Apple’s annual development conference kicked off with a hell of a keynote. One of the worst kept secrets was that Apple would be unveiling a new iOS 7. The latest version is the first helmed by Apple Design Guru Sir Jon Ives, and it shows. If you were a fan of skeuomorphism (the act of borrowing design concepts from the past for new products), prepare to be disappointed. Gone is the green felt from game center, fake leather of contacts, and yellow notepaper look of notes. Instead, the OS features a solid, consistent appearance.
Some of iOS’s more impressive features do feel familiar though. For example. you can now delete emails by swiping them away, something that’s existed on Android’s Gmail app for a while and was part of webOS, an operating system that hasn’t been updated in almost two years. Speaking of webOS, Apple has added true multitasking, including a grid view of what apps are open.
You even swipe to close.
Another new feature that I’m loving will feel familiar to users of Android 4.2 or Samsung’s Galaxy S III and S IV. You can now use a specific gesture to call up a control panel screen. This is vastly superior to needing to go back to the home screen and open settings (or double tap for switch view).
This is a control freak’s wet dream.
Other features that feel familiar are a notification center that acts a bit like Windows Mobile 2003’s Today screen but with the predictive element of Google Now, an Android-esque new unlock screen, a weather app with animations akin to HTC’s old Sense, a built-in flashlight app, intelligent photo structuring like Android, video sharing as well as photos for iCloud, AirDrop working a whole lot like MS’s SkyDrive, and for fans of Pandora, there’s iTunes Radio.
At long last, Apple has a cloud music service a la Slacker Radio, iHeartRadio, and many many others. Lucky iTunes Match users will get to use the new service without ads. You can build your entire listening experience around your tastes, thumb up music, and other features that seem similar to Pandora, Songza, and other internet radio services. You can also use Siri to control the whole thing. iTunes Radio isn’t just for iOS as it will work on MacOS devices and your AppleTV.
You know, the devices you were already using Pandora on.
The most familiar feature to this webOS user is the new Find My Phone. Former users of HP’s failed OS will recall how you had to log in to Palm’s servers before you could do anything else. You now can’t erase an iPhone or turn off Find My Phone without knowing the AppleID and password. This is an excellent security feature, and one that may help with the high theft rate of iDevices.
Remember, if you can’t have it, no one can.
That’s not to say that all of Apple’s changes to iOS find inspiration in existing devices or apps. There’s been further refinement of Siri, adding Bing (meaning Peter Parker can use an iPhone now) along with more voices and languages. The App Store is now location aware, which sounds useless at first until you imagine being stuck at an airport and needing an airline-specific app. This could also be useful for events, like San Diego Comic Con, CES, concerts, or sporting events. On the topic of location, Apple has also refined Maps (because someone somewhere wanted that).
Apple also let us know that iOS in the Car is coming at some point in 2014. Sixteen car makers will let you integrate your iOS experience with your cars, so you can use built-in controls or go eyes free with Siri.
The iOS 7 will be out for iPad 2 and later models (sorry, early adopters), iPad Mini, current iPod Touch models, and all iPhones 4, 4S, and 5. The beta will be available to developers soon, and the final version will be out in the fall (when one can also likely expect a new hardware device).
Comments are closed.