[Nfbwv-talk] iPhone Update

[Smyth, Charlene R]

Subject: Article from USA Today Money 2013 09 05

Date: 

Thu,  5 Sep 2013 23:36:49 -0400 (EDT)

 

Apple brings 'totally new feel' to its iOS 7 

 

By Jefferson Graham,jgraham at usatoday.com,USA TODAY 

 

Like it or not, your Apple mobile device is going to look and act
differently within a few weeks. 

 

On Tuesday, Apple will introduce the latest iPhone, and part of the
tradition of the new device introduction is an operating system update
that, at some point, most of us upgrade to. 

 

So even without springing for the new phone, your older iPhone gets a
free new coat of paint -- and potential pain -- with tools in different
places and different ways to access apps. 

 

Unlike past upgrades, iOS 7 is a from-the-ground-up overhaul. Apple CEO
Tim Cook calls it "the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of
iPhone" in 2007. 

 

Basic functions have been altered. For instance, to go from one e-mail
to the next, instead of swiping to the left or right, you swipe upward
and downward. 

 

For consumers, "It'll be a little shocking at first," says Evan
Spiridellis, who runs the JibJab e-commerce company with brother Gregg.

It's a totally new feel. 

 

JibJab has been working with a test version of iOS 7 over the summer.

After a few days of flipping around, people are going to love it. 

 

Developer Joel Housman of Alexandria, Va., says consumers will also
scream loudly, in the negative, upon the iOS 7 release, much as "every
time Facebook makes an interface change, they complain about it. 

 

It takes most consumers time to learn the intricacies of a new device,
he says. The iOS overhaul will force folks "to learn how to do things
differently" even on their current phones. 

 

There are 600 million Apple mobile devices in use worldwide -- including
just over 60 million of last year's new model, the iPhone 5. 

 

So way more people will upgrade to the new operating system then pick up
the new phone, which is expected to be in stores by the end of
September. 

 

The last update was widely accepted: IOS 6 is installed on more than 93%
of Apple devices, according to the company. The new update works on
devices back to the iPhone 4, the iPad 2 and fifth-generation iPod
Touch. 

 

Apple will begin reminding folks, when iOS 7 is available, that it's
time to upgrade the software. 

 

The iOS 7 launch comes in a year when Apple's once-strong lead over
competitors has begun to fade. Google's Android -- and the hot-selling
Samsung Galaxy series of smartphones -- now dominate worldwide, although
the iPhone has the edge here in the United States. 

 

Beyond a new coat of paint and stylistic upgrade that will see buttons
and icons in new places, look for: 

 

Instant app updates. In the past, you had to manually update each app
when changes were offered. Now they'll be done automatically in the
background. 

 

Control Center. The eight most commonly used features will reside on the
Control Center screen, which can be accessed by one quick swipe. So
instead of going to the Settings icon, opening it up and turning on
Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, you'll find those options in Control Center, along
with Flashlight, Camera, clock and calculator. 

 

Instagram-like features in the camera app. Filters to pretty-up photos
are added, along with the ability to shoot photos in a square format.
That means you won't have to crop your pictures anymore for inclusion in
Instagram. 

 

Van Baker, an analyst at Gartner, says Apple had to make the software
change. 

 

The trade press was getting very negative to how stale and old-looking
iOS was," he says. In truth, most users don't care. Nonetheless, it was
worthwhile to do it and give it a fresh new look. 

 

And Gregg Spiridellis says despite the pain some consumers might feel
initially, it will be worth the upgrade. 

 

It feels like you have a new phone," he says. It's that freshness of
getting something new, even though you didn't have to pay for it.