Apple Unveils iOS 7

“Mobile OS from a whole new perspective,” iOS 7 was undoubtedly the highlight of Apple‘s keynote address today at this year’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. The biggest overhaul to Apple’s mobile operating system to date and meant to be simpler, easier to use, and more enjoyable than its predecessor while remaining intuitive and familiar, iOS 7 boasts a bevy of brand new features and flies in the face of conventional minimalism with a seemingly contradictory “complex simplicity.” Redesigned from the ground-up, the system now includes all-new icons and a redesigned interface – conspicuous ornamentation has been stripped away in favor of an easily navigable Control Center that allows users to access Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and “Do Not Disturb” settings; lock your screen’s orientation or adjust its brightness; play, pause or skip a song; connect to AirPlay-enabled devices; and quickly access your flashlight, timer, calculator and camera – all from a simple swipe away. The Notification Center can also be accessed via a simple swipe, combining the likes of text messages, missed calls, voicemail, calendar reminders and social media updates via a single stream. A new multitasking system makes apps easier to access and navigate while the device will keep track of usage statistics – and take advantage of power-efficient times – to automatically update each of your applications on its own. Even the photo library has been overhauled to automatically sort imagery via “Smartgroup” categories like “Collections,” “Moments” and “Years” while AirDrop lets you quickly share your photos – along with anything else from any app with a “Share” button – via encrypted Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with any other iOS device. Further upgrades include everything from added iCloud capabilities to a bigger and better Safari, new-look Siri, iTunes Radio, and even iOS in the Car to seamlessly integrate your phone with your in-dash system. Look for iOS 7 to be compatible with the iPhone 5, 4S and 4; iPod Touch; iPad mini; iPad with Retina Display; and the iPad 2 when it launches later this fall. For a full look at the new operating system, be sure to check out Apple’s dedicated iOS 7 hub online.