Apple continues to prove that it is a force to be reckoned with, and with the company?s new iOS5, industry experts believe that the operating system will not only enable rich, creative ad executions, but also let marketers deepen the engagement with their audience.

The iOS5 includes more than 200 new features for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch devices. The new operating system integrates Twitter and features a new messaging service between all iOS customers.

?Apple?s iOS5 has some interesting new capabilities, many of which are addressing the convenience of using the device,? said Elena Perez, director of marketing at Medialets, New York.

?It will also enable rich, creative ad executions,? she said. ?Mobile advertising that draws on the capabilities and features of the device will benefit from the improvements that are made to those features.?

Mobile momentum
According to Ms. Perez, the continued innovation, on Apple or any mobile platform?s part, is driving mobile?s momentum.

The iOS5 shows that iPhones and iPads will no longer be dependent on the PC, as well as features improved notifications and Twitter integration to improve the user experience.

The new operating system will feature a notification center that lets users keep track of all of their notifications in one location.

Consumers can swipe down from the top of any screen to enter the notification center and browse the ones they want to see.

There is also an iMessage feature that lets iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users send unlimited text messages via Wi-Fi or 3G to anyone with one of those devices.

IMessage is built into the messages app and lets users send text, photos, videos, locations and contacts.

Additionally, there will be a newsstand feature that organizes magazine and newspaper app subscriptions in one location.

Apple?s iOS5 also has a reminders tab and Twitter integration, as well being PC free.

?We are starting to see a more clear picture of a mobile-first or PC-free world, which is great news for those that are building or growing their presence on mobile devices,? said Marlon Rodrigues, director of alliances at Polar Mobile, Toronto.

Revolutionary moment
In addition, consumers expect their devices to evolve and quickly.

?And it's that expectation that makes mobile so interesting,? Medialet?s Ms. Perez said. ?Even if some of the details of iOS5 were expected, the continued development of iOS keeps it top of mind for consumers, developers and brands.?

The new operating system will help bridge marketers and their audiences even more.

The addition of Twitter to iOS5 will make it easier for marketers to build social into every experience delivered via Apple?s products.

?Apple's upgrade to its notification center and iMessaging service provides enhanced opportunities for these businesses to engage their customers with a much richer real-time messaging service,? said Scott Schwarzhoff, vice president of marketing at Appcelerator.

?In short, iOS 5 provides upgrades across the board on critical functionality that's needed to make mobile experiences more engaging, more social, and more connected,? he said.

According to Polar Mobile?s Mr. Rodrigues, Apple continues to innovate across its family of products.

?The trajectory of innovation should be giving the other mobile operating systems a lot to think about,? Mr. Rodrigues said.

?It was telling that Apple chose not to speak to the progress of iAd during their keynote at WWDC and this is proving that Apple is much better at making money ? and helping developers make money ? when they focus on providing a great developer experience through app APIs and ancillary services,? he said.

?There were no particularly ad-friendly features discussed at WWDC, though the underlying capabilities of the iOS devices and more powerful OS should allow developers and agencies the ability to leverage html and other Web standards to execute a creative vision.?

Continued innovation
With Apple?s new announcements, the company is showing its progress in terms of making the operating system better for consumers.

By launching iCloud, reducing Lion to $29.99, and letting iOS devices be set-up independently of a PC or MAC, Apple is clearly moving its strategy to becoming more of a mainstream consumer brand and is no longer just about going after the high-end of the market.

?They want to eat the whole Apple and not just take a bite out of it,? said Patrick Mork, vice president of marketing at GetJar, San Mateo, CA. ?I didn't see any major changes to how ads are handled so far in iOS5 with the exception of Apple's Safari Reader. 

?The presentation here by Apple top brass mentioned that Reader will eliminate a lot of the clutter to make pages more readable and easier to navigate,? he said. ?It's still unclear to what extent ads will be stripped out and whether for example this will be on normal Web sites or also on mobile-optimized Web sites. 

?The elimination of these ads could have significant implications for the ad industry for whom Apple's demographic are the early adopters and influencers for a whole generation of other mobile device users.?

According to Mr. Mork, Apple?s iCloud and the ability to set-up any iOS device remotely are innovative.

?ICloud really seems pretty revolutionary and I think will further lock in consumers into the iOS universe,? Mr. Mork said. ?By allowing consumers to easily exchange and back-up information between devices they've taken a huge and painful issue out of the equation which I believe gives Apple a pretty significant competitive advantage. 

?Interesting, their iMessage and Remote set-up ability also indirectly takes a swipe at carriers since it means that they will eat into carrier SMS revenue on the one hand, while also not really give consumers a reason to activate devices in store. 

?This will potentially affect footfall to carrier retail stores since consumers no longer have to go them to activate their devices.?