With the new iPhone 5S and iOS 7 both thought to be released on September 10, Apple will be seeding its final iOS 7 beta to registered developers on Monday, August 19 barring any setbacks. Interestingly, BRG notes that Apple will be dispatching a gold master version to partners and employees on September 5, a mere five days before it’s introduced to the world. Apple has yet to formally announce a press event for a September 10 release, but all indications thus far point to otherwise.
Since June Apple has been methodically releasing beta version of iOS 7, each with new bug fixes and updates as well as a taste of what to expect when the flagship mobile operating system goes live from top to bottom. Just yesterday Apple seeded a separate beta version of iOS 7 to its iCloud beta site for devs to give them a look at how the likes of icons for Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, and Reminders looked in the cyber amorphic fluff we call the cloud.
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.
