Apple has finally rolled out its latest update, iOS7, and it’s been making all the headlines. The company, in the update list, has included a ton of improvements and upgrades to existing features and the iOS UI and made some new additions as well. Apple, since the launch of its line-up of iOS devices, has kept the UI of the smartphone constant, but the latest installment brings a completely new, modern look to iOS devices. While the changes are multifold, here’s a look at seven features that we think stand out. New design
The best part about the iOS7, atleast according to us, is the refreshed design. The update literally changes the way the phone looks and completely revamps the way iPhone apps and the homescreen have looked for years. Gone are the glossy gradients, replaced with a modern, minimalist interface that makes the homscreen easier to use. Overall, the new design comes with larger and flatter icons. The new update also plays a lot with colours as many of the main apps like the music or photo gallery come with bright and chirpy app icons. It definitely seems to be an improvement over the earlier design of the UI in our book.
Control Center
Apple’s iOS7 comes with a completely new Control Center that can be accessed from any screen of the smartphone. What we love most about the Control Center is that it allows quick access to all the important features needed on iOS devices. Want to activate Wi-Fi? Just swipe upwards. Want to send something urgently via Bluetooth? That's there too. And the feature also offers quick access to some smart features like a flashlight or the calculator. It also offers quick access to the camera mode as well as flight mode. Gone are the days when users will have to head to the settings menu to get their work done for them. You can even adjust the volume and brightness of the device from the same.
Apple’s iOS7 comes with a completely new Control Center that can be accessed from any screen of the smartphone. What we love most about the Control Center is that it allows quick access to all the important features needed on iOS devices. Want to activate Wi-Fi? Just swipe upwards. Want to send something urgently via Bluetooth? That's there too. And the feature also offers quick access to some smart features like a flashlight or the calculator. It also offers quick access to the camera mode as well as flight mode. Gone are the days when users will have to head to the settings menu to get their work done for them. You can even adjust the volume and brightness of the device from the same.
Apple has now added an automatic app update system to iOS7
App store automatic updates
While earlier installments saw users having to manually select the update they want, the coolest feature of the new App Store is that it automatically updates the apps on your phone. Instead of having a massive list of updates that need your approval, iOS7 now downloads updates silently, and from what can be seen so far, it works pretty well. And the best part about this is that Apple doesn’t update your apps using your cellular data. It instead waits for users to connect to Wi-Fi before beginning the update process.
While earlier installments saw users having to manually select the update they want, the coolest feature of the new App Store is that it automatically updates the apps on your phone. Instead of having a massive list of updates that need your approval, iOS7 now downloads updates silently, and from what can be seen so far, it works pretty well. And the best part about this is that Apple doesn’t update your apps using your cellular data. It instead waits for users to connect to Wi-Fi before beginning the update process.
New photo gallery
Earlier editions of iOS presented the user’s gallery as a grid of photographs that you needed to endlessly scroll through to get to the photograph you want. The revamped photo gallery now intelligently organises your photos in a variety of ways. The first feature you notice is the default Moments view that presents your photos according to the day and labelled by location. Backing up a level shows the Collections view, which allows the app to bundle up pictures more broadly, by date and location. The final view mode is the Years view that presents every picture taken over the span of a year. And users need not get bogged down, because Collections view lets you hold your thumb over a collection of pictures to preview individual photos before getting to them.
Earlier editions of iOS presented the user’s gallery as a grid of photographs that you needed to endlessly scroll through to get to the photograph you want. The revamped photo gallery now intelligently organises your photos in a variety of ways. The first feature you notice is the default Moments view that presents your photos according to the day and labelled by location. Backing up a level shows the Collections view, which allows the app to bundle up pictures more broadly, by date and location. The final view mode is the Years view that presents every picture taken over the span of a year. And users need not get bogged down, because Collections view lets you hold your thumb over a collection of pictures to preview individual photos before getting to them.
iOS7 comes with a new multi-tasking menu that easily allows you to swipe close apps
Multi-tasking menu
One of the most useful features of iOS 7 is the new multi-tasking menu. While earlier version had just the icon of the opened app, the new screen takes up the entire display, listing the open app in cards. You can swipe up to close the apps you want. Users actually don’t need to keep closing apps, though, because the company does a good job of freezing them in place so as to save battery life. Users can reach the menu by by double tapping the Home button or, if they are using an iPad, swiping up with four fingers.
New camera app
Apple has put in a lot of work on its camera app, and some of the features added in are definitely to our liking. Taking pictures is faster than ever. The camera app also comes with a bunch of Instagram-ish features like a Square mode as well as some built-in filters so that you can customise your photos from the camera mode itself. You can also switch HDR on and off in the viewfinder UI, and take pictures while recording videos.
You now know when Siri is actually listening
New and improved Siri
Siri, in the latest iOS update, now comes with both female and male voices available for users. And that is not the only thing Apple has tweaked about the feature. First off, you can tell when it is listening because of a new sound wave that appears on the bottom of the screen. And the search capabilities have also been improved. The app can also help you navigate, play your voicemail, return calls and do other things too. And it is powered by Bing, not Google, like past iterations. While Siri is still no where close to being perfect, the improvements have helped to tweak the feature quite a bit.
The update has changed the way users have become used to using their iPhone. While there are a few things about the iOS7 that don't really stand out, overall it brings number of improvements over iOS 6. With the new design and better functionality, Apple has managed to tweak enough things to make it look completely new.
No comments:
Post a Comment