Apple set to release iOS 5 with iCloud and iMessage

Apple plans to release its new iOS5 mobile operating system on Wednesday, with users looking forward to new features including iMessage, iCloud and automatic Wi-Fi syncing.

From tomorrow, every new iOS device sold will have the new operating system and current Apple users will be able to download it free from the iTunes store.

The iOS 5 will be the first platform to run on Apple's iCloud, a storage service the firm revealed in June, which will be seamlessly integrated with the handset apps so users can access the same content across all their Apple devices.

Analysts have said the most significant update to the operating system is that it allows all iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices to be set up without a computer. They will now all come pre-loaded with the iOS 5.

"The update is very significant because it no longer ties an iPhone or iPad with a computer," Analysys Mason analyst Charles Murray told V3.

"Technically this is a big deal, because Apple will have had to change the way its devices are authenticated, although some [iPhone] end users are unlikely to see this as a big difference."

However, Murray said this particular update allows the iPad to become "a complete replacement" for laptops. "Now the iPad can be a standalone device," he added.

Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said making iOS 5 devices "PC free" addresses a significant criticism of iOS users who did not want to use a PC as their primary machine.

"Breaking the link to the PC is an important step in freeing the tablet market and allowing it to mature," she said. "Apple has realised that tablets and smartphones are not simply extensions of a user's desktop machine."

Also key to the new iOS 5 operating system is iMessage, which is similar to BlackBerry Messenger in allowing users to send texts free to other Apple users, and perform group messaging.