“Shiny new iPhones always get the most attention. But it’s iOS 7, the updated version of Apple’s mobile-device operating system, that will have the biggest impact on users,” Rich Jaroslovsky writes for Bloomberg. “The new operating system, now being installed on hundreds of millions of iPhones, iPads and iPods, introduces a host of useful new features and functions. To appreciate it, you’ll first have to get used to its revamped look and feel, by far the most significant makeover since the 2007 launch.”
“Apple users who don’t like change may initially have a tough time with iOS 7 and its core apps. Gone are most of the familiar muted-palette design elements and those meant to mimic real-world objects — the wooden shelves of the Newsstand app, for instance, and the image of the desk calendar,” Jaroslovsky writes. “In their place are flat, brightly colored icons that, depending on your taste, are either hip and modern-looking or cartoon-like. I’ve used the new software on the iPhone 5s and 5c, as well on an iPhone 5 and a third-generation iPad. To me, they seem most at home on the new iPhone 5c, with its colored plastic body. On the iPhone 5 and 5s, with their more elegant lines and materials, iOS 7 feels a little like cotton candy at a dinner party.”
Apple’s iOS 7
“But it’s potent cotton candy. Behind the new look are a host of changes, mostly for the better, in how iDevices actually work,” Jaroslovsky writes. “iOS 7 represents a significant advance. My guess is users will keep discovering things for weeks if not months. Hey, you can easily block callers! Hey, Siri is no longer labeled ‘beta’ and works noticeably better! Hey, Senator John McCain: Apps can now update automatically! While the new look takes some getting used to, the new features are well worth it.”
