iOS 5 will be available October 12, with iCloud launching the same day

Mark your calendars, kids. Scott Forstall's on stage here at "Let's Talk iPhone" and just gave a hard date for iOS 5's (mass audience) arrival: expect it to hit next week, on October 12th, with Apple's iCloud service opening up shop that same day. Though developers have been playing with it for four months now, this will be the first time the general, non-tinkering public gets to taste its 200-plus new features -- a list that includes Newsstand, Reminders, iMessage, WiFi sync, split keyboards, AirPlay mirroring for iPad 2 and the Notification Center. (And, you know, greeting cards, if you're into that sort of thing.)

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