By Emily Amburn | Staff Writer, Webmaster
Apple recently released its new software update, IOS 7, on Sept. 18, 2013. For those who are unfamiliar with iOS, it is the foundation of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. With this version, many aspects are going to change in how Apple products function. It has a completely new design, many new features, and fully takes advantage of the hardware already present in Apple products to optimize the users’ experience.
The Design:
The design has a new, minimalistic structure, applied across an entirely new system. The interface is unobtrusive which allows for greater focus on the user’s content. Interactions and animations are more dynamic. IOS 7 takes full advantage of the technologies already present in the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. New and distinct functional layers help to create depth as well as order. To create these layers, the retina display is used. The new approach in animation and motions makes even the simplest of tasks more engaging. A new grid system was created and used to redesign the logos of all pre-existing apps and will be used from now on to create future ones. This grid system sticks to a precise color palette to create a more harmonious blend between each of the elements that make up Apple products.
New Features:
The Control Center:
The Control Center allows for quick access to controls and apps commonly used by the user. All one has to do is swipe up on the touch screen from any screen, including the lock screen to do things like adjust the volume and brightness, switch to airplane mode, turn Wi-Fi and bluetooth on and off, play, pause or skip a song, connect to airplay enabled devices, and quickly access the flashlight, timer, calculator and camera.
Notification Center:
The Notification Center lets the user know about new mail, missed calls, to-dos, and more. Included within is the new feature called, Today, which gives the user a brief summary of that certain day. At a glance, one will know if it is someone’s birthday, the weather, or if traffic will slow down one’s commute. The user can access this feature from any screen by swiping down.
Multitasking:
On the IOS 6, multitasking was simply switching between apps, but now, with IOS 7, it is much smarter. This new and improved feature learns which apps the user uses most and will update content before one launches them. It knows what they want before the user does. Also, IOS 7 schedules updates during power efficient times. This way it won’t drain the battery unnecessarily.
Camera:
The camera features remain for the most part the same as before, only now, there are more filters to choose from before one takes a picture, and there is also a new setting called square. Instead of taking pictures in the traditional rectangle format, this feature allows for one to take photos in a square format. This set- ting is especially useful when uploading pictures to In- stagram or even changing profile pictures of any social networking sites, because no aspect of the photo needs to be excluded or cropped.