Tag: OS updates »

Here we are, on the cusp of iOS 7’s official release. No, the early beta doesn’t count. Now that Apple’s latest mobile OS is almost upon us, the senior staff at 148Apps decided it was a good time to discuss what we’ve been looking forward to the most. With a little speculative wishful-thinking thrown in for good measure, of course.

Jen Allen is most interested in the new Multitasking feature. The ease with which we’ll all be able to close out apps is certainly welcome, but it’s the intelligent tracking that she’s really excited about. “[the fact that] it knows when I use apps most frequently will be great,” she says, “as I’m a creature of habit.”

For the unfamiliar, that means iOS 7 will anticipate when you prefer to use your apps and can update them before you even open them. Like to check Twitter every evening at around the same time? Load it up and your feed will already be up-to-date.

It’s the Control Center that’s been on Carter Dotson’s mind the most. “I love the quick settings panel. It's long overdue!” he says, “Especially since turning Bluetooth off and on is such a hassle on iOS.”

Imagine being able to access all the simple but incredibly useful features you usually have to dig through menus to find. Well, that’s what the new Control Center in iOS 7 does. By swiping up from any screen - Any screen. Even the lock screen - users can turn Airplane mode on or off, fiddle with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, lock the screen’s orientation, access the flashlight, camera, and more. They totally had me at Airplane mode.

My own (Rob Rich) interests are fairly in-line with Jen’s and Carter’s. I’m super-excited about Control Center, and while I’m not quite as psyched for Multitasking I can certainly imagine how useful it will be. I’m also really looking forward to the Safari update, which will hide most of the extraneous interface elements until they’re needed. I’m also looking forward to the swipe navigation and the smoother Reading List browsing. Heck, even the consolidated tab view has me excited (I’m a tab browser by nature). I only hope they finally increase the tab limit for the iPhone.

Pretty much all of us are looking forward to the improvements to Find My Phone as well. And hoping we never have to use them! Still, giving users the ability to create a custom message that will display on the lock screen, even after a remote erase, brings some peace of mind. As does being able to reactivate the phone so easily (input your Apple ID and password and you’re done) if it’s returned or found. Generally being unable to do *anything* to the phone without the use of your Apple ID and password is nice, really.

I also very much like the idea behind AirDrop. We snap a lot of cat photos at home and being able to share them so easily will be a major boon. Now nothing will stop me from bombarding my wife with adorable kitties while she’s at work! Now I just need Maps to be relevant again and I’ll be all set.

We’ve saved the best for last, though. And because this list is alphabetical by last name. So, what is Jeff Scott’s most anticipated iOS 7 feature? “iOS 8.”

Nah, just kidding. He’s looking forward to the Control Center as much as the rest of us. Also “some parts of the refreshed design, game controllers, and increased security through the iCloud required login when wiping a device.”

And what is he hoping against hope for? Lots of stuff. “I want the AMOLED screen that only lights up needed pixels,” he says, “I want the 44MP camera on the Nokia 1040, multi-user stuff, greater customization options, and widgets. I want developers to be able to trick out a few, simple things, like notifications. I want iCloud to be the end-all cloud service for all of my digital needs, and the iCloud price needs to drop through the floor. But we already know none of that is coming.”

So tell us, what are you all most looking forward to? Is there anything you aren’t sure of that you’d like to see make it into iOS 7? Anything you’d prefer to see left out? Chime in below and tell us your thoughts!

iOS 6 Roundup

Last week, Apple announced the iPhone 5, much to the surprise of everyone I’m sure (that's sarcasm). The new phone has some pretty nifty features, but not everyone will be waiting in line for days in order to get their hands on one. Those of us who don’t want to trade-up just yet still have a way to scratch that “new Apple gadget” itch, however: iOS 6. This new iOS will be compatible with most older devices, including the iPhone 3GS (Yay!) and above, the fourth generation iPod Touch and up, and the iPad 2 and later. So while I might not be able to get my hands on a 5 just yet, I can still feel special when my phone starts to do new and exciting things!

iOS 6 - Plenty of changes to some old favorites

Before we get in to all the major changes and new features I want to take a moment to go over some of the smaller tweaks to the apps many iOS users can’t live without. The camera has gotten a bit more attention this time around. Users can take panoramic photos now with their iPhone 4S/5 and iPod Touch 4th/5th generation, up to 240 degrees both horizontally and vertically. They have simply to sweep the camera along using a predefined motion and the device and software takes care of the rest. Then, said photos and everything else on the camera roll can be shown off to friends quickly and easily with the Photo app. Video chatting with friends and family via FaceTime has also gotten much simpler now that the app can work over a cellular network and Wi-Fi is no longer required--provided the carrier allows for that sort of thing, naturally.

Even the Notification Center has been revamped with Twitter or Facebook posting allowed directly from the notifications window and the option to quiet those irritating 3am notices, thanks to the new Do Not Disturb feature (more on that later). Last, but certainly not least to the accident prone, Find My Phone has been updated to include a Lost Mode which allows users to remotely lock their misplaced phone with a 4-digit code and display contact information for honest folks to use in order to return the lost device. This goes hand-in-hand with Find My Friends, an app that uses GPS to keep track of friends and family, even going so far as to issue alerts when certain individuals have left or reached specific destinations. It sounds weird, but think of it in terms of the kids leaving school and getting home. Pretty nifty, I know, but this is just the beginning.

iTunes, App Store, iBookstore - Refurbishing the storefronts

iTunes, the App Store, and the iBookstore are also getting adjustments by way of some slightly revamped storefronts, Facebook integration (“like” items in the store or view items that friends like), and a new preview feature that automatically keeps track of any apps/music/books that you browse through. You can view this list from within any of the three stores--and across any of their iOS devices thanks to iCloud--and make purchases from it directly.

Unlike last time, when 2.0.1 was released, we aren't waiting. We are installing this right now. Hoping that it fixes some of the issues with stability we've had over that past couple weeks (two restores last week alone).

No word on what is new, just Bug Fixes listed by Apple.