Apple Enters a New Phase with iCloud, iOS 5, New Mac OS

Apple may be one of the most creative and innovative companies in the tech world. But it does not make perfect software. No one does. With the announcements of Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5, and the iCloud at WWDC 2011, Apple has taken its next steps in evolution.

Everyone expected Apple to announce iCloud at this event. The service will now take over for MobileMe. iOS users will soon be able to view their apps and e-book purchases on their devices. Backup content can be stored in the cloud too. With iCloud, iOS users will have an easier time accessing the music songs they have purchased on all their devices.

iTunes Match, which will cost $25, is an exciting service that lets users access to upto 20,000 songs from iTunes library on iOS devices (regardless of whether those songs were purchased from Apple). The scan and match technology offered with iCloud was developed by Lala. According to Steve Jobs, the service is powered by Apple’s new server farm located in North Carolina.

Mac OS will soon get a whole lot better. Apple has gone all out with this new OS to reach into as many new homes as possible. It includes 250 new features and improvements and will be available for only $29. The Lion offers multi-touch gestures. Its interface, file sharing, and backup features have been improved too.

We did not see an iPhone 5 at this event. But there are plenty of reasons to be excited about iOS 5. As suspected, Twitter is integrated into this new version. The notification system has been revamped. iOS 5 will have a news stand for those who still read. The addition of iMessage, a Blackberry type messaging system, won’t make Apple competitors happy at all (will carriers allow it?). Over the air software updates are helpful too.

Apple did not release a new hardware during this event. But it gave its fans a lot to cheer about. We are now well into the post-PC era. Apple’s new software products now clearly demonstrate that.

How would you improve iCloud, iOS 5, and Mac OS Lion?