A new year means a new batch of iPhone rumors to come along with it. While word of the iPhone 5S are already spreading like wildfire with talk of multiple colors, NFC, and a bigger camera lens, my focus is more so on the software. I know that iOS 7 more than likely won’t come until the iPhone 6, I hope the company that innovated the smartphone arena continues to do so on the software side of things.
I have previously expressed my craving for more from Apple iOS that has yet to be fulfilled. I don’t think it is an unreasonable request. I am not asking for a complete redesign of the platform like Android did with Android 4.0 or Microsoft did with Windows Phone 7. You don’t want to make it difficult for developers who invested years into iOS to have to start from scratch. Just something to spice up my experience without the need to jailbreak or seek out a third-party developer via the App Store.
There are many hopes and dreams of what big changes iOS 7 will bring. I highly doubt Apple will incorporate a filing system within iOS, the ability to change default apps, or a native way to make your own ringtones without having to email it to yourself. I don’t expect a complete makeover more like visual/UI refinements. Some of these are my own, some are from others.
Multitasking
Probably the most note-worthy one is the Auxo app for jailbroken iPhones. Crafted by developer, Sentry, that really makes use of the extra screen real estate on the i5 that improves on Apple’s task switcher.
As you can see above, Auxo offers a better look of the apps while swapping, a better look at the music playback, brightness shortcut, and toggles for Screen Rotation/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/3G radio. This or at least a variation of this needs to make it to the newest version of iOS. There’s even a video to see it in action below.
As an alternative way to do this, there’s even a concept that brings OS X’s Mission Control to iOS as well. Someone by The Verge forum name of iSidney suggested the use of pressing the Home button twice to access it. The gif below shows you what it would look like.
Spotlight Search/Quick Settings
Along with the Mission Control, he added the Spotlight Search feature by swiping to the right which would reveal iOS Quick Settings to toggle radios (Wi-Fi, LTE, Bluetooth), Brightness, Sound and Do Not Disturb options seen below. Even if you are not a big fan of it, iPad owners would love it as it would achieve what slowing doing: making OS X and iOS into one seamless platform.
Live Icons
Apple made sure to have the Calendar icon work in real-time but what about the Clock, Photos, and Weather icons working as a live icon. Showing the correct time rather than always being 10:15 on the icon. Actually offer the current temperature for Weather. And for Photos maybe show a thumbnail of the last photo taken. Let’s make this happen. I’d truly take this feature over a widget but to each their own.
Notification Center
To go hand-in-hand with the Notification Center, the Banner is an easier way to execute a quick reply to a text/iMessage/email without going into the app itself. Especially when you want to just send a short response, this eliminates a step. A nice way to do more, effectively. This would help a ton to make Apple’s notifications as useful as Android’s. At the current time, it is not.
This is quite the pivotal time for Apple especially after recent departure of the former head of software, Scott Forstall, and leaves Apple’s hardware design guru, Jony Ive, in charge of software design. This changing of the guards is an opportune time to rollout a new look or new visual changes to the severely-dated iOS. I, for one, am rooting for a change but let us know how you feel about. Is OS fine the way it is or are you also frustrated by its look? And if you are frustrated, what new features would you add?
