iOS 7 will be available starting Wednesday, Sept. 18, for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users as a free software update. It boasts hundreds of new features and introduces iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service based on the music you listen to on iTunes.
“iOS 7 is completely redesigned with an entirely new user interface and over 200 new features, so it’s like getting a brand new device, but one that will still be instantly familiar to our users,” says Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “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.”
Apple engineered iOS 7 to take full advantage of the advanced 64-bit technologies in iPhone 5s, including the native 64-bit kernel, libraries and drivers. All the built-in apps have been re-engineered for 64-bit, and iOS 7 provides a seamless developer transition with Xcode support and the ability to run both 32-bit and 64-bit apps, says Federighi.
It also provides deep integration with the new Touch ID sensor of the iPhone 5S and takes full advantage of the new iSight camera sensor to enable new features like automatic image stabilization, Burst Mode and Slo-Mo video with 120 fps. Combined with the new Camera App in iOS 7, iPhone 5s provides up to two-times faster auto-focus, faster photo capture and better dynamic range, according to Federighi. iOS 7 is designed to complement the exteriors of the iPhone 5c, with matching wallpapers and translucency that carry the color through the entire experience.
Federighi says that, with more than 200 new features, iOS 7 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch includes:
° Control Center, which gives you quick access to the controls you want in one convenient place with just one swipe from the bottom of your screen;
° Notification Center, now available from the Lock screen so you can see all your notifications with a simple swipe, and the new Today feature gives you an at-a-glance view of your day with a summary of the important details such as weather, traffic, meetings and events;
° Improved Multitasking that gives users the ability to switch between their apps in a more visual and intuitive way, and iOS 7 pays attention to which apps you use most and automatically keeps your content up to date in the background;
° AirDrop, an entirely new way to quickly and easily share content with people nearby;
° A new Camera app filters so you can add real-time photo effects, a square camera option, and you can quickly and easily switch between your four cameras — video, photo, square and panorama — with just a swipe;
° A redesigned Photos app that introduces Moments, a new way to automatically organize your photos and videos based on time and location;
° Full-screen browsing with Safari’s new redesigned user interface, the new smart search field helps simplify searching, and there’s a new view for your bookmarks and your Safari tabs;
° Siri with new male and female voices, Twitter search integration, Wikipedia integration and Bing web searching within the app;.
Additional new iOS 7 features include a new Find My iPhone Activation Lock, that requires your Apple ID and password before you can turn off Find My iPhone, erase data or re-activate a device after it’s been remotely erased; FaceTime audio for high quality calls over a data network; and new ringtones, alarms, alerts and system sounds.