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Posts tagged with "iOS 7"

Drafts 3.5 Brings Refined Interface for iOS 7, Action Improvements

Drafts for iOS has singlehandedly reinvented, alongside Editorial, my iOS workflow. With a combination of URL schemes and custom actions, direct Dropbox and Evernote integration for saving text, callbacks, and a fervent community of passionate users pushing the app to its limits, Drafts has become an extremely powerful iOS notepad without losing its basic simplicity. Drafts is the perfect example of an app that is easy to use and approachable but that power users can tweak and enhance if they know where to look.

With the release of iOS 7, developer Greg Pierce has decided to make Drafts 3.5 an iOS 7-only app that includes an updated design and some new features for power users. This will likely be a controversial decision among users who won’t update to iOS 7 right away, but I certainly understand the motivation of wanting to move forward as fast as possible by promptly embracing our iOS 7 future.

Drafts didn’t have much custom UI to begin with, so this new version’s most visible changes are the keyboard, which defaults to the iOS 7 one, and the revised icons and menus that match iOS 7’s new design trends and guidelines. Icons are thinner, the Settings’ cells run from edge to edge, the On/Off switches are new, the status bar blends with the writing area, and there’s a lot more whitespace. After having used Drafts 3.5 for a few months, I would say that, in the transition to iOS 7, it has lost less than Pierce’s other app, Terminology, in terms of identity and personality. Drafts was already spare and clean-looking – iOS 7 just makes it official and takes the app’s whitespace up a notch. Overall, it’s still the same Drafts, now with new icons and an updated keyboard.

The additions to Drafts 3.5 should please power users and those who rely on Drafts as an application launcher more than a note-taking app. Read more

Apple Updates AirPort Utility and Apple Store Apps with iOS 7 Support

Ahead of iOS 7’s public launch, expected later today, Apple has started updating their App Store apps (the ones that don’t come pre-installed on iOS) with support for the new operating system. The first two apps released this morning to get the iOS 7 treatment are AirPort Utility and the Apple Store app.

Both apps have been updated to include the new default iOS 7 UI; based on initial tests, it doesn’t seem like Apple added new major functionality to the apps. AirPort Utility, used to manage and configure AirPort stations directly on iOS, has received an integrated status/bar navigation bar that keeps the app’s existing color scheme. There still is a main screen listing all your active AirPort devices, which you can tap on to enter another view for hardware information and more.

The Apple Store’s update is more substantial from a design standpoint, with Apple including a new app icon and redesigned graphics throughout the app. Apple Store now comes with edge-to-edge sections, translucencies, and thinner tab bar icons that are consistent with Apple’s other iOS 7 apps.

You can find updates to AirPort Utility and Apple Store on the App Store.

Pocket Casts for iOS 7 Review

Pocket Casts 4

Pocket Casts 4

Over the years, I’ve moved my podcast subscriptions to different apps to see which one would fit my listening habits and needs better. I have tried Instacast, Downcast, even Apple’s free Podcasts client with iTunes sync for a while, but never settled on a specific solution for more than six months. The possibility to export a set of subscriptions as OPML to other apps makes it easy to switch, just like it is simple to move RSS feeds from one client to another. But while I have remained loyal to Reeder and Mr. Reader for years now, I’ve never been able to stick with a podcast client for too long. Every time I tried a new app I would say that it was going to be the one for me, but then I encountered an issue, or perhaps a feature was added to a competitor – and I was back exporting my OPML subscription list and relocating to another home.

For the past month, I’ve been testing Pocket Casts 4, developed by the Australian team of Shifty Jelly. Pocket Casts 4 has been approved by Apple, and it will be released on the App Store as soon as Apple will flip the switch for iOS 7 apps on iTunes. Pocket Casts 4 is a Universal app sold at $3.99, and it’s a free upgrade for existing owners of Pocket Casts 3.

While I recognize that I tend to be some kind of an app nomad when it comes to podcast clients, Pocket Casts 4 has some excellent features that work for the way I like to listen to podcasts and organize them. Read more

Amount, A Simple Unit Converter Ready for iOS 7

Amount (developed by Marco Torretta) is a unit converter app for iPhone that takes a unique approach in how it lets you enter numbers and pick a unit to convert. The app was updated yesterday to offer a new layout, and it’s ready for iOS 7 with a status bar that blends with the calculator’s dark display (it’s also still compatible with iOS 6 devices, but without the new status bar design).

The main screen of the app is called Number and it’s a standard calculator that lets you enter an amount to convert. Because it’s a calculator, you can use it to do simple operations, and I like how numbers and clearly separated from other keys through color. My only complaint is that there are no sound effects when pressing keys, which can be confusing if you’re not looking directly at the display but still would like to hear feedback from the app. Read more

AroundMe Gets Redesign For iOS 7

Created by Italian developer Marco Pifferi, AroundMe has long been one of my favorite location-based apps for the iPhone and iPad. In fact, AroundMe is one of the oldest iOS apps I own, as Pifferi always supported the app through the years with free updates and additions that took advantage of Apple’s new OSes and features. With a simple interface and feature set, AroundMe allowed you to easily find nearby places (bars, restaurants, hospitals, hotels, etc) with a rich database and built-in directions for Maps and Google Maps.

AroundMe’s version 7.0, released this week, brings a completely redesigned UI and animations that make the app ready for iOS 7, which is officially coming out on Wednesday. Read more

iOS 7 and New Apps→

Gedeon Maheux:

I’m sure many users are expecting developers of popular applications to simply update interface elements, compile some code and easily drop a brand spanking new version of their app onto the App Store for free. There’s little doubt that the majority of iOS 7 updates to existing apps will be free (which will please Apple), but I suspect there will be a surprising number of developers who will use the launch of the new operating system to completely re-boot their app, and why not? The visual and interactive paradigms iOS 7 mark a natural breaking off point and a perfect opportunity to re-coup costs. Some existing paid apps might even adopt an iOS 7 only strategy which means they’ll have no choice but to charge again.

This makes sense. One more reason why Apple will need to clearly and strongly highlight iOS 7 apps on the App Store.

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The iOS 7 App Store Opportunity→

Marco Arment has a good take on what iOS 7 represents for developers: a huge opportunity to differentiate apps that will inevitably remain stuck on iOS 6 from those that will embrace iOS 7’s new modern approach later this year.

As I wrote today, it’ll be interesting to see how developers of existing apps will adapt to iOS 7’s dramatic reimagination of the OS. I do believe that many will try an in-between approach to a) keep their identity in the jump to iOS 7 or b) target both iOS 6 and iOS 7 with separate interfaces. I either case, I don’t think that’s a great solution. And, I am curious to see how long it’ll take designers and developers to exclusively target iOS 7 with different, custom interfaces – as many have done in the past five years.

I’m also thinking about how the App Store team will handle the transition from iOS 6 to iOS 7, which should coincide with Apple reaching the 1 million apps milestone (I was off by < 100,000 apps). Aside from App Store improvements that I mentioned in the past, I believe Apple should find a way to clearly promote and organize apps that have been built exclusively for iOS 7. The new OS isn’t just tweaking functionalities or refining some UI elements; I find it hard to envision an App Store that doesn’t make any distinction between “classic” and “modern” apps.

In the past, Apple launched App Store sections for apps taking advantage of new OSes or hardware features, and I’m wondering if, with 1 million iOS apps, differentiation between iOS 6 and iOS 7 should deserve another simple section or something more advanced like search filters, “made for iOS 7” badges, or new editorial efforts from the App Store team.

Properly promoting and organizing iOS 7 apps on the Store can benefit Apple, its users, and third-party developers. The App Store’s back catalog isn’t a new topic of discussion, but with iOS 7 and six zeros getting closer, it’s worth reconsidering it.

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