Apple Monday revealed the next-generation version of its mobile operating system, iOS 7. The new platform has undergone a major transition since last fall's debut of iOS 6. iOS 7 has a whole new look and feel, as well as tons of new features under the hood. Speaking Monday during the keynote address at Apple's WWDC, CEO Tim Cook called iOS7 "the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone."
New Look
iOS 7 is a radical departure from every generation of iOS that came before. Designer Jony Ive's influence is clear. All of the 3-D elements and natural textures that have given iOS its signature look over the years are gone. That means no wooden bookshelf in iBooks, no felt tabletop in Game Center, no leather-bound calendar and so on.
The new operating system has a much more modern look thanks to cleaner lines, more use of white space, modern fonts, and a different color palette. There's no denying that it is a big departure, but Apple was sure to keep many of the platform's elements the same, such as the home screen layout and icon shape.
Sliding Gestures
APple added a new sliding gesture to a number of apps, including Safari, Messages and Email that make it easier to move between messages, in-boxes or open tabs. The gesture is activated by swiping to the right or left when viewing messages.
Further, Apple added a new control screen that is accessible via swiping up from the bottom of the screen. This control screen provides quick and easy access to the wireless radios, brightness settings, a flashlight and music controls. (Users of Google's Android platform will likely find it familiar.)
