What happened to Apple? With Steve Jobs gone, will he survive? The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) took this place in June and we were all anxiously waiting for good news … After all, Apple is the leading trendsetter, right?
Finally our wait has been worth it. iOS7 is due out in Fall 2013. The main differences are the security features, as well as a new and improved operating system. Some of the new features are as follows:
Automatic update: Apple has always been known for its ability to combat malicious malware and can now update silently and automatically. This is an important feature as in the past programmers could trick users with update notifications into downloading malicious malware.
Activation Lock – Stolen devices were a big concern for users. The new Activation Lock prevents yours from cleaning your device or disabling Find My iPhone. IPhone will stay in Lost mode when you lose your phone and are forced to remotely erase it.
Safari “Do Not Track” – This allows users to request that the servers not track them, nice to have.
Per-App VPN Control: A VPN feature will be offered in the upcoming IOS7. Applications will automatically configure themselves to a VPN once opened. This is good as the application data will transfer while other data will not.
Keychains – Thank goodness for this feature! Password management in iCloud that will create strong passwords. Synchronization between devices is allowed not only for passwords but also for other sensitive data. I don’t know about you, but my password management is not optimal. Will this be better? We will see. I feel like I waste more time here than anywhere else. Yes, it is important, I got it, but make it easier for the user!
Enhanced Mail – Seriously? I hope so, I have tried more and more mail clients on my Mac and still never found the right one to work well with my Mac. This will allow Microsoft Exchange 2010 users to sync notes with Outlook on their Mac or PC.
Caching Server is compatible with iOS7. This results in faster download speeds. Updates and purchased content will be cached on a local Mac server. This will increase the download speed, but will double the amount.
Audio only: FaceTime calls. This will be an integrated VoIP and will allow free long distance and international calls. You will be able to voice chat over Wi-Fi without a phone plan. I am sure that Verizon and Att & t will not be satisfied.
Inclinometer: previous versions of iOS brought software support for the gyroscope and accelerometer; now it looks like iOS 7 will have the very latest in 3D spatial tracking technology: an inclinometer. I’m not sure if I will use this!
Call Blocking: iOS 7 will have the ability to block phone numbers and email addresses.
Siri updated: Siri will update in many ways. You will be able to answer more questions and complete more complex tasks, such as full Twitter integration and system service options. I personally never use Siri … we don’t get along.
Improved notification synchronization and natural language: IOS 7 will synchronize all your devices and also present your daily activities in natural language. It’s like Siri telling you the day ahead.
Faster: Caching server is compatible with iOS7. This results in faster download speeds. Updates and purchased content will be cached on a local Mac server. This will double the download speed.
Automatic updates for applications: With OS7 you will not need to manually update your applications. They will update automatically.
Developer API: There will be 1500 new developer APYs on iOS7.
Video at 60 fps: The new video will supposedly be recorded at 60 frames per second.
