Yesterday saw the release of thousands of apps optimized, enhanced, or, in some cases, completely redesigned for iOS 7. At MacStories, we highlighted several apps that were ready for the OS’ rollout such as Pocket, OmniFocus 2, or Instacast 4, and then we fired up iTunes – or simply waited for automatic updates to do their magic on iOS 7 – and checked out all the other apps that were also released yesterday. In this post, I thought I could offer a quick overview of iOS 7 updates from four big-name companies: Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, and Google. Read more
USA Today Interviews Jony Ive and Craig Federighi→
I found USA Today’s interview to be a much better read than Businessweek’s. Only Ive and Federighi spoke with USA Today’s Marco della Cava, but the interview is full of interesting tidbits, such as the fact that Apple’s teams “sat down” to work on iOS 7 in November 2012, or how Federighi describes the thinking behind the new OS:
“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.”
Naturally, Federighi omitted that iOS 7 was also released for the iPad 2 and iPad mini, which don’t have Retina displays.
A personal favorite of mine: what Jony Ive drinks during interviews.
Ive rocks excitedly, then leans forward. Could be the espresso he’s just set down.
Apple Launches “Kids” App Store Category
Following iOS 7’s public launch yesterday, Apple today officially opened a new “Kids” App Store category that parents and teachers can use to “quickly find apps that are perfect for children”. The category is available now by browsing the App Store on an iOS device or computer running iTunes.
First announced at WWDC in June alongside iOS 7’s developer debut, the Kids category is aimed at facilitating the process of finding apps and games based on age ratings. The category is curated by Apple editors, who, according to the company, “search the App Store for the best apps in each age group — up to 11 years old”.
The Kids category is, unlike other App Store categories, divided in age ratings: at the top, there’s Apple’s typical carousel of featured apps and sections, with shortcuts to “Best for Ages 5 & Under”, “Best for Ages 6-8”, and “Best for Ages 9-11” areas listed below. According to developers we contacted earlier this month, Apple started requesting additional artwork for promotional materials for the Kids category in the summer, and there is, indeed, a rich selection of games and apps already available in the category today.
Besides featured apps and age ratings, Apple has also created Kids-specific sections to group related apps and games, such as “Create & Play”, “Shapes & Colors”, and “First Words & Numbers”. Each section comes with custom graphics and a selection of apps curated by Apple editors.
Apple’s focus on making iOS devices more accessible for younger generations, teachers, and parents isn’t new, and the Kids category is the culmination of Apple’s efforts to curate App Store software suitable for children.
Businessweek Interviews Cook, Ive, and Federighi→
On the launch week of iOS 7, the iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5c, Businessweek scored an interview with Apple’s top executives. The interview doesn’t focus on the new iPhones or thinking behind iOS 7, it’s not very long, and it dwells a bit too much on the implications behind Android’s market share and the old Apple-Microsoft war in the 90s.
But there are some good bits, such as this one:
The line against Apple is that its pace of innovation is off, but Ive and Federighi dismiss that. The two are keen to point out not just new features, but also the deep layers of integration that went into each one. Of the 5S’s fingerprint scanner, Ive says, “there are so many problems that had to be solved to enable one big idea.” Without mentioning competitors (Samsung), it’s clear the two executives think some of what passes for innovation is illusory at best. “We didn’t start opportunistically with 10 bits of technology that we could try to find a use for to add to our features list,” Ive says.
Federighi jumps in: “New? New is easy. Right is hard.”
Feedly Opens Up API→
From the Feedly blog:
Millions of users depend on their feedly for inspiration, information, and to feed their mind. But one size does not fit all. Individuals have different workflows, different habits, and different devices. In our efforts to evolve feedly from a product to a platform, we have therefore decided to open up the feedly API. Effective immediately, developers are welcome to deliver new applications, experiences, and innovations via the feedly cloud. We feel strongly that this will help to accelerate innovation and better serve our users.
API documentation here. I’m looking forward to playing with this in the next couple of weeks.
Taking Developers Along For The Ride→
Matthew Panzarino talked to several developers of third-party iOS apps about the importance of iOS 7 and what it means for the developer community. The background on the deeply-reimagined Evernote app (by CEO Phil Libin himself) is fascinating.
iOS 7 and VoiceOver→
A great overview of Apple’s improvements to VoiceOver (and Accessibility in general) in iOS 7 by Josh de Lioncourt. I am not an Accessibility expert, but I keep hearing from smart people like Josh and Steven that Apple is far ahead than its competitors in this area.
Just by reading through the overview linked above, I was impressed by this tidbit about the Handwriting feature and how it integrates with Safari:
When in web content, such as in Safari, Handwriting mode has yet another use. Write a letter corresponding to a rotor option, and VoiceOver switches to that form of navigation. For example, writing “H” switches to Headings, and two-finger swipes up and down will move you through the headings on the page. Draw an “L”, and now you are navigating links. This will be particularly nice for users who keep a lot of items in their rotor and want a faster way to move through various HTML element types.
The accuracy of the recognition of this mode is superb, and with just a little practice, many users are likely to find they enjoy this form of text entry. Hats off to Apple for incorporating this in such a fluid and intuitive way.
For more on Accessibility, check out Apple’s main webpage, VoiceOver section, and developer page.
Fraser Speirs On iOS 7’s Web Filtering→
iOS 7 comes with solid additions for education and business users, and Fraser Speirs offers a good explanation of one of them, Web Filtering:
This feature impacts schools at a number of levels. While I don’t think it will allow schools to ditch the filtering on the school network, I think it will allow some relaxation of policy.
For schools that have disabled Safari in favour of some janky third-party filtered browser, it’s now feasible to allow Safari again. Similarly, schools which have implemented policies banning apps with embedded web views, that policy too can be relaxed since the filtering applies there too.
Apple Posts New “Designed Together” Commercial for iPhone 5c and iOS 7
Alongside the release of iOS 7 and a refresh of the App Store for newly updated iOS 7 apps, Apple has today posted a new commercial for the iPhone 5c and the new OS.
Called “Designed Together”, the commercial focuses on how the design of the iPhone 5c and iOS 7 complement each other in various ways. Apple’s message is that, with the iPhone 5c and iOS 7, the difference between hardware and software has been blurred, much like many aspects of its new operating system. There are playful animations that see iOS 7 features morphing into iPhone 5c hardware, and parts of the iPhone 5c’s colored shell becoming pieces of the iOS 7 interface.
The interplay between hardware and software is something that Apple has been remarking for the past week since the announcement of the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s, and it’s no surprise that the company is now promoting the idea to the general public through a fun, delightful ad.
You can watch the embedded video below. Read more