06/19, 9:30am
Some critical code left out
Apple is considering LinkedIn integration for iOS 7, beta code references suggest. In particular the references hint that LinkedIn could be supported in the same manner as Facebook and Twitter, meaning single sign-in support, and the ability to quickly post content via a share sheet or hooks in iOS apps. Some essential code strings are missing though, preventing LinkedIn options from turning on in the current iOS 7 release.
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06/19, 8:29am
Apple makes Siri more useful than ever before, expands iOS car functions
Siri is a feature that was unveiled with much fanfare during the iOS 5 launch two-years ago, bringing with it more fully featured voice actions to the iPhone. Although Siri has received a mixed reception from critics and users, Apple has continued to pursue the voice-controlled interface, giving it an all-new look and functional tweaks in the iOS 7 beta that help to refine the user experience. Has Apple done enough with the revisions in Siri to warrant a second look?
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06/18, 12:13pm
Could let users hide pre-installed apps
Tweaking the iOS 7 beta reveals hidden settings that hint at Apple plans and/or concepts for the firmware, reports say. These include OS-wide edge- and corner-swipe gestures, which would come on top of edge-swipe commands in apps like Safari and Messages. The edge gestures would reportedly be used for quick app switching.
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06/18, 8:56am
Apple gives Safari in iOS 7 more desktop-class features
While Microsoft rules the desktop browser space with IE, mobile analytics continually show that Apple dominates mobile browser usage with Safari. Like every other pre-installed app in the iOS 7 beta, Apple has given it a complete revision. It still feels familiar, but bears an all-new design and works a little differently to the way it does in iOS 6. Do the changes add or detract from what is the most popular mobile browser on the market?
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06/17, 1:15pm
iPad interface still not working in beta code
Screenshots out of a hacked iOS 7 simulator show a facsimile of what the iPad edition of iOS 7 will look like, reports say. The images, captured by Sonny Dickson, depict apps like Maps, Safari, and the Game, Control, and Notification Centers. Buttons appear to be rearranged in some instances, and/or include functions that would only make sense on an iPhone or iPod touch, such as a camera flash trigger.
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06/14, 9:20pm
Illustration of iOS 7 on iPad, iPad mini also discovered on Apple's site
For a brief period on Friday, a set of what appears to have been "unfinished" or "rough draft" icons for iOS 7 appeared on a mobile version of the page promoting the new beta instead of the icons that are actually included in the current beta. This is not the first time discrepancies between the current iOS 7 icons and alternative versions have been noticed: the presentation during the WWDC keynote on Monday also featured some that are not quite the same as in the beta given to developers. Also discovered at the bottom of the Apple page was a picture of iOS 7 running on the iPad and iPad mini.
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06/12, 8:30pm
Evidence that WWDC presentation was 'work in progress' on icons
While much has been said on the reaction by iOS users on the new look that will be found throughout the updated iOS 7 when it is released later this year, one element that doesn't get enough attention is that the icons and designs shown at WWDC are not, according to unnamed sources familiar with the ongoing project, set in stone. However, the redesign has already won a vote of approval from legendary original Mac OS icon designer Susan Kare, who told Network World that the new icons are "generally a good direction."
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06/12, 4:03pm
Would require too many dashboard changes, carmaker says
BMW vehicles will not support iOS in the Car anytime soon, a spokesperson for the company says. "The upshot is that as we have such an advanced multimedia offer that has been in vehicles in various guises for more than a decade, it would not be that straight forward to start changing all of the architecture of a car as has been implied [by Apple]," the person explains, adding that the process of integrating iOS into a dashboard is "not as simple as it sounds."
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06/12, 12:51pm
Audio tech could kill third-party Audiobus app
iOS 7 includes new support for game controllers, and something called "inter-app audio," reports observe. The controller support was referenced briefly in a slide during Apple's WWDC keynote, listing "MFi game controllers" as an iOS 7 SDK feature. "Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad" is Apple's official certification program for iOS accessories and peripherals. Images of controllers also appear in the iOS 7 Developer Guide; the diagrams bear similarity to the look of Nintendo's 3DS handheld and Wii Classic Controller.
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06/12, 9:36am
Still allows cables' use
The iOS 7 beta is popping up a brief warning for people trying to connect unauthorized third-party Lightning cables, various accounts say. "This cable or accessory is not certified and may not work reliably with this iPhone," an example message reads. Notably, though, the cables should indeed work after the warning is dismissed.
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06/12, 5:20am
Sir Jony Ive remakes iOS with a new design language, features
Back in February this year I wrote, “A new design and look for iOS will be nice (as will the banishment of skeuomorphism), buy in many ways it is not essential from the perspective of pure functionality.” It would seem that this is indeed the approach that Sir Jony Ive and the design and software engineering teams have taken with the new iOS 7 beta. With iOS 7, the iPhone still functions in fundamentally the same way that it always has - apps will still take center stage. iOS 7 is not a fundamental rethink of how iOS works, but it does bring some long-sought after feature enhancements to Apple’s latest mobile operating system along with a gorgeous new look.
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06/11, 9:01pm
Discoveries leaking as betas are seeded to developers, testers
A handful of new information nuggets are coming to light about both the OS X Mavericks and iOS 7 betas given to developers and testers beginning yesterday after the WWDC keynote. Two examples of significant changes being found in the betas includes a new networking default in OS X, accompanied by a change in iOS 7 that will someday make Wi-Fi connections in public hotspots completely automatic. More minor tweaks include the addition of LinkedIn system-wide integration, and a new "active" icon for the clock app in iOS 7.
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06/11, 10:21am
Apple steps up privacy measures
iOS 7 apps will have to ask user permission before tapping into a microphone, users of the developer beta say. Short of a theoretical backdoor, the barrier should prevent apps from recording a person without their consent. If it follows in the steps of Apple's normal approach to privacy, users should only be asked once per app.
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06/10, 4:50pm
First solid glimpse at new iOS
Apple has posted several videos on its website in the wake of today's WWDC keynote. These include the keynote itself, designer Jonathan Ive's introduction to iOS 7, and the "Designed by Apple" corporate branding ad narrated by Ben Affleck. The keynote video is roughly two hours long.
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06/10, 3:50pm
Apple Radio, activation lock, Siri car integration key features of update
[Updated with tweet from Sen. John McCain] In parallel with the hardware announcements at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference, Apple announced the availability of an iOS 7 beta for the iPhone. Calling it "the biggest change to the iOS since the introduction of the iPhone," the new version of the operating system adds nearly 100 new features according to Apple.
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06/10, 3:17pm
Uses Pandora-like structure
As a part of unveiling iOS 7, Apple today confirmed the existence of a new streaming service, iTunes Radio. The service will be accessible through iTunes, iOS, and the Apple TV; in iOS it will be built into an overhauled Music app. People can listen to custom or featured stations, and like Pandora skip songs, and vote to have the service play more of a certain kind of song or never play a track again. Tracks can also be added to an iTunes wishlist.
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06/10, 8:36am
Reports cover previous iMusic rumors, record company revenue split
There has been more speculation for what Apple will present at its Worldwide Developer Conference keynote address later today. Recent reports have allegedly confirmed previous rumors of iOS 7 design changes and the iRadio streaming music service, subjects that people already standing in line to attend the event are likely to learn about.
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06/07, 2:30pm
Apple taking less effort to conceal plans
(Updated with OS X banner) Apple is already displaying a banner for iOS 7 in Moscone West in San Francisco, the venue for next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, photos indicate. The banner features a thin "7" in the rainbow colors of the WWDC 2013 logo. Behind the number is an image of a white, perforated surface.
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06/03, 3:35pm
May reflect 'flat' design brought in by Jonathan Ive
A photo tweeted by 9to5Mac may show the homescreen in an alpha version of iOS 7. Layout mostly resembles iOS 6; one difference, though, is that icons have a "flat" appearance. iOS 7 has changed dramatically since the photo was taken, the source of the image says.
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05/21, 5:30pm
Could be used as excuse to pull YouTube support from iOS
Apple is aiming to integrate Flickr and Vimeo into iOS 7, a source tells 9to5Mac. The integration is expected to work in much the same way as Facebook and Twitter support does in iOS 6, allowing single sign-ins via the Settings menu. In the case of Flickr, at least, signing in may not only add another option to iOS' built-in sharing menus, but also simplify apps with their own hooks for the service, such as Instagram. Flickr is already integrated into OS X Mountain Lion and the iOS edition of iPhoto.
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05/08, 12:49pm
Could indicate new testing phase at Apple
Web traffic from iOS 7 users has surged in the last week or so, reports say. MacRumors notes that it saw iOS 7 hits on its website start to climb on April 29th. Those numbers fell over the weekend, but have risen even higher since. All of the hits are said to be coming from a block of IP addresses belonging to Apple.
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05/01, 10:28am
Development behind schedule
Sources for Bloomberg are backing claims that lead Apple designer Jonathan Ive is engaging in a major design overhaul for iOS 7. As has been reported previously, the sources say that Ive is avoiding the skeuomorphism favored by former iOS head Scott Forstall, for example ditching the shelving metaphor used by Newsstand. He is also allegedly pursuing "dramatic changes" to the Mail and Calendar apps, though what that means is unclear.
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04/30, 11:16am
Special version of Maps may appear on dashboard displays
With iOS 7, Apple wants to deepen in-car integration options for iOS devices, sources claim. Currently such integration is limited mostly to things like iPod input or Siri Eyes Free, which makes it possible to issue Siri commands with a quick-access button. Sources tell 9to5Mac, however, that Apple is working with car companies on new center consoles that could dock an iPhone and output an optimized, car-oriented version of Maps to a dashboard display.
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04/29, 5:14pm
Learning curve expected to stay minimal
iOS 7 is codenamed "Innsbruck," and will use a "very, very flat" design, sources for 9to5Mac claim. The OS is reportedly jettisoning any signs of gloss or skeuomorphism, making it flat on a level nearing the look of the Metro interface used in Windows Phone and Windows 8. Apple has sometimes been criticized for using unnecessary real-world analogies in the look of iOS and OS X, for instance by making its Calendar apps resemble leather daybooks.
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04/16, 12:30am
Sightings suggest that active testing is underway
Developer and website logs have begun to record visits from a previously unknown iPhone model, and even indicating that the devices are using iOS 7, the next major revision that is expected to offer a design overhaul as well. While such OS and device data may possibly be faked, many of the reports are from the unique IP block assigned to Apple, lending credibility. The activity indicates that testing is well underway, making at least a preview of iOS 7 much more likely at the Worldwide Developer's Conference, expected to happen in June.
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04/15, 1:48pm
Info, photo match earlier leak
An iPhone 5S expected this year will use a quad-core 1.2GHz A7 processor paired with PowerVR's quad-core SGX554MP4 graphics, and 2GB of LPDDR-800 RAM, says a DroidGator source allegedly working for Apple. The person has also supplied a photo of the device's motherboard, and claims that improving Siri will be a major focus of iOS 7. Every iPhone upgrade has been accompanied by a major iOS release.
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04/03, 9:42am
Engineers being pulled off OS X 10.9 to help, report claims
iOS 7 represents a "rather significant system-wide UI overhaul," Daring Fireball's John Gruber claims to have learned. The blogger also says he has heard the same thing as Rene Ritchie, who alleges that "[Apple lead designer Jonathan] Ive's work is apparently making many people really happy, but will also apparently make rich-texture-loving designers sad." Engineers allowed to have the OS on their iPhones are even rumored to be using polarizing filters to make it harder for passers-by to see the interface changes.
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02/18, 1:24pm
Said to differ little from iPhone 5 board
A leaked photo shows an alleged motherboard for an "iPhone 5S," according to iOSDoc. The board is said to be roughly similar to the one for the iPhone 5, which may support views that the device will be just a modest upgrade, for instance keeping roughly the same dimensions as its predecessor. The photo does show an A7 processor, however, which the source claims is a quad-core 1.2GHz chip, paired with PowerVR's quad-core SGX554MP4 graphics.
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01/23, 2:24pm
Details of tech still kept quiet
Apple is searching for an "iOS Frameworks QA Engineer" who will have the chance at working on "the very first iPhone/iPad app that uses a new API/framework in the next version of iOS," notes AppleInsider. The person will have to cooperate with different engineering teams to ensure the quality of APIs and frameworks. The job listing -- quoted above -- doesn't specify what a next-generation API might contain, but offers a first hint at Apple's development of iOS 7.
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01/02, 9:34am
Developer code for iOS 7 could arrive during WWDC
Identifiers for iOS 7 and a next-generation iPhone have started appearing in app usage logs, several developers say. One developer in particular has recorded an "iPhone6,1" device running iOS 7; for reference, the iPhone 5 is listed either as "iPhone5,1" or "iPhone5,2," depending on the cellular bands it uses. The new identifiers are linked to an IP address at Apple's Cupertino headquarters, which suggests that Apple is testing out early builds of iOS 7 with pre-existing apps.
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