iOS 5.1 Software Update

Ios_5
Apple recently released iOS 5.1, here are some of the cool changes:

  • Japanese language support for Siri
  • Deletion of photos from Photo Stream
  • Swippable camera shortcut on the iPhone lock screen
  • Detection of all faces on the camera are now highlighted
  • Redesigned camera app for iPad
  • Genius Mixes and Genius playlists for iTunes Match subscribers
  • Optimized audio for TV shows and movies on iPad for louder and clearer sound
  • Updated AT&T network indicator
  • Bug fix affecting battery life and audio drop for outgoing calls

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222. So have you upgraded to the new iOS 5.1.

MobileMe Transition Steps to iCloud

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I just successfully updated from MobileMe to iCloud without a hitch. It definitely took a while and there are a number of steps you should follow. Here is a list of steps I used to successfully transition over:

  • Upgrade your iPhone and iPad to iOS 5 by connecting each device to your Mac and using iTunes to upgrade to iOS 5. This will take a while, budget an hour per device depending on the amount of data you have as each device is backed up, upgraded to iOS 5 and then the Apps, data and settings restored.
  • Next backup your data on your Mac stored by MobileMe, see previous post. This is in case the transition to iCloud does not go smoothly. Also delete any data you from your iDisk as once you transition to iCloud your access to your iDisk is removed.
  • Upgrade your Mac to the latest version of OS X Lion 10.7.2 by clicking on Apple > Software Update. This will provide the iCloud service in System Preferences.
  • After the OS X Lion software update, the iCloud login from System Preferences will automatically be displayed. If not go to your System Preference and click on iCloud.
  • Enter your existing MobileMe username and password. You will be taken to Safari to login to the MobileMe move page.
  • Login to the MobileMe move page and you will be directed through a serious of pages to acknowledge the transition of your email, contacts, calendar and bookmarks to iCloud.
  • Once you have transitioned to iCloud your iPhone and iPad will have automatically been updated to transition from MobileMe to iCloud, provided they have been upgraded to iOS 5.
  • If you have an older iPhone that cannot be upgraded to iOS 5, your email will still work as the mail servers for iCloud are the same as for MobileMe. Unfortunately, your calendar items will have been removed as they no longer can sync with iCloud. Your contacts and bookmarks will remain but also will no longer be updated.

Hope your transition from MobileMe to iCloud goes smoothly. Let us know if you have any issues.

MobileMe Transition to iCloud

Icloud
Apple is due to release the much anticipated iCloud service today. If you are already a MobileMe subscriber and have a me.com email address you will need to transition it to iCloud. However, an iCloud me.com email address is only free for OS X Lion and iOS 5 users so you will need to upgrade your iPhone, iPad and Mac first. You will need to transition from MobileMe to iCloud by June 30, 2012. We recommend that you do the following before transitioning over.

  • Save and delete all your photo albums from the Photo Gallery as the gallery is no longer supported. Go to iPhoto and copy the photos from your albums in the gallery and then delete each album.
  • Save and delete all your documents from your iDisk as iDisk is no longer supported. Go to your Documents, Music, Pictures, Public and Shared folders on your iDisk and copy the documents to a folder on your Mac.
  • Save and delete all your iWeb sites as iWeb is no longer being supported going forward. Go to your Web folder on your iDisk and copy the files to a folder on your Mac.
  • Backup each Mailbox in the Mail application. Go to each mailbox, including the folders you store email and right click to bring up the Export Mailbox menu item, then export each mailbox to a folder on your Mac. In the event that your MobileMe email account does not transition correctly to iCloud you can re-import your saved mailboxes back into the Mail application and iCloud.
  • Backup your Contacts from the Address Book application. Go to the File > Export > Address Book Archive menu item, then export your contacts to a folder on your Mac.
  • Backup your Calendar events from the iCal application. Go to the File > Export > iCal Archive menu item, then export your all your events to a folder on your Mac.
  • Backup your Bookmarks from Safari. Go to the File > Export Bookmarks menu item, then export your bookmarks to a folder on your Mac. 

For additional information about the transition from MobileMe to iCloud see the MobileMe Transition FAQ.