Apple’s new iOS 7 “operating system makes a year-old iPhone feel brand new. There’s no disputing that Apple needed the clean break,” Hilton Tarrant writes for memeburn. “But, hidden in the new OS are a number of features and technologies that are going to fundamentally change the way people use their phones. These aren’t buried deep in code, waiting for a switch to be flipped. We’re already using (most) of them.”
iTunes Radio: This is the most obvious of the three… The free streaming service baked into iTunes (or Apple’s ‘Music’ app to be more accurate) is going to change the way we consume music. In the handful of days since iOS 7 has been available, I’ve seen every friend of mine (with an iPhone) wowed by the service. Listening to music via iTunes Radio is now the default. What this means for the future of Pandora, Spotify, Simfy and hundreds of similar services remains to be seen.
AirDrop: AirDrop needs zero configuration. Its localised, system-level peer-to-peer that just works. It made its debut on the desktop in OSX Lion. But its integration in iOS7 changes the rules… This is going to be difficult for Android to copy. Yes, Android Beam exists (so does S-Beam), but its quite a stretch to imagine the process being as frictionless on Android because of fragmentation. In a year’s time, we won’t be able to remember a time before AirDrop. And NFC? Yeah, that’s dead in the water.
iBeacon: Anything that supports Bluetooth Low Energy can be turned into an iBeacon – that obviously includes any number of iOS devices, but also extends to third-party hardware. iBeacons are going to fundamentally change the way ‘location’ works.
Read more in the full article – recommended – here.
Related articles:
Pandora founder: Impact of Apple’s iTunes Radio ‘will be modest on Pandora’ – September 24, 2013
At this pace, iTunes Radio beats Pandora in less than a month – September 24, 2013
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Apple releases iTunes 11.1 with iTunes Radio – September 18, 2013
Pandora: iTunes Radio roadkill – September 17, 2013
Apple’s iTunes Radio is going to put Pandora into a world of hurt – September 14, 2013
Anticipating customer surprise, Apple begins training support staff on iOS 7 and iTunes Radio – August 29, 2013
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Apple’s iTunes Radio to debut in September with McDonald’s, Nissan, P&G, Pepsi sponsorships – August 21, 2013
Apple’s new iTunes Radio is designed to be the largest streaming radio service – July 13, 2013
Apple announces iTunes Radio – launches this fall – June 10, 2013
Apple makes iPhone more like a computer than ever before with iOS 7 Multitasking, AirDrop and the Share widget – June 17, 2013
Apple’s brilliant iBeacons system will enable purchases, contextual marketing, automated check-ins and much more – September 14, 2013
Apple’s NFC killer: iOS 7′s iBeacons – September 11, 2013
iBeacons may prove to be Apple’s biggest new feature for iOS 7 – August 29, 2013
Apple v. Android: Bang per watt – Apple’s massive advantage – August 13, 2013