iOS

iOS 7 user experience beats Android and Windows Phone, survey says

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

After being available for just one week, Apple's new iOS 7 is making daily headlines. The latest kudo to the revamped mobile operating system is a win for best user experience. Measuring how iOS 7 performs for everyday users, the software handily defeats Android, Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10.

Apple's mobile software rated 73.25, placing it far ahead of Google's Android with 57.25. The version of Android available on Samsung smartphones ranked third, just behind Apple's previous mobile software, iOS 6...

iOS 7 Safari supports new shortcuts with external keyboards

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2013

Mobile Safari in iOS 7 has undergone some major under-the-hood changes which have vastly contributed to the overall speed increase in web page rendering times. The iOS 7 web browser is now nimbler, faster and greatly simplified, but that's not saying Safari doesn't pack in other improvements.

This includes the handy new Mac keyboard shortcuts. That's good news for people who use a Bluetooth keyboard with their iOS device as you can now open a new tab, close the currently active tab and even move the focus to the unified search/address bar using the familiar keystrokes...

Opening weekend iPhone 5s/5c sales top 9M units, 200M people upgraded to iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 23, 2013

It may have taken longer than expected (rattling Wall Street investors in the process), but the official numbers are now in: Apple has managed to move a combined nine million new handsets during the opening weekend. Analysts were expecting thirteen million iPhone 5s/5c units during the first ten days of availability so clearly Wall Street has reasons to celebrate.

Indeed, investors have given the stock a much-needed boost as $AAPL inched toward $500 in pre-market trading. In addition, Apple said that 200 million people have upgraded their devices to iOS 7 since its public release last Wednesday, September 18. During its September 10 keynote, Tim Cook said Apple will ship its 700 millionth iOS device next month...

New in iOS 7: Motion Activity

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Apple's iOS 7 software includes a new privacy section nested inside the Settings application. It exists to explicitly cater to next-gen fitness apps specifically designed with Apple's new M7 chip in mind. As you know, the M7 motion coprocessor is iPhone 5s-exclusive (actually a rebranded NXP LPC18A1 chip - that's the power of marketing to you)...

iOS 7.0.1 fixes iPhone 5s Touch ID issue

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 20, 2013

As new iPhones launch today, Apple has flipped the switch on an iOS 7 0.1 update to fix a minor issue with the iPhone 5s's Touch ID fingerprint sensor while delivering "bug fixes and improvements". The maintenance firmware update is exclusive to the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c and users will be prompted to install it upon booting up their brand spanking new device. The software isn't available for iPhones other than the new ones. I've included additional tidbits after the jump..

Poll: who’s upgraded to iOS 7?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 19, 2013

We now know nearly one out of each three iOS users has upgraded to iOS 7 in the first sixteen hours of its availability. Have you? We're only asking you to tell us whether or not you upgraded by now, in order to get a better understanding of the iOS 7 adoption rates thus far.

This being a non-scientific YES/NO poll means readers who haven't upgraded yet but are planning to should of course vote with a 'no'...

Apple patent describes location-based speech recognition

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 19, 2013

Now that Apple is pushing a number of differing iPhones to a wider range of countries, it might be wise if Siri understood languages spoken outside of North America and Europe. To help fine-tune the regional differences in language, Apple has filed for a patent on integrating geolocation with speech recognition.

The filing, published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last Thursday, seeks to use location clues to enhance Siri, as well as speech to text services available with the newly-introduced iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c...

Apple adds ‘Designed for iOS 7’ App Store section

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 18, 2013

Following The Great Flattening earlier today, Apple has added a new section to its App Store designed to highlight apps that are optimized for the iOS 7 appearance and technologies that make this OS update arguably the most important in Apple's history.

The all-new 'Designed for iOS 7' section advertises apps like Evernote, OmniFocus 2, NBC, OpenTable, Perfect Weather and other third-party software featuring the iOS 7 style design. Jump past the fold for the full breakdown...

Direct download links for iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 7, 2024

Apple's just let iOS 7 out of the cage (what, you haven't heard?). Although the firm initially released the software as an over-the-air update weighing in at 1+ gigabyte, some folks like yours truly prefer starting afresh with each major new iOS release.

There are plenty of reasons to do that, from getting rid of the junk amassed from previous updates for maximum speed to rethinking which apps to install and how you want your devices set up. If you're going to do a clean install, you're going to need direct download links for iOS 7 that I've included for your pleasure right after the break...

iOS 7: what you need to know before updating

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 7, 2024

Today is the big day as Apple has finally unleashed iOS 7 to the public. Billed as the biggest change to iOS since the original iPhone (it really is), iOS 7 provides a distinctively new yet familiar visual feel to it while offering a host of nice enhancements that make it a worthwhile upgrade.

The mobile operating system is available as a free update to owners of supported iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. Here's a recap of what's new in iOS 7, why it matters and some sound advice on the steps you should take prior to deploying iOS 7 on your devices...

iOS 7 is out, get downloading

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 7, 2024

Like clockwork, Apple has just released the long anticipated iOS 7 software update. Packed with innovative new features and rocking the controversial Jony Ive-approved user interface overhaul, the seventh iteration of Apple's mobile operating system for iOS devices is now available to owners of the iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini and fifth-generation iPod touch.

Building on its predecessor, iOS 7 comes packed with new features such as Control Center, AirDrop wireless file sharing, Vimeo and Flickr integration, ad-supported iTunes Radio, FaceTime audio calls and more. It also improves upon the existing feature set with such stuff as enhanced alerts, the improved Notification Center, smoother multitasking, improvements to Siri, Safari, Photos and many other stock apps...

Twitter’s third major redesign to follow shortly after Wednesday’s iOS 7 launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 16, 2013

A lot of iPhone and iPad apps have been updated - or are receiving iOS 7 bug fixes and related updates - ahead of the software's general availability this Wednesday.

And while the micro-blogging service Twitter recently started embedding tweets right into its #music app (along with the ability to reply and re-tweet them), its plans for an iOS 7-focused update have been some time in the making but kept secret, until today.

According to people in the know and some deeply entrenched sources, Twitter is waiting until some time after iOS 7 is out to show off its brand new design, the third major revamp in Twitter's seven-year history...