While Apple design guru Jony Ive and software engineering chief Craig Federighi were included in a Bloomberg Businessweek cover story published today, much of the focus of that piece was on CEO Tim Cook and his thoughts about Apple and the competition.
Ive and Federighi now get some attention for themselves in an interview with USA Today in which the two discuss their partnership that led to the development of iOS 7.
"When we sat down last November (to work on iOS 7), we understood that people had already become comfortable with touching glass, they didn't need physical buttons, they understood the benefits," says Ive. "So there was an incredible liberty in not having to reference the physical world so literally. We were trying to create an environment that was less specific. It got design out of the way."
Federighi goes on to note that the technological advances over the past few years have finally reached the point where Apple is able to tackle something like iOS 7.
"This is the first post-Retina (Display) UI (user interface), with amazing graphics processing thanks to tremendous GPU (graphics processing unit) power growth, so we had a different set of tools to bring to bear on the problem as compared to seven years ago (when the iPhone first launched)," he says. "Before, the shadowing effect we used was a great way to distract from the limitations of the display. But with a display that's this precise, there's nowhere to hide. So we wanted a clear typography."
Ive jumps in. "Yes, we wanted to defer to the content, and just get out of the way."
The piece also includes a bit of a biography on Ive, discussing how he came to join Apple and the freedom and power he holds at the company. It also reflects on his focus on simplicity, with Ive pointing to the new Touch ID fingerprint scanning system on the iPhone 5s as an example of a feature that is useful but almost invisible in how it functions.
Teasing future products from Apple, Ive notes that he would "love, love, love" to reveal what he and his design team have been working on, but that he would lose his job if he did.
Finally, Ive addresses the topic of competition, noting that his work is driven by Apple's own tastes and those of its customers. He says that he keeps a close eye on what competitors are doing with their designs, but that their work does not influence his designs "at all".
Disney has launched Disney Infinity: Toy Box for the iPad, a sandbox world creation game that acts as a companion to the recently released Disney Infinity title on gaming consoles, with content on both games enabled for platform transferring. The app includes over 50 free items for world creation, as well as multi-touch optimized controls and special toys that change various attributes in created worlds.
Captain Jack Sparrow in a sports car racing Dash, Sulley climbing mountains to find Cinderella’s Castle – create anything your imagination dreams of… Sync to your console game for complete cross-platform play, and unlock even more props, characters and decorations!
Disney has released numerous titles for iOS devices over the past few weeks, including the free-to-play Where’s My Water? 2, a companion iPad app for “The Little Mermaid: Second Screen Live, and Disney Animated, an app that covers the history of all 53 Disney Films. The company also honored the late Steve Jobs with a Disney Legends Award at the 2013 D23 Expo this past August.
In a lengthy cover story interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi and Senior Vice President of Design Jonathan Ive, discussed a number of topics with the magazine, such as the launch of the new iPhones including the upcoming lower-cost iPhone 5c, and thoughts on competitors, and the recurring accusation of the lack of innovation that the company is said to have had in recent years.
Speaking about the iPhone 5c and the opinion of Apple selling a “low-cost” phone, Cook stated the following:
“We never had an objective to sell a low-cost phone,” says Cook. “Our primary objective is to sell a great phone and provide a great experience, and we figured out a way to do it at a lower cost.”
Cook also spoke about Android devices and topics such as the market share between the two mobile operating platforms, stating that “It’s even more a two-operating-system world today than it was before,” and adding to that point “when you look at things like customer satisfaction and usage, you see the gap between Android and iOS being huge.” Cook also spoke about Android’s device fragmentation, an issue Apple has long pointed to as being a problem for both users and developers:
In Cook’s view, the incompatibilities between various Android versions make each an entirely different species. The Android operating systems are “not the latest ones by the time people buy,” he says. A recent survey of smartphones sold by AT&T showed 25 Android handsets; six did not have the latest operating system. “And so by the time they exit, they’re using an operating system that’s three or four years old. That would be like me right now having in my pocket iOS 3. I can’t imagine it.
Fragmentation creates complexity and what Cook calls a “compounding problem.” “It will show up in developers,” he says. “It will show up for people that no longer have access to certain apps. It will show up in security issues because if you’re not moving your customer base to the latest version, then you have to go back and plug holes in all of this old stuff, and people don’t really do that to a great degree.”
The Apple CEO also spoke about the rise and fall of mobile electronics maker Nokia:
If one part of Nokia’s story is validating, the other is cautionary. When Apple got into the mobile business, it was Nokia’s world. The Finnish company was considered something of a miracle worker. “I’m old enough to remember when Nokia had margins of 25 percent, and there was absolutely no way they were going to be dislodged from their leadership position,” says Kuittinen of research firm Alekstra. Says Cook, “I think [Nokia] is a reminder to everyone in business that you have to keep innovating and that to not innovate is to die.”
Cook last spoke to Bloomberg Businessweek in December 2012, and discussed the management shakeup at Apple initiated by the departure of former iOS chief Scott Forstall, stating that the changes were “driven by desire for increased collaboration.” Apple will begin selling the lower-cost iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s tomorrow, September 20, throughout its retail stores and online store.
Apple has taken its Asia-Pacific online stores offline for the time being, preparing for the launch of iPhone 5s orders in several markets there. Unlike with the iPhone 5c pre-order launch last week which took place at a uniform 12:01 AM Pacific Time, the iPhone 5s online order launches are staggered around the world in order to accommodate the in-store launches happening in many of the same countries at 8:00 AM local time.
The first online orders for the iPhone 5s should be going live in those Asian countries (Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore) in about two and a half hours, as Apple had notified its Australian customers that orders would begin at 2:01 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time.
Other markets will see similar overnight launches for online orders, with Apple having informed UK customers that orders would begin at 12:01 AM British Summer Time and U.S. customers that orders would begin at 12:01 AM Pacific Time.
Apple today began offering refurbished units of its mid-2013 11-inch MacBook Air models in its online store. The move comes a little over three months after they were announced in June, and both stock configurations are currently available. The current 13-inch MacBook Air has yet to appear in Apple's store for refurbished products.
Both models include Intel's Haswell processors and "all-day" battery life along with 4GB of RAM, and are offered at a 15% discount off of Apple's prices for brand-new units. The 128GB model is available for $849, a $150 discount from the standard price of $999, while the 256GB model is available for $1,019, a $180 discount from the standard $1,199 price.
Apple's refurbished units come equipped with the same one-year warranty that brand-new products carry and have been thoroughly tested for reliability. The units also come with brand-new batteries and outer shells.
Apple released iOS 7 to the public earlier today and while we highlighted a number of the major features in the operating system, there are more than 200 changes in all, including hundreds of minor tweaks and improvements. We’ve gathered up a list of some of the lesser known iOS 7 features below and additional information about iOS 7 can be found in our iOS 7 forum and our post on the iOS 7 release.
Control Center: The new Control Center can be accessed by swiping upwards from the bottom of the screen. It includes quick access buttons for AirPlane, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Orientation Lock, and Do Not Disturb mode. It can also be used to adjust brightness and open apps like Calculator, Clock, and Camera. There’s even a built-in flashlight. Control Center can be disabled/enabled within apps or on the lock screen via Settings > Control Center.
Notification Center: Notification Center is accessed by swiping downwards from the very top of the screen. Choose what is displayed in Notification Center by accessing the option in the Settings menu. It can display Calendar events, Reminders, Stocks, and daily summaries. It is also able to provide location based information such as weather and driving times. Tapping on the temperature within Notification Center will open the weather app, and Notification Tabs can be swiped to change windows as well.
Weather App: Tap on the temperature within the weather app to reveal additional information like humidity, chance of rain, and wind speed. Temperature is also now displayed in the Notification Center, as long as Location Services for the Weather app are turned on, accessible through Settings > Privacy.
Automatic App Updates: In iOS 7, apps can update automatically. To turn this feature on and off, access Settings > iTunes & App Store. This setting is turned off by default, but when it is on, app updates will be downloaded and applied automatically without the need to visit the App Store and update manually. This saves time, but it does not allow users to pick and choose updates.
Turning off Location Data: To prevent Notification Center and other apps from using location-based data, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services to turn off options like Frequent Locations and location based iAds, which are new features found within iOS 7. Frequent Locations is a function that will store location histories in order to provide information to various apps.
Spotlight Search: Spotlight, which allows users to open apps and locate both files and information, can now be accessed by swiping downwards on any app page. Previously, it had a dedicated screen that was accessed by swiping left on the home screen.
Closing/Switching Apps: Double tapping on the home button now brings up a display of apps that are currently running. Users can switch between apps by tapping on an app card, or close apps that are running with an upwards swipe. Multiple apps can be closed at once by swiping with more than one finger on the screen.
Lock Screen: Both the Control Center and the Notification Center can be accessed from the lock screen for user convenience. Swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen to open Control Center, and swipe downwards from the top to access Notification Center. The camera can also be quickly accessed from the lock screen by swiping upwards on the Camera icon.
Folder Size: Folders are now able to support multiple pages and can hold more apps than before. Swipe left or right to access different pages within a folder. Folders have also been made translucent and blend in better with the background of the device. Apple's Newsstand app can also be put away into a folder now.
Siri: Siri can now pull up restaurant reviews, toggle settings, search for images, post to Facebook, play Voicemail, and access tweets. Siri will now attempt to learn the pronunciation of difficult names and Siri also has a new male voice that can be accessed through Settings > General > Siri > Voice Gender.
iMessage/SMS Time Stamps: Time stamps within iMessage are now available. Pull to the left within on a speech bubble within the app to see when a text or message was sent or received.
Background App Refresh:: Apps are able to refresh their content in the background in iOS 7, keeping them up-to-date at all times. This can be toggled on and off for individual apps by accessing Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Disabling Background App Refresh can potentially increase battery life, so it is best to limit this function to apps that are used often.
Go Back Gesture: There's a new system-wide gesture that can be used to go back to the previous window, which is especially useful in Safari. Swipe to the right from the very left edge of the screen to use the gesture.
Names in Messages: The way names are displayed within Messages can be changed in iOS 7. Go to Settings > Mail Contacts and Calendars > Short Name (Under Contacts) to select an option. Choices include first name and last initial, full name, and first name only.
Closing Safari Tabs: Safari in iOS 7 has a new tabbed layout. Tabbed pages can be closed quickly by swiping the page to the left.
Ringtones and Sounds: iOS 7 adds a slew of newly redesigned ringtones and system sounds, which can be accessed via Settings > Sounds.
AirDrop: AirDrop can be used to wirelessly transfer files between the iPhone 5 and later, the fourth-generation iPad, the iPad mini, and the fifth-generation iPod touch. It does not work with earlier devices (there will be no AirDrop option in the Control Center) or with AirDrop on the Mac.
Private Browsing in Safari: Private browsing is no longer turned on within system settings. Instead, when a new window is created within the browser, the "Private" button can be tapped to initiate a private browsing session. Do Not Track can be enabled within Settings > Safari.
Clock: The Clock icon now displays the correct time. Within the Clock app, world clocks will display as black for places where the sun has set, and white where the sun remains up. Times can also be swapped from digital to analog by tapping on the city name.
Maps: When viewing turn-by-turn directions, Maps automatically switches from day to night mode using both the current time and ambient light sensor to judge which is more appropriate.
Deleting Bookmarks in Safari: Swipe left on bookmarked pages to quickly delete them. This also works in Reading List.
Dynamic Font Sizes: A system-wide font size can be selected for apps that support it. To change the font, access Settings > General > Text Size.
Block Phone Numbers: Specific contacts and phone numbers can be blocked within iOS 7. Go to Settings > Phone > Blocked to add contacts that will be prevented from calling (sending the calls to voicemail), FaceTiming, and sending messages.
Level: The Compass app now includes a built-in level that can be accessed by swiping to the right on the main screen of the app. Double tap on the Level screen in order to zero it out at any angle.
App Downloads: Blue dots are used to denote apps that have been newly downloaded or updated, and a new app installation animation has been introduced with iOS 7.
Cellular Data Usage: iOS 7 provides an overview of the amount of data that each app uses. Go to Seeings > Cellular and scroll down to the bottom to view the amount of data that apps are using. It is also possible to toggle Cellular Data usage on and off for specific apps that are eating up a significant amount of data when on a Cellular connection.
Turn Off Parallax: iOS 7's slight motion effect, termed parallax, shows up when an iPad or iPhone is slightly tilted. Parallax can be disabled by accessing Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion. Turning this setting on will disable the parallax motion effects.
iTunes Radio: iTunes Radio can be accessed from within the Music app. It is currently only available for users located in the United States, though it works for users outside of the U.S. as long as they have a U.S. iTunes account.
Camera: The Camera app includes new photo filters, which can be applied to the live view. Tap on the colored dots at the bottom of the screen to access the new filters, and swipe on the screen itself to switch between Video, Photo, Square (takes an Instagram-sized image) and Panoramic modes. Focusing photos can also be done by pressing the volume up button rather than tapping on the screen.
Photo Sharing: Tapping on the Photos tab within the Photo app will open a new organizational system divided into Years, Collections, and Moments. Tapping on a Year, and then a Collection within a Year will display photos taken throughout the course of the year, which are divided into Moments. Entire Moments, which are essentially different events, can be shared all at once (via AirDrop, Messages Mail, Facebook and Flickr) rather than on an individual basis.
In iOS 7, Siri can change a number of settings on the iPhone, including toggling Bluetooth on and off or changing the screen brightness. As one MacRumors reader noticed, Siri can also activate Airplane Mode, even if a passcode lock is set, allowing a thief to effectively disable Find My iPhone on a stolen device.
However, Apple has added some extensive security features to deter phone theft in iOS 7, most notably the Activation Lock feature that prevents a lost or stolen iPhone from being activated without the Apple ID password used to erase the phone.
Activation Lock makes it so that even if a phone is stolen, Find My iPhone disabled, and then erased, the phone is still unable to be activated and used without the proper Apple ID.
Update: Commenters have noted that users can also turn Airplane Mode on from the Control Center by swiping up from the lock screen. Lock screen Control Center access can be disabled from the Settings/Control Center panel. Find My iPhone can also be effectively disabled by turning the phone off.
As part of a new 3.0 update for iCloud Control Panel for Windows, Apple has created new browser plugins for both the Chrome and Firefox Windows apps. Using the plugins, Windows users can now sync their iOS Safari bookmarks with the Chrome and Firefox browsers. Previously, browser syncing was limited to Internet Explorer.
iCloud keeps mail, contacts, and calendars up to date between your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Windows PC, and lets you share calendars and task lists.
iCloud also keeps your Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Google Chrome bookmarks on Windows in sync with your Safari bookmarks on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac.
With My Photo Stream, iCloud automatically downloads the photos you take with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your PC, — and any photos you add to My Photo Stream are automatically available on your other devices set up with iCloud.
You can also share photos and videos with just the people you choose, and invite friends to add their own photos, videos, and comments with iCloud Photo Sharing.
Note: To create an iCloud account you need an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5 or later, or a Mac with OS X Lion v10.7.5 or later. Microsoft Outlook 2007 or later or an up-to-date browser is required for accessing email, contacts, and calendars. The iCloud Bookmarks extension is required for syncing bookmarks with Firefox or Google Chrome.
iCloud Control Panel can be downloaded from Apple's website. The new Chrome and Firefox extensions can be downloaded from their respective websites.
With iOS 7, Apple now allows app downloads up to 100MB over cellular connections, prompting users to connect to Wi-Fi for larger apps. Apple previously boosted the limit to 50MB with the launch of the third-generation iPad in March 2012. Before that, users could only download 20MB apps over a cellular connection.
Developers frequently work hard to keep their apps under the over-the-air download limit, as they believe going over that limit can reduce the likelihood of spontaneous purchases.
Following the public release of iOS 7, Apple has added a new "Designed for iOS 7" section to its App Store. The section highlights apps that have been updated or released with an iOS 7-style design, including notable offerings like Evernote, OmniFocus 2, and Perfect Weather, a new app released yesterday.
Apps in the section can be organized by name and release date, and there’s also a "Featured" tab that highlights prominent apps like Zillow and NBC. Currently, there are approximately 45 apps in the list, and more will presumably be added as updates from developers go live. We have also created a roundup featuring details on a multitude of iOS 7 app updates.
Apple's list of apps that support iOS 7 can be accessed on the front page of the App Store on the iPad or the iPhone and through the iTunes App Store. Apple is also highlighting a number of newly released iOS 7 games, including Angry Birds Star Wars II and Infinity Blade III, which has been optimized for both iOS 7 and the upcoming iPhone 5s.
Though iOS 7 was released this morning, Apple’s servers appear to be overwhelmed, preventing some users from obtaining the update. iOS 7 can be downloaded via iTunes or over-the-air, as detailed in our iOS 7 post.
Apple will use sapphire home buttons on the new iPad and iPad mini, expected to launch next month, according to a report from DigiTimes.
Apple first adopted sapphire to make covers of iPhone 5 cameras and now the material is also used in making covers of iPhone 5S finger print-recognizing home keys, the sources noted. Apple in March 2013 filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office an application concerning high-temperature lamination of sapphire layers, the sources noted.
The report goes on to note that Apple may be looking to adopt sapphire for the front screen of the next iPhone to be launched in 2014.
The most likely reason for a sapphire home button would be to add the Touch ID fingerprint sensor to the iPad, while a sapphire screen for the iPhone, while likely being an extremely expensive part, would make the screen virtually immune to scratching.
Following the release of its "Plastic Perfected" ad earlier this week, Apple has just released another iPhone 5c ad entitled "Designed Together".
The 55-second spot highlights how iOS 7, the iPhone 5c, and Apple's iPhone 5c cases complement each other in color and design. The soundtrack for the ad is Lemaitre's "1:18". [iTunes Store]
Apple's iPhone 5c launches Friday with deliveries of pre-orders as well as the start of in-store sales.
The sequel to Rovio's original Angry Birds Star Wars game has just hit the App Store following the public launch of iOS 7. Angry Birds Star Wars IIis based on the “Star Wars” movie prequels and allows players to join either the Pork Federation or the “Pork Side” to play as the pig Darth Maul, Emperor Palpatine, and more.
Angry Birds Star Wars II includes more than 30 playable characters along with support for Telepods, allowing users to place Angry Birds Star Wars figurines on the front-facing camera of a device to unlock new birds within the game.
Our sister site TouchArcade has published a detailed review of Angry Birds Star Wars II, describing the game mechanics, in-app purchases, and more.
It's tricky reviewing Angry Birds games now, as I'm really not sure what can be said anymore about these games that we haven't already in reviewing the half dozen or so other Angry Birds games. Everyone knows how they play, everyone knows the premise, and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't at least tried (and vaguely enjoyed) an Angry Birds game.
Like its gaming forefathers, Angry Birds Star Wars II is a great game. There's a reason why the Angry Birds global dynasty exists, and that's because Rovio knows how to make killer video games that appeal to gamers of all types and all ages. ABSII is fun as heck regardless of whether you're just breezing through levels with the included birds, or slamming your head against the three star wall. Even calling it a "refinement" of the originals seems weird, as Rovio perfected the Angry Birds formula years ago.
iOS 7 has just been released to the public and a slew of apps are being updated with redesigns, new features, and support for Apple's revamped operating system. We've detailed some of the most notable iOS 7 app updates below and will continue to add new app updates throughout the day.
Pocket, the popular read-it-later app, has been updated with a feature that allows the app to automatically sync saved articles in the background, meaning the app will always be up-to-date when it is opened. It also includes a new reading view with edge-to-edge images.
OmniFocus 2 replaces the original OmniFocus app for the iPhone. The app has an entirely refreshed user interface that takes many stylistic cues from iOS 7, featuring a clean white design and bright accent colors. Navigation has been re-imagined to make it easier to save ideas and track goals. OmniFocus 2 syncs with OmniFocus for iPad and OmniFocus for Mac.
Google’s Gmail app app has gained an updated icon, an enhanced attachment experience that includes larger thumbnails and improved integration with Google apps that allows Google Drive and Google+ links to go directly to the app if installed.
Flipboard’s iOS 7 update incorporates Apple’s new parallax feature to “bring magazine covers to life.” It also offers the ability to delete comments within personal magazines and includes additional report functionality for reporting inappropriate users and comments.
Foursquare has been redesigned for iOS 7 with a new icon and a revamped user interface. Functionality remains largely the same, but the app now supports iOS 7.
Amazon’s Kindle app has been updated to version 4.0, introducing a complete iOS 7-style redesign that includes flatter controls, translucency effects, and side-out menus. The app also includes Collections, giving customers a way to better organize their libraries.
Evernote has been entirely redesigned for iOS 7, introducing a cleaner, sparser interface that eliminates tabs and shadows of previous versions for a home screen that displays notes, notebooks, tags, shortcuts, and announcements all in one place.
New Quicknote features have been introduced on a bar at the bottom of the home screen, allowing users to quickly launch a new note, snap a photo, create a reminder or make a task list. Image and PDF markup features from Skitch are also present in the new version of the app.
Skype has been updated with video and voice call improvements along with the ability to join group voice calls from the iPad or the iPhone. The dial pad has also been improved and accessibility improvements are bundled into the update as well.
Google’s Chrome app has been updated to version 30, adding a new look for iOS 7. Improvements to fullscreen behavior have been added to the iPad version of the app, and there’s a new settings interface. Maps and email links will also now launch within Google Maps and Gmail if the apps are installed.
Real Estate by Zillow has been optimized for iOS 7, introducing a redesigned app that brings important information like basic home facts and photographs to the forefront of each listing, simplifying the process of searching for a home.
Twitter for iOS has received a small update that introduces a slight redesign, including a flatter toolbar and new buttons. Other than the modified look, the app is largely the same, but Twitter is said to be preparing a much bigger update that will be released sometime in the future.
Instapaper has been updated to version 5.0, adding a new iOS 7-style look to the app. "Read Later" articles can now be sorted by date, article length, and more, and articles can also be filtered by reading time. There's an improved sepia theme, along with improved parsing abilities and a darker splash screen that introduces a better night reading experience.
Facebook's iOS 7 update includes a new row of tabs at the bottom of the screen, in order to improve navigation throughout the app. Several of the icons within the app have also been revamped.
Google is launching a new, entirely separate company called Calico. The firm will be dedicated to tacking major, long-term healthcare initiatives like significantly extending the human lifespan.
Calico will be helmed by Arthur Levinson, the chairman and former CEO of biotech firm Genentech. Levinson is also a longtime board member and Chairman of Apple, and a director of Hoffmann-La Roche, a Swiss healthcare and pharmaceutical firm.
In a Google press release, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about Art Levinson, who will remain on the board at Apple:
Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer of Apple, said: "For too many of our friends and family, life has been cut short or the quality of their life is too often lacking. Art is one of the crazy ones who thinks it doesn’t have to be this way. There is no one better suited to lead this mission and I am excited to see the results."
The magazine spoke to Google CEO and co-founder Larry Page about the venture, which Page hopes can take a moonshot and perhaps solve some major health issues by looking at long-term healthcare R&D that isn't based on quarter-by-quarter profits.
"In some industries, it takes ten or 20 years to go from an idea to something being real. Healthcare is certainly one of those ares," said Page. "Maybe we should shoot for the things that are really, really important so ten or 20 years from now we have those things done."
Calico will be an entirely separate entity from Google, operating outside the Google X research arm that is responsible for Google Glass and the company's self-driving car project.
Realmac Software today launched a new version of its to-do app Clear, which features iPad support for the first time. The universal app has also been redesigned for iOS 7, adding some subtle UI tweaks along with a number of new features.
Clear for iOS 7 includes a flatter look to match the design of Apple’s operating system, along with a lighter, thinner font. The app has been created to take advantage of the parallax feature in iOS 7 and it also includes several new themes for a customized look.
iCloud support has been bundled into the new app, which means it is able to sync between multiple devices. Clear for iOS 7 also syncs with both Clear for Mac and the previous iOS 6 version of Clear.
Say hello to Clear for iOS 7 - available for iPhone, iPod touch and (finally!) iPad in one Universal app. We hope you enjoy the refined UI that feels right at home on iOS 7, some new themes and iPad-only features:
-List Peek - Pull down with two fingers to preview a list in the sidebar. -Easily move tasks between lists -Even easier-to-find Settings - just swipe from the left edge of the screen!
Clear for iPhone also now shows you the list name when you’re viewing a set of tasks.
Clear for iOS 7 is a new app and not an update to the iOS 6 version of the app, which means both new and old users must re-purchase. Realmac is currently offering the new app for $2.99, discounted from its regular price of $4.99.
Clear is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for $2.99. [Direct Link]
Apple has just released iOS 7 to the public, making the download available to users of recent iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch models. Users can obtain the update either by connecting their devices to iTunes and clicking the "Check for Update" button or checking for over-the-air updates on their devices via Settings -> General -> Software Update. It may, however, take a few minutes for the update to propagate to all users.
iOS 7 adds more than 200 new features, the biggest being a top-to-bottom redesign of the user interface. Other new features include Control Center, a panel that slides up from the bottom of any screen that allows settings like Bluetooth and AirPort to be toggled on and off, a number of new camera features, a new multitasking screen, AirDrop, iTunes Radio and more.
Nothing we’ve ever created has been designed just to look beautiful. That’s approaching the opportunity from the wrong end. Instead, as we reconsidered iOS, our purpose was to create an experience that was simpler, more useful, and more enjoyable — while building on the things people love about iOS. Ultimately, redesigning the way it works led us to redesign the way it looks. Because good design is design that’s in service of the experience.
iOS 7 is compatible with the iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini, and fifth-generation iPod touch. It will also ship on the iPhone 5c and 5s, which will be available for sale on Friday. The release arrives as golden master build 11A470a.
Update: Apple also released iOS 7.0.1 just for the iPhone 5c and 5s to fix a few bugs ahead of their public launch on Friday. That version has a build number of 11A466.
Update 2: Many readers are reporting issues with the over-the-air iOS update mechanism, suggesting Apple's servers may be overwhelmed with traffic.
Ahead of today's release of iOS 7, Apple has just released iTunes 11.1 with support for iTunes Radio (U.S. only at launch), Genius Shuffle, and more.
This version of iTunes comes with several major new features, including:
iTunes Radio. iTunes Radio is a great new way to discover music. Choose from over 250 stations or start a new one from your favorite artist or song. Enjoy iTunes Radio ad-free once you subscribe to iTunes Match.
Genius Shuffle. Introducing a magical new way to experience your music library. Choose Genius Shuffle and iTunes instantly plays songs that go great together. Click it again to hear something new—enjoying your music has never been this easy.
Podcast Stations. You can now create custom stations of your favorite podcasts that update automatically with new episodes. Your stations, subscriptions, and current play position sync over iCloud to the Podcasts app.
Sync with iOS 7. You can now use iTunes to sync your favorite music, movies, and more to devices with iOS 7. In addition, iTunes now makes it even easier to quickly organize and sync apps to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Note: If you are using OS X Mavericks, your book library can now be found in iBooks for Mac.
iTunes 11.1 is currently available through the iTunes download page and should be arriving in the Software Update tool within the Mac App Store shortly.
While Apple design guru Jony Ive and software engineering chief Craig Federighi were included in a Bloomberg Businessweek cover story published today, much of the focus of that piece was on CEO Tim Cook and his thoughts about Apple and the competition.
Disney has launched Disney Infinity: Toy Box for the iPad, a sandbox world creation game that acts as a companion to the recently released 
In a lengthy cover story interview with 
Apple will use sapphire home buttons on the new iPad and iPad mini, expected to launch next month, 
Google is launching a 
Ahead of today's release of iOS 7, Apple has just released iTunes 11.1 with support for iTunes Radio (U.S. only at launch), Genius Shuffle, and more.
