Upgrading to iOS 5? Make sure to backup

If you’ve got an iPhone or iPad and you’re thinking of taking the plunge and jumping to the new version of iOS, we’ve got one piece of advice you really need to listen to: backup.

It’s not something we advise you to take lightly, as reports have been going around the web – and the office – that if you skip the backup process before you update your iDevice, you’ll lose your photos, music, and apps.

From our experience, the whole iOS 5 update takes between 45 and 90 minutes to complete, including the backup and restoration of your gadget.

Once you update to iOS 5, you'll have access to notifications.

 

But if you try to cut back on the overall time required by ditching the backup process, you won’t get your photos, music, and apps back easily.

We suggest plugging your iDevice in, telling iTunes to update, and going somewhere to read, eat, or play some video games. When you come back, your device should be good to go.

But if you rush it, just be aware that everything you worked so hard to sync could be lost.