Details on ios7

[WelshBloke]

No it does not. It does make me wonder why Apple would add something that drains battery.

People like eye candy?

I hate live desktops but a lot of people love them. Can you turn the effect off on iOS7?

 

[Raduque]

It's nice to see iOS finally getting a UI revamp. I'm not a big fan of flat OSes, honestly, which is why I don't use WP or Google-Stock/AOSP or any of it's derivatives.

I wonder what the general public is going to think of this.

BTW, thanks to whoever linked that Android app with the parallaxing wallpaper. I watched the first couple seconds of the video and said "I need this. NOW."

 

[swanysto]

People like eye candy?

I hate live desktops but a lot of people love them. Can you turn the effect off on iOS7?

Apple doesn't do things based on what "people" want. "People" have wanted bigger screens, widgets, etc for a while. Apple does things they want to do(not knocking this, just stating it). They have kept features away from the iPhone cause they drain battery. Apple has always talked about, and advertised their long lasting battery. So I am wondering, why now? And why with something as trivial as the wallpaper.

 

[Red Storm]

I'm thinking because the actual battery life hit is minimal. I had such a wallpaper on my Android phone and noticed no discernible difference.

 

[Sheep]

I'm thinking because the actual battery life hit is minimal. I had such a wallpaper on my Android phone and noticed no discernible difference.

Same here. Admittedly I've only been running this parallax live wallpaper since yesterday but my battery life appears to be more or less the same as before I started using it. From what I've seen of live wallpapers, some of them don't have a significant impact on battery at all.

 

[trmiv]

Same here. Admittedly I've only been running this parallax live wallpaper since yesterday but my battery life appears to be more or less the same as before I started using it. From what I've seen of live wallpapers, some of them don't have a significant impact on battery at all.

Yea I use Phase Beam quite a bit, and I've never noticed a battery hit with it. Some of the 3D ones can drain the battery though.

 

[RampantAndroid]

No it does not. It does make me wonder why Apple would add something that drains battery.

I have to imagine it's negligible. Also, Zune did it first

 

[foghorn67]

Regarding iOS7.
Besides the bright, metallic and girlish colors...I like it. A step in the right direction.

 

[Crono]

They need live icons instead of a static grid. Swiping through pages of icons is fine, but that should be a secondary app search feature, not the main way of going to your primary apps/notifications. Notifications and favorite apps should be integrated together. So far only Windows Phone does this well. Apple is slow to change, or at least slow in this mobile market. Which isn't good when newer/improved OS' are popping up now (Ubuntu, Tizen, Sailfish, BB10, etc) which have fresher takes on various features.

Also the design scheme seems a half-hearted attempt at it, and it looks like they borrowed design cues from 5 years ago. Too much in the way of transparency and pastels when they should have gone for cleaner, darker, and better contrast. The metallic/shiny elements from the original iOS/iPhone has not aged well, and it really has always looked a bit tacky on a screen (akin to overusing gloss, which Samsung does on the hardware side of their phones - it must be popular with some people, but I don't like it). Definitely looks like they copied elements of Linux or stock Android, though possibly not deliberately (designers don't entirely live in bubbles). The design is flatter, but it's not the Swiss kind of elegance that Microsoft and Apple love to talk about these days. It's clear they were going more for a futuristic but bright look. Or clown chic, perhaps.

Live wallpapers are annoying. They look pretty, but are as useful as the skeumorphic stuff. Nothing new, even Vista had DreamScene. Zero appeal to me, don't use live wallpapers on my Android phone, either.

Overall, I don't like the new look. It looks like a halfway measure, and I'd much rather see what iOS 8 looks like. It might be mean to call this Apple's Vista, but if I were currently in the iOS environment I would wait a generation to upgrade. Apple seems to be "innovating" (really it's just changing) to appease the public and investors who are worried, but really they are afraid to break what isn't broken, and it shows. It's not garishly or hideously ugly, but it does look like they cobbled together two different UIs, and it's not polished (so to speak; don't literally want to see polished surfaces in the UI ) at all. Very inconsistent looking.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I think Microsoft has done a pretty good job with the flat look in Windows Phone and Windows 8. And am in general a fan of this type of look at the moment.

But I think Apple just showed me how wrongly the flat look can go in the wrong hands. Though I think the problem is more the inconsistencies and crazy mixture of colors. Seems like every app has a different color theme. Some apps have white backgrounds, others have black backgrounds and some have grey. And apps have different color accents in them. And the icons are a mess too, some have solid colors, some have gradients going down and some have gradients going up. And that default cloud wallpaper just makes everything look even worse, especially on the pull down menus and apps with transparent backgrounds.

They got a few months, I hope they can fix these inconsistencies.


I do like the swipe up Control Center and swipe down Notifications. Curious to see how these look on an iPad. But I love have easier access to some settings like wifi and bluetooth.

One problem I have with my iPad is finding apps I use often and forget where I put them. I'll look for an app, can't find it, go to the App Store to install it only to see it's already installed, so I have to go hunt it down. I really wish there was an app draw and I didn't have to keep every app icon on my home screens for stuff to get lost so easily.

 

[jpeyton]

The Verge has been very critical of Apple following WWDC:

The design of iOS 7: simply confusing

'Can't innovate anymore, my ass': Apple's bravado clouds the company's real challenges

 

[RampantAndroid]

The Verge has been very critical of Apple following WWDC:

The design of iOS 7: simply confusing

'Can't innovate anymore, my ass': Apple's bravado clouds the company's real challenges

Where is that writer living? Apple maps hasn't been a good punchline in months. It actually works as well as Google Maps at this point in my experience (and I hated it on day 1. It's one of the main reasons I went to Android for a few months.)

Also, I don't take anything I read on the Verge seriously...I categorize it with the Onion, generally. But that's personal opinion.

 

[QueBert]

Apple doesn't do things based on what "people" want. "People" have wanted bigger screens, widgets, etc for a while. Apple does things they want to do(not knocking this, just stating it). They have kept features away from the iPhone cause they drain battery. Apple has always talked about, and advertised their long lasting battery. So I am wondering, why now? And why with something as trivial as the wallpaper.

People who wanted those things could go Android, I wanted a smaller screen, there's no Android phone with a 4" screen worth a damn. The iPhone's PERFECT for what I need. While I'm sure you could find plenty of iPhone owners who want widgets, there are plenty like myself who could care less and wouldn't touch them even if they get added. I don't see the point for iOS7 and won't be upgrading. There's nothing it does better than iOS 6 imo, and I don't even like the new look. Hopefully I can stick to iOS6 without any problems for at least another year after 7's officially released.

 

[RampantAndroid]

People who wanted those things could go Android, I wanted a smaller screen, there's no Android phone with a 4" screen worth a damn. The iPhone's PERFECT for what I need. While I'm sure you could find plenty of iPhone owners who want widgets, there are plenty like myself who could care less and wouldn't touch them even if they get added. I don't see the point for iOS7 and won't be upgrading. There's nothing it does better than iOS 6 imo, and I don't even like the new look. Hopefully I can stick to iOS6 without any problems for at least another year after 7's officially released.

Cannot agree more with you, QueBert. I had android. How many widgets did my home screen have? Zero. I removed them all. What did I miss going from 4.2.2 to iOS6? Quick settings. Notifications on lock screen. Text quick reply.

And hey, my iPhone screen shows up in sunlight, my S3 didn't. And screen size? I liked the huge screen SOMETIMES, but in the hand I PREFER the slender iphone. I didn't WANT a case on the S3 because it was massive already. Then I dropped my S3, and while the screen was OK...the plastic looks TERRIBLE now. Dropped my old iPhone 4. Case shattered, phone...not a scratch. Now I have an iPhone 5. In a case. It's great, I'm happy and if Apple makes an iPhone as big as the S3 or S4, I don't want it.

 

[TheStu]

Where is that writer living? Apple maps hasn't been a good punchline in months. It actually works as well as Google Maps at this point in my experience (and I hated it on day 1. It's one of the main reasons I went to Android for a few months.)

Also, I don't take anything I read on the Verge seriously...I categorize it with the Onion, generally. But that's personal opinion.

The only reason why I prefer Google maps over Apple maps is because I like to listen to music in my car, and the Google voiceover is quieter and less harsh than the Apple one. We'll see if that's better with the new Siri voices.

 

[Red Storm]

The only reason why I prefer Google maps over Apple maps is because I like to listen to music in my car, and the Google voiceover is quieter and less harsh than the Apple one. We'll see if that's better with the new Siri voices.

They really do need better voices. The Google voice has REALLY improved since it first launched, by comparison Siri sounds like an AI voice from the 90s.

 

[swanysto]

People who wanted those things could go Android, I wanted a smaller screen, there's no Android phone with a 4" screen worth a damn. The iPhone's PERFECT for what I need. While I'm sure you could find plenty of iPhone owners who want widgets, there are plenty like myself who could care less and wouldn't touch them even if they get added. I don't see the point for iOS7 and won't be upgrading. There's nothing it does better than iOS 6 imo, and I don't even like the new look. Hopefully I can stick to iOS6 without any problems for at least another year after 7's officially released.

I was not knocking Apple for doing these things. I was merely stating that they build things based on how they feel they should be designed, not on what people say they should put in there.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I was not knocking Apple for doing these things. I was merely stating that they build things based on how they feel they should be designed, not on what people say they should put in there.

As evidenced by two posts in this thread, people want them to do what they have BEEN doing. Apple is picking which group of people to serve. Why chase away the loyal customers?

 

[Red Storm]

As evidenced by two posts in this thread, people want them to do what they have BEEN doing. Apple is picking which group of people to serve. Why chase away the loyal customers?

Considering how much money they make and have stored up, there's no reason why they can't serve both their current loyal customers and those who want more IMHO.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Apple putting out a standard for controllers is huge. Might be a major disruption to the traditional console market.

 

[bearxor]

Apple putting out a standard for controllers is huge. Might be a major disruption to the traditional console market.

Only if the AppleTV gets updated for Apps finally.

An AppleTV that you can play a lot of games on with a controller and would support apps like Plex along with whatever other companies decided to release? I'd switch to Plex in an instant if an ATV gave me Netflix, Amazon and HBO. Apple could destroy the STB market overnight if they finally allowed apps, IMO.

 

[WelshBloke]

Apple putting out a standard for controllers is huge. Might be a major disruption to the traditional console market.

Could you not use bluetooth controllers with iOS before then?

 

[Red Storm]

Could you not use bluetooth controllers with iOS before then?

I'm not sure, but that's not the point. Only through an official first party (Apple/Google) controller will you see devs start to take gaming on mobile devices more seriously.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Could you not use bluetooth controllers with iOS before then?

No, not really. Previous ones were hacks (emulating keys and such).

With this Apple is defining a controller spec and what the minimum is to be acceptable.

 

[bearxor]

Could you not use bluetooth controllers with iOS before then?

It had to be coded in directly to the app. There was no API for it, I believe.

I agree there needs to be a standard controller spec.