A new report is suggesting that the iOS 7 release date is slated for September 16, a full four days ahead of what’s been unofficially designated as the launch of the new iPhone 5S. I do question the credibility of the report, though, as the same source pegged the iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone 5C launch for October 25, well over a month after the release is purported to be.
Though Apple has yet to weigh in with legitimate dates of their own, the common consensus at this point suggests that the release for iOS 7 and a number of devices are the 10th of September and will be made consumer available around the 20th. From a practicality standpoint, launching the flagship mobile operating system ahead of that of the smartphone it’s supposed to run on just doesn’t make much sense.
From a timeline standpoint, separate launch dates seems even more out of place. Apple traditionally only spends about 10 or so days between announcing its products and placing them on the retail shelves. Take last year’s iOS 6 for example. Apple previewed iOS 6 at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, then announced it formally during the same September press event alongside the now-current-generation iPhone 5.
Of course, until the dates resonate out of Cupertino all of this is speculation at this point. Seeing as how Apple is a notorious creature of habit, taking cues from past launches and releases will likely shed more insight into this years upcoming lineup than rampant rumors.
And no matter which numerically marked calendar square get’s circled in anticipation, users have a lot of great features to look forward to with iOS 7. 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.
