The apps.
The letters.
The backgrounds.
The control center.
The parallax motion effects.
iTunes radio.
These are just a few of the new features that are included in Apple’s new software update, iOS 7. Other new features include a completely new design, a helpful control center and a smarter way of multitasking. Changes from the old software include notification center, Siri, camera and photo albums and Find My iPhone.
The major difference becoming controversial is the design. I think it looks a lot like a Windows or Android device. Some say they think it looks more organized and they like the colors — mostly girls say that. The new font and cartoon look of the apps make the design appear as if a teenage girl designed it. Obviously not, since the design was not only made for looks. The design was created to make the everyday things you do seem effortless and useful. Details such as the redrawn icons, the new sense of dimension and updates to the technology all work together to create a more harmonious and delightful experience overall. The design is created around the user — users of Apple’s iOS7 did not have to completely change the way they use their phone when they made the decision to update their device.
The Control Center is very helpful allowing a variety of options to be just a swipe away, letting you do the things you need to quickly — turn on or off Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Do Not Disturb; adjust the screen’s brightness and orientation; play, pause or skip a song; and access a built-in flashlight, timer, calculator and camera. Just like before, the notification center allows you to know about new mail, missed calls, weather and notifications from different apps. But now you can access a summary of what your day will be like and what you have scheduled for tomorrow. Also, you have the option to look at a recap of today, all or missed notifications.
Multitasking is now a lot easier with your iPhone. Press the home button twice to preview screens you have open and swipe up on the preview to quit the app. This makes it easier to switch between two apps without having to exit each one a million times. iTunes Radio is almost exactly like an application most of us are familiar with — Pandora. It gives you the option to customize stations based on genre, artist or song. Depending on which station you’re on, it will shuffle songs that are similar. Unlike Pandora, you can make an iTunes wish list, a list of songs you want to buy on iTunes later on. You can add a song to your wish list by pressing the star button.
Siri now checks more sources when answering questions such as Bing, Wikipedia and Twitter. Siri takes on extra tasks such as returning calls, playing voicemail and controlling iTunes Radio. Siri will no longer annoyingly say “I couldn’t find anything for this — would you like to search the web?” but comes up with the web search as the answer the first time. She indicates if she’s listening by showing sound waves of your voice. The voice of Siri also sounds clearer and more realistic, and you have the option to make it a man’s voice or different kinds of funny accents.
With new additions to the camera, different formats are right at your fingertips. It now gives you the option to take a picture as a square, put filters on your photos before or after you take them or take continuous pictures by just holding down the capture button. This makes taking a thousand selfies on your friend’s phone a lot easier.