iOS 7 Is Here! My Reviews and Thoughts

Finally the highly anticipated WWDC has shown the world some interesting work Apple is working on. Besides the updated all the small updates, the most prominent one is, without doubt, the introduction of the latest iOS, iOS 7. 

Ever since Jony Ivy has taken over the supervision of iOS design, it has been rumoured that this Apple's ultimate design master is going to redesign the UI completely. Indeed, this time, iOS 7 is a major design overhaul since it's first introduction in 2007. I have downloaded a beta version on my iPhone 5 and I am gonna take you to a closer look at the new iOS. 

Installing the iOS 7 on my iPhone 5.. Even the Apple logo is flattened now.

As you can see, except that the layout still remains the same, the rest of the UI looks quite different now. Icons are now flat and more abstract. Colour scheme is lighter. The fonts are thinner. Signal bar is replaced by signal dots. And finally the Clock app is showing the actual time on its icon!

There are also quite a lot of change in animation. When launching an app, instead of pop out from the centre of the screen, now it's from the app icon itself. There are quite a few more transition animation inside apps as well.

In iOS 7, instead of swiping to the left to access spotlight search, swiping the screen down from any home page will bring down the spotlight search bar. It is obviously more convenient. As you can see, the appearance of the keyboard has changed as well.

By swiping up from the bottom, it brings up the Control Centre. It is similar to what Android phones have now. Many switches are nicely placed for easy access. Music control is also now integrated in the panel. The flash light can be used as a torch now, although that has already been supported by many 3rd party apps.

Swiping from the top edge is the notification centre. It has three tabs: today shows weather information, calendar and stock price. All tab has other apps' notifications and missed are those notifications that have not been seen.

The lock screen is simpler than before. There is no slide bar any more. And instead, it's just a line of words. 

The passcode pad is also redesigned to circle buttons. 

When folder is opened, it now occupies the whole screen and by swiping left and right you can find other apps.

Multitasking UI is changed as well. To close an app in the background, simply drag it upwards. However, it still doesn't have the option to close all at one tap.

Calendar is redesigned to a flat and simple look as well.

The weather app is more like a Yahoo! weather app now. They are supported by Yahoo! anyway.. But it is quite useless looking at weather forecast in Singapore..

Photo app is now integrated with location and time. If you want to use the old layout, album is the best choice.

Camera app receives a revamp, too. You can now choose square photo size and also choose one of photo filter provided by Apple. It is more like an Instagram now, though I still love the filters in Instagram more..

Safari now supports more than 8 tabs! The address bar and search bar have finally come to one, which Chrome has done that years ago. The Private Browsing can also be enabled to protect privacy. In the bookmark session, there is one tab called 'Shared Links'. It includes all the shared links through your social network such as Twitter, Sina Weibo etc. Very cool!

Compass is getting cooler. Now it also shows the location of the current place.

Settings app is changed to a new look, like on a plain paper.

 

There are many more small tweaks in the systems and features that I have not covered. In all, I love the new iOS7 a lot. Many people would say that a lot of ideas are copied from Android, like Control Centre. I admit that is the case, but still thinking that if this is something good, why not use it? It shouldn't become that you don't use something good simply because somebody else used it first.

Apple has been criticised that the revamp shows that Apple is lacking in innovation in iOS 7. However, allow me to say, if Apple today has launch some iOS that is only marginally redesigned from previous version, it will only receive more critics on innovation. Complete UI redesign of a mature system isn't a very easy job. Look at Windows 8, you will understand how Microsoft has been struggling with this. It is a bold step for Apple to scrap the old UI and I hope it will get even better in the future.

iOS 7 is not perfectly smooth on iPhone 5. Some apps are crashing more frequently on iPhone 4S. I suppose that the next generation of iPhone has even more computing power. I am also guessing that there is one or two 'killer features' not present on iPhone 5. It may only supported by the new hardware so that the new iPhone differentiate itself from its predecessor. 

Now I am more eager to see the next generation of iPhone equipped with iOS 7! What do you think of the iOS 7? Have you got your hands on it? Let me know your ideas in the comment below! :D 

Technorati Tags: Apple, Hands-on, iOS, iPhone, Review, iOS 7

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What to Expect from Apple’s iPhone 6 (or 5S?)

(Photo credit: International Business Times)

The next generation of iPhone is likely to debut in a few months. The earliest possible date is June 10 - 14 when Apple hosts Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Its actual product sales launch could be sometime in July or even September, considering the previous launch time.

Amid worries about Apple’s slowing growth, iPhone is definitely the key to reassure investors’ confidence. iPhone sales account for more than half of the firm’s revenue and it’s the key driver for Apple’s growth over past 5 years. Every single release of iPhone has been highly anticipated. The coming one is without exception, and it could be even more interesting.

The much heated competition in smartphone space has brought a lot of pressure on Apple’s ability to stay innovative, especially after Jobs’ departure. iPhone 5 is a major redesign from iPhone 4S, however, in terms of its operating system, iOS 6, it is not that ‘surprisingly’ good, not mentioning Apple’s fall in its own developed Maps app.

Personally, I still feel that iPhone 5 is the best phone I have ever used. It does the work and it does not have too many quirks except occasional hiccups. It is difficult for Apple to improve something that is already this good, but they have to. :) Below is just some of my guess what will be appearing in the next generation of iPhone.

Hardware-wise, there should not be much radical redesign. The possible upgrade could be

1. Faster processor and possibly larger RAM. That is something that is most likely to be going in.
2. Camera. better lens, or larger sensor and higher resolution.
3. NFC integrated: that’s one thing missing in iPhone 5, which eventually makes Passbook App useless. Hopefully NFC technology could enable this app again. NFC could be used for contactless payment, identification and data transmission, etc.
4. Larger battery capacity. iPhone 5 has been blamed for its short-living power performance especially in the use of LTE(4G) network. Longer battery life is always something desired.
5. 128GB storage option. Since the latest iPad is already offering the option of 128GB internal storage, there is no reason that iPhone would not follow the same.

Compared to hardware, I believe it could be a major revamp for iOS. The interface has not changed much since day 1. Since the departure of Scott Forstall, the ex-chief of iOS team, Jony Ive has been working closely with the interface team. I certainly think that he will have a quite different idea for iOS interface. Other features may include:

1. Enhancement of Siri. A lot more will and need to be added to the current Siri functionality. Most people only tried Siri in the first week when they get their new iPhone. It means that there are plenty of room to improve in this feature.
2. Major redesign of some built-in apps such as Mail, Weather, Calendar, Stocks, etc., as part of the UI revamp.
3. Passbook could be made to support contactless payment, with the help of NFC chips.

In brief, Apple will need to remain focused on user experience and innovation at the same time to keep the iPhone popular. However, it can still give us a surprise that nothing I listed above is correct. For me, the waiting part for new iPhone launch is always the most fun part.

If you are expecting any features from the next generation of iPhone, please leave a comment below! I would love to hear yours!

Technorati Tags: Apple, Commentary, iOS, iPhone, News

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What to Expect in Apple's 'iWatch'?

(Source: MacRumors.com)

Suddenly there is a rumour circulating around the Internet, saying Apple is designing an "iWatch" and this rumour has been confirmed by a few credible sources including Bloomberg. As expected, Apple hasn't responded to any of these external claims. However, it is very plausible that Apple would be working on such a product.

Strategically, Apple needs to enhance its existing ecosystem. The current iOS ecosystem has been great so far, but it could be improved further by introducing new product lines to tap new market segmentation. Probably inspired by previous generation of iPod Nano and Nike's fuel band, iWatch would be something with 'cool' factor, just like Google's unreleased Google Glasses. It doesn't have to be that much useful, instead, it will be something that geeks or Apple fans would want to have. 

Here I am taking a few guesses on Apple's smart watch's features.

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Guest Blog: The End of the Beginning - Why Apple Should Introduce A Cheaper Version of the iPhone

I have shared my thoughts and opinions in the previous post about why Apple shouldn't release a lower-price iPhone to the market just for the sake of keeping the growth. Clearly, this is a controversial topic and I am glad that one of the readers shared his own opinion through this guest blog. Though it is more of 'economist' or editorial style. It certainly brings some fresh perspective on this matter.  

The End of the Beginning

By HMP

Photo: Apple's flagship store on 5th Avenue, New York City

The week began with a two-term US president taking the oath of inauguration, and ended with US tech giant Apple ceding the title as the most valuable company in the world to ExxonMobil. Nearly US$ 50 billion, almost equivalent to the entire capitalisation of Boeing (another US giant facing unprecedented challenge) was wiped off Apple’s book as Wall Street reacted with alarming nervousness to its zero net income growth last quarter.

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Cheaper iPhone? Not A Great Idea

(Image Source: Cult of Mac)

In my previous post, I've shared my opinions on why Apple's share price has dropped dramatically from its peak. Just on this Thursday, Apple released its second quarterly result in its fiscal year 2013. Within the after-hour, the share price slashed a massive 10% to below 500, though Apple stated that it is a record in revenue and sales of its iPhones. Such a contrast is due to the fear that Apple is slowing in the growth and the numbers didn’t hit the market expectation.

Analysts are commenting that Apple should tap the lower end market by introducing a cheaper iPhone. As high-end smart phone market is saturated, eurozone is still suffering from the financial crisis, and emerging markets’ potential is huge, this argument seems valid if Apple wants to sustain the hyper-growing trend. 

In my opinion, this simply does not work.

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Size Matters: Which Screen Size Suits You Better?

This is an era that has a massive explosion of gadgets, ranging from smartphones, cameras to gaming consoles and home entertainment system. No matter what kind of gadgets that is, a screen is usually attached to it and the screen size has always been an important factor when people make a purchase decision, especially in the case of buying a phone, a tablet, or a computer. 

I personally own two phones, three tablets and one laptop, with an external monitor plugged in. They have all kinds of screen sizes but I do find they are all useful on different occasions .

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Life Is about Running - Temple Run 2 Brief Review

If you are an iOS user for some time, you may at least know the name, Temple Run. It's a very popular game and has been on the top charts for many times. The game is rather simple but addictive. Once you learn how to play, you don't need your brain when you are playing. And now, the developer of this game, Imangi Studios, launches their latest product, Temple Run 2 (and it just hits 1st in the top chart of free app when this blog is posted!).

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This Apple Isn't Golden After All

Source: Yahoo Finance - http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/AAPL:US/chart/

Ever since it hit the $700 per share earlier this year, Apple, Inc. has seen some sharp fall in its share price. As the US market closed on Friday, 7 Dec 2012, its share price is quoted as $533.25. That is a massive 24% decline in the market capitalization or $157 billion equivalent, and it was within 3 months. Taking a more distant perspective, say 5 year horizon, it could still be deemed as a hiccup considering its share price has tripled over the period. But it is interesting and worthwhile to try to understand the reasons behind the scene.

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The Good and Bad About iPhone 5

It didn't take me much time to decide to get an iPhone 5 after the frustration that Android has brought me: system is laggy and irresponsive, battery is draining fast, and the Android apps just don't work well. 

I got my iPhone 5 on Monday, as soon as I came back in Singapore. Having been using the phone for the past 5 days, all I want to say is that it is simply amazing and such a delight to use. But nothing is perfect, here are some things I listed that might be useful for you to consider buying an iPhone 5. For all the relevant specifications, I am sure you'll be able to find them online easily.

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iPad Mini - A Brief Comparison to Kindle Fire and iPad 2

 

I now have three tablets in hand after my recent purchase of iPad mini. Kindle Fire and iPad 2 have served their purpose well. However, iPad mini eventually combined the strength of the two other tablets. This blog is about a brief comparison between the three tablets, which hopefully can give you an idea what tablet you are looking for. 

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How I Met My iPad mini

iPad mini is definitely the buzz word in the technology industry this week. Though the launch wasn't as overwhelming as the other Apple products, it still has attracted hard-core fans without too much convincing.

To be honest, I wasn't planning to get my iPad mini in London. The price is still cheaper back in Singapore even after the 10% plus tax refund. I was also keener on the 4G models rather than a WiFi only version because judging by the smaller size than an iPad, I could surf the internet and connect with the world on the go (and this is where the wow factor comes in). But still, I got it here… Why? I guess it's because of the Apple Store experience.

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Are You Getting the New iPad?

The long waited new iPad has been out for a few weeks. One of my friends also preordered his new toy and got it on the first day. I got a chance to play with it for a while. Many are asking me whether I am upgrading my iPad 2 to the latest generation since I upgraded to iPad 2 from iPad 1. After some careful thoughts, I decide to keep my iPad 2 in hand.

There are a few reasons for me to decide not to go for the upgrade. Of course these reasons may only be valid for some people. 

First, look at what is different from my iPad. The very first thing is the retina display with amazing resolution 2048*1536. There is no way for iPad 2 being on par with this. Text and pictures are crystal clear. Especially for photographers who likes to import and view their photos on iPad, this could be a huge bonus. However, I personally do feel that the iPad 2 screen is good enough since I do not read or watch the screen in that close distance like what I did with my iPhone 4.

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Organize Your Notes in an Aesthetic Way! - Hands-on of iOS app 'Paper'

Many of us nowadays have a tablet, either just for fun or for getting some serious work done. iPad from Apple is for sure the most popular choice for a tablet. I personally own an iPad 2 and I have enjoyed every bit of it. I use it for some casual readings before going to bed and sometimes for reading the lecture notes if I forgot to print. On the airplane, I can play some small lovely games to kill my time. Many people use iPad as a traditional notepad as well, for keeping their life organized. There are many apps out there that could simulate quite well like a real notepad. Today, I am going to introduce one of them, which is called "Paper".

 

One thing I like about Paper is that besides the regular features that other similar apps have, it has a more uniquely designed interface, which makes the note drawing more pleasant. Oh, did I mention that this app is free?

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