Last night Apple released the sixth and final iOS 7 beta version to developers after reports that the Cupertino electronics maker wouldn’t seed its last iOS 7 beta variant until next week. According to sources, this iOS 7 beta alternative comes with the typical minor tweaks and bug fixes, though this time iTunes in the cloud. It’s a 13.5MB download.
Apple’s new iOS 7 not only contradicts what many tech pundits foresaw for the final iOS 7 but it also took many by surprise as it wasn’t reported released until roughly 8:30 p.m. ET last night. In methodical fashion, Apple has been seeding betas for its flagship mobile operating system as well as OS X Mavericks every other week barring any setbacks, so needless to say it’s intriguing this one came on a Thursday night.
BRG reported yesterday that a gold master rendition of iOS 7 specifically for employees and partners would be made available to them on September 5, which happens to be three weeks from beta 6’s availability last night. Apple is a creature of habit the way Nomar Garciaparra tinkered with his gear in the batter’s box, so breaking it’s Monday release streak could confirm BGR’s suspicions.
As for the consumer-ready iOS 7 version eyeing a September launch, there’s plenty for Apple users to look forward too. Surely they’ve all heard about the UI overhaul for months, as it was also detailed at the annual WWDC, but Apple has more in store for its ever-loyal user base.
The entire UI of iOS 7 shifts on an axis when physically shifted by the user in order to give the best possible viewing angle. Even better is that this feature extends beyond the home screen and occurs with all apps.
The comprehensive redesign also includes the new unlock screen with rounded numerals, multiple pages for each app, cleaner typography all around, full screen edge-to-edge photos, ability to swipe between messages or apps, the notifications center available directly from lock screen, and “today view” which shows all that’s on tap for the day from all information saved in iCloud and in your calendar.
Safari for iOS 7 appears to be multifunctional as well, allowing for more than the previous 8-tabs open at once, easily navigabale swiping cues, and improved bookmarking for easy access.
Finally with iOS 7, Apple will have an answer to the naysayers who thought its mobile operating system was dead in the water without NFC capability. AirDrop shows users which friends are in close proximity and makes items easy to share anything–photos, articles, documents, social media, etc.–with multiple friends at once. No need to worry about security either as AirDrop will use securely encrypted peer-to-peer Wi-Fi.
The camera feature will offer a slew of new filters for amateur photographers to salivate over, while the photo app helps to easily manage and share pics, organize photos in albums, and pull out interesting and patterned images that might be of interest to the user.
