Crank up your downloading engines, iOS developers – Apple has released the fifth version of its iOS 5 beta today, all of two weeks since the launch of iOS 5 beta 4. Although you can grab the 128-megabyte update over the air, a feature first brought to iOS beta releases with the July's launch of iOS 5 beta 4, downloaders will have to erase their devices before applying the latest version of Apple's test iOS.
Early reports indicate that new features within iOS 5 beta 5 are scant: No major new features have been noted in the beta's release notes, and a report from MacRumors has only uncovered a new Hearing Aid Mode built into the accessibility options of iOS.
For the most part, Apple appears to have used iOS 5 beta 5 to fix a number of preexisting features and quirks from previous releases. And you'll find the full list of changes within Apple's comprehensive release notes.
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However, if you're a developer who is looking to make the upgrade to iOS 5 beta 5, know that the new version of iTunes that comes with the new iOS release will not be able to sync up with devices using iOS beta 4.
In other words, make sure that you've performed the necessary backups and synchronizations of your device's key data prior to installing the new iTunes version. Once you have iOS beta 5 up and running on your now-blanked device, you can then use the new version of iTunes to restore your original content.
According to Apple, the final version of iOS 5 is expected to be released sometime this Fall, bringing the company's much-anticipated iCloud synchronization and storage platform–a revamped version of its older MobileME service–to Apple's mobile devices. An update to Apple's OSX Lion operating system is scheduled to give desktop and laptop users access to iCloud around the same time frame.
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