New Look iOS 7 Is “Most Significant” Ever Update

Apple has called iOS 7 “the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone” as it finally launched the latest version of its mobile operating system, which boasts a completely redesigned interface.

The Cupertino-based company also outlined a number of new features at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, including music streaming service iTunes Radio.

iOS 7 is the first version to be overseen by Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple senior vice president of design, and most observers were expecting radical changes.

“There is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation—it’s about bringing order to complexity,” said Sir Jonathan. “iOS 7 is a clear representation of these goals. It has a whole new structure that is coherent and applied across the entire system.”

iOS 7 design

The design of iOS 7 has been overhauled to be cleaner and simpler, with the use of motion and translucency effects, but Apple promises that it will still be familiar to long-term users.

Icons look completely different while standard applications such as messaging and weather have been revamped. The new interface will apparently even make users’ devices feel bigger because it takes advantage of the whole screen.

A new control centre is summoned by swiping from the bottom of the screen and allows users to easily access controls to airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, do not disturb, brightness settings and music controls as well as apps like clock, camera, calculator and flashlight.

A new notification centre is now accessible from the lock screen, letting users easily glance information like weather, traffic, meetings and events, while AirDrop is a new feature that lets users easily share contacts with each other.

New Features

Multitasking has also been improved as developers now have the ability to enable any app to run in the background with a new API, while iOS pays attention to which apps are used the most and automatically updates content in the background.

Safari now offers full screen browsing, enhanced parental controls and the use of the iCloud Keychain, which stores passwords and credit card details. Siri has been updated with new male and female voices and now includes Twitter, Wikipedia and Microsoft Bing searches.

The camera app now offers filters, while the photo app has new organisational options and it is now possible to make audio calls over data networks using FaceTime. There is also enhanced in-car integration, night mode for Apple Maps, automatic app updating and the ability to black certain people from contacting you by phone call, message or FaceTime.

The music application also has a new look and integrates iTunes Radio, a much-rumoured music streaming service that will compete with the likes of Spotify. It will feature more than 200 genre-focused stations that automatically adapt to your listening tastes.

Radical changes

Apple will be hoping that the changes are better received than those made to iOS 6, specifically the replacement of Google Maps with the less-than-impressive Apple Maps.

“The new version is almost unrecognisable, which will make it polarising. Some people will love that their phone feels new and different, while others will be disoriented by the newness,” said Jan Dawson, chief telecoms analyst at Ovum. “This is a clear statement from Apple that it acknowledges the need to refresh the user interface and is willing to do something pretty dramatic.

“Many of the new features Apple added to iOS 7 are fixes to problems rather than dramatic or clever new ideas – Notifications, Siri, and Multitasking enhancements and the introduction of Control Center all deal with deficiencies rather than providing surprising new features no-one would have thought of.”

The iOS 7 beta and SDK are now available immediately to developers and will be rolled out to iPhone 4, 4S and 5 smartphones and iPad Mini, iPad 2 and iPad with retina display tablets later this autumn.

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