Report: Apple to add 100 standalone stores, SWAS models to India

According to sources present at a confidential meeting between Apple India executives and the CEOs of 20 top retailers, the iPhone maker has bold plans to create 100 standalone franchise stores in the top 50 second- and third-tier markets in the country, and will also create "store within a store" (SWAS) experiences for smaller markets in a new partnership with India's top smartphone and consumer electronics chains, since Apple does not yet have any official stores there.

Apple India is looking to set up these stores within the current fiscal year, which for Apple began on October 1. The meeting between potential retail partners and Apple was held by Maneesh Dhir and Sanjay Kaul, reports the country's Economic Times newspaper, who have spent the last three years building an executive team, shifting the emphasis of resellers to the iPhone, lobbied to shorten the wait on new products arriving in India and built stronger relationships with the company's current 65 or so exclusive partner stores.

By the end of 2015, the iPad maker plans to have some 200 franchise stores, and Dhir and Kaul used the meeting to unveil new plans to focus on the iPhone, the iPad and the iPod touch as part of the expansion of retail outlets. The company has made some proposals to the larger retail chains, it was revealed, and is actively scouting for additional franchise partners. Apple's strategy appears to favor rapid expansion in India ahead of any attempts to build its own network of official Apple Stores, at least in the short term.

The plan is reminiscent of Apple's dependence on independent exclusive resellers during the company's pre-Apple Store days. The strategy allowed Apple to have retail and repair presences throughout many countries without the expense of maintaining its own retail chain. Once former CEO Steve Jobs and former retail head Ron Johnson hit upon an ideal store configuration, the company began to build what is today a nearly 415-strong network of official stores, displacing resellers in some cities while strengthening independent stores and SWAS retailers in areas where Apple hadn't or wouldn't put its own stores.

The plans revealed to the paper through sources who attended the meeting make no mention of Apple opening any of its own stores in India at present, though the company's increasing focus on the region suggests that a a few top-tier markets may eventually see flagship openings on part with those in China or Japan. Apple has been experiencing some success with growing the iPhone brand in the Android-dominated country through aggressive marketing, rebate and trade-in programs, as well as experimenting with payment plans to help transition the country's dominant prepaid market into a postpaid model.

by MacNN Staff

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First Android 4.4 KitKat images show mobile payments option

The first images of the next version of Android may have been revealed. Photographs of a smartphone running what is claimed to be an earlier build of Android 4.4, complete with pre-KitKat images representing the previous Key Lime Pie name, appears to hint at a few of the features that will come in the next version of the mobile operating system.

The shots from Gadget Helpline show a new printing option in the settings menu, possibly via Google Cloud Print. Mobile payments makes an appearance in the settings as well, and will likely have Google Wallet integration. The Manage Mobile Plan setting could possibly allow the user to dictate how their smartphone uses cellular data, and could possibly direct users to their carrier's online account management system.

Superficially, there appears to be little in the way of major changes to the interface. A refreshed dialing screen, notification bar icons in white, and extra photo editing options also appear in the build.

Though the build appears to be dating back to late August, it is possible that the eventual final version heading to devices could have even more changes than the ones shown in the photographs.

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iOS 7 upgrade breaks supervision profiles, schools complain

Upgrading iPads to iOS 7 has inadvertently wiped out supervision profiles, a number of schools are complaining. The profiles are meant to restrict what students can access online, and give IT administrators remote management privileges. Without them in effect, students can access anything while away from a schools's Wi-Fi network, including content schools and parents might deem offensive or inappropriate.

One school district, Colorado's Manitou Springs School District 14, says it has taken to collecting iPads from students at the end of each day rather than let them use the devices freely at home. Take-home privileges will only be restored once profiles are as well.

Manitou adds that it has even gone to the extent of collecting hundreds of upgraded iPads, wiping them, and then reinstalling the apps and student that was originally on them. At other schools, some IT admins have altered DNS settings to prevent iPads from checking for iOS 7 and/or performing an over-the-air upgrade. "That helped us to keep a lot of our iPads running iOS 6.1.3. We plan to maintain those settings until Apple addresses the issue," an anonymous admin tells AllThingsD.

"Some business and education users have reported that their supervised devices have reverted to unsupervised when they upgrade to iOS 7,? responds Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller. "We are aware of this issue, and will have a fix this month."

by MacNN Staff

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Court: Samsung has illicit access to Apple-Nokia licensing terms

Samsung executives obtained illicit access to the terms of licensing agreements between Apple and Nokia, and at least Apple is requesting sanctions, according to an Apple v. Samsung court order from Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal. The licensing terms were contained in a non-redacted document marked for use by outside legal counsel with the phrase "Highly Confidential -- Attorneys' Eyes Only." Nokia's Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Paul Melin, charges however that on June 4th, Samsung executives ended up using the document in a negotiation session with his company.

During that meeting, Samsung executive Dr. Seungho Ahn is said to have exploited the document as a negotiating tactic. "Specifically, according to Mr. Melin," the court order reads, "Dr. Ahn stated that Apple had produced the Apple-Nokia license in its litigation with Samsung, and that Samsung?s outside counsel had provided his team with the terms of the Apple-Nokia license. Mr. Melin recounts that to prove to Nokia that he knew the confidential terms of the Apple-Nokia license, Dr. Ahn recited the terms of the license, and even went so far as to tell Nokia that 'all information leaks.'"

The document traces back to the fact discovery process during the original Apple v. Samsung case, between August 2011 and March 2012. In particular, Apple divulged agreements with Nokia, Sharp, Ericsson, and Phillips. Samsung's counsel -- lawfirm Quinn Emanuel -- is said to have sent the company a draft of a report created by an expert witness, Dr. David J. Teece. Teece included the key points of the four Apple licensing agreements, which should have been redacted by Quinn Emanuel, but weren't for whatever reason.

The report ended up on a Samsung FTP server, and an email explaining how to access the document was sent out to a Quinn Emanuel client distribution list meant to provide Samsung updates about the case. "The information was then sent, over several different occasions, to over fifty Samsung employees, including high-ranking licensing executives," the court order continues. "Specifically, on at least four occasions between March 24, 2012 and December 21, 2012, Samsung's outside counsel emailed a copy of some version of the report to Samsung employees, as well as various counsel representing Samsung in courts and jurisdictions outside the United States."

Grewal notes that he can't say with certainty if Melin's statements are accurate because Samsung isn't providing information that could offer a full account. "Unfortunately, the court cannot say, because Samsung has elected not to provide the court with any sworn testimony from Dr. Ahn or anyone else at the meeting," Grewal explains. "Samsung also has failed to supply the court with any evidence at all regarding other uses of the Apple-Nokia license, or those of the other confidential licenses. In fact, despite acknowledging that many dozens of individuals at Samsung and its other counsel have knowledge of confidential license terms that they had no right to access, at yesterday?s hearing, Samsung?s counsel repeatedly denied even one violation of the protective order, asserting that such a violation can only occur willfully."

Samsung is holding that formal discovery into the matter is unnecessary. The company is also apparently unable to provide details on who had access to the document, what it was used for, and how and when it was used, but claims it's working on the issue. Samsung has agreed to provide Apple with a log of documents generated as a consequence of the Teece report; it intends to use a collection protocol it negotiated with Nokia in a separate case, however, something that Grewal opposes. The court order demands that Samsung supply at least some emails and other communication relating to the leaked document's distribution, plus depositions by Ahn and other Samsung workers who had file access. A follow-up hearing on possible sanctions is scheduled for October 22nd.

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Lavabit SSL keys requested by US government, reveal unsealed documents

Encrypted e-mail service Lavabit was pressured by the FBI to provide private SSL keys for all of its traffic, according to unsealed court documents that provide more details about the service's shutdown. The Texas e-mail provider's refusal to provide details about one specific account, believed to be that of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, forced the courts to threaten daily fines and possible imprisonment if it continued to disobey the FBI's order.

The original "pen register" request from the FBI asked that Lavabit provide "information about each communication sent or received by the account," including meta data such as the time of the message, method, source, and destination, according to Wired. Lavabit refused to comply with this June 28th order, claiming that the user had "enabled Lavabit's encryption services" and so it would not be possible. Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan ordered for Lavabit to complete the pen register request, with the threat of criminal contempt.

By July 9th, prosecutors asked for the company and founder Ladar Levison to be held in contempt for disobeying the orders. One week later, a search warranted was obtained, requesting "all information necessary to decrypt communications sent to or from the Lavabit e-mail account" owned by the user "including encryption keys and SSL keys." This second request would have allowed for the FBI to decrypt and monitor all Lavabit traffic, though the unsealed documents state that it would just be for this same metadata.

At a closed-door court appearance on August 1st, Lavabit fought the new order, claiming that the privacy of "over 400,000 individuals and entities" was at stake, though Levison was seemingly willing to comply with the first order rather than the second, more potentially damaging version. Unfortunately, the US government wanted to go along with the second, claiming Levison had "every opportunity to propose solutions to come up with ways to address his concerns," and assuring the court that data picked up would be filtered to just collect the data they require.

Senior US District Court Judge Claude M. Hilton for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled in favor of the US government, and denied Lavabit's request to unseal records, citing an ongoing criminal investigation. Levison complied with the order by printing the private SSL keys onto 11 pages in 4-point type, but this was deemed "illegible," and Levison was compelled to provide something usable. On August 5th, the judge ruled that, unless Levison provided the keys, he would be fined $5,000 each day from August 6th onwards. Lavabit closed on August 8th.

Levison has responded to the unsealing of the documents, maintaining that the government has "no legal basis for demanding its confidential information," and that the proposed access "far exceeded the authority given to investigators by the pen trap and trace laws enacted by Congress." Since the shutdown, donations to the Lavabit Legal Defense Fund has hit $150,000, though Levison advises that funds of at least $250,000 would be needed if the case reaches the Supreme Court.

Shortly after Lavabit suspended operations, legal blog Groklaw also closed itself, citing the potential monitoring of e-mail by the NSA. Another encrypted e-mail provider, Silent Circle, stopped offering its Silent Mail services, under the fear of similar potential government legal issues to Lavabit.

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Cue: iTunes Festival artists perform for free, for fans and promotion

Apple's Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, has disclosed that artists who appear at the company's yearly iTunes Festival in London are not paid to do so, and use the free concert in London (at a venue that seats a relatively paltry 2,500 compared to the stadiums many of them regularly perform in) as both a chance to put on a show for the fans as well as an opportunity for worldwide exposure and promotion of their latest work.

Cue spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the hugely successful month-long festival, which drew 20 million requests for the 75,000 possible free tickets (which were drawn on a random lottery). It featured both massively popular acts like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Kings of Leon, Justin Timberlake and Elton John, usually paired with up-and-coming artists as openers who may nor may not be well-known.

Cue described the appeal to artists as being able to perform in a more intimate venue than they customarily do (the historic Roundhouse auditorium), and yet through streaming video obtain a worldwide audience -- meaning the show can be performed for hard-core fans and yet also be used to help promote the artist and their latest work. Music and videos of the performances can also be sold in the iTunes Store, though repeats of selected performances are available for free through the iTunes Festival app for a limited time.

"The artists come in, and they're not getting paid. They're here because they know that this is an opportunity for them to play for these fans and in many cases kind of go back to when they were starting out in a smaller venue, get really close and personal," Cue said. "You've got this venue that is truly historic and holds 2,500 people, so you're gonna see these artists that always play in much larger arenas. [Plus] it's all kinds of music. On one end, you've got Lady Gaga and on the other end you've got Ludovico, the Italian pianist."

There is something in the festival for Apple as well, which shoulders the costs of both staging the month-long series and webcasting it. The concert is exclusive to iTunes users and iOS device owners, giving Apple a hip edge with the younger demographic. Cue told EW that the company also tries to "pick a diversity of music ... we've got folks like Ellie Goulding, for example, who is now a headliner here ... if you go back about three or four years, she was actually one of the artists that played before she was a big star, and we've got a lot of those, [artists] that have started here."

Asked about how Apple measures "the level of success" of the iTunes Festival, Cue rejected the traditional measures of success such as sale of products or tickets sold and instead said the level of enthusiasm for the mostly-British audiences and reception among fans in other countries is what is driving it. "It really is special, because it's this combination of things that you just don't see -- there's no scalping. We got over 20 million requests for tickets, and so these are the lucky winners; they're huge fans of the artist."

"Obviously, it certainly helps when you watch somebody -- a lot of times you discover somebody or you get to hear their new songs from their new albums. We've had a lot of debut albums here this month, so that helps," Cue acknowledged. "But at the end of the day, it's a secondary piece. The primary thing is for them to get close with the fans and get fans to have that experience because over the long term that's going to help them in every way."

Asked about how the US-based (for now) iTunes Radio is coming along, Cue said that "the most important thing for me, what I was hoping for and what we've been working very hard to get, is what the quality of the feature is. At the end of the day, that's the most important. Part of it is we thought we had an advantage: We thought we could present radio stations for the first time to a customer that's really tailored to them."

He added that while Pandora or Spotify could be seen as competitors, "competition on anything is good, because it makes everybody better. Our goal is to be the best. We thought we could bring something that customers would love more than any other service out there and that's what we want to do, and certainly I think competition will make things better for everybody so we can get better and better at it."

On the topic of using iTunes radio to add to iTunes' reputation for turning "streaming album premieres" -- an increasingly popular promotional tool -- into pre-orders and sales, Cue indicated that such events would probably shift more to iTunes Radio than from the iTunes Store where such promotions had previously been located.

"For example, there's a Justin Timberlake album that's on iTunes Radio as of [last Thursday] for the first time, so the first time we ever premiered an album on there." Cue added that he thinks that "when you go to a store and you go to the Justin Timberlake page and stream it from there, that's great -- but that means you went to the store. iTunes Radio lets you discover it without you having to think about it."

by MacNN Staff

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Update: OS X Mavericks 'Golden Master' released to developers

After first releasing a build of the next major version of OS X exclusively to AppleSeed members that had dropped the words "Developer Preview" from the title, very late Thursday Apple sent developers the same build -- now labelled the "Golden Master" of Mavericks. Barring the discovery of any serious flaws, the version seeded tonight will be the final that is distributed to the public when OS X Mavericks (10.9) is formally released -- though the company has not yet announced a date.

Mavericks will sport a large number of minor and under-the-hood changes -- along with user enhancements like FaceTime Audio Calling, menubar and Dock support for multiple monitors, file tagging, tabs in Finder and a redesigned Calendar. It also boasts productivity and efficiency changes such as App Nap (which handles routine updates and maintenance during sleep), and Compressed Memory for additional speed. Other new features include iBooks for Mac, Apple Maps for Mac, a new and faster version of Safari, enhanced notifications and a wholly new feature called iCloud Keychain that syncs encrypted versions of users' various logins and other sensitive information across devices without allowing access to anyone other than the user.

The latter feature had been pulled from late betas and the final release of iOS 7 due to ongoing issues, prompting the company to put a "coming this fall" label on the iOS 7 web page. However, the tag has now been changed to "Coming Soon" and it appears that it will be included in the Mavericks release, suggesting the issues with it have been resolved. In addition to acting as a repository for passwords and other important information, the keychain can also create "strong" passwords and keep them available, while the user has to only remember the master password to unlock the keychain.

Alongside the GM of Mavericks, Apple also delivered a Golden Master of Xcode 5.0.1 which is expected to debut alongside the Mac OS update. Industry watchers widely expect the new version to be released sometime this month, possibly alongside updated Haswell-sporting MacBook Pros and even the long-awaited Mac Pro. Pricing on Mavericks has not been announced, but Apple has sold the last two download-only OS X upgrades for $20 exclusively through the Mac App Store.

by MacNN Staff

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Bang & Olufsen 65-inch full-HD integrated audio/visual system launched

Bang & Olufsen has launched a new 65-inch plasma television line that the company says will "take both sound and vision into a new era." The BeoVision 12-65 New Generation 1080P television boasts a motorised floor stand in some configurations to move the 65-inch Bang & Olufsen flagship screen to the user's favorite viewing position on command, as well as a discrete "video engine" that can be installed in a different location than the television.

A dedicated centre channel speaker integrated below the screen is included as standard as part of a full 7.1 surround sound module. The BeoVision 12 New Generation includes a number of dedicated sound modes designed to automatically optimize the film viewing, gaming or dedicated music playback for users. Custom profiles can be configured as well.

The controlling BeoSystem 4 video engine is placed in a dedicated cabinet that can be placed in a separate room for a more streamlined media room installation. The dedicated cabinet acts as hub for an entire entertainment system, giving users complete control from one remote or a smart device.

The 1080p, 65-inch screen set is 3D-capable, requiring active shutter glasses. The video engine cabinet boasts five class D amplifiers, with 4 80W midrange amplifiers, and an additional 45W tweeter amp. The audio system has a frequency range of 100Hz to 20KHz.

A wall-mounted version of the BeoVision 12-65 New Generation is available for $15,995. The unit mounted on a motorized floor stand retails for $17,895.

In conjunction with the television, Bang &?Olufsen?and?American?artist Miya Ando?have?teamed up to present "Transformations, Bang & Olufsen by Miya Ando"??-?a?series?of?20 hand-dyed, anodized aluminum paintings and hand painted?Bang & Olufsen?BeoLab 12?loudspeakers, similar to those included with the new television. A descendant of Bizen sword makers, Ando was raised among sword smiths and Buddhist priests in a temple in Okayama, Japan and in a redwood forest in Northern California. Combining traditional techniques of her ancestry with modern industrial technology, Ando transforms plates of anodized aluminium into ephemeral, abstract paintings.

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Report: Apple to add 100 standalone stores, SWAS models to India

According to sources present at a confidential meeting between Apple India executives and the CEOs of 20 top retailers, the iPhone maker has bold plans to create 100 standalone franchise stores in the top 50 second- and third-tier markets in the country, and will also create "store within a store" (SWAS) experiences for smaller markets in a new partnership with India's top smartphone and consumer electronics chains, since Apple does not yet have any official stores there.

Apple India is looking to set up these stores within the current fiscal year, which for Apple began on October 1. The meeting between potential retail partners and Apple was held by Maneesh Dhir and Sanjay Kaul, reports the country's Economic Times newspaper, who have spent the last three years building an executive team, shifting the emphasis of resellers to the iPhone, lobbied to shorten the wait on new products arriving in India and built stronger relationships with the company's current 65 or so exclusive partner stores.

By the end of 2015, the iPad maker plans to have some 200 franchise stores, and Dhir and Kaul used the meeting to unveil new plans to focus on the iPhone, the iPad and the iPod touch as part of the expansion of retail outlets. The company has made some proposals to the larger retail chains, it was revealed, and is actively scouting for additional franchise partners. Apple's strategy appears to favor rapid expansion in India ahead of any attempts to build its own network of official Apple Stores, at least in the short term.

The plan is reminiscent of Apple's dependence on independent exclusive resellers during the company's pre-Apple Store days. The strategy allowed Apple to have retail and repair presences throughout many countries without the expense of maintaining its own retail chain. Once former CEO Steve Jobs and former retail head Ron Johnson hit upon an ideal store configuration, the company began to build what is today a nearly 415-strong network of official stores, displacing resellers in some cities while strengthening independent stores and SWAS retailers in areas where Apple hadn't or wouldn't put its own stores.

The plans revealed to the paper through sources who attended the meeting make no mention of Apple opening any of its own stores in India at present, though the company's increasing focus on the region suggests that a a few top-tier markets may eventually see flagship openings on part with those in China or Japan. Apple has been experiencing some success with growing the iPhone brand in the Android-dominated country through aggressive marketing, rebate and trade-in programs, as well as experimenting with payment plans to help transition the country's dominant prepaid market into a postpaid model.

by MacNN Staff

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Apple releases OS X 10.8.5 Supplemental Update

As anticipated, Apple has released a Supplemental Update for OS X 10.8.5. The patch fixes a bug that prevented some apps from recognizing the FaceTime HD camera on the 2013 MacBook Air, plus two issues related to OS X's sleep mode: one would cause external drives to be ejected after a Mac went to sleep, while another silenced HDMI audio after waking. The update also copes with some USB Bluetooth adapters not functioning.

Bundled with the code is a maintenance release for iTunes, v11.1.1. It improves stability, and solves problems with deleted podcasts as well as iTunes Extras failing to display properly. Mac owners can download the Supplemental Update via Software Update; iTunes 11.1.1 is also available as a separate Windows download.

by MacNN Staff

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Netgear Nighthawk 802.11ac router revealed with QOS, beam forming

Networking company Netgear has launched its newest dual-band 802.11ac wireless router, the Nighthawk AC1900 Smart Wi-Fi Router (R7000). The Nighthawk combines a powerful 1GHz dual-core processor with a USB 3.0 port for peripheral connectivity and Netgear Beamforming+ to boost speed, reliability of connection, and best possible range for Wi-Fi 802.11ac connectivity in the home.

Nighthawk?s combined Wi-Fi connection speeds reach up to AC1900 Wi-Fi-levels (600 +1300 Mbps) to boost performance in online gaming, video streaming, and other high bandwidth tasks. High-power Wi-Fi amplifiers and three external antennas provide wide coverage around the home. The router also boasts downstream Quality of Service monitoring and prioritization, Beamforming+, and built-in iTunes server compatibility.

From a hardware perspective, the Nighthawk has a dual-core processor running at 1Ghz. The device has 128MB of flash storage, with 256MB of RAM. Four Gigabit Ethernet ports provide wired networking, with a fifth port for the wide area network.

Content on a storage device attached to the USB 3.0 port can be accessed and transferred across the network, for streaming video to DLNA enabled screens around the home. Content can also be kept safe with Netgear ReadyShare Vault, free software for automatic backup to a USB hard drive connected to the Nighthawk router. The new model also supports Apple Time Machine backups across the USB 3.0 port.

Netgear Beamforming+ is a signal-focusing technology that boosts the overall performance of Wi-Fi connections by directionally locating a wireless device on the network and pinpointing WiFi signals directly at the device. Compatible 802.11ac Wi-Fi devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, 2013 MacBook Air, and other upcoming 802.11ac devices will see boosted performance using the technology. The router fully supports OpenVPN for secure remote access to the home network.

A future maintenance update will add a smart connect feature, automatically choosing the best connection for a dual-band Wi-Fi device, such as the iPhone 5 and greater, the iPad 2 and later, and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Additionally, "Airtime Fairness" -- also to be implemented soon -- will prevent network lag when slower devices connect to the router. The new features are scheduled to be added in maintenance firmware update before the end of October.

The Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router (R7000) is available now via major retailers and online at an MSRP in the US of $200. While the router is backwards compatible to older Wi-Fi standards, compatible 802.11ac devices are required for maximum performance.

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Adobe hacked; source code, 2.9M users' data compromised

Adobe has notified users through a post on its company blog that has been hacked, detecting a number of "sophisticated attacks" on its network that accessed Adobe products' source code as well as some user account information for roughly three million users. The company says that credit and debit card numbers stolen in the attack were encrypted, and that it believes any decrypted payment information was not copied or removed.

Customer names, expiration dates and order information were obtained by the attackers, and Adobe said they will be "resetting relevant customer passwords to help prevent unauthorized access to Adobe ID accounts." If a given user's ID and password were involved, the company said it will send an email with information on how to change the password. "We also recommend that you change your passwords on any website where you may have used the same user ID and password," Adobe Chief Security Officer Brad Arkin wrote.

"We are in the process of notifying customers whose credit or debit card information we believe to be involved in the incident," Arkin said. "If your information was involved, you will receive a notification letter from us with additional information on steps you can take to help protect yourself against potential misuse of personal information about you. Adobe is also offering customers, whose credit or debit card information was involved, the option of enrolling in a one-year complimentary credit monitoring membership where available."

The company is also notifying all banks that process customer payments for Adobe of the breach to help protect customer accounts. Federal law enforcement agencies have also been contacted, and Adobe says it is assisting in their investigations. While saying that "cyber attacks are one of the unfortunate realities of doing business today," Arkin said the company "deeply regrets" that the incident occurred, and that "we will work aggressively to prevent these types of events from occurring in the future."

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Review: Western Digital's My Cloud external 2TB drive

Western Digital is attempting to reinvent the network-attached storage (NAS) concept with its new My Cloud device. The external storage aims to eliminate all of the network complications while expanding the available features. In our full review, we try to determine if the company has succeeded in simplification without too much sacrifice.

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Apple iOS 7 Part 1: UI, Notification/Control Centers, Multitasking

Apple iOS 7 is the biggest single upgrade to Apple?s storied iOS franchise since it shipped on the original iPhone back in 2007. Rightly, much of the attention has focused on the vibrant new look of the iOS 7 interface, which has been driven by Apple design guru Sir Jony Ive whose design team worked closely with Apple software chief Craig Federighi and his engineers to transform the iPhone experience in the space of less than 12 months. However, there is a lot more to iOS 7 than meets the eye, with ground breaking 64-bit architecture underpinning the entire operating system including a native 64-bit kernel, libraries and drivers. In Part 1 of this short series of deeper looks at iOS 7, we are focusing on the revitalized iOS 7 UI, the Notification and Control Centers as well as Multitasking. In the first instance, we take a look at iOS 7 running on the iPhone 5s and 5c, Apple?s latest premium smartphones.

iOS and the Apple smartphone paradigm

Apple?s iOS 7 is a much more vibrant and contemporary experience than iOS 6. It is a long over due overhaul, but it has been comprehensive. Although a lot of the attention has focused over the years on the design of each iPhone, the franchise would have never been the incredible success that it has been if it weren?t for iOS operating system, originally called the iPhone OS. The iPhone has always been a very minimalistic piece of hardware, while it is the operating system and its first-party applications that have defined the overall user experience. Apple?s smartphone paradigm shift was all about dropping physical controls, including a physical keyboard, allowing for an endless reconfiguration of its multitouch display so that it can become many, many devices in one.

Colors, translucency and layers

iOS 7 does not change this paradigm fundamentally, but builds upon it subtly, with the use of layers and translucency providing users enhanced orientation and context. The use of more brightly colored icons helps considerably with this approach that fly in when you unlock the iPhone. These bright colors turn to a more pastel-like appearance when the new Control Center is launched, or when the revamped Notification Center is activated. This allows users to sense where they are in the user interface when other layers of functionality are triggered. The colors can also be tailored to your iPhone, which is most noticeable in its implementation in the colourful iPhone 5c range, but it works well across all iOS 7 compatible iPhones including the iPhone 4 and 4S. Changing your wallpaper now also results in system wide color effects, helping to harmonise the entire iOS 7 experience.

New icons 'pop' with a color infusion
iOS 7 uses a layered metaphor, with colors and translucency

Animations

iOS 7 also includes a number of new animations, most noticeable of its which is the gentle zoom apparent when launching and closing apps, that changes from left to center or to the right, depending on the position of the app on the Home screen. It also serves to build on the concept of layers that Apple has embedded throughout the operating system. It creates a sense of almost three-dimensional-like depth as you navigate throughout the various applications and functions of the iPhone, akin to taking the user on a small journey in and out of each application. This is most effective when diving into folders and launching applications. It makes the iOS experience more engaging and even more fluid. It gives a sense of deep unification to the design of iOS 7 that is consistent from each built-in app and across the whole OS in a way not previously seen from Apple, or any other maker for that matter.

Icons 'flying in' are one of many new animation effects

Parallax effect and ?peeking?:

Another aspect that of the UI that has changed is the introduction of a parallax effect that can be seen on both the Lockscreen and home screen. Tilt your iPhone and you can seemingly take a peak behind the icons, with Apple using the gyroscope in the iPhone in tandem with the UI. It introduces a sense of fun and playfulness into the user experience, while also reinforcing the idea that the icons themselves are layered over the background wallpaper. Apple has also extended the concept of layering throughout the operating system through the new ability to swipe from left to right through out built-in apps and even areas of the iPhone allowing you to ?peek? at screens lying ?underneath? other screens. It is a function that can be seen in any of Apple?s built-in apps where there is a sense of hierarchy, as in Safari when browsing from one page to the next, or in Settings, when moving between functional hierarchies as well.

Layers of hierarchy in Settings

While the UI has been given a significant revamp in ways that are visually apparent, they are much less obtrusive than the way in which iOS6 and previous versions of the operating system used more real-world references (ie. skeuomorphism) to help users navigate their digital domain. Folders, for example, now have a light, unobtrusive, partly translucent background picking hues from the wallpaper theme, making apps a lot easier to see than the previous dark cloth-like background. At the same time that iOS 7 may add new transitions and layers to the user experience, it also strips away many non-essential elements wherever possible, helping to push user content forward. You will find that various bars and buttons have been removed altogether, or quickly recede from view when no longer needed.

Control Center:

The Control Center gives iOS 7 users quick access to frequently used settings for the first time. Like the Notification Center, the implementation of translucency embodies the design philosophy behind iOS 7, helping you to keep oriented to what screen or app you are in when you launch it. This is particularly important when you realize that if can be launched from the Home screen, the Lock screen, in apps and even when in Settings. Control Center gives you the ability to quickly toggle Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb and Orientation lock with a swipe up from the bottom of the screen and a tap. Other settings that can be quickly adjusted here include AirDrop, audio-visual controls, launching the torch function, timer, calculator and even the camera app. Further, with the camera function included in the Control Center, you can almost instantly launch the camera app, regardless of what you are doing on your phone resulting in fewer missed photo opportunities. At this stage, users can?t define the functions available in Control Center, but it is possible that this might come in the future and is certainly something we would like to see.

Control Center brings quick access to settings, utilities and Camera app

Notification Center

While Control Center uses a white looking frosted glass pane translucent effect, Notification Center adopts a darker translucent effect like looking through a tinted window and fills the whole display when the layer is launched. Functionality and information presented in the Notification Center has been ramped up significantly. Users now have the opportunity to swipe between current information three primary tabs labelled ?Today,? ?All,? and ?Missed.? These can be accessed by swiping between them, or by tapping on each label. Even better, the Notification Center (and the Control Center) can be initiated from the Lockscreen if the user defines it in Settings without the need for unlocking your iPhone. It is a substantial improvement, giving iOS users similar notifications functionality to other operating systems, while also grouping notifications by type to help you to quickly see what alerts are most important to you.

The ?Today? tab presents you with the day and date, while also providing weather information in conversational English. You can set the types of notifications that you want to see in Settings, but by default you are presented with Calendar information, Reminders, Stocks and also a conversational English snapshot of your next day. The ?All? tab provides you with all the notifications from apps that appear in the Settings under Notifications. Again, you can select which apps you would like to receive notifications from and how and whether you want them to appear when not in the Notification Center (ie. as banners, alerts, or badges). With background app updates enabled (over 4G and/or Wi-Fi), you can also quickly which apps have been updated in this view, or when song downloads have been completed. The ?Missed? tab gives you a summary of any notifications not yet addressed including missed messages and phone calls.

Notifications of background app updates

Multitasking:

Another area that Apple has improved markedly over iOS 6 is the way multitasking has been refined and improved. Since its inception, iOS has always been capable of supporting full multitasking as it is built upon the full Mac OS X kernel. However, the iPhone has always been a delicate balancing act between adding new functionality while maintaining battery life in a device that gets thinner and lighter every two generations. To this extent, Apple has been much more careful than others which have introduced more advanced multitasking, but potentially at the expense of battery life and overall usability. That doesn?t mean that Apple has always succeeded in addressing the needs of its power user base that want features like full multitasking (or more features sooner rather than later). That said, with each new version of iOS, Apple has extended its functionality significantly. Over 200 new features have been added to iOS 7, just as iOS 6 brought with it over 200 new features over iOS 5.

In iOS 7, the operating system monitors the apps that you use most frequently and now updates them with the fresh content in the background, where apps were previously suspended when not in use. The multitasking interface has also been given a comprehensive overhaul that is stylistically much more sophisticated and in keeping with what users expect from Apple. In Mac OS X Apple is a leader when it comes to the visual presentation of its user interface. Expose and Mission Control are prime examples of how Apple has previously created engaging, functional and attractive multitasking solutions that have since been emulated by the competition their mobile multitasking solutions. Now, instead of an app tray that appears beneath the Home screen with a double tap of the Home button as in iOS 6, the same action in iOS 7 presents users with a screenshot of each open application in a separate window (introduced after a clever and subtle transition). The relevant app icon situated beneath each screenshot, adding further clarity, accompanies these. You can then side scroll through open apps or dismiss them with an upwards flick.

Concluding thoughts:

iOS 7 UI is an inspired reimagining of the original iOS interface. The introduction of the layered approach to the UI has built upon an outstandingly simple to use interface, adding additional depth and sophistication to the user experience without detracting from its original essence. This is an achievement that should not be understated as there hundreds of millions of iOS users that Apple could have potentially alienated by simply bringing change for change sake. Under the stewardship of Sir Jony Ive and Craig Federighi, Apple has deftly handled this critical transition.

For some iOS users, the new look and functionality will take some adjusting to. iOS 7 places a stronger than ever emphasis on looking as attractive as it is easy to use. If you pause to reflect more deeply on Apple?s approach, you will soon realise that there has been an equally renewed emphasis on improving the overall user experience as well. The changes are deep, system wide and go far beyond the design of its icons and the color palette. While it seems inevitable to say that iOS 7 is the best version of iOS yet, it was no fait accompli that this would be the case. iOS was in need of an overhaul in the face of quickly evolving competition, yet Apple has delivered an experience that is instantly recognisable, but new at the same time.

Apple is constantly under pressure to demonstrate its ability to innovate. Unfortunately, a lot of mainstream media attention has not taken the time to dive more deeply into the quality of the software and hardware engineering in iOS 7 and the new iPhones. Apple?s discipline and focus on its product has never been more evident than it is now. When you stop to consider that in addition to redesigning iOS 7 visually, and functionally, it has also rearchitected the entire OS. Its 64-bit foundation paves the way for Apple?s future and has been delivered at least 9 - 12 months ahead of the competition. Innovation is alive and well at Apple and even if the mainstream media may have glossed over it, you can bet that is has not gone unnoticed by its competition who realize that Apple has just blown them away ? again.

By Sanjiv Sathiah

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