Live Q&As

Good question. The 3200 error appears to be related to Apple's server capacity. As of this morning, it seems to be less of an issue, but many are still encoutering it. The best course of action seems to be either to wait, or to repeat the update attempt until you successfully get through. If your need isn't urgent, I recommend waiting if you encounter Error 3200.

Owners of older devices have good reason to be wary of software updates; sometimes they can impede performance. Speaking from personal experience, however, I can say that the original iPad (2010 version) performs well with iOS 5.

You can see some benchmarks here that give you solid numbers about how the iPad responds to the update. Performance losses are minor, and Safari gains especially are high.

Note that some features, like Multi-touch gestures, are not available for the original iPad.

This is actually a theme I'm seeing in multiple questions, and for good reason.

If you don't absolutely need to upgrade, then waiting for a later version (i.e. 5.1 or 5.0.1) that fixes any remaining major bugs is always a good idea with any major software update.

Apple has an extensive beta process with a large tester pool (over 1 million registered developers), but problems still emerge. Waiting to update will also let you avoid the server crunch Apple is currently experiencing.

Unfortunately, not without completely disabling Photo Stream itself. I suspect Apple will address this in a later update, since many users are worried about the privacy issues related to the inability to delete photos.

The fact that the installation removes the apps from your device is one of the most common complaints I've seen about the update. As to why Apple did things this way, I'm not sure, but it may be that the underlying code is changed in such a way that app folders and organization couldn't be preserved. My only advice would be to re-organize apps in the way you want using iTunes, since it's faster than trying to recreate your folders and home screens on your device.

Newsstand is not really an app, per se, which is probably why it can't be nested in a folder. In fact, it is probably just a modified version of a folder itself. I agree that the inability to remove stock apps from your home screen entirely is an annoyance. Hopefully Apple eventually realizes this, too.

Restoring won't roll back to 4.3.5. Instead, it'll provide you with a fresh install of iOS 5, unless you restore from a backup, in which case it should restore your data and settings.

Note, though that some users are reporting issues where some information doesn't restore properly. If you're worried about your data, back it up independently of iTunes elsewhere. For example, exporting your Address Book data is a great idea.

Apple hasn't issued any official word on iOS 5 upgrade problems. Independent reports coming in suggest that the situation is getting better, however.

Uploading songs to the cloud is not actually part of what was rolled out in the iOS 5 and iCloud releases yesterday.

Apple does now allow users to download past purchases of iTunes music by going to the iTunes app on your device, and navigating to the "Purchased" tab.

For music not purchased through iTunes, you'll have to wait until Apple introduces iTunes Match, which it says is arriving later in October. With iTunes Match, Apple will scan your entire music library (though it has to be on a computer running iTunes) and either match it with tracks on its servers or upload your own files.

Yes, you can still set up and use iCloud on both your iPhone and your iPad, independently of your Mac. Once you update to iOS 5, a welcome screen will guide you through the process, or you can go to Settings > iCloud to get started.

Data won't sync with your MacBook, but it will remain the same between your iOS devices.

It sounds like you used your iTunes ID as your iCloud ID, so your phones have merged the data from both of your Address Book applications.

To keep your contact data separate, you should create a new Apple ID for each of you just for iCloud. You can still stay signed in to the Store on each device with your shared ID, but the iCloud-synced data (contacts, calendars, bookmarks, etc.) will remain separate.

No. Photo Stream is designed for private sharing, not for integrating with outward-facing social services. It'll be interesting to see if Apple decides to open it up to sites like Flickr and Facebook down the road.

You can probably safely expect your iPhone 4S to arrive without issue. Apple is generally very good about anticipating when shipping hardware will arrive in customer hands. With software, its track record is a little more spotty.

It may not be possible, depending on what model iPod touch you have. Note that iOS 5 is only supported by late-model Apple hardware, including:

• iPhone 3GS/4/4S
• iPod touch 3rd (2009) and 4th (2010) generation
• iPad and iPad 2

As to whether you should upgrade, as I mentioned above, it might be best to wait if you can live without the features for a while longer.

Yes, you can upgrade your iPhone 4's operating system. To do so, you need to plug your iPhone into your computer and click "Check for Updates" on the device's screen in iTunes.

Waiting until Apple has resolved its server issues and released a more stable version (iOS 5.0.1 in all likelihood) is probably a good idea, as I mentioned.

Benefits of updating to iOS 5 include getting access to new features like iMessage, Notifications and Newsstand, and also provides a number of other improvements.

Drawbacks include the kinds of update issues users are reporting, such as having to reinstall and reorganize apps.

You won't get Siri by updating to iOS 5; so far, it's an iPhone 4S exclusive feature.

This is the same problem we heard about ealier, but worth addressing again because you bring up new issues.

As to the 90 day waiting period for switching Apple IDs on iOS devices, that only prevents you from being able to download past purchases via iTunes in the Cloud. You can still switch IDs on your family's devices, with only that small inconvenience to deal with.

Then, as I said before, you can set up iCloud with one Apple ID (a new one for each family member), and log into the Store section of your device's Settings app with the shared account on each device.

Deleting the iCloud account from their devices should not affect your info, but you'll have to remove the data added from their devices manually.

Google Sync and iCloud can co-exist on the same device. I use Google Sync for work, and iCloud for my personal calendars.

Photo Stream in iCloud will automatically sync all new photos you take on your device, or upload to your Mac if you have it configured to do so. There's no way to specific specific albums for it to sync.

As for music, when iTunes Match (which is a paid upgrade for iCloud) is introduced, it will make your entire iTunes library available to all your devices, and preserve any playlists you have on your Mac. iCloud currently does not sync playlists or podcasts, however.

Unfortunatlely, iOS 5 is not compatible with your device. You'll have to upgrade your hardware to at least a 3GS if you want to use iOS 5.

I would wait and try to restore from a backup of your iPhone as it is. If that doesn't work, or doesn't work as desired, then you can try to update your old iPhone to iOS 5, back up, and restore your new iPhone 4S from that backup. In either case, make sure you have your important info backed up elsewhere, too.

Again, I strongly recommend waiting for a later update (5.0.1) if you're worried about the issues you mention. If, on the other hand, you have to have the update and won't be too put out if the worst case scenario comes to pass (start from scratch), then go for it.

You mill have to reinstall your apps, so make sure you sync and backup to iTunes first. As long as you have "Sync apps" checked, you should be able to at least get them back on your device all at once after upgrading.

Even if you do lose them all on your device, Apple will let you download them for free. Go to the App Store on your device, then to "Updates," then to "Purchased." You'll see a list of everything you've bought, and be able to reinstall them from there.

Backup your contacts on your computer to be safe.

That's a problem many have been experiencing throughout the day. I'm having trouble with it, too, and it's affecting the web-based mail client as well.

Unfortunately, I can't offer advice much in this case. Waiting it out is likely your only option, and Apple hasn't made any official statement about the problem.

Thanks, this is a great one to go out on!

As someone who has been watching Apple professionally for three years now, and personally for a lot longer than that, I think that this year has actually been marked more by a significant shift in direction for Apple.

The introduction of iCloud, with its PC free features for Apple mobile devices, marks a turning point fo rthe company and for computing in general. Since it's such a big play, it's not suprising that it isn't necessarily going all that smoothly.

iCloud aside, Apple also introduced lots of exciting new hardware this year; the new MacBook Air really builds on the solid foundation of last year's model, and I think the addition of Thunderbolt across the Mac line will really make its effects felt later on.

If Apple looks to be operating haphazardly, it's probably because they have so much going on and are growing at a rapid pace. With the benefit of hindsight, too, I think things will appear less chaotic than they do right now.

Thanks very much to the Washington Post for having me, and to the readers for all the great questions and comments.