Coming Soon to the iTunes App Store: Cards

During yesterday’s “Let’s Talk iPhone Event,” Apple announced a new iOS 5 app to be released soon: Cards. Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS software, gave an overview of the forthcoming Cards app, which will allow iOS device users running iOS 5 to create and mail custom 4×6-inch letterpress cards from their devices. For those of us, myself included, who are fans of letterpress cards but not skilled in the craft, this is an exciting announcement!

The Cards app will bring a feature similar to the letterpress cards feature currently available in iLife ’11 on Mac to iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users with the added perk that Apple will mail the cards to the recipients for you!

With Cards, users can choose from 21 designs in 6 categories, including thank-you notes, birthday greetings, holiday themes and birth announcements that can be customized with photos and/or text. Forstall highlighted the quality of the cards, which, along with the envelopes, will be printed on premium 100% cotton paper.

Cards will cost $2.99 if mailed to US addresses and $4.99 if mailed to international addresses; the price of each card includes the card itself, the envelope and postage, which sounds like a great deal to me! Cards mailed within the US will include Apple-designed postage, and delivery push notifications will be available for cards mailed to US addresses.

Not only should the Cards app make sending cards easier and faster, it may very well make it more fun. I certainly plan to send—and hope to receive—more snail mail once Cards becomes available!

The Cards app, which will require iOS 5, will be available soon for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch, iPad and iPad 2 on the iTunes App Store. Click here for more info on Cards, including sample designs, on Apple’s website.