It’s been a busy week for technology innovation news as Sony unveil the PS4 and Microsoft did the same with Xbox One. Apple, not to be outdone, also held a big reveal of its very own. The new iOS 7 was showcased to the world at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in California.

 

Under the charge of Apple’s design messiah Sir Jonathan Ive, the new look iOS 7 is sharper and simpler. The slick new interface makes the technology much more intuitive, and in a more radical move it’s the end of skeuomorphism as Apple has done away with its preference for replicating the look of real life items like notebooks, calendars etc. With Ive at the helm the design is definitely much more elegant, with a flatter and cleaner look. It’s a vibrant palette of pastel-like colours. App logos and menus are more translucent so “You can actually see behind the icons” as Apple boss Tim Cook said.

 

 

More in the way of new is a new font, a new weather app with animated-themes to reflect the weather, and smaller tweaks to the calendar and messaging functions. Mail now has the ability to display images from the very edges of the screen – perfect for the discerning gent with the iPhone 5.

 

It also looks like Apple has pillaged the armoury of its competitors too. Aspects like the swipe up to unlock the device feature as seen on Windows Phone, the new (and much needed) ‘Control Panel’ menu which Android users will be familiar with, and even the multi-tasking feature from the new BlackBerry Z10 looks to have been ‘borrowed’. Budding photographers will be pleased to see the see the addition of filters, just like Instagram, available too.

 

 

The question has to be asked, since the passing of Steve Jobs, has Apple always delivered better than what came before? Jobs was the man for the spectacular unveiling, often of devices and services that were light years ahead of its competitors. Has the competition really upped the ante, or is Apple is losing its touch?

 

To sum up, the new iOS 7 has been a long time coming.  Since the last update, Apple’s competitors have been quick to deliver the usability in devices and services that consumer crave. That said, the simplicity of use that an iPhone provides is something rivals have found hard to imitate. The new iOS 7 looks the part and is ready to make use of the iPhone 5’s true capabilities.

 

iOS 7 will be available this autumn.