With the fall semester well underway, Apple has introduced to the world a new look and feel to the iPhone: iOS 7.
Of course, people who own an iPhone have the option of updating their phone. I for one refused to update to the iOS 6 for one reason and that was that I simply didn’t have the time or the desire to update. The iOS 7, however, is a completely new playing game, it even looks the part. It’s been rare to find among my friends the one person that has stuck to the iOS 6, because, let’s face it, the iOS 7 has reinvented the way an iPhone feels.
Apple, in making design changes to their product, has effectively begun to compete in earnest with other phones, mainly the Android. The new update has sparked some debate in people who dislike the idea of their iPhone resembling another phone that’s had their new design and technology for years now; they see it as copying the Android. What cannot be denied is that people are more excited to have their iPhone, almost as if they had just bought an entirely new phone.
So what makes the iOS 7 so different from the previous updates? For one thing, the features are brand new. Take for instance the following additions:
Control Center: By simply pulling up from the bottom of the screen you have access to Wi-Fi settings, Bluetooth, brightness, volume, camera, playback control, flashlight, and Air Drop. By far the most useful addition, the control center offers users easy access to important features they regularly use, whether it’s to reconnect to their Wi-Fi settings or adjust brightness.
“I like the control center because I don’t have to exit an app or interrupt what I’m doing,” said Carmen Lopez-Ramirez, a sophomore international studies major.
The multitasking and notification screens are also beneficial new additions that Apple users are excited about.
“My friends gave me a hard time about the iPhone copying the Android, but I feel like this update has been a long time coming,” said Christine Adams, junior. “I just feel like I have a brand new phone again.”
Others are more worried about the other effects the new update can have on the iPhone. Kristina Wagner, a sophomore at the University of Florida said she’s worried about the negative effects the new changes might bring.
“Because the majority of the screens now are white, the brightness of the color could make the battery life on my iPhone 5 die faster now than it previously was,” she said. “I have to constantly charge my phone within a day.”
The iOS 7 may be loved and hated by some, but Apple has definitely undertaken a dramatic change since the death of Steve Jobs. While many have been doubtful of Apple’s ability to continue making innovative changes to the brand, the iOS 7 is clearly Apple’s statement that they are far from done changing the world of electronics.
