Edit : iOS 7 Battery Life : One Word “Unfortunate”

Apple released iOS 7 for Beta testers and App developers a couple of days back. While we updated to the new OS in almost utter haste, 48 hours into the update few things are different. There are certain things that once you switch over you will simply adore and get used to. But then there are things that, while iOS 7 is in beta, beckon the user to simply flash back to iOS 6.

Here is what we like about iOS 7

A lot of things have become easier, and although small little changes don’t make sense to the observer, in the entirety of the situation they add up to an amazing overhaul of the usage experience.

• Control Center : iOS 7 Control Center, according to my personal opinion, is the most awaited change in the OS. The only reason SBSettings ever existed and the only reason I ever Jailbroke my iPhone. Yes it has existed in Android forever, but Apple put it in a different location. Notifications from the top, control toggles from the bottom. Whether it is building on someone’s idea or simply changing a creation to make your own, it makes sense. Why has no one else ever thought of this? Our money is on multiple apps enabling this bottom toggle drawer on Android in 3 -2-1….. 

• Page Swiping : To unlock iOS you can now swipe anywhere on the lock screen, you can also swipe back from your Text Messages and Emails to come back into your conversations. It’s not a big deal but I can’t imagine my iPhone without it anymore, and i have used it only for 48 hours with these gestures. Gizmodo shows it off in a beautiful way.

• Minimal Design : As we progress into the future, a more minimal approach cleans up clutter and sort of de-stresses the effort. While many elements of the UI are truly unfinished and kiddish, the overall idea is marvelous. The interface is a lot more relaxed and “sober”, for the lack of a better word. It does a lot more with animations and highlight. Once Apple does fix the major design issues, and they must, the UI should be well appreciated by those in the iOS ecosystem.

• Blocking: Over a hundred Apps on Android do this, iOS 7 has a wonderful new feature built in that simply lets you block all conversations from a particular number to you phone. Those annoying property sale messages are a thing of the past for me, any new spam number gets added almost instantly. The person calling on the other end gets a busy tone, and you don’t even get a notification. The blocking feature is also premature, I would like to select what all I want to block, only messages or only phone should be an option when they finally roll out. Another feature that would allow you to have a log of all the blocked calls or messages, which users could manually access, would make the feature perfect.

Here is what we don’t like about iOS 7

The OS is still in BETA stage and although it is a bit premature to give out opinion on Apple’s new iOS 7, these are things that may make us switch back to iOS 6.

• Battery Life : There is only one word : Unfortunate. The battery life on iOS 7 is lower than ever, we do understand that the OS needs to be tweaked and so do the Apps to work with the ecosystem. But an iPhone 5 on iOS 7, heats up like a firecracker and is ready to go off any moment. Even for developers, the reliability of the battery needs to be perfect, before Developers can start testing their Apps on the OS. At present, only a few may be able to get any work done. 

• Tap Precision : While many will debate the fact that the OS is new, the overly minimal design has made it a lot more difficult to use the iPhone or iPod on iOS 7. At some deeper level this may be Apple’s way of improving concentration with people (Apple a Day, makes you witty and gray). All Apple puns aside, the company needs to ensure that the final build is either more relaxed in terms of precision of tapping, or less minimal.

A lot more design improvements as well as software fixes are required to make iOS 7 stable and ready for public consumption. However, even with the changes that Apple has shown off, the interface lacks a certain finished feel. While some elements are overly appreciated, some bugs have forced us to revert. A phone that requires a charge every 2 hours if of no use. So, While its time for us to switch back to iOS 6.1.4 on our iPhone 5, it is safe to say Apple is headed in the right direction. Are you switching yet ?

[youtube id=”S5-KmW1QhcE” width=”100%” height=”300px”]