Apple releases its Cards app; send beautiful letterpress cards from your iOS device

As part of its massive software roll out today, Apple has released its Cards application for iOS, allowing owners to send beautiful letterpress cards comprised of their own text and photos from the comfort of their device.

Once downloaded, users can swipe through the Cards carousel to select one of 21 preloaded letterpress designs that can be personalised with messages and photos. When the design is finalised, all that is needed is to select a recipient from the user’s contact list and Apple will take care of the rest.

Each card will cost $2.99 to send within the U.S, with it costing $4.99 to anywhere else in the world. Apple will print the card, putting it in an envelope and mailing it to that special someone on your behalf. The app comes with designs suited for birthdays, Thank You cards, cards for a new baby, your loved one(s) and even designs to share your holiday snaps with friends and family.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, Apple will make sure that if the sender is in the U.S, they will receive a notification to their iPhone or iPod touch the day it’s scheduled to arrive, thanks to its partnership with the United States Postal Service and its Intelligent Mail barcode.

Want to read more about iOS 5 and iCloud, check out all our coverage by clicking here.