iOS 5, iCloud, and the Works

Today saw the official public release of iOS 5, the long-awaited update bringing a much needed improvement in Notifications, Twitter integration, and integration with Apple's iCloud service, basically a (free) revamped version of MobileMe which allows you to truly go PC-Free. Because of the demand for this release, however, Apple's servers have been clogged, causing extremely slow downloads and verification errors. The errors are so bad, that ERROR 3200 became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter today. Let's take that in for a moment. Apple's servers are unable to process the mass of people trying to download iOS 5. Think about that, Apple must have some of the best servers available. Various sites have reported that the only way to get iOS 5 during this rush is to continue trying until your request goes through. Also released today was Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2, which brought iCloud integration to the Mac, as well as few other minor improvements, such as being able to rearrange Spaces and Fullscreen Apps.

I, fortunately, am a part of the lucky few that upgraded this morning without a problem. I must tell you, iOS 5 was definitely worth the wait. Notifications are so much more tolerable now, the Twitter integration is seamless and well thought-out, and the overall speed of any device has increased. iCloud is incredibly convenient, and I love not having to plugin to sync and backup. I only wish you could consolidate your Apple IDs. I have 2, which are difficult to manage.

My entire upgrade was not entirely painless, though, my Apple TV required a restore to update, and after that, it took a few times to sign in with my Apple ID. It wasn't necessarily frustrating, just inconvenient. An update that should have taken 10 minutes took an hour. I had tried 3 times through Update Software option in the Settings menu, each time taking 5 minutes to download the file with no problem, but applying the update took another 5 minutes just to tell me "The Update was Not Successful." After browsing the Apple Support Forum, I found a post that said to try a restore. I did, and it worked.

Have you updated to iOS 5? Are you having errors? Tell me in the comments.