Data logs reveal Apple testing iOS 7 and next-gen iPhone

In related news, grass is green

I'm shocked, absolutely shocked they would be testing this.

No kidding?

Gee. I thought that they simply plucked the new products off a magic tree and shipped them without testing. /s

Copy and paste!

It is rather silly to report this without any details as to new features. Of course they will test it. Any predictions on major new features or innovations? I think Apple might roll the dice a bit more with the next iOS. Jellybean is pretty darned good. It is fast, stable, and offers a lot of features not available in iOS. These aren't the old days of Android 2.1 where iOS was clearly superior. You could make a very strong case that Jellybean is as good if not better than iOS in many areas. I wonder if we will see some big changes and improvements this year from Apple.

Forget the naysayers - updates like this do help me when considering when to pull the trigger on upgrades. 

 

I have one device that is not eligible for discounted upgrade till May or June of 2013 - so knowing how close to release the iPhone 5S (or 5+ or whatever they call it) happens to be will help me decide in the June time frame whether I should go ahead and replace three iPhone 4 units and my iPhone 4S with iPhone 5 as soon as I am eligible or wait it out for a couple more months to get whatever is coming next. 

What I found semi amusing are the sites reporting this as something that proves that they are going to release iOS 7 to developers early. Like March not June. Doubtful. This testing is typical, happens every year. And six months of testing before developers see it sounds about right

The only problem with that logic is that this report doesn't tell you anything new about timing.

For years, it has been possible to see evidence of the next upgrade within a few months after a new OS was released. And, for years, the average iOS upgrade cycle has been 1 year. So it's pretty safe to assume that iOS 7 will be out around 12 months after iOS 6 (almost certainly between 9 and 15 months).

Actually there is evidence in the article that this is a bit early compared to last year, but Apple probably has iOS going as far back as October.

As for new products other websites are finding new products ids.

Indeed who would have thought the rumors like this would be flying just prior to earnings.

 

I think you're dreaming.  Or you are confusing "different" with "better/innovative/new," etc.

 

The thing I find interesting about those that promote Android, is that one is always reading articles that go on with great superlatives about how great the current version of Android is.  Then when the next version comes out they right that same review about how fantastic it is, but then they always say something like: "... and those horrible glitches and problems with the last version are now fixed!"  Yet six months ago they were writing a review that said how absolutely perfect *that OS was and how it "fixed" all the horrible problems with the one before.  

 

Based on that, I have to assume there is a giant bias going on with most Android reporting.  If the latest version is always "the first useable version!" and then it gets replaced every year by another "first useable version!" then it stands to reason there is a lot of exaggerating and wishful thinking going on.  

 

I also base this on the fact that whenever I actually pick up an Android phone or tablet and try to use it, I'm hit with gigantic usability problems within the first few seconds.  Every. Single. Time.  

 

The day I see anyone actually use the (theoretically) amazing features that Android has that iOS doesn't, I might start to pay attention.  The day that the hype from Android promoters starts to equal the qualities of the product itself, I might start to pay attention.  

 

Even if you are correct, that this latest version is the best yet and solves all of Androids problems, (which I strongly doubt), Android has been so bad for so long, and Google has lied so many times about how good it is, and dissembled as to what it's problems are or where it's going, that it's basically up to Android to "show me" at this point.  

 

All it would take is for a single Android manufacturer to come out with a better product than the iPhone/iOS combination, put up an advert and some web pages explaining to me why it's better (why any average person would want it more), and I will probably buy it. Needless to say I have yet to see a product or an advert like this. 

 

Until then, I'm going to continue to assume that Android is a broken, useless POS.  

Every time I've tried to use it this has been my conclusion.  

I hope we have some new widget options besides weather and stocks in the notifications. It would also be nice to be able to tap on a new email in notifications without dismissing all the other new email in notifications. In other words let us use it as a rolling to do list or an action menu  yo can swipe off one by one instead of all or nothing. If you have 4 new mail messages for example and only want to swipe away 2 of them you can't do that. Same with all other notifications where you might want to only remove one app notification but leave others as a reminder for later. 

 

I would also love a new and easier way to access apps when you can't remember the name. This would obviously apply to less used or less famous apps. But when you have 300 or more apps like I do, instead of swiping through all those screens, then looking inside multiple folders what if you could sort apps like you can in OS X, for example by size or date installed. You could also add some other sort options like type of app whether game, utility, education, reference, or whatever.It would be nice to even create your own name for app types. 

 

How about another OS X like addition to iOS in the form of smart folders. I would love to create some utility or travel folders for example that would automatically only show those kind of apps. Right now we sort of have that with game center, so why not expand that to other categories as well? Those are just a few things I personally would like to see in iOS 7.

Well, they only found logs of iOS 6 after march, now they found logs of iOS 7 in december/january. Obviously this proves nothing, but this is something important. Maybe an early release is possible.

 

Random releases are better for supply management and could irritate stupid costumers that think they can demand release dates and features. I would love to see Apple as a niche player again (but healthy), the stupidity of some people makes me sick, and Apple is forced to do some things they wouldn't do otherwise. Even if they are skies above every other OEM (pcs, smartphones and tablets), things are different.

 

Macs are better than never, by the way...

Edited by pedromartins - 1/2/13 at 7:51am

inb4 "there is absolutely nothing iPhone 5S about the 4" iPhone 6,1 running iOS7".

That's to be expected really, this should just be a faster iPhone 5. I wonder if they'll be able to keep up the performance doubling every year or if they will try to move towards longer battery life instead. Graphics performance can always use a boost but it's already getting pretty good:



Dynamic reflection maps and all running smooth in HD.

The new iPhone is already so much more powerful than anything else on the market today... But I believe that they should "push" it until they are 1 generation ahead everyone else's horsepower (they are very close), then they could focus on other things like software and battery life.

 

Right?

Hope, Maps is going to be the best. Waiting.

Sounds to me like you haven't given Android much of a chance and don't know how to use it. My Android owning friends have the same problems when they pick up my iPhone, you just have to get used to the differences. My primary and personal phone is an iPhone, but I had used Android prior to this phone so know it well. Jellybean is really miles ahead of Android 2.2. I also have the chance to use some of my friends phones including a Samsung Galaxy S3, a Note II, and an HTC DNA. The display of the DNA is really stunning and better than the iPhone 5. You can assume Jellybean is a POS all day long but until you have given it a chance and know how to use it or access the features your opinion really is not very valuable. I have used both and know all the pluses and minuses of both and although I still prefer the iPhone/iOS ecosystem for the time being, it seems silly to never consider the possibility that the competition might not be better when it is time to upgrade to your next phone. I will always buy the best phone for me at the time of purchase and to rule out Android or even Windows phones completely without knowing anything about them seems rather obtuse. I may decide to stay with an iPhone or switch to something else, but since I only have to live with that decision for 20 months why not at least consider other possibilities? I find this fandroid and iPhone fervor really rather silly, both are good and it seems insane to never to even consider trying out a different phone since it is so easy to switch between the two platforms. Certain fanatical car owners who have owned nothing but an Accord or Camry model for over 20 years also perplex me. Buying the same model over and over is fine as long as you at least research and test drive other models once in a while and then make an informed decision. It is only a phone after all and not a loyalty oath to Steve Jobs, so it is okay to shop around come upgrade time. 

 

Buy stolen technology… don't buy stolen technology…

 

You act as though this is in any way an actual decision.

I don't think this is an indication of an early release of anything. iOS 6.1 is still on beta two months later. One feature I would like to see in iOS is AirDrop (photos, videos, docs) between iOS devices and Macs.

Every single person that bought a Galaxy S3 were uninformed. Every... Single... Person (and other living things)

Or in your case unless something has changed, don't buy any new technology at all. Are you still using your iPhone 1st generation? I will let the courts sort out any patent issue as to what is stolen or not.  As a consumer I try to get the best bang for my buck and let Apple fight their own battles. We aren't talking about blood diamonds after all, just a freaking phone so no moral quandaries involved in that decision. The only question people need ask themselves is what phone will they be happiest with at the time of purchase and for the life of that phone which for most is about 20 months give or take. 

 

Helping thieves, not helping thieves… 

 

"No, no, youse got it all wrong, ahfficer! I wus just drivin' da car they got away in! I didn't rob dat bank!"

Wow, just wow. So are you honestly trying to equate driving a bank robbery getaway car with buying a Droid DNA phone by HTC? And I thought some fandroids were way out there in loonyville with their Apple hatred. I salute you for bringing it to a whole new level. 

 

How many rosaries are required when I use the Apple pull down notification since it was stolen from Android just so I am clear?  

I have a plan to replace my 4S with 5 next week.
Or just waiting for 5S or even 6 next year?

Any suggestions?

You mean this year 😉

 

Nope, just filling the roles with a different scenario. But you don't care about that, of course.

 

Well, 5 (6) was last year, 5S (7) should be this year and 6 (8) should be next year.

Hmmm. By purchasing iDevices with Samsung parts, you are also helping thieves. Or can you just isolate the parts so your iDevice is "pure" and not tainted by Samsung? Bunch of hypocrites and ignorants.

That's why I splash my iPhone in holy water, when dock port turns red I know I expelled all the Samsung evil out of it

 

I don't see Samsung stealing chip designs. You're missing something crucial.

No. I believe the concensus was that anything Samsung is evil. So anything Samsung produced is evil. Unless Samsung is okay just as long it helps iDevices?

 

Anything they steal from others is evil. If they were to actually innovate in some fashion, why would that be evil?

Sure. Stop letting total strangers make your decisions for you and simply buy a new product when you want/need it.

I had the fortune of trying both iOS 6 maps and Google Maps while on a road trip last week, We stopped in the small town of Baker, CA and looked for a Carl's Jr. Restaurant. I naively assumed Google was correct but went we drove to where the restaurant was on the map, there was nothing but an empty lot. OTOH, iOS 6 Maps correctly located the Carl's Jr further up the road. It also showed several other nearby restaurants that were missing in Google Maps (which indicated nothing there). I concluded that Google's POI database was out of date, and the restaurant had relocated up the road some time ago. The empty lot where it thought the restaurant was looked vacant for some time, however. There was clearly a foundation there, but no building.

On the same trip, we were trying to navigate from a gas station back out to the highway in the small city of Barstow, CA. Google Maps showed that the small side street we were on would simply intersect the main road, but iOS 6 Maps correctly showed that the main road had become split (divided) about 20 yards south of the intersection, and that it was going to be "no left turn" allowed from the side street. So in this case, it wasn't a POI database issue, but an issue with the detail level of the roads themselves. iOS 6 Maps was simply more accurate on this trip.

I know it's unpopular to say that I like iOS 6 Maps, but really, I haven't been steered off a cliff or into the middle of the Australian desert without fresh water as a result of it.

T-Mobile compatible iPhones seems likely. 

Innovating technology that has a sole purpose to be evil.
Anyway why do we expect a 2013 release device and 2013 release OS are not to be tested by 2013 this is what I expect fromApple.

They will want to have a performance increase of some kind as a selling point for the new one but I'm thinking these features are going to stop being all that important much sooner than with the desktop. The performance of the latest iPhone is comparable to an early G5 tower. The compulsion for some to upgrade from G5s was to get that power in a smaller space or even more power for resource intensive apps. The iOS devices don't really have resource intensive apps besides games and are almost as small as the display allows them to be already.

I'm hoping tactile feedback and 3D gestures play a big role in the new models. Some of this will require faster processing like Kinect, perhaps even dedicated silicon. But once you have that and a retina display, graphics that match a mainstream console and a processor that handles all the tasks an iPad does, what next? They can't even make it much thinner due to the Lightning port. They'd almost have to make the iPad capable of more productive work for it to reach its limits.

I think that's why it was smart of them to set up their content distribution the way they did. Get 400 million+ users on board, only allow the one app store, they take a 30% cut of everything and they keep the money coming even when the hardware reaches a plateau. They've got music covered so they are already in a pretty secure position for the long haul. If they get search covered and movie/TV distribution, even better. First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the bunga bunga parties.