What is iOS 7 ?
iOS is the platform that Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch natively run on. A platform, sometimes called an Operating System provides the core of the user experience you’ll get. In this case, iOS provides most of the things you take for granted on your iPhone or iPad. If you’ve cut and pasted something, moved or opened a file or made a phone call, you’ve used the iOS Operating System.
The most recent live version iOS 6. The big updates are represented by full numbers; 4, 5, 6, etc. The smaller changes are represented by decimals, such as 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, etc. iOS 7 ( that’s a big change to iOS 6 then ) is expected to be released in June or July of 2013.
It has also been speculated that the iOS 7 release will correspond with release of a new phone, either the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6.
What Will Be Different In iOS 7 ?
There’s always a lot of discussion and speculation on upcoming Apple products. Here is WhatPhpne’s considered opinion, based on tonnes of industry rumour, as to what will be in iOS 7. Some of it is based on the great features currently only available to Android users.
- Something that many people would welcome with open arms is more Siri integration. Currently, Siri is integrated with Apple’s proprietary applications, but third party applications do not yet have access to the Siri API.
- Samsung’s multi-window view on phones is a revolutionary idea, allowing the user to see and use two different applications at the same time. With the increase in the iPhone’s screen size, now is a more appropriate time than ever to include this feature in iOS 7.
- App specific settings are also something that seems to be coming up over and over again in discussions of what needs to be added. Things like password protection and screen brightness can be changed at the device level, but these types of options should be able to be set on an individual application basis.
- Widgets are also far overdue. Users with Android devices know just how useful they can be, and there’s just no excuse tor their lack of inclusion in iOS.
- The choosing of default applications for specific tasks would be a nice touch. There is no reason why Maps and Safari must be the default application for their specific purposes. This sort of ‘hard rule’ set by Apple is what makes some people see the iOS platform as restructive.
iPhone 5S / 6 Speculation
The next version of the iPhone, whether it be the 5S or 6, is rumored to be identical on the outside to the iPhone 5.
The real hardware improvements are expected to lie on the inside. It hasn’t been confirmed, but there are rumors that the new phone will have a display using Sharp’s IGZO display technology. This will allow for an even sharper picture than the current iPhone has, and will consume even less power, leading to a better battery life.
The rear camera is expected to be upgraded from 8 MP to 13 MP to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S4’s capability.
Near Field Communication ( NFC ) is something that makes sense to add to the latest phone, though it is unknown whether or not this will be added. Industry rumours suggest that this feature was dropped because of time pressures. As such, it’s natural to speculate that NFC will be included in iOS7 and the iPhone 5S / 6.
Confirmed Features in iOS 7
One thing that has been confirmed is that Apple is working on a new location based emergency services app, which may ship with iOS 7. This is something that can be useful when traveling abroad. When an emergency happens, the last thing anyone wants is a lack of proper documents. So far this is the only official word on anything Apple is working on.