To silence a growing chorus of discontent against an operating system design that's remained more or less static since 2007, Apple needed to go big. With iOS 7, it did. Apple's crisp OS update, coming to iOS devices on September 18, 2013, gives the mobile operating system a radical new look and some first-for-Apple features for iPhone and iPad fans, like quick-access system controls, automatic app updates, and Apple's AirDrop file-sharing system.
The visual overhaul is a clean sweep that changes absolutely everything, from the typography and color schemes to the typical icon and button shape across the entire platform. And we mean the whole thing -- from the Safari browser to the photo app.
While there are a few notable new features in iOS 7, the new interface is by far the platform's deepest felt and most profoundly changed of the entire batch. Apple's other features are relatively uninspiring and do little to challenge competitors; however, we have a feeling that Apple is saving some major reveals for its next big iPhone announcement.
Design
Gone are the skeuomorphic interface elements that make icons and apps look like leather or paper or felt. Gone, too, are the slightly bubbly icon effects. Flat graphics and a dappled, pastel color scheme bring an elegant look. When you move the phone or tablet, Apple promises a 3D effect that makes your wallpaper appear some distance behind the icons.
Circles enter the design language, along with visuals that look nearly transparent, like a pane of glass. See what we mean in the slideshow above. The most important part of any deep design work is that it feels smooth and connected from screen to screen. We had a chance to sit down with some of the folks from Apple after the keynote and check out iOS 7 for ourselves.
Control Center and Notifications
One of the few actually new features to come to iOS is the Control Center, which finally (finally!) puts your most-used settings front and center, and is available from any screen. In iOS 7, you can swipe up from the bottom of the display to bring up quick-access tools, like a Wi-Fi meter, brightness, Airplane mode, music controls, and more.
Control Center also integrates a small flashlight tool, signaling the death of so many third-party flashlight apps.
In the Notifications pull-down menu, three tabs show you all your alerts, the calls and messages you've missed, and a new "today" pane that tracks your goings-on. It's a small but useful expansion of the current notifications pull-down.
Safari browser
In addition to iOS 7's Safari overhaul, the biggest change to the browser is a unified search and URL field. The fact that Apple, in its pigheadedness, kept the two separate for some time was a usability thorn in our side. Hence, the grossly outdated update that combines them into one is both gratifying and enraging, since it was such a small tweak that every other mobile OS has been taking advantage of for years.
There's more flexibility with browser tabs as well. They now preview as vertically scrolling rectangular cards and look similar to what we've seen on some Android phones. You're no longer limited to eight, and you swipe them away in a gesture, just as with Android.
Navigation bars also disappear until you need them, a feature we've seen in many browsers before, and swiping left or right takes you back or forward a page, which we do find really useful -- until that moment you accidentally swipe away from the window you wanted to be on.
To note a few other additions: a new filter sorts out links from people you follow on Twitter, and makes it easy to retweet them. You can now scroll from one story in your reading list right to the next.
AirDrop
Mac users will cheer the addition of AirDrop in iOS 7, a peer-to-peer file-sharing service that will soon support the iPhone 5, fourth-generation iPad, and iPad Mini.
AirDrop works by creating local ad-hoc networks among nearby users. So if you want to share a photo, you'll hit the share button, and automatically see others around you who are also on iOS 7. From their you just tap a friend's picture and iOS 7 uses Wi-fi and Bluetooth to send your photo (and the recipient can accept or decline). It also offers the option to make yourself invisible to nearby iOS 7 users from the Control Center.
Camera and Photos apps
Apple did a lot of work reorganizing both the camera app and how images live in the photo app. CNET camera editor Joshua Goldman goes into detail here, but we'll also give you the gist.
The redesigned Camera app makes shooting modes easier to find.
(Credit: Apple)
On the Camera Roll side, Apple drops the endless list of photos that you may or may not break out into albums. With iOS 7, Apple treats photos as moments in time organized around geotagged locations, not just chronology. This takes a cue from Apple's desktop iPhoto counterpart.
One crowd-pleasing party trick is to zoom out and see all your photos from year to year. Sliding your finger along photos the size of confetti brings on a cool, scrubbing effect. It was definitely fun to use in our meeting with Apple, but we're not sure if Apple's photo vision aligns with our own when it comes to finding, storing, and sorting pics.
New Camera App features for the iPhone 5S: At the Apple event to announce the release date for iOS 7 (September 18), Apple showed off a few more features with the camera app running iOS 7 on the iPhone 5S. Now, to get the best shot possible, the Camera App adjusts for white balance and exposure immediately upon launching the app. It also lets you use a burst mode to take ten frames per second while you continue to press the button. And for action shots, there's a 120fps slow-motion camera, too.
iTunes Radio
Gunning for Pandora, Google Music, Spotify, Slacker Radio, and pretty much any other music service, Apple's new iTunes Radio expands the pre-existing iTunes with familiar features that include radio stations you can build around a favorite artist, and featured stations.
Of course, iTunes Radio will be tied to your Apple ID, so you can use it wherever you have iTunes installed. It's free and will be ad-free for iTunes Match users.
We're happy to see Apple join the century, but there's not much new in terms of capabilities here that no one else is doing. Stay tuned for a deeper dive.
Siri matures
Apple's favorite digital voice assistant gains some more personality in this latest revamp. In fact, "she" has a brand-new voice; two, if you count the male version you can ask to talk to you instead. Though we have played with the new iOS, the male voice was not included in the beta release, so we'll have to reserve judgement.
A new soundwave animation appears at the bottom of the screen when you speak, and Siri's results come up in full screen, not just a tiny card. We did notice that Siri still takes some time to respond search queries, so Google Search still holds the speed record for voice searches. We also like what we heard in the keynote that Apple will be adding "high-quality" for non-English languages over time, including French and German.
By far the most substantial addition, and one that's truly useful, is that iOS 7's Siri can trigger actions on your phone's system settings, like play a past voice mail, turn on Bluetooth, and increase the brightness settings. Many voice assistants can't do this, so it's nice that Apple has increased Siri's capabilities this way -- though it isn't clear how deep into the controls your voice can go. You can also ask Siri to search Wikipedia and Twitter.
Siri gets some spit-polish, and the ability to turn off and on some system settings.
(Credit: Apple)
FaceTime audio
The days of abandoning FaceTime every time you want to make a straight audio (rather than video) call from your iOS device are coming to a close. Apple announced that high-quality calls over Wi-Fi will complement video calls for those who would rather talk while on the move.
Automatic updates
A tiny, but enormously time-saving addition, the App Store gets automatic app updates in the new OS. This new feature was bittersweet because while we don't like constantly looking at the updates notification, there are some apps that we want to see the new features before we update. Apple assured us in our meeting that auto updates can be turned off in the settings.
Multitasking
Apple may sneer at Microsoft, but it certainly likes its rival's aesthetics when it comes to multitasking. Now, double-tapping the home screen brings up not just tiny thumbnail icons of your open apps, but also a tall preview (like a mini screenshot) of what you're looking at. Borrowing from Android's recent app list, swiping away a preview closes the app.
Security on the iPhone 5S
Another iPhone 5S exclusive feature in iOS 7 is Touch ID, Apple's new iPhone security system. With an enhanced Home button scanning system, you'll now be able to skip the passcode step for unlocking your iPhone, letting you simply place your finger over the Home button for a finger print scan. Apple says this will also work for buying apps and music at the iTunes Store. It's important to note that you can assign several fingerprints (such as people in your family) so you can designate exactly who can access and use your iPhone.
A few more noteworthy updates
- Unlock the phone, and icons drift down
- Revamped weather app shows dynamic weather animations onscreen; pinch for all-city overview
- Night mode for maps
- iCloud photo-sharing
- iCloud keychain remembers sensitive data
- Long MMS support
- Swipe from day to day in Calendar
- Phone, FaceTime, and Message blocking
- View PDF annotations
- Activation lock to protect against theft
- Support for 60fps video capture App store volume purchase
- Notification sync
- Smart download for TV episodes
- Smart mailboxes
- Wi-Fi hot spot 2.0
- Tweaked mail search
- Inclinometer support
- AirDrop from activity sheet
- Background asset downloads
- Per app VPN
- Single sign-on for Enterprise
Maps bookmark synching
The full public release comes to your iPhone and iPad on September 18, 2013.
Not every device is going to be iOS 7-compatible. See the ones that didn't make the cut.
Our take-away (for now)
This is the first major redesign of the iOS since the iPhone's first release in 2007, signaling a shift to a more modern look that still stays true to Apple's sharp, clean, almost cutting aesthetic. We like the daring steps forward so far, but a contingent of die-hards will buck at the unfamiliar.
Apple adds visual and usability elements all its own, but also continues to borrow (as all the mobile platform-makers do) from some rivals in drips and drabs. We see this sprinkled throughout the OS in the quick-access settings, treatment of browser tabs, and adoption of some circular design elements.
As we said before, iOS 7 brings huge changes in the visual department, which is an important part of the way you relate with your tablet or phone. Yet the really substantial, game-changing new features are few and far between.
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