Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote. After going through all the juicy new details on Mac OS X Lion, Scott Forstall came on stage to share iOS 5 and all that we can expect this fall. Among the list of the 200 new features that will be included within iOS 5, two of them stood above the rest. First of all, Apple (AAPL) will be totally overhauling the notification system for the mobile devices, and secondly, iOS 5 will be cutting the USB cable and bringing in over-the-air setup and updates to all iOS devices. The SDK went out to developers yesterday and we can expect the final version of iOS 5 sometime in the fall.
Apple realized that the old notification system was annoying. To create a more intuitive way to handle the quantity and types of notifications you get, there will be a notification bar, similar to the Android pull down bar, that will also update the lock screen. Along with notifications, iOS 5 introduces Reminders, which is a smart to-do list that reminds you of something based on time, date, and location.
What exactly will going without a USB cable mean? It will mean that your iPhone is no longer bound to a computer. With the new iOS 5 allowing OTA updates on Apple mobile devices, the company will be able to seamlessly push out updates, hot-fixes, security updates and more to wherever you are. In addition, with the iCloud drifting just out in the distance, you will also be able to transfer your music from one device to another without plugging in. You will be able to sync your calendars, your mail, your docs, your everything… No plugs, only freedom.
