iOS 7 download release date arrives

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iOS 7 download release date arrives

Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 7, is now available to download, following on from several months of developer beta testing. 

It's like getting a brand new device, but one that will be instantly familiar to our users.

It will be available to iPhone 4 and above users, in addition those running the iPad 2 and later, the iPad mini and fifth generation of the iPod touch.

In addition to more than 200 features, developers can take advantage of over 1,500 iOS 7-friendly APIs. A number of 64-bit apps will also be developed to showcase the OS' unique talents and the power of the soon-to-be launched iPhone 5s, Apple confirmed. 

"It's like getting a brand new device, but one that will be instantly familiar to our users," said Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Apple's software engineering arm. 

"Next month, we'll be shipping our 700 millionth iOS device, and we're excited about what our hundreds of thousands of iOS developers are doing to bring great new features to their apps."

The availability of Apple's next-generation mobile operating systems comes several days ahead of the release of the latest additions to its smartphone family: the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.

Both devices will be released in the UK on 20 September, the company confirmed.  The former has been dubbed the iPhone 5c, and comes in a choice of colours – including light green, orange, yellow, blue and white – and shares a lot of the same features with Apple’s current flagship device, the iPhone 5.

The iPhone 5s, the higher-end device of the two smartphones, has been hailed by Apple as the “most forward thinking phone” it has ever created, and boasts an A7 processor, Touch ID fingerprint scanner, a reworked 8MP camera and is available with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB storage.

We've previously published our wish list of what we'd like to see in the latest version of the Apple iOS, but did we get it right? Take a look at page two to see our original wish list - we didn't do too badly considering the closely guarded secret that is Apple future releases. Feel free to comment on the story if you disagree - or if you feel underwhelmed by the iOS 7 feature set.

The biggest difference to iOS 7 lies in the user interface. It certainly looks and feels very different to previous generations of the OS. That said, Apple says it has tried to keep things familiar, but users will be the best judge of that when it's widely available.

There's a flatter homescreen, with layers that make icons appear as if they're floating. From the demo showcased at WWDC it doesn't look too hippyish but, again, users will be the real judge as some experts have already warned the changes are likely to divide opinion.

Business users will be happy with the changes to folder app limits, which have now been completely removed. A new Control Centre means commonly used features such as Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness and music play/pause/stop are there with a mere swipe.

There's also a new Notifications Centre, meaning users can see what has happened during any period of inactivity right from the lock screen, such as messages or emails received.

AirDrop makes it easier to share content with other users without having to bump phones together and an enhanced Siri with male and female voices in English, French and German (with other languages to follow) will help add mass appeal. What's more, in-car controls will make for safer driving for many iOS users too.

The mobile version of Safari has also been enhanced and iCloud keychain tweaks will ensure greater security, especially should the worst happen and your iOS-based device fall into the wrong hands.

iOS devices are used by many business users due to the availability of apps, security and ease of use. We’ve picked the seven core features we wanted to  see Apple introduce in iOS 7. How well did we predict the future?

7. Refreshed interface/customisable skins The iOS interface has been the same since day one and is due an upgrade. While we don’t think Apple will carry out a complete overhaul of the interface, refreshed icons and new ways of navigating could be more likely.

We’d also like to see Apple offering users different themes that can be applied without having to go to the App Store, so users can customise their handsets.

6. Widgets/Interactive icons Apple has been an opponent of widgets, claiming they are not necessary when you have apps.

The firm is unlikely to start rolling them out. Perhaps, it is more realistic that it will introduce interactive icons – where a long press on will bring up a preview of the app so you can quickly glance at the latest email, for example.

5. Quick settings in the notifications menu One thing which is far superior in Android is the notifications menu. Apple has already “borrowed” the drop down list to show emails, texts and other notifications, and it would be a good idea to add a quick settings portion to this.

This would prevent users from having to go into the “Settings” menu to execute simple commands such as turning on/off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS connections.

4. Improved multitasking iOS doesn’t quite have full blown multitasking, which is also available in Android. Apple has stuck with “app switching”, which allows users to cycle between open apps after double tapping the home button.

This isn’t that intuitive and we’d like to see Apple offering up full app previews. We’d also like the ability to run two apps side-by-side on devices such as the iPad. Being able to browse the internet and read email, for example, would be an invaluable feature.

3. Actionable notifications Instead of having to open up full applications when you receive a notification such as a text message, it would be great to be able to tap a “reply”, quickly fire off a response and get back to what you were doing. Similarly it would be good to have an “accept” button in the notification.

2. Battery saver mode The battery life on the iPad has generally been strong, but the iPhone has been plagued with issues.

A battery saver mode that automatically kicks in when the level hits the 20 per cent mark would be ideal. Better yet, would be a system that allows users to optimise performance when the battery is low.

1. Enhanced keyboard The keyboard has long been the worst feature of iOS devices. It’s too basic, and simple tasks such as changing the position of the cursor or copying and pasting can cause frustration.

There are many concept videos out there, but it’s these additions to the iOS keyboard, from Daniel Hooper, which we would like to see most:

(This article was originally published on 26/04/13 and updated on 09/06/13 as Apple's developer conference neared and then again on 10/06/13 following the WWDC keynote. It was updated again on 01/07/13 and 22/07/13 to include further details about the release date of iOS 7, the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 ( and then again on 10/09/13 as Apple's iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s launch event confirmed release and other iOS 7 details).