Apple launching new iOS 5 on Oct. 12

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will officially launch its much-anticipated iOS 5 mobile operating system update Oct. 12, promising more than 200 new features as well as backwards-compatibility with devices dating back to the iPhone 3GS.

Speaking Tuesday at an Apple media event in Cupertino, Calif., Apple Senior Vice President of iOS software Scott Forstall spotlighted many of his favorite new features in the update, including iMessage (a free SMS alternative enabling users to send free text messages, photos and videos between all iOS devices), location-based Reminders, deep Twitter integration, Newsstand (an in-house distribution system for iPad magazine content), an improved Safari browser and PC-free activation.

First announced in June during Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, iOS 5 also touts seamless integration with the new iCloud, which replaces Apple's premium MobileMe offering. The iCloud service automatically syncs content on Apple servers for access across iOS devices as well as Macs and PCs--each day, iCloud Backup saves information from the user's iOS devices over Wi-Fi, storing content including purchased music, apps and books, as well as photos, videos, device settings and app data.

Forstall said Apple already seeded beta versions of iOS 5 to more than 100,000 registered developers. He also stated that the company has now paid developers more than $3 billion in revenues derived from App Store sales. According to Forstall, the App Store now boasts more than 500,000 iOS applications in all, including 140,000 optimized expressly for the iPad tablet--consumers have now downloaded 18 billion iOS apps in all, with downloads now exceeding 1 billion each month.

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